“The Duke of Wessex… has proclaimed a new national title, Your Highness.”
One day, upon hearing this, I became aware of a few things while feeling my heart being manipulated in someone’s hands.
The realization that a kind heart is useless in protecting someone dear.
And the understanding that negotiations with the wicked must be based on the logic of power.
That day, Adrian abandoned his dream of being a noble and kind ruler, deciding to become the top predator.
But he never forgot.
His resolution was all for the sake of Laila Wessex, the woman before him.
Adrian earnestly hoped Laila could escape from those greedy souls who saw her as nothing but a tool.
No one wishes unhappiness on their loved one; Adrian was simply acting according to this natural law.
‘You may have completely erased me from within.’
Adrian Pinter Laines’ name might no longer stir any emotion in her.
So, his presence and desire to win her heart again might be ultimately rejected.
But that was fine.
He was prepared to endure all that pain.
“Well, that’s the situation. I don’t need the Princess’s understanding of my thoughts, do I? Even though it’s somewhat one-sided and disadvantageous for me, we agreed to make a deal.”
Miley continued eating calmly for her sake, as she couldn’t eat properly since hearing about his incurable disease.
But when Laila heard an unexpected word from Miley’s lips, she put down the bread she was eating.
“A deal?”
Laila questioned, implying when they had agreed to such a thing.
Miley glanced at the bread on Laila’s plate, almost sighing, thinking he spoke out of turn.
“The Princess is following my suspicious plan, and I am to reveal my identity once everything is over, right?”
“That seems more like a compromise than a deal, doesn’t it? Since no money is involved.”
Miley wondered if she would still say the same after knowing his true identity.
He just smiled quietly, and Laila, thinking it wasn’t a major issue, changed the subject.
“So, is your illness… getting progressively worse?”
“Not exactly. It naturally heals a bit over time, and there are several ways to improve the condition,” Miley replied, shaking his head.
In reality, the rebound effect experienced by power users isn’t too severe if properly controlled.
However, the threshold is quite low, and adequate rest is necessary after use. Thus, frequent users eventually need to rely on a tuner’s power.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, even non-tuners can sometimes find special artifacts that help in recovery, although they are rare.
Recently, an artifact intercepted by Isabella was one such item.
Sensing something unsettling in Miley’s words, Laila gave him a questioning look.
Miley, interpreting her gaze, put forward a likely guess.
“Princess, are you worried that I might be terminally ill?”
Laila twitched, seemingly caught off guard.
“No, I didn’t say that. I was just recalling how severe your hand tremor was last time…”
Miley, standing near the door and pretending not to hear the conversation, glanced at Meve and then, half seriously and half jokingly, played up his condition. “I am in a state where I could die at any time. Remember I mentioned collapsing last time? It was because of that.”
“What happened?” asked Laila, curiosity evident in her eyes as she intently looked at Miley’s blue eyes, reminiscent of the ones painted by Lilburn.
Miley was more than pleased with her curious gaze. In fact, ‘pleased’ might be an understatement.
His first love, whom he met after over a decade, stood before him more beautiful than he had imagined, still retaining some of her childhood features.
Laila’s eyes, holding thousands of words and countless sparkles, seemed unaffected by the hardships of life.
So, the time he could spend conversing and facing Laila was perfect for him.
“…I started missing my first love.”
“What?”
“Your first love, Princess, didn’t you have one?”
At his question, Laila’s face fell. She slightly opened her mouth, as if lost for words. Miley, waiting for her to speak, felt his heart sink when he saw her shaking her head.
“My first love… died.”
“…”
“A long time ago.”
Laila forced an awkward smile, carving a slight dimple on her lips.
She had dreamt about him just today.
Although she hadn’t met Adrian since then, she was well aware of what he was up to. After all, in the continent of Dambernunt, who doesn’t know the Crown Prince of Hankin? His official actions were always the talk of the town.
But for Laila, Adrian Laines was just that, a person she felt distant from.
She couldn’t even pretend to know him anymore. Naming him as her first love felt like an unseemly act for her.
Hearing her response, Miley was speechless for a while. After biting back his emotions, he managed to utter a sentence with a sigh.
“I seem to have done wrong. I brought up an unpleasant memory for the Princess.”
“It’s okay. It’s all in the past.”
Laila gave Miley a composed smile, but he couldn’t bring himself to smile back.
He should have been able to treat it casually, but he couldn’t.
He never expected her to refer to him as someone who had died. Although he anticipated no kind words from a separation that left scars on both of them…
‘Perhaps she wanted to completely forget.’
The thought of his boast last night, vowing to propose to her officially once she returned to Wessex, suddenly made him feel extremely embarrassed.
Moreover, Meve, listening to their conversation, knew that Laila was Adrian’s first love.
Realizing this, Miley could no longer sit still. He quickly wiped his mouth with a napkin and hurriedly informed Laila of the next schedule.
“By the way, Princess, I’ve called someone to fit you for a dress for the engagement ceremony.”
“A dress all of a sudden?”
“Wouldn’t it be too casual to go to the engagement ceremony in that outfit?”
“Ah…”
Laila looked down at her dress, suitable for everyday wear, thin and without much decoration. Though it was not a wedding, she thought it should be enough.
But to Miley, changing into a more appropriate dress seemed an obvious choice.
“Going out would attract too much attention due to many onlookers. So, I’ve called a fairly famous local designer from a clothing store. Unfortunately, custom-made is difficult under these circumstances, so I hope you would be content with what’s available.”
“I feel like I’m indebted too much without reason…”
Laila trailed off, knowing she was in no position to object or consent. Then, Miley, who hadn’t eaten much, approached her and extended his hand.
“Don’t think of it as a debt. It’s all part of our plan.”
Laila momentarily pondered a question at Miley’s words, accompanied by a cool smile.
Is your excessive kindness also part of this?
She wanted to ask if his attitude, which even made her mistakenly think he liked her, was all intentional.
Miley didn’t seem like the type to be excessively kind to everyone.
Why would such a person go to these lengths for her?
Warm food, polite behavior, and the room. This unfounded kindness made her increasingly suspicious if there were any ulterior motives.
‘But he mentioned thinking of his first love.’
Frankly, she felt incredibly embarrassed wanting to ask if he liked her right after hearing that.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Laila took his hand and stood up.
Their bare hands touched, as neither wore gloves, but his firm, warm grasp wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
