13.
For several days, Rosetta’s emotions had been turbulent. This was because of the internal conflict taking place within her—the desire to return to the Eastern Strait warring against Lea’s wish to remain here.
At first, the restrictive clothing and ridiculous etiquette had felt nothing but cumbersome and dreadful… but now, living in the castle of Valdemore didn’t seem so unpleasant.
She, who once thought that even if she grew old and leaned on a crooked cane, she would die on the deck while still full of vigor, had lately begun to entertain the complacent thought that perhaps dying like this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
Not having to work and being able to live idly by eating—this was nothing short of the ideal retirement.
Occasionally, she wondered if this upheaval within herself wasn’t due to Lea’s influence. In the East, there was a superstition that when a person possessed an object for a long time, their soul would dwell within it. And a human body? That was incomparable to mere objects. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Lea’s thoughts and habits had taken root in the flesh and begun affecting Rosetta.
But such thoughts were now shattering with a loud crash—all because of a single meal. It had already been four days since she started eating these wretched foods.
“Today… I brought you something like this.”
Without much hope, she lifted the silver lid. The menu hadn’t deviated a single inch from expectations: pea purée, boiled eggs with no salt, half a rye bread, grass, grass, grass…
She should’ve firmly refused when the Duchess insisted on summoning the jeweler, whether she liked it or not. Rosetta sighed deeply.
Half resigned, she picked up her spoon and scooped a spoonful of pea purée. The smell was repulsive, and the taste utterly nonexistent. She could barely remember the last time she’d eaten properly seasoned food.
Anna cheerfully added, as if trying to comfort Rosetta, who was grimacing in disgust.
“Still, the new dance costume you ordered just arrived! Today’s the day, isn’t it? Your first waltz lesson!”
“……”
“Come on, good girl… eat quickly and go upstairs to try it on. I’ll even add lots of jewels for you.”
It wasn’t comforting at all. Not even a little bit…
* * *
“So beautiful!”
At Anna’s exclamation, Lea awkwardly turned to look at herself in the mirror.
The dance costume was, well, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, truly beautiful. Given the lady’s outstanding face, anything she wore would suit her, but Lea in the pristine white lace gloves and the empire-line dress that fell sharply just beneath her chest looked like a painting.
Her noticeably slimmer figure, clearer skin, and face with a healthy flush—Anna and the Duchess kept smiling contentedly, saying all of this was the result of the strict diet. They paid no mind whatsoever to Rosetta’s miserable feelings, squeezed into a ten-year-old’s undergarments. Well, if at least the two of them were happy, that was something to be thankful for…
Then, two knocks sounded, and the door opened. The silver-haired butler bowed respectfully and announced:
“Duchess. She has arrived.”
“Oh, time has already come to this… Please show her in quickly. We’re nearly ready as well.”
Rosetta tilted her head in confusion. The Duchess was someone with great pride as a noble. Thus, no matter how distinguished a governess might be, she’d usually treat them no better than a useful servant.
Yet such formal deference? Was the person coming to teach her waltz actually a noble?
“Anna. Hurry up.”
At the Duchess’s urging, Anna’s hands moved faster as she braided her hair. Just as she barely finished securing the feathered hairpiece, there was movement at the doorway. Rosetta strained to see through the mirror who had come. But sound arrived a step faster.
“Duchess of Valdemore.”
His voice was like a deep blue sea. To her, it was painfully familiar, yet strange. Rosetta froze stiff and sharply turned her head.
Cardier. It was him.
Seeing that unfairly handsome face with her own eyes made her even more exasperated. After pretending not to know her all along, he comes back? Does he now desire the bounty on my neck? Or is it simply amusing for him to toy with me in his grasp?
As Rosetta’s face flushed red and then pale with rage, the Duchess subtly stepped forward, shielding her from Cardier’s gaze.
“Welcome. You must have had a hard journey.”
“Not at all.”
“You’re doing me a great favor, agreeing to teach Lea despite her shortcomings.”
“Not at all.”
