I Decline the Ex-Boyfriend of the Regretful Male Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
The poisoning incident at the victory celebration.
It wasn’t merely an act committed to kill someone.
It was orchestrated by the Empress’s faction, who couldn’t stand seeing Duke Blanchiche announce his victory and rejoice.
They deliberately targeted not a soldier, but a single priest—because that would tarnish the Duke’s reputation.
The Empire’s citizens, elated by the victory, would shift their gaze.
Because of this incident, Violet began researching poisonous herbs, fearing a similar tragedy might befall Serdis. Later, she would even save Serdis with that very skill.
“An accident will occur when sharing celebratory wine at the victory celebration.”
At the victory celebration, several priests and one cardinal appear to offer their congratulations. It was a ritual where they drink wine specially prepared at the temple to pray for prosperity.
“But we cannot omit that ritual.”
We absolutely can’t skip it.
If we remove the ritual before the poisoning occurs, without concrete evidence, it would only damage the Duke’s image.
“There’s no need for that. Instead of using golden cups, simply use the silver cup inside that tribute gift. If the silver cup turns black, it proves poison was in that cup. If its color doesn’t change, you need not grant my wish.”
When the attendant opened the tribute gift, a silver cup was inside. The Emperor gave a hollow chuckle, clearly amused. It seemed he’d overheard the attendants discussing the tribute outside.
“How did you come to know this method of detecting poison with silver?”
“I only knew it was a common method used in the Eastern Empire for detecting poison. My father brought me various books when he served as an envoy there.”
A plausible answer flowed out effortlessly. Since I’d already proven my claim was true, they wouldn’t suspect I was involved in this incident.
“Very well. If poison is discovered at the victory celebration, I shall grant you one wish of your choosing, as I promised.”
The Emperor finally gave me what I wanted. Only then did a sigh of relief escape me.
[This is the timeline separator]Anette left the audience chamber, and Hertian, who had been observing everything, stepped out from behind a pillar.
“A bold and clever child.”
He’d intended to scold her and send her away if she acted foolishly, but time spent with Anette had actually been quite enjoyable. She even resembled the woman he once loved.
Indeed, since she was the woman his son had chosen, their tastes were similar.
“Don’t you dare lay eyes on her.”
“Nonsense. She’s my future daughter-in-law—I’ll summon her often to keep me company.”
At the Emperor’s playful remark, a faint smile touched his lips. It seemed he wouldn’t need formal permission for marriage after all. Instead, he offered a brief piece of advice.
“Please take good care of your only son. It seems your habit of destroying what you cannot possess remains unchanged.”
[This is the timeline separator]The trumpet announcing the victory celebration sounded.
Beneath the clear sky, the imperial banner bearing the grand winged emblem fluttered proudly.
I considered watching the celebration but soon returned to the mansion. Having stayed awake two nights straight, waiting for a proposal letter, exhaustion overwhelmed me. As soon as I entered my room, I collapsed into sleep.
My heart felt light.
It wasn’t perfect, but I’d taken out an insurance policy, after all.
Now, all that remained was to wait for the outcome once the victory celebration ended.
And so, as soon as I entered my room, I collapsed into sleep.
“Miss! Miss!”
About an hour must have passed. Betty urgently shook me awake.
“Hmm?”
“His Grace the Duke has arrived! He says to hurry and come downstairs!”
His Grace the Duke?
[This is the timeline separator]“But why would the Duke come to our house?”
I changed neatly into a guest-receiving dress and stepped out of my room.
I’d just give a quick greeting and slip away.
Instead of the parlor smelling of oil paint, I headed to the reception room.
When I opened the door, a man who appeared to be the Duke sat at the far end of the long mahogany table, opposite my parents.
‘He must have come without notice. Mom and Dad seem unaware.’
Since the novel didn’t detail Anette’s family background—she wasn’t the female lead—I could only guess.
“Anette, quickly greet His Grace the Duke.”
I bowed respectfully without properly looking at the Duke’s face.
“I offer my first greetings to Duke Blanchiche. I am Anette Leangberia.”
My mind was entirely occupied with thoughts of the victory celebration. What did it mean that the Duke had come to our family? Had things gone well? Or had something diverged from the original plot?
Seated, I was lost in a whirl of random thoughts.
“We apologize for our poor hospitality, Your Grace, as we received no prior notice of your visit.”
Even my parents couldn’t hide their bewilderment. After all, a Duke with no prior connection had come immediately after the victory celebration.
“My apologies for arriving so abruptly without warning.”
His low yet resolute voice broke through my reverie. Only then did I lift my head, which I’d kept bowed in worry, and look directly at the Duke.
‘Wow.’
He was astonishingly handsome.
His black hair, refined yet wild like a fierce beast’s eyes, framed striking blue eyes reminiscent of Lake Aor, where fairies dwell.
He rivaled the male lead, Serdis.
If Serdis were a greenhouse flower,
the Duke was a wild bloom in its raw, untamed state.
Personally, I preferred his looks over Serdis’s.
‘But doesn’t he look familiar?’
A man in an elegant three-piece tailcoat. If I’d met the Duke before, it would’ve been at a party or banquet.
Something felt on the tip of my tongue, yet wouldn’t come.
As I stared fixedly at him, the Duke turned his gaze toward me.
Our eyes met midair, and he gave the faintest smile.
‘That smile—I’ve definitely seen it before.’
“Please speak casually, Your Grace.”
“It’s a manner of speech ingrained from trying to correct my rough knightly tone—please don’t mind it.”
He soon turned his head and spoke politely and gently. My father nodded understandingly.
“By the way, I heard you held the victory celebration today—why visit our count’s residence instead of your townhouse?”
