“Thank you. I really love this place. I’ll cherish it forever.”
“All I can offer is something like this, and it actually makes me feel sorry.”
“Something like this? Don’t say that. No one has ever thought of me this much before. I’m truly happy.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Sincerely.”
Parnes seemed to try his best to appear calm, but he couldn’t hide the faint flush spreading from his neck.
In the cramped, dim cabin, the two paused their breaths and gazed into each other’s faces. His topaz-like eyes looked at her with affection, making this moment feel like a dream rather than reality.
Kasallin stood on her tiptoes. She couldn’t bear not kissing him right now.
Kasallin clumsily pressed her lips to his jaw, tightly wrapping her arms around his neck. Parnes, trembling at the fingertips as if burned, let out a suppressed breath.
“Goodness.”
He muttered as if troubled. In an instant, a fiery heat radiated from his skin. Kasallin knew why he was conflicted and what he was struggling with.
“Listen, Your Majesty.”
As she cautiously spoke, Parnes’ eyes turned toward her.
“In this small house, with no vassals watching, just the two of us, doesn’t it feel like we’re an ordinary couple?”
No sooner had she finished speaking than his face flushed bright red. In the blink of an eye, her view rose higher. Parnes lifted her up as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
Parnes kissed her urgently as he carried her into the room. Crossing the threshold, he slipped off her shoes with one hand, tossing them onto the carpet.
“Kasallin.”
A chillingly low voice called her name. It was like a starving lion growling right in front of her.
“Once I start, I won’t be able to stop. If you have even the slightest hesitation, tell me now.”
“That’s the most foolish question in the world.”
With a slightly trembling hand, Kasallin caressed his cheek and continued.
“It’s you, Your Majesty. How could I possibly not want this?”
His chest, which had been rising and falling more roughly than usual, stopped for a moment. As silence fell, Kasallin looked up at him with a puzzled expression.
He was gazing at her with eyes as calm as a lake after a storm had passed. Wondering if she’d said something wrong, Kasallin noticed he was clenching his jaw tightly.
“You need to realize just how much your words drive me crazy.”
Perhaps the storm hadn’t passed but was just about to unleash its fury. Kasallin slightly regretted the words she’d just spoken.
Kasallin woke to the sound of Kayan’s boisterous laughter piercing her ears. The room was brightly lit with morning sunlight, making the elegant furniture and antiques gleam as if brand new.
The spot beside her was empty. Wondering where he’d gone so early, she rubbed her stiff shoulders to shake off sleepiness when the door opened. Parnes entered, carrying a tray with warm tea.
“Did you sleep well?”
Parnes set the tray on the table and kissed Kasallin’s cheek. She smiled lazily instead of answering.
“I heard Kayan’s voice.”
Kasallin asked as she took the teacup from Parnes. He let out a sigh, as if to say, Don’t even mention it.
“He woke up before dawn and rushed outside. He’s playing with some stray dog that showed up.”
“I thought I heard a dog barking in my sleep, and it was real. It’s probably Kayan’s first time seeing a dog in person. How surprising and exciting that must be for him.”
“I don’t know who he takes after to be so wild. Will he calm down when he’s older?”
“What’s wrong with that? I think it’s better than being too quiet.”
“Well, take a look outside.”
“Outside?”
Kasallin approached the window and flung it open. The refreshing sound of a waterfall resounded like grand music, and an unfamiliar bird let out a clear cry as it soared toward the mountain peaks.
Two maids were setting up breakfast on a round table in the garden, while Loren Logia picked flowers to beautifully decorate the surroundings.
The peaceful scenery of the imperial estate briefly calmed her heart, but then a splashing sound came from somewhere.
With a slightly uneasy feeling, Kasallin shifted her gaze to the nearby stream. Sure enough, Kayan, drenched from head to toe, was splashing in the valley water with a black dog. Nigel was struggling to get them both out of the water.
“Maybe… a little calmer would be nice.”
Kasallin muttered, already sounding exhausted, as she sighed. Parnes quietly nodded in agreement.
