Everyone in the reception room listened carefully to my words, but Cloud timidly raised his hand, pointing out a concern.
“Um, Your Grace. I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“You mentioned that you conducted an investigation independently. Could you please tell us in what manner you conducted the investigation?”
The audience murmured at his words.
“Brother! Don’t phrase it like that; it might make Marquis Kitten uncomfortable! I’m sure he handled it skillfully on his own!”
Sheri, showing infinite trust in me, scolded Cloud with determination. She had treated me very warmly since I saved her zombie-turned parents.
“Sheri Damon sees you as a hero.”
The incident that instantly revived a negative image had become absolute for Sheri.
“You shouldn’t just blindly trust and follow someone who saved your life, you know?”
‘She’s actively defending me even when I didn’t ask for it.’
I felt grateful and a bit awkward.
Sheri gave me a glance that said, ‘I did well, right?’ I wondered if I was filling Sienna’s void in some way.
Happy as I was, the thought of being a substitute for Sienna stung my heart when I considered that I might not be a true replacement.
“Do you ever feel insecure in this kind of situation?”
‘What?’
“That there might be no one who loves you.”
Zero floated up, pointing to the gathered collaborators, party members, and rescued individuals.
“Look at these people! Despite being shaken by Cloud, those you saved are grateful and want to repay your kindness.”
‘…Really?’
“If you don’t believe me, look into their eyes.”
I glanced around at my surroundings.
In addition to party members and collaborators, there were several rescued people and mansion servants.
Despite Cloud’s valid questions, they were looking at me with warm gazes.
‘Our eyes met…’
Some people smiled at me like Rena, offering gestures of encouragement.
Even without Zero’s explicit confirmation or checking through the eyes of the spirit, I knew.
My efforts had come back to me as the support of others.
Just as my heart was about to be moved, Jacqueline’s calm voice was heard.
“Enough, Sheri. While Marquis Kitten indeed saved us, since we are now fighting against zombies together, it is reasonable to inquire about the source of the information the Marquis possesses.”
“If J-Jacqueline thinks so, then I-I agree too.”
Beside Jacqueline, Jessica, who was sticking to her like a puppy, nodded vigorously.
Celesté Viscount Nigel and his wife Vanessa, who were always close to their smart daughter’s opinion, did not disagree on this point.
“If it’s not too much trouble, Marquis Kitten, I would also like to know through what means you collected that information.”
“Me too. It might be embarrassing to say this, but our family also has some proficiency in handling information. If you could let us know, we would like to consider conducting additional investigations using the same methods.”
These people weren’t questioning me to pick a fight. They were genuinely curious and wanted to lend their strength to completely eradicate the zombies.
In line with my speculation, Cloud added, somewhat awkwardly, “It was a bit of an aggressive question. But we didn’t intend to cause trouble for you, Your Grace. We also wanted to help resolve this matter.”
Jacqueline chimed in, “If we’re surviving in this position as collaborators, it’s because we believe we shouldn’t stay quiet, even if just to honor the spirits of those who have already died. While we may be useless in terms of combat abilities… we also want to help you catch the culprit who has disrupted our ordinary lives.”
Jacqueline’s golden eyes gleamed with a frosty light. She bit her lips, igniting her anger against the culprit.
“What kind of person… would plan to die as soon as they get caught?”
Smiling brightly, Jacqueline looked terrifying.
“Uh, sis, scary…”
Jessica responded that way, but even as she did, she couldn’t let go of the impression that only her sister could scold her.
Nadia Rootrie, not very close with them, sat on a separate couch, murmuring softly.
“Ahem, well, even though I’m curious, I understand if Marquis Kitten doesn’t want to reveal the source. I appreciate the grace of saving me, even though I was planning to kill you as soon as I met you.”
“Are you implying that we are suspicious of Marquis Kitten and raising such questions?”
When Sheri asked with discomfort, Nadia pretended to scratch her insides, saying, “Well, I didn’t mean that, did I?”
‘Ah, I really hate these high society-like comments…’
Before the two women could bite each other like roosters, I had to intervene.
Fighting was strictly prohibited in this mansion that had become a shared living space.
“Come on, I understand everyone’s feelings. Let’s not fight with each other.”
Smiling, I patted Sheri and Nadia’s shoulders, and the two, who seemed dissatisfied but realized I was stronger, sat down grumbling.
“You’re lucky.”
“More like you are.”
“If I see you two fighting again, I’ll tell you to go out and kill some zombies.”
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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