Now the puzzle was all put together.
‘So Anette didn’t know that Casian was Hertian, and he had been sending her letters while hiding his identity?’
And it was Hertian who sowed discord between Anette and me with such a measly letter.
How could she avoid him so much if he had sown discord?
He couldn’t even muster a hollow laugh.
And the very person who had sown discord, Hertian, ended up marrying Anette. He even manipulated the Emperor so that no one could intervene.
Ultimately, it was Hertian, who had a crush on Anette, who had planned and executed all this.
Serdis concluded as much.
“Say something! It’s so frustrating!”
“I saw something in a drawer while exploring the room the butler showed me earlier.”
He awkwardly responded and quickly brainstormed what to do next. The plan was quickly decided.
‘Since it was quite troublesome, I need to repay them painfully.’
That was Serdis’s way.
“A guest room drawer? That’s strange, Hertian usually keeps letters very meticulously.”
“That’s not the important part. You said they were on good terms, right?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.”
“There’s a high possibility it’s all an act. Anette isn’t even handling the house chores.”
She’s probably not fulfilling the duties of a real duchess since it’s a contractual marriage.
“No? She’s been working hard.”
That was already a part she doubted.
Knowing well it was an arranged marriage, yet Anette actively worked.
She had told the maids that Anette was an irresponsible young noble lady, so work was the least of her concerns. But Anette, as if to prove them wrong, was working hard, making that even a waste of effort.
“I thought Hertian hired someone on purpose to take care of household chores. They barely even see each other’s faces, always on the go.”
This was an unexpected turn.
Anette, who was confined to the lab at the academy, was suddenly managing the household.
There were more than one or two suspicious points.
“What’s keeping her so busy?”
“I don’t know the details. Merchants came with a cart full of herbs last time, and since then, she has been busy touring the domain. She goes out every day, doing something.”
Touring the domain.
There must be a specific reason for Anette to venture outside in a place colder than the capital.
It was something that would come out upon investigation.
“Oh, and didn’t she tell you to apologize to the Kurshian? She meddles too much.”
Liri seized the opportunity to express her grievances.
“You must have had a hard time.”
“You have no idea how much I’ve suffered. Look, my skin’s even gotten rough.”
Liri easily opened up to Serdis, who recognized her hardship.
And Serdis didn’t miss this opportunity.
“Liri, we need to join forces going forward.”
“What are you planning?”
Serdis whispered in a very low voice.
“We need to untangle this twisted family tree.”
(This is a time separator.)
“You’re planning to leave?”
Serdis and his group, who were thought to leave soon, have been staying for three days.
“Anette, look at the state I’m in. What would my father say if I returned to the capital like this?”
He had slipped on the stairs and twisted his ankle.
Lying on the bed, Serdis made a feigned attempt to get up but winced as if in pain.
It was impossible to tell if he was truly injured. His leg from the ankle to the calf was tightly wrapped in thick cloth.
“Don’t get up. You might end up staying here for life if you worsen the injury.”
“You’re worried about me? You’re so kind.”
“…I’ll tell them to bring breakfast to the room.”
This was rather a good turn of events.
He probably wasn’t planning on leaving soon anyway, and thanks to his twisted ankle, he wouldn’t be following me around.
As a result, Serdis was able to see Violet for a longer time, and that was good enough.
Of course, due to my promise with Kantard, I couldn’t spend much time with her.
Liri, who was following Violet around, made it less boring for Violet during her stay here.
“Only two days left.”
There was something more important at hand.
In two days, I would receive a 30billion trade fee. The thought of receiving the money made me feel as good as if it were payday.
“I want to tell Hertian quickly.”
He’d probably be shocked?
He might get angry, but he would still praise me for a successful deal.
And I could see him comfortably without having to lie.
I was just about to board the carriage heading to the remote village, wishing for tomorrow to come quickly.
Whoosh.
The door of the carriage slammed shut in the strong, swirling wind. At the same time, my body, which had barely caught the carriage door, swayed like a ragdoll.
“Madam! Quickly, get on the carriage!”
A coachman who appeared from somewhere caught me. Thanks to him, I barely climbed onto the carriage. Afterwards, the carriage shook several times.
Before I could even check the outside, I was holding the carriage door latch tightly, and the wind gradually subsided. Once the wind completely stopped, the coachman opened the door and asked worriedly.
“Madam, are you alright?”
“Ah. The weather in the North really does what it wants.”
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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