Parnes went outside, saying he’d instruct someone to look after Kayan. With Loren Logia’s help, Kasallin washed her face, changed into clothes that were both dignified and practical, and left the room.
Just then, a nursemaid was washing Kayan and dressing him in dry clothes in the bathroom. He seemed much calmer, perhaps after a light scolding from Parnes.
Having finally escaped his soggy state, Kayan spotted his mother at the doorway and grinned brightly.
She’d planned to sternly warn him that jumping into the stream in the morning could give him a cold. But one innocent smile, and she lost her words.
Well, His Majesty probably scolded him enough, so there’s no need to do it twice.
Kasallin opened her arms to the child in dry clothes. Kayan rushed into her embrace as if he’d been waiting. The soft scent of powder lingered at her nose.
“Mother, there’s a dog outside. Its fur is so black, and it’s really cute, and…”
Kayan went on at length about the dog he’d seen for the first time in his life, stumbling over his words with excitement. His limited vocabulary made half of it hard to understand, but he looked happy, and that was enough.
“Alright, the dog is nice, but you must be getting hungry. Let’s eat outside.”
“Okay!”
Kasallin took Kayan to the garden, where Parnes was waiting. It had been a while since the three of them ate together.
They sat down and enjoyed eggs, crepes, pumpkin soup, and a salad with cheese.
Kayan devoured his portion with gusto, then jumped up, saying he was going to collect pinecones with Nigel.
Then, from somewhere, the black dog with wet fur appeared, wagging its tail and following them eagerly. Kasallin, pausing mid-sip of water, shouted after Kayan.
“Don’t go too far! Stay close to Sir Nigel!”
“Yes!”
Despite his loud reply, Kasallin’s worried gaze lingered in the direction he’d gone. It was his first trip, and he seemed overly excited. Would he really be okay?
She glanced toward the forest while picking at her food, when suddenly the sweet scent of orange sauce wafted to her nose. Looking up, she saw Parnes holding out a piece of crepe on a fork.
“Sir Nigel is with him. He’ll be fine.”
“Right?”
Kasallin smiled slightly and sweetly ate the crepe he offered.
They finished breakfast in a relaxed atmosphere, and Kasallin and Parnes decided to take some time for themselves.
Parnes went to check on something in the annex behind the cabin, while Kasallin went upstairs.
She played a few pieces on the piano, then mixed paints on a palette to draw. The beautiful scenery outside the window made it impossible not to pick up a brush.
Humming an unfamiliar tune and mixing paints, she suddenly heard a commotion outside the cabin.
Thinking Kayan might have gotten wet again, she went downstairs, only to see him in the distance, carried on Nigel’s back with a scraped knee.
“Your Highness!”
Startled, Kasallin dropped what she was holding and ran to Kayan. Parnes, hearing the commotion, came running from the annex with a similar expression.
Kayan, looking glum on Nigel’s back, saw his mother and father and pouted like a duck, as if trying to hold back tears.
But it wasn’t enough, and he soon burst into tears. Kasallin quickly took him from Nigel and held him close.
Parnes, examining Kayan with a confused expression, fixed a sharp gaze on Nigel.
“What on earth happened?”
“I’m truly sorry, Your Majesty, Your Highness.”
Nigel bowed so low his head nearly touched the ground, looking ashamed. Swallowing a trembling breath, he continued.
“While walking in the forest with His Highness, we found a small bird that seemed to have fallen from its nest, unable to fly and crawling on the ground. His Highness saw it and ordered me to return the poor baby bird to its nest.”
“And?”
“It was His Highness’ command, so how could I refuse? I respectfully asked him to stay put and not wander off, then climbed the tree with the bird in hand. But in that brief moment of distraction, he ran off to the stream with that black dog and…”
“Slipped and fell, is that it?”
Nigel nodded, his shoulders slumped like a guilty man.
Parnes acknowledged it and ordered an immediate call for the physician to check for any fractures or muscle damage.
Kasallin told Loren Logia and the nursemaid to prepare water and towels. As the servants moved busily with serious expressions, Kayan, perhaps realizing his excitement had led to a mistake, fidgeted silently with his fingers.
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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