“The child seems a bit strange.”
Ines stifled the sound of her footsteps upon hearing her mother’s words. The strange child her mother was talking about was surely herself.
“She must have matured since she’s grown older.”
“That’s not it.”
“It’s just that she’s come of age. You became a mother at Ines’s age. You worry too much.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Father.”
Ines answered instead of her mother with a playful voice, and the two of them suddenly closed their mouths as if they had made a pact.
“I’m the same as usual.”
“The same? … Look at her now, darling. If she was the same, why would she roll her eyes and say, ‘Why are you talking about me behind my back?'”
“Mother, I’m 20 years old now.”
Ines pulled out her chair herself, stopping the servant who was about to do so, and sat down.
“Even if it’s my 20th birthday, the child suddenly becomes strange …”
But her mother’s words were cut off. It was because her father interrupted her with a fake cough.
Ines tried to act the same as usual when she returned home. But it was in vain. Even if the 12 years she had spent had been like an ordinary woman, Ines would not have appeared different enough for her mother to notice.
The original Ines was not completely reckless, but she was a typical beloved only daughter of a novelist, often crossing the boundary between childishness and cuteness.
Seeing her mother’s face not brightening with worry about her daughter, Ines deliberately propped her elbow on the dining table and rested her chin on it. Her mother scolded her in surprise at the sight.
“Oh my, look at her. Who taught you table manners like that?”
“Uh? Sorry, Mom.”
Her mother chided, but seemed slightly relieved. Father also glanced at Ines casually, covering his mouth with his teacup, probably smiling slightly.
“Ines.”
Her father called her name when the meal was about halfway through. Instead of answering, she turned her gaze and met his eyes, and her father smiled kindly.
“A marriage proposal has come in.”
Ah, Ines recalled the memories of the past she had forgotten.
On the morning of her birthday, her father, Lord Andrew Swalden, had informed her that a marriage proposal had come in from a lord in Lesonia.
Her father’s attitude was very cautious. At that time, the naive Ines, foolishly in love, paid no attention to her father’s expression. Since she had no response, her mother stepped in to help.
“Ines, it’s a very fine family. You know the lord of Lesonia, don’t you? They say it’s a family that serves the earl with your father.”
There were various reasons why Lord Andrew Swalden was serving the lord of Lesonia rather than his own estate, Landhill.
Swalden Manor was currently adjacent to Lesonia, and before the boundary of the estate changed, the Swalden family had belonged to Lesonia.
Many roads were lost in a heavy rain years ago, and in the process of restoring the estate, the boundary changed to its current shape for convenience.
But Lesonia, with a smaller number of nobles relative to the size of the domain, continued to wish for Swalden to serve the lord’s family.
“When should I meet him?”
“So don’t just say no unconditionally, what…?”
“A marriage proposal has come, so we must meet.”
Her father was unaware, but Ines’s mother knew that she often met a man named Joseph. And that she always blushed towards that commoner knight.
Surprised, her mother could not respond, and her father continued.
“It was originally scheduled for the son of Lord Damian to come to our mansion this week, but it became a bit difficult.”
“Why?”
“A new lord is coming to Landhill soon.”
“Ah …”
Instead of her father’s words, Ines responded vaguely to her mother’s reply. Then she suddenly realized something.
“So you’re saying the owner of Landhill is changing? For what reason?”
The daughter, who normally had no interest in her surroundings, found it strange to be concerned with the territory’s affairs, but her father kindly added an explanation.
“Now, the Lord’s health has declined so much that it’s difficult for him to look after the territory anymore. As you know, the Lord doesn’t have a suitable heir to hand over the management of the territory.”
The Swenden viscount worked for the Lord of Resonia, but they were, after all, people of Randhill. The viscount’s families were naturally busy during the change of ownership.
“Then, is the new lord coming…?”
“Prince Carson von Raymond, the eighth prince of His Majesty the Emperor.”
At that moment, Ines tightly closed her eyes and repeatedly clenched and unclenched her fist. She then struggled to gather memories that had scattered into pieces.
Prisoner number 3790, more commonly called the madwoman of Romfield than by her name, Lena.
Why are her words coming to mind now?
The person Lena cursed every single day was undoubtedly the Lord of Resonia. So, Ines naturally thought that the protagonist of the curse must have been Carson von Raymond, whom she had met. But now the news was that he was coming to Randhill as its lord, not Resonia.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
