As Irene, tired of waiting, was about to ask which it was, Carlos opened his mouth.

“You can do whatever you want, as long as you don’t run away.”

Whoosh, the sound of leaves brushing in the wind mingled with his voice and echoed eerily.

“Except for running away.”

Irene thought Carlos had mistakenly referred to Esper Castle as a domain, but he had not.

As soon as they crossed the sturdy walls surrounding the domain, the gentle air of spring enveloped them. Duke Esper’s domain was said to be so cold that it was hard for crops to grow, was it a lie?

‘That’s not it.’

It was, after all, Duke who said it.

Then why was it so warm? There was no way the entire domain had temperature control magic in operation.

Irene looked around in wonder. The bustling streets were full of energy, a sight not found in Silas’s domain, where only about 100 households lived.

The big city is indeed different. While admiring the domain and looking around, they soon arrived at Esper Castle.

As Carlos approached, the guards immediately lowered the drawbridge. Clink, clink. The sound of horse hooves resonated unusually.

The first thing Irene felt when she entered the castle was suffocation. The castle, not knowing how high it reached, seemed like it might collapse and crush her at any moment.

But that didn’t mean Esper Castle looked old or shabby. It was incredibly sturdy and majestic, but that made it all the more intimidating. It felt bleak too.

When Irene unconsciously huddled, Carlos asked, “Are you hurt?”

“No, it’s not that……”

“My lord.”

At that moment, a woman’s voice was heard. Turning, a woman with blonde hair wearing a deep blue dress, and a man with a slightly lighter blue, tall figure were seen.

As the man approached, Carlos handed over the reins and dismounted. Then he reached out to Irene.

“Come here.”

He was going to help her down. Irene didn’t like it, but she had no confidence to get down alone, so she had no choice but to entrust herself to him.

“Jessie.”

When Carlos called her name, the woman, Jessie, approached. Carlos formally introduced Jessie to Irene.

“This is Jessie. She will be your maid from now on, so if you need anything, just tell her.”

“My… maid?”

Stunned by the treatment she’d expect only nobles to receive, Irene asked, and Carlos nodded.

Still in disbelief, Irene slowly blinked her eyes at Jessie. As their blue eyes met, Jessie’s eyes narrowed into beautiful crescents, and she smiled.

“Nice to meet you, miss. My name is Jessie. I will make sure you have no discomfort during your stay in Esper Castle.”
A real maid had come. Irene’s mouth naturally opened at the unexpected favor.

“I will show you to your room, Miss. Follow me.”

Irene didn’t follow Jesse right away and looked back at Carlos. Carlos gestured for her to hurry up.

Finally moving, Irene followed Jesse into the castle.

The ceiling was so high that she had to tilt her head way back to see it, and the hallway was as wide as a field. The marble floors were spotlessly clean, and the bright wall decorations made the interior of the castle very grand and dazzling.

“This place, Esper Castle, is divided into an outer and inner castle. There are also various buildings, but since you’ll rarely need to go there, Miss, I’ll explain them if you ever have to.”

Irene, who had been busily looking around the interior of the castle, perked up her ears and listened carefully when Jesse explained about the castle.

“You will be using a bedroom at the end of the east corridor on the fourth floor. For your reference, the master’s bedroom is at the end of the west corridor on the fourth floor.”

Why is he telling me the location of Carlos’s bedroom?

Jesse answered her unspoken question with a slight smile.

Before she knew it, they had arrived at the bedroom at the end of the east corridor on the fourth floor.

The room was decorated with a white canopy laden with lace, a pink bed, and a fluffy carpet. Unlike the grand and magnificent interior of the castle, the bedroom was quaint. It looked like a room fit for a princess from a fairy tale.

“Am I really allowed to stay in such a nice place?”

“Of course.”

Jesse answered as if it was a silly question.

“You are precious to the master.”

It was a strange statement.

Precious to that man?

Irene was about to correct what she thought was Jesse’s misunderstanding, but Jesse continued speaking.

“You may go freely anywhere in the castle except for the private spaces that the master uses.”

“Does that mean… I can’t go outside the castle?”

“No, you can leave if you get the master’s permission.”

It was as good as saying she couldn’t go out. Because Carlos would never allow Irene to go out.

“If you’d like to see the estate, should I ask the master?”

“No, it’s okay.”

The result was obvious, and if she asked and Carlos somehow realized she wanted to run away, it would be a big problem, so Irene refused.

“Then I’ll prepare a bath for you.”

Heading towards the bathroom, Jesse suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.

“Oh, I forgot to tell you one more thing.”

With a spin, Jesse’s face turned serious.

“Never go to the top of the north tower, Miss. It’s dangerous.”

What Jesse’s warning sounded like in Irene’s ears was this:

There’s a secret hidden at the top of the north tower, so never go there.

Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman

When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…

One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.

Synopsis

During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.

Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.

Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”

Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.

Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”

With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.

Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?

He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”

_____

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