In short: Why come here without an invitation? The Duke adjusted his posture and looked alternately at my father and mother.
“I sent a letter in advance—it seems you haven’t received it yet.”
“A letter? We haven’t received anything. Butler, did you fail to deliver His Grace’s letter?”
Wiping beads of sweat from his brow, Father called the butler standing at a distance.
Though the room wasn’t hot, the butler’s monocle was fogged over.
The butler hesitated before reluctantly speaking.
“I delivered it to you earlier, sir.”
“Earlier? I don’t recall receiving it. All you gave me was a single proposal letter, wasn’t it?”
When Father pressed him, the butler remained silent, lips twitching—so the Duke answered instead.
“It seems my proposal letter arrived safely, then.”
No one understood his words immediately.
After a few seconds of silence, I finally grasped the situation and screamed inwardly.
“You’re saying the Duke sent this proposal letter?”
While my mouth stayed shut like a clam, Mother let out a sharp gasp and cried out.
“To our Anette?”
Cold sweat streamed down my back.
Because he was looking right at me, grinning smugly.
‘No way, right?’
The guard I met at the casino yesterday… surely not.
I’d thought it impossible, but my memory grew clearer by the second.
His red lips, the faint dimple in his cheek when he smiled, the smooth line from his jaw down his neck.
“Eep.”
Yes—it’s him!
‘The guard from the casino!’
The man I’d assumed was merely a provincial noble or a minor baron was actually the Duke.
And now he shows up with a proposal letter? After all I went through and came back?
Noticing my widening eyes, the Duke seemed to realize I’d recognized his identity and gave me a knowing wink.
“Anette, you never told us a thing.”
Mother shook my arm urgently, pressing me for a reply.
“Say something, anything!”
I finally forced my stiff lips open.
“Y-you’re surprised, right?”
“You greeted him as a stranger when you came in!”
“I wanted to surprise you!”
I spread both hands wide in an exaggerated gesture of surprise, but the movement was painfully awkward.
“Why is she acting so unlike herself? His Grace has just returned from war—how can he propose already? Does that make any sense?”
“Nonsense indeed.”
At this point, there was no turning back.
Actually, it was better this way.
After all, there was no guarantee the Emperor’s wish-granting promise would fully protect me.
Nor would I be swayed under Serdis’s influence.
‘Besides, he’s genuinely handsome and kind, too.’
There was no reason to refuse marriage to him.
Since things had come to this, I had no choice but to act with all my might.
“We met on the night of the banquet. Remember how late I came home that day? Truth is, I was about to be attacked by a gang targeting noble young ladies on the street—and His Grace saved me.”
I slammed my hand down hard enough to rattle the teacups on the table and stood up.
“At that very moment, I fell in love at first sight.”
I went for it. Believe it or not, there’s no taking it back now.
“To propose without even courting first? Are you seriously expecting us to believe that?”
Just as I expected—Father said it.
“I take after you, Father—I’m just an ‘Eolppa.’ It’s genetic.”
“‘Eolppa’?”
“Falling in love just by looks. I heard all about it from Lian. You proposed to Mother right after meeting her at a ball, didn’t you?”
Mother, like me, was a beauty.
And the Duke’s appearance was certainly no less impressive.
“Look at His Grace! How dashing, dependable, and handsome he is! If anyone claims not to be charmed, let them step forward! It’d be absurd! If we let the Duke slip away now, we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives!”
It was an intensely passionate declaration of love. At the same time, I pointed at the Duke and gave him a meaningful look.
‘Don’t just stand there—back me up!’
Since living peacefully and quietly divorcing later seemed unlikely, I had to secure proper permission for marriage.
Seeing my look, the Duke, apparently amused by the situation, ducked his head, chuckled softly, then stood up.
His expression turned completely serious, all traces of laughter gone.
“As the young lady says. I, too, was captivated by her courage and accepted her.”
Mother’s mouth fell open, and she quickly covered it with her hand.
“And her beauty, inherited from the Countess, is as exquisite as a single blossom—beyond words.”
“Oh my.”
The Duke spoke those embarrassingly sweet words without the slightest hesitation. They sounded so natural, I couldn’t deny them.
Hearing such praise from the handsome Duke, Mother’s expression softened instantly.
“Your Grace… we need some time to consider…”
Now it was Father’s turn.
But the Duke remained calm, as if he’d anticipated and planned for everything. Then, his imposing gaze suddenly dropped. On the floor, two firm knees touched the ground.
“Please grant me your daughter’s hand.”
K.O.
It was the moment the Duke, who had repeatedly delivered triumphant news from the battlefield, showcased his prowess in our home as well.
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.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (6)
The Duke’s retainers urged him to take a Duchess to at least expand his influence, but he had no interest in power—or women. He simply disliked their nagging.
What kind of misunderstanding there 😂
Hm, did someone know the story like FL? That man, suspicious.
I can understand parents won’t send their precious child to bad man but they are noble. Their society are political. They were too for a noble.
Inline Comments (6)
Perhaps because I’m certain he’ll never love me.
Lol girl. You don’t know anything about him. He is obsessive 😂
“As I said before, I can only cast a forbidden ritual to remove divine abilities
Casting a ‘forbidden ritual’ to remove divine abilities sounds like practicing black magic. So Violet practices black magic? What is her true goal?
He collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Only the ring on his finger glimmered fa
I have quite a few things to say about the function of this enchantment. Right now though the main thing is that if the enchantment functions in this way…what happens if Anette dies while he has the ring turned on?
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Blairwoods
It was the moment the Duke, who had repeatedly delivered triumphant news from the battlefield, showcased his prowess in our home as well.
Mwahahahaha