The dessert presentation ended quicker than I expected, thanks to Adrian swiftly gathering the servants.
The servants displayed forced smiles tinged with fear, frequently tilting their heads in disbelief.
Receiving such treatment from the Grand Duchess was more unnerving than pleasant for them.
I overheard whispers among the servants about checking for spoilage, but I pretended not to hear and just kept smiling.
Giving desserts wasn’t going to erase my deadly flags from the original story, but it seemed like a decent start to announcing my change.
‘Let’s get along from now on, dear half-demons.’
I instructed all the servants, including Mina, to take a break.
Then, Adrian and I began a tour of the mansion, just the two of us.
The interior of the Mansion of Darkness was entirely black, with a brilliant, obsidian-like sheen.
The floors, walls, stairs, even the massive fireplace.
Especially the light pouring from the grand chandelier, breaking upon the vast black marble floor, was incredibly beautiful.
‘Totally my style.’
The epitome of elegance.
It perfectly matched the name ‘Mansion of Darkness.’
“It’s quite different from the Mansion of Light, isn’t it?”
I nodded in satisfaction to Adrian’s question.
“Yeah, very.”
Then, something caught my eye.
“What’s that…?”
In the middle of the spacious lobby, between the two staircases, stood a large fountain.
It was extravagantly decorated with exotic flowers, unlike anything seen in the north.
“Ah, as you can see, since the Mansion of Darkness is all black, we often decorate this area with bright floral arrangements.”
“Adrian does this personally?”
“Yes. I’m quite good with flowers and trees, though it’s a bit embarrassing to admit.”
Adrian smiled shyly, but I thought this skill suited him quite well.
If I had to describe Adrian’s image… perhaps a gentle florist brother?
‘I love that about him, too!’
I secretly marked Adrian as the butler for the seaside mansion I’d reside in after the divorce.
Not just for his skill with floral arrangements.
His meticulous and diligent attitude, evident in maintaining this rarely used building, impressed me.
‘Adrian, you’ll be my butler both here in the Mansion of Darkness and in my future seaside mansion. Claimed.’
Pleased, I looked up at Adrian and smiled slightly.
“It seems we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other.”
At my words, Adrian blinked in disbelief.
But only for a moment.
He then beamed the brightest smile I’d seen on him.
“I am truly… truly delighted, Your Highness.”
He took a moment to catch his breath, as if overwhelmed by emotion.
“I’ll welcome you with the same heart whenever you visit. I’ll come whenever you need me.”
His amethyst-like eyes shone with clear sincerity.
“I’d be happy to do anything for Your Highness.”
I gazed at Adrian, who was visibly moved, and finally spoke.
“…You’re not afraid of me, Adrian?”
A tinge of bitterness crept across Adrian’s face.
“Do you wish me to fear you, Your Highness?”
“No, but everyone else avoids me, and you seem to genuinely welcome me.”
“…”
“Somewhat… I’m grateful for that.”
I turned away and muttered, half to myself.
Adrian listened even to my faint words and let out a soft chuckle.
His gentle silence had a strangely comforting effect on me.
How long had it been like this?
A soft voice spoke up from behind.
Rebecca’s malicious behavior towards everyone in the Twins Castle.
Her actions led to the escape of Lady Bianca.
And above all… Rebecca gradually became like a person afflicted with madness.
Adrian felt as if all of this was his fault.
He was ready to do anything for Rebecca, to repay the debt of his true feelings towards her.
He had been waiting earnestly to see Rebecca again, but she never showed up in front of Adrian again.
Adrian thought she did not visit the Mansion of Darkness because she resented him.
Thus, after five years, he decided to leave the Twins family castle and return to the demon world where he lived.
He tried to forget his guilt towards Rebecca, along with the memories of the Mansion of Darkness.
‘But today, she finally came to visit…’
Adrian took out an envelope from his jacket pocket.
It was the resignation letter he intended to hand to the Grand Duke’s adjutant that afternoon.
Adrian threw it into the fireplace without any hesitation.
The faint orange light from the fireplace flickered over his face.
‘We’ll probably see each other often from now on.’
Rebecca’s soft voice echoed clearly in his ears.
He wasn’t sure if her words were sincere, but at least he could dare to hope again.
The servants’ glances towards Rebecca gradually grew colder, but Adrian couldn’t do the same.
The deterioration of the relationship between the Grand Duke and his wife.
Rebecca’s malice towards everyone in the Twins Castle.
This led to the escape of Lady Bianca.
And most importantly… Rebecca gradually becoming like a person afflicted with madness.
Adrian felt as if all of this was his fault.
If it would repay the true depth of his feelings for Rebecca, he would do anything for her.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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