It was a dagger adorned splendidly with jewels and gold.At first glance, it seemed too heavy for Lea’s delicate muscles to bear.Rosetta momentarily relaxed her right shoulder, bracing for the impact.Yet, the weight of the dagger settling in her palm was lighter than expected.
Forgetting their anger, Lea asked in a daze:
“…What is this?”
It wasn’t merely a decorative piece, but it wasn’t forged from iron either.If the weight of the jewels and gold embellishments was this light, animal bone—likely ivory—was the probable material.
She looked up at Cardier with a gaze full of puzzlement.Why had he suddenly given her a dagger? To stab him? To repay with her life?
Rosetta briefly aimed a glance at Cardier’s neck, mentally calculating the optimal trajectory.The grip strength needed to draw the dagger, the muscle force to plunge it into the carotid artery, the distance to extend her arm…As if sensing some murderous intent, Cardier swiftly took the dagger from her hand.
“Oh, I gave you the wrong one.”
“The wrong… one?”
If she had seen correctly, Cardier giving her the dagger was no mistake.In that fleeting moment, Rosetta caught a hint of something in Cardier’s face, as if he were closely observing her.
What was the point of such a prank?Unless he was trying to gauge her posture with a sword or her habits when lifting heavy objects…
An idle thought sent a faint chill down Rosetta’s spine.She knew he was suspicious, but she hadn’t realized his doubts ran so deep as to test her like this.If… Her thoughts were interrupted by Cardier’s next words.
“I’ve been thinking since last time—how about we drop the formalities?”
“Drop the formalities?”
Repeating his words made her feel like the world’s biggest fool.Cardier nodded.
“When we were young, didn’t we call each other by name so casually?”
He flashed an exasperatingly charming smile as he added:
“Growing older and putting distance between us, Lea—that was your doing first.”
His informal tone felt utterly natural.Cold sweat trickled down her back, where faint goosebumps had risen.Through his narrowed, smiling eyes, she felt Cardier’s gaze fixed on her.Rosetta swallowed hard.
It was as if a noose had tightened around her neck.One misstep, one wrong answer, and it would be over.She didn’t even know what the right answer was—or if there was one at all.She responded cautiously:
“Were we… like that?”
“We were.”
“But, perhaps, our age difference…”
“Was that ever important? Between us.”
…The problem was, she had no idea what “between us” even meant, and it was driving her mad.Rosetta forced a brazen smile, frantically rummaging through every memory related to Cardier in her mind.
If they were so close, that sunny retriever of a man must have left some clue.That chatterbox who spilled every detail, even the ones no one asked for.If…
Suddenly, she recalled a memory from a summer night.A crude portrait of the Crown Prince and his fiancée, clipped from a shoddy newspaper in a dingy tavern.The lukewarm beer, the sour smell of sweat, the buzzing of flies darting over the counter—it all came back vividly.
“She’s pretty.”
“Who?”
“The Crown Prince’s fiancée. It’s posted over there.”
“…Prettier than me?”
Lea burst into hearty laughter, as if the question was absurd.
“You’re a scruffy guy, and she’s a cute young lady. Compare what’s comparable.”
“…She’s not that cute.”
“What?”
“I mean, her personality isn’t as nice as she looks.”
“Oh, jealous, are we?”
“…Yeah.”
“Go drown yourself.”
So, what was that…? The memory only made her head spin more.Lea’s personality wasn’t as nice as she looked? How did he know that?Because they were old friends, as he claimed? So they acted so casually?Not some pirates stuck to the salty bottom of the eastern seas, but noble children walking among the clouds?
“I know you’re struggling with your memories.”
With a face so pure and beautiful, as if freshly plucked from a holy painting, his words made her feel like confessing she didn’t know what “their relationship” was would be a grave sin.
But wait a moment. How had the conversation veered this far?She was sure she’d come to confront him about repeatedly ruining her balls.Lea struggled to rekindle her anger.
“You keep dodging, but I came to protest you interfering with every partner I choose.”
“Oh.”
It was a sigh tinged with slight regret at moving away from their personal topic.Cardier shrugged.
“It was out of care for a childhood friend. They’re all worthless fellows. Swimming in gambling debts.”
“Does dancing once at a ball mean I’m getting married?”
“Who knows?”
Cardier shrugged again.His height, a full three dichems (about 30 centimeters) taller than hers, made his teasing look not the least bit ridiculous.The cool gaze he always wore softened, revealing a dazzlingly bright impression, as if they’d returned to the past in an instant.
Yet Rosetta felt an inexplicable unease.Her instincts still sent warnings.He wasn’t the same person she knew four years ago, and she shouldn’t trust him completely.Her intuition was usually spot-on—except for that one time with Nick, that filthy traitor.
As she stepped back warily, Cardier’s smile grew a touch more seductive.
“Lea, you’ve always had a bit of a naïve side.”
“….”
“Why not ask me to be your partner instead?”
“Oh, so that was your goal.”
Lea replied coldly.Anger simmered within her.She was furious at Cardier, but also at herself for thinking he might be a good option.Despite all his suspicious behavior, he was still the great Montrosa.
But she knew all too well about men’s victim complexes and loser tendencies.The moment she took Cardier’s hand, lesser men would realize they’d lost the competition and scatter.Even those whose competitive spirit flared at obstacles needed at least a sliver of possibility to keep going.
Was there even a man in the empire greater than Cardier?
In the end, one dance would lead to two, and two to many more.Until no one dared desire her anymore.
That would ruin any chance of an engagement.The convent was practically guaranteed.Even if the Duke was satisfied with her “having Montrosa in her grasp” and let it slide…Relying on men’s whims wasn’t Lea’s style, whether it was the Duke or Cardier.
She bared her teeth in a fierce grin.
“Damn it. The thought alone is utterly dreadful.”
Cardier, without so much as twitching an eyebrow, replied smoothly:
“If you dislike me that much… you’ll have to find someone else. Time’s running short, though.”
“….”
“Circle the capital a few times, and you might find one or two fools who haven’t heard the news yet.”
“And dealing with them is your job? Are you threatening me now?”
“Well.”
He shrugged.
“Let’s call it advice.”
On the way back to the mansion, Rosetta chewed on curses under her breath.Damn Montrosa, tear him apart Montrosa, pickle him in salt Montrosa!
What kind of four years had passed to turn that sunny boy into such a mess?In the middle of Valencia Avenue, she was seized by an urge to scream at him to forget ever stepping into a ballroom with her.
She needed to find a new fool as soon as possible.Someone resolute enough not to bow to Montrosa.Damn it. But who was there?
Conchester? A man burning for marriage.Bedford? He seemed plagued by obsession and suspicion.Abram? His gaze was sleazy.If she got engaged, he’d likely use his position as her fiancé to get too close, eyeing her body.
Rosetta didn’t overestimate Lea’s grip strength in the slightest.And though she didn’t know when, the day might come when she’d have to return this body…So she intended to avoid rough treatment as much as possible.Damn it. If she looked harder, surely there’d be a decent man besides those three.
…There had to be. Absolutely.
Following the pirate habit of a cursed day, she spat twice on the carriage floor and ground it with her shoe.
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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