Lost in various thoughts, I quickly fell asleep.
[This is the time separator]Late at night, the Duke of Winters returned to the mansion, utterly exhausted.
He headed straight for his study. His mind was in turmoil.
Although he had promised the Emperor to ask his daughter’s opinion, it seemed there was no other choice.
The Duke sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa, ordering his butler to pour him a drink.
‘Life……’
He had thought that he had lived without envy, having a proud son and daughter.
But everything had changed overnight.
The Duke poured a strong drink and gulped it down in one go.
He felt the hot sensation of the liquid flowing down his throat.
“Father, are you inside?”
“Come in.”
The sound of Maximilian’s voice from beyond the door left him without the energy to get angry.
He decided to think of it as his own fault for forcibly pushing a marriage to forget love.
Maximilian’s face was dark as he peeked through the door and entered.
He seemed concerned about the family since the accident.
“So, what’s the matter?”
“I was just wondering if you had spoken well.”
Maximilian, who had lived his whole life without caring for others and shouting loudly, looked defeated.
However, the Duke did not find him pitiable at all.
The most unfortunate person right now was Jaina, followed by himself.
“Why? Are you worried now?”
“Yes……”
“You fool. You couldn’t even catch my heart.”
“What did His Majesty request?”
The Duke was almost choked with anger as he looked at Maximilian, hesitating to ask.
“He wants to marry Jaina and the Crown Prince.”
“What? Jaina……?”
“Yes. Or he seemed ready to ask for the Sorche Mine.”
It meant that he never wanted anything else from the beginning other than their marriage.
Due to his noble temperament, Nathaniel had a weak support base among the nobles.
Especially since the Empress gave birth to Prince Henry, it became even worse.
The Emperor wanted Nathaniel to solidify his power without spilling blood between his children, but Nathaniel had no interest in politics at all.
So perhaps he wanted the support of the sturdy Winters Duke.
‘Why did I push for Anais and Maximilian’s marriage in the first place? I don’t understand.’
The Duke took another sip of his drink, wishing to forget his complicated thoughts.
“I can’t believe it. I will talk to His Majesty again.”
“Don’t bother. You, a foolish boy, will only provoke His Majesty. You will stay close for a month, and in the winter, go back to the northern territory and stay there until I call you.”
Maximilian frowned at the Duke’s unexpected words.
If that happened, he would be too far from Teresa.
He hadn’t even changed Teresa’s mind yet.
The Duke seemed to know what his son was thinking just by looking at his face.
“Don’t even bring up Teresa! Do you want to involve the Menisil family in this too?”
“Ah…… no.”
He didn’t want to plunge Teresa into misery.
Maximilian sat across from the Duke.
“Will Jaina easily agree to the marriage? She will surely hate it.”
“She may hate it, but she’s a child who knows how to discern. She’s not someone who blindly jumps into love without thinking, like someone else.”
He was more and more angry as he spoke.
The Duke shut his mouth tightly and just drank.
He was pondering how to tell his daughter this tragic news without upsetting her.
[This is the time separator]The young dragon woke up in the cold air of dawn.
It blinked its eyes slowly, looking around.
‘Where is this?’
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
