Evenel relayed to Harlan the same words she had once told the people tormenting Lia.
“What would killing one person do to my reputation? As you well know, Count, everyone’s already busy badmouthing me.”
Harlan’s expression hardened ominously at her playful words.
“You think you can say that to me and walk away unharmed?”
“Let me make something clear to you as well, Count. A person with nothing to lose has nothing to fear. And from the looks of it, you have a lot to lose. So you should be careful. Sometimes, even I don’t know where my gun will point.”
Evenel wore a smile, incongruous with her cruel words. She then surveyed the faces present and finally fixed her gaze on Harlan.
He glared at her as if wanting to kill her, but she wasn’t frightened. On the contrary, she was glad to see him angry; it lifted her spirits a bit.
“Since you didn’t properly apologize, I won’t apologize either. You said you’re busy, so I’ll be on my way.”
As she walked away, the nobles with Harlan, who had been mute just a moment ago, suddenly raised their voices.
“That audacious…!”
“Should I go and—”
“No need. She’s not worth it.”
Harlan moved along as if he didn’t care, but internally, it was the opposite. He felt such a deep animosity that he wanted to kill her on the spot. He was even angered by being momentarily overpowered by such a woman.
‘She’ll regret confronting me.’
Feldin approached Evenel, who was watching Harlan’s retreating group.
“That was impressive, speaking to Count Harlan like that.”
He was also quite shocked. She had openly mentioned killing in front of Harlan, a man no one in the aristocracy would dare trifle with.
Especially impressive was her fearless gaze. For a moment, it felt more than cold and calculated—it felt downright ruthless.
However, he didn’t think such an emotional response would do her any favors.
“Even if you’re angry, becoming overt enemies with Count Harlan isn’t wise. Didn’t you inform His Majesty?”
Living in Cariès, and in this palace, there was no need to be openly confrontational, even if you didn’t have to be in someone’s good graces.
Of course, Evenel knew as much. But since Harlan had crossed the line first, she felt no obligation to maintain her own.
“I have heard various reports about Duke Harlan. Even if His Majesty had advised me otherwise, my actions just now would have been the same.”
“Why do you say that?”
Felden genuinely questioned. How could she be so bold with so little to lose? Or was it just misplaced pride?
“Rather than listen to unspeakable things, I’d simply choose to fight. That’s more my nature. Even if my opponent were His Majesty the Emperor, and even if it were you, Duke Felden.”
The audacity to say that she could point a gun at herself as well left him understandably shocked. Her answer was truly unexpected, and her eyes were sincere.
She looked like a sort of person he had never encountered before.
“You’re an interesting individual.”
Though it was not a matter to be lightly dismissed, Felden didn’t show any signs of offense.
“Apologies if I sounded rude. I’ve been remiss in my greetings. I am Evenel Istella. Thank you for your assistance earlier.”
“I’m Felden Gayer. I could not stand by and let a misunderstanding occur.”
Upon hearing this, Evenel had something she wanted to ask him.
“Why did you go out of your way to help me, even at the risk of clashing with Duke Harlan? There’s no reason for you to do that.”
Realizing her tone had turned too sharp, she hastily corrected herself.
“Ah, if that offended you, I apologize. I’m just not accustomed to accepting kindness at face value.”
She had grown accustomed to detractors, and ironically, found herself suspicious of genuine goodwill. Was there another motive behind that smile?
Especially since he was a person of notable standing among the nobility.
Felden could not blame her, considering the harsh environment surrounding her. He felt a pang of sympathy, as she seemed to be going through more hardship than he had initially thought.
“Of course, I too consider Aodin an enemy. But separate from that, I’ve heard about you. You’ve even recently gained the recognition of Count Renel. I am not so cold-hearted as to shun someone who is working hard for Karies.”
“Ah…”
“Does that answer your question?”
Just then, Evenel covered her mouth with one hand. Her inexplicable action drew a puzzled look from him; he couldn’t identify anything particularly odd in what he had said.
“Why are you doing that?”
“That statement… it’s just too good to be true.”
She was desperately holding back a smile that threatened to escape. She hastily covered her face, afraid that her unbridled emotions would make her look foolish.
But Feldin saw it clearly. The glimmer of irrepressible joy in her eyes.
‘She seems like a completely different person.’
It was hard to believe this was the same person who had sent a chilling warning to Harlan. Yet, her innocent demeanor suited her surprisingly well, enough to soften even the caution within him.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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