“Leo, are you still holding a grudge about losing in martial arts to me?”
“That’s because I was a kid back then! If we fight now, I’d win, wouldn’t I?”
“Oh, really? Shall we try fighting again now?”
Artia, with a gleam of interest, asked.
Leo, who has now turned eighteen, has grown much taller and larger than before. Unfortunately, he hasn’t completely outgrown his adolescent syndrome, but he wasn’t foolish enough to face Artia, an insurmountable wall. No matter how much his physique grew, Leo realized that Artia belonged to a different dimension.
As Leo grew, Artia’s muscles also grew. If Leo’s height increased vertically, Artia widened horizontally. Leo sometimes thought that Artia might be an unknown being capable of freely utilizing the components in her body. Even though she disguised herself as a human, Leo couldn’t help but wonder if she might be a different life form. Despite having a similar outward appearance as humans, Leo felt that there was something significantly different between him and Artia.
“I won’t do it! It’s not gentlemanly for a guy to compete against a girl. It’s just not right.”
“Are you scared because I might beat you?”
At Artia’s provocation, something hot and boiling surged inside Leo.
“Yeah! I’m scared! What can I do? Look at your muscles. Why should I engage in a fight that I’m likely to lose?”
“Now you’re being honest.”
“…”
Leo belatedly realized.
Since he had already revealed his true feelings, he decided to act like everything was going as planned.
“Besides, your muscles and mine are incomparable. No matter how much I train, I can’t develop muscles like yours.”
“How about you enroll in the gym, Leo?”
“That’s…”
In truth, Leo wanted to enroll in Artia’s gym. Artia’s gym, which turned even hopeless anchovies into lively bodies in a few months, was bustling with people every day. ‘Wait a minute? Instead of pretending to be a trainer like my brother and Artia, I’d be joining as a member.’ Whenever he thought about going to the gym, Leo couldn’t shake off the bitter feeling that people would undoubtedly laugh at him. When there was a gym at the imperial palace, Leo occasionally visited to watch Artia exercise. However, the gym established by the duke’s family was different. With many onlookers and people who originally knew him, Leo couldn’t help but be conscious of their gazes.
“How about a one-on-one lesson?”
Artia said with a wink in one eye.
“!”
Leo’s eyes widened. He couldn’t just ask for a one-on-one lesson with Artia.
“Will you really do it?”
“There’s a condition.”
At the word ‘condition,’ Leo’s expression darkened.
“Just take good care of Kevin like you do now.”
“…”
“That’s all.”
Leo responded with a snort, wiping his nose.
“I was planning to do that without you mentioning it!”
Leo added shyly, avoiding eye contact.
“…We’re family.”
“Family! Family!”
Kevin laughed cheerfully, imitating Leo’s words with his short tongue.
“Family! Family!”
Leo and Artia stopped talking, smiling as if they had made a promise.
Leo, feeling embarrassed, lowered his gaze and added quietly, “We’re family.”
“Family! Family!”
Kevin laughed cheerfully, diligently imitating Leo’s words with his short tongue.
“Family! Family!”
Leo and Artia, as if they had made a promise, stopped talking and smiled.
“Yeah, we’re family.”
Artia hugged Kevin, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Kevin burst into joyful laughter.
Leo stared at Kevin with envy. Love he had never experienced.
Artia, noticing the emotions in Leo’s eyes, spoke up.
“Are you jealous of Kevin? Should I give you some too?”
“Are you crazy? No, no, that’s enough!”
Leo blushed even to his ears, fanning himself with his hand.
“I don’t want to get beaten to death by my brother!”
Artia laughed, saying, “Don’t take a joke seriously.”
“You’re crazy. Don’t even joke about that! I thought you’d gone mad.”
Leo snapped.
Artia looked at Leo with a content smile, recalling the original story.
In the original story, not only Leo and Heidegger but everyone in the northern region, including her husband, had died.
“Fortunately, really…”
Seeing Leo’s youthful face with untouched stubble and plump cheeks, Artia felt a myriad of emotions.
With an overwhelming expression, Leo looked at Artia questioningly.
“Why? Is there something on my face?”
As Artia stared into his eyes for a long time, Leo seemed awkward and shrugged his shoulders.
Without saying anything, Artia raised the corners of her mouth and placed her hand on Leo’s arm.
When she first came to this world, it was awkward, but now she was more grateful than anyone for coming here.
Fate could be changed if one was determined to change it.
Just as she had changed her own fate, she had changed everyone’s fate.
In a very good direction.
“Leo, special training starts today.”
“…What? From today?”
“Why? Don’t like it?”
In response to Artia’s provocation, Leo raised an eyebrow and shouted, “I don’t like it. I wanted to see the ocean!”
“Let’s start with sit-ups today.”
“…!”
“For today, let’s go with a light 2,000.”
“Ah! Why so many?”
“I intentionally lowered it, you know?”
“What?! That’s too much!”
Leo screamed.
Artia’s cheerful laughter echoed in the wind.
For a very long time, far away.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
