The rulers who governed the underworld had no “parents.”
More precisely, there was no existence that could be called parents.
No one knew who created them or how they were born.
They suddenly existed one day, and from then on, they ruled and governed the underworld as its lords.
The position of a lord was lonelier and more solitary than one could imagine.
Although there were subordinates who swore loyalty to the lord and stood by their side, they were still subordinates.
They couldn’t replace the roles of friends, family, or lovers.
Developing such relationships was difficult.
So, the lords of the underworld considered other lords in the same position as friends or family and relied on them for companionship.
Carlos was no exception, and the lord he trusted and depended on the most was Dale Barance, the lord of the western territory, ‘Phero.’
Despite their conflicting personalities and hobbies, they fought and clashed often, but it was only temporary.
Even without explicitly reconciling, they would smile again as if nothing had happened.
Carlos and Dale were the first to step forward and help when there were difficult and challenging situations.
Their relationship was one where they sincerely rejoiced and hugged each other when there were happy moments.
Deeper than friends, closer than family who shared blood.
Carlos believed that this relationship would continue forever, but that was a misguided belief.
“Carlos Esper!”
With ‘that incident,’ their relationship completely shattered.
The aftermath of their shattered trust was devastating, given how firmly they believed in each other.
Dale, firmly convinced that he had been betrayed by Carlos, cursed him in rage.
Even though he willingly paid the price of losing parts of his body as a terrible consequence of the curse, Dale still proceeded.
As a result, Carlos was bound to the human world and could not return to the underworld.
Just as a frog can breathe outside the water but eventually dries up and dies if it stays out for too long, lords of the underworld faced extinction if they did not return to the underworld but continued to exist in the human world.
Due to this situation, Abel and some subordinates who knew Carlos’s circumstances clamored to declare war on Phero and immediately capture Dale Barance, but Carlos did not comply.
It was a misunderstanding, and Carlos believed that everything would return to normal once the misunderstanding was cleared.
He earnestly wished to go back to those times.
However, no matter how long he waited, Dale did not return.
The curse was not lifted either.
During the wait, Dale’s cursed power consumed Carlos’s life.
Deciding that he could no longer wait passively, Carlos tracked down the disappeared Dale after ‘that incident’ and searched for a way to lift the curse.
At that time, he made an agreement with the empire’s emperor and received the title of grand duke.
Thanks to this, he found a way to lift the curse, but that was all.
Lifting the curse was extremely difficult, requiring numerous trial and error.
If Carlos could capture Dale, he might be able to ask or even threaten him to lift the curse. Unfortunately, his whereabouts were elusive.
Not only did a new lord of Phero not emerge, but it was evident that Carlos was actively obstructing him from lifting the curse and living freely.
However, there were no witnesses from the underworld or humans who claimed to have seen Dale. This puzzled Carlos.
Yet, a witness emerged, claiming to have not only seen him but also participated in festivities with him. Although it bothered Carlos that the witness was a priest, investigations suggested that the person was likely telling the truth.
Now, all that remained was confirming if the man Sergeo met was indeed Dale.
“Carlos!”
Startled by the shoulder-grabbing touch, Carlos turned to face Abel, who was looking at him with an annoyed expression.
“What are you thinking that you’ve been so deeply lost in thought? I’ve called you several times, and you haven’t responded.”
Sighing heavily, Carlos brushed through his disheveled hair.
“What’s going on?”
“I’m not asking what’s going on; you should start with an apology for not responding even after being called several times.”
As Abel grumbled, Carlos raised an eyebrow, seemingly displeased.
“Get to the point.”
Carlos replied obediently, despite his stubbornness that was tougher than tendon strands bothering Abel.
“It’s about fixing the barrier. It seems almost done, so I called you to take a look.”
In response to that, Carlos inspected the barrier placed on the fortress wall.
There were a few more places that needed attention, but overall, it was excellent.
The large hole that had concerned him the most was perfectly sealed, and the remaining minor issues could be repaired with Carlos’s strength.
“…”
Yes, it’s possible now.
Carlos had exerted much more strength than usual, to the point where he thought it might be excessive for Irene.
Carlos looked at his clenched fist.
He could tell that there was more strength than usual without confirming it.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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