People were weak. Carlos considered himself a person, but he didn’t think of himself as weak.
He already ruled as a god in the Calleta Empire. He wasn’t a weak person. And winning once didn’t make him a frivolous person who would cheer prematurely or be discouraged by a setback.
His long, white fingers snapped. It wasn’t visible, but there were still things to catch. No, quite a lot. Ophelia’s roughness, and Lucilla’s delicate and intricate details…
‘Should I entangle them more?’
In the end, everything belonged to Carlos Arthur Ingram. The impudent noble shouldn’t have dared to use the title of the emperor and poison the ears of Rustica.
Unable to completely sever ties with Carlos and unable to avoid it in her lifetime, Lucilla deftly tied the knot more delicately, with pale fingers clicking.
“Ah.”
Lucilla pressed her temples at a sharp headache. The momentary pain soon subsided.
“Why are you like this, miss?”
Lady Freya, the head chamberlain of Shallea Palace and the venerable Southern Sage and lifelong knight, who always stayed close to Rustica, asked.
“Is there anything uncomfortable?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Lucilla shook her head. The passing headache could happen to anyone, but she was anxious that even such pain might be related to a curse.
The curse that had not been lifted, especially on her head, still lingered, and Carlos could easily catch her and apply a new curse.
Even though it might be a curse she could undo, she couldn’t take it lightly. She had to find a way to completely unravel this curse and become free. That was necessary.
So that, rather than a burden to Hayden, who had shown her those horrific deeds without hesitation, she could be a support when retaliating against Carlos, the common enemy.
Honestly, Lucilla could even concede to cutting Carlos’s throat for Hayden. The screams of the people Hayden had heard still vividly echoed in her ears.
If the hell Lucilla had experienced was her quiet and deep hell, Hayden’s hell was a place overflowing with the blood of many people.
“If you’re uncomfortable anywhere, please be sure to tell me.”
“There’s nothing like that.”
After a slight smile, Lucilla looked ahead. The central palace of Shallea, brightly lit with lights, stood on the red carpet.
The carpet extended all the way inside the huge door where the Imperial Ladies and gentlemen were standing. Inside, many noble young ladies who had come to represent the imperial family in the evening ball, hosted by Empress Ophelia, were already present, chatting away.
There was plenty to talk about, such as the announcement posted at the main gate of the palace this morning, or who the noble lady closest to the empress was, and the hall was filled with topics.
“Even from a distance, you can easily tell who the Southern Sage is.”
A cheerful voice was heard, and when Lucilla turned around, Melpheus was standing nearby. Lady Freya took three steps back.
“Lord Melpheus.”
“It’s an honor to be your escort.”
“You’re saying unnecessary things. You can speak more honestly.”
“Yes, it’s truly delightful to see Her Majesty irritated and jealous from the side.”
Lucilla burst into laughter. The question of who would escort Lucilla today was always fiercely debated between Hayden and Countess Plache, with Lady Freya, who followed imperial laws and etiquette, ultimately making the decision.
“Since you were announced as the Sage today, you should enter as the Sage. Her Imperial Majesty will enter with the Marquess of Matapju, who is hosting the event, and you will be escorted by Dragonlord. If the Marquess stands side by side with you, it may be said that you were treated specially in this gathering.”
Lady Freya, who had sharply delivered these words, pretended not to hear Hayden’s question, who asked why she was completely excluded. Meanwhile, Countess Plache, saddened by not escorting her daughter, was comforted separately by Lucilla.
“Who said there would be an announcement today about who the new Sage is?”
Melpheus laughed as if finding it amusing.
“I guessed the problem that Empress Ophelia gave me, so I suppose the announcement was made today.”
“Some sort of initiation ceremony.”
Dragonlord nodded in agreement with Lucilla’s words.
“It’s impossible to recognize a young Sage who doesn’t even recognize other Sages properly. You have to hold onto her, teach her until she understands, and wait. It’s impossible to recognize her as a Sage until you catch her and teach her more.”
“I’m glad you didn’t make me wait long.”
“What’s the harm in waiting? There’s no need to rush. The reason I found the answer quickly this time is that… I’ve experienced a lot, and I’ve seen too many things that the Lady shouldn’t see even without Engai. In fact, I had no reason to do such a thing originally. In truth, I was fine sleeping for a thousand years, but I got busy because of that bastard Carlos.”
There was still some time left to enter. Lucilla asked Melpheus, who was laughing heartily.
“Actually, there’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“Ah, about the Northern Sage?”
“Yes.”
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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