Is the Duke of Alanka known for having a very straightforward and frank personality through generations? The Duke of Alanka I’ve encountered twice didn’t seem to be like that!
Blinking her eyes while munching on baked cookies, Catherine Lambert now looked remarkably similar to Cedric from the side.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Catherine denied it, looking at Lou, and slyly smiled, so others couldn’t see.
“Is our brother not good enough?”
No one here paid attention. Everyone was chatting with Ophelia or people they were already close to.
In other words, it meant that there was no one who dared to approach Lou first and be noticed by the mainstream Eastern noble ladies. It didn’t matter to Catherine Lambert, the mainstream of the mainstream, but still.
“I’ve never thought of it that way.”
“Oh, then is it about the Emperor? Well, the Emperor is more handsome, isn’t he?”
In a lower voice than before, Lou answered without batting an eye.
“I’ve never thought of the Emperor that way either.”
Boom!
“Ah!”
“Oh my!”
Suddenly, thunder rang out, and a flash of lightning startled the noble ladies. Today was a clear day without a hint of rain, so what was this about a literal “thunderbolt from the blue”?
Lou definitely looked out the window where the flash had occurred. The sky was still clear.
This time, she looked at Ophelia. Ophelia, who had been looking outside, also glanced at Lou with slightly surprised eyes. However, Ophelia was not surprised by a simple thunder and lightning.
‘Why did Her Majesty just do that?’
She was asking Lou. Lou quickly shook her head as if she didn’t know.
‘Haha, right. Haha. I don’t know either.’
Then Ophelia turned her head quickly to avoid being seen and thought.
‘Why is someone busy with state affairs eavesdropping on such a conversation!’
Even though she continued to stick to her with magic to protect her, still.
Lou decided to deal with this insignificant person later and quickly looked at Catherine.
“That startled me.”
“Yes, it did. Why would lightning strike on such a nice day? It seems like Her Majesty might be angry.”
Lou, without showing any sign, hesitated and raised her teacup again.
“The metaphor is interesting.”
“…It’s not an interesting metaphor. It’s a fact.”
Catherine, who had been looking out the window, turned to Lou. Then, other ladies who had been scared at first, but regained their vitality with Ophelia’s words, also looked carefully.
“When Her Majesty is angry, lightning often strikes a lot.”
It was the first time Lou heard this. She was about to say, ‘Really?’ and question it, but covered her face with a teacup. Wake up. The person she was facing was the foremost lady among the self-proclaimed high-ranking Eastern noble ladies, the Lady of Alanka. She had to hide what she didn’t know and what she knew.
“This time, there was also a lot of lightning in the East.”
Catherine seemed to have nothing more to say, so she stopped right there.
What could it mean? Lou realized that she wasn’t using a metaphor; she was actually saying that lightning had just struck, like she claimed.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
However, it was said that lightning could strike even when Her Majesty was angry, showering all sorts of commands. Lou decided to let it pass for now.
“But even so, we are here instead of brave men.”
Catherine smirked.
“It seems that ladies are acknowledged to be as brave as gentlemen in times like these.”
Ah, so, in other words, instead of Eastern nobles directly confronting and fighting against the feared Emperor, they sent their daughters to the palace to compromise.
Lou looked at Catherine silently and thought that the way she turned her words was quite inefficient yet amusing.
Directly stating something doesn’t always express the depth of one’s feelings. When you determine this is this and that is that, everything is clearly and simply defined, and it’s over.
But what Catherine just said conveyed a subtle bitterness. Simultaneously, it was surprisingly impressive.
Did she think it was okay to say such things to Lou? Perhaps she already considered Lou a suitable match tied by marriage between families? Well, maybe this was something you could say in social circles.
‘Is it a declaration to stand against the Emperor?’
She still didn’t know well, but Lou quietly remembered what Catherine had said.
“Ladies are very brave too.”
She nodded, placing the teacup down again.
“Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.”
Catherine responded quietly to Lou’s words.
“Fortunately. Forgetting about lightning quickly is better since it’s more enjoyable.”
It’s better to forget quickly. Or maybe it was a problem if she had already forgotten.
“So, anyway, our brother has been struck.”
Catherine was smiling cheerfully.
“I could also be the one, Youngae.”
“Oh no, it’s not like that. It started at our house. We had the preliminary meeting, and if the person involved doesn’t have any objections, it becomes a match.”
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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