“There’s hardly anyone else I can trust besides you…”
“Is that so.”
His replies were exceedingly polite, yet utterly devoid of sociability. From this exchange, Rosetta could guess how things had unfolded.
Unlike the other suitors, he had stayed in the drawing room a little longer, and even found an excuse about a sprained ankle to be alone with her… From the Duke and Duchess’s perspective, who wanted to get rid of her at all costs, he must have seemed like a perfect son-in-law. Who knows, they might have already mentally picked out names for their grandchildren.
Yet when Cardier didn’t return again, they must have grown anxious. The summer ball happening in the capital provided a perfect excuse. Whoever came up with this plan, it was quite a wicked one.
But what was funniest of all was Cardier himself. Why didn’t he refuse and just obediently follow all the way here? He wasn’t even a dog. No—being the heir to one of only three ducal houses in the Empire, wasn’t it absurd for him to pose as a dance instructor? Even Rosetta, ignorant as she was of high society, knew this wasn’t a normal situation.
“Miss Valdemore.”
As if only just noticing her, Cardier placed his right hand over his left chest and bowed elegantly. Rosetta glared at him with a sullen expression, snapping back to reality only at the Duchess’s fake cough.
“…Ka, no, Montrosa Viscount.”
Cardier’s expression became slightly ambiguous. She had only returned the favor—he had called her by the shell’s name, so she did the same. Rosetta shot him a defiant look, then remembered the Duchess was watching their every move. Damn it. Living life watching someone’s mood was exhausting.
Reluctantly, Rosetta offered a slightly more amicable greeting.
“…I’ll be in your care.”
As the two stood facing each other, the Duchess clapped her hands as a signal. The tables and couches in the drawing room were swiftly cleared away. Meanwhile, a piano trio ensemble, already positioned in a corner, waited for their employer’s command.
“Well then, enjoy some intimate time together.”
The Duchess cast a meaningful glance at them before quickly exiting the room.
Intimate time? That was an overly suspicious phrase. As Rosetta narrowed her eyes, staring at the door the Duchess had left through, Cardier took a step closer.
“How much waltz have you learned so far?”
“……”
Judging by his tone, one would think he had come purely to teach waltz with no ulterior motive. She had expected that once they were alone, he’d immediately confront her about her identity… Was it because servants and musicians still remained nearby?
“My lady?”
“…My ears aren’t deaf.”
Rosetta reluctantly replied. Then, embarrassed that her answer sounded too unladylike, she awkwardly forced a laugh.
“I did learn it before losing my memory, but I’ve nearly forgotten everything. Ohoho…”
Laughing like a proper noble lady, she suddenly felt intense disillusionment. After all, they had seen each other in every imaginable state… Yet Cardier didn’t smile at all, nodding seriously instead.
“In that case, we’ll have to start from the beginning.”
“……”
“Your hand.”
He extended his hand with the perfect posture of an etiquette manual. When Rosetta placed her hand atop his palm, he gently clasped it. Instinctively trying to keep distance, Rosetta was lightly pulled into his embrace. He supported her waist with his hand, drawing her close against him.
“This is the basic stance.”
“……”
His tone suggested he had no ulterior motive beyond correcting her posture. Yet strangely, Rosetta felt, in that moment, the sensation of touching a strange man for the first time.
His thickened neck, firm shoulders, the hand with prominent veins lightly covering hers, the rough, calloused palm pressing against her skin… How much had he grown in the past four years? At this distance, even craning her neck upward, she could barely see past Cardier’s chin.
Anyway, this man had a special talent for irritating her. His good looks annoyed her, the way he looked down at her annoyed her, and even the way all the maids and servants blushed whenever they saw him annoyed her.
With such noble blood and such a handsome face, it wasn’t unfitting for him to carry himself with such dignity now—but when she came to her senses, the first impression of his teenage years, rolling around like a puppy, still lingered deeply in her mind.
No matter how she looked at it, this man wasn’t originally someone so polished…
So much so that it felt just like when she first saw him imprisoned in Bilti’s jail.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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