It was right after dinner.
Minah, having cleaned up the empty plates, continued the conversation where it had left off.
“Really, Lady Rebecca? I told everyone earnestly before, but no one believed me, but now, after that day, they’re starting to believe a little!”
“Really?”
“Yes! And in the Dark Mansion, there’s even a group praising you for becoming more lenient!”
Minah said this joyfully, clasping her hands. Still wrapped in bandages, her hands bore the evidence of recent events.
“Minah, are you applying the medicine properly?”
“……Oh, this?”
Minah shrugged nonchalantly and unwrapped the bandage. Contrary to my expectations, her hands were free of any scars.
“I just kept it on because I didn’t want to do menial work….”
“…….”
“I was about to take it off anyway. The housekeeper seems to have noticed. Hehe.”
Minah laughed awkwardly, as if embarrassed by revealing her secret.
Our Minah is such a… bright spirit.
I was shaking my head in disbelief when suddenly,
“Lady Rebecca, Lady Bianca is here.”
A voice of a footman came from outside the door.
“Lady Bianca? Let her in.”
Not long after I gave permission, Bianca burst into the duchess’s quarters, her face flushed with excitement.
“Bianca, what’s the matter?”
Bianca’s cheeks were pink, her round blue eyes sparkled. Wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, she rushed into my arms.
“Lady Rebecca!”
I quickly seated Bianca on my lap and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.
“Look at all this sweat. What’s the matter that made you run here so urgently?”
Bianca, now comfortably nestled in my embrace, looked up at me with a bright smile.
“I missed you, Lady Rebecca!”
Her innocent eyes shone with pure adoration.
‘The longing for family’s warmth… After enduring such harsh treatment from Rebecca, why does she grow so fond of me so quickly?’
I gazed at Bianca with a mix of fondness and pity, and she opened her cute little mouth again.
“Were you and Minah having fun talking, Lady Rebecca?”
I smiled slightly and replied.
“No, I was just checking if Minah’s hand had healed.”
Minah, who had been sparkling with excitement between us, raised her voice with pride.
“We were talking about how the servants started seeing Lady Rebecca in a new light after the incident with Lady Camilla!”
Bianca clapped her little hands with excitement and continued.
“That’s great! More servants will start believing in the changed Lady Rebecca. I can guarantee it!”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I know now. Lady Rebecca was in pain before, but the real you is…”
“……?”
“Really, really wonderful and kind!”
Bianca’s cheeks bulged adorably as she looked up at me with the same smile she always reserved for the heroine Loberia in the original story.
‘I never thought I’d see this adorable face directed at me….’
‘My heart hurts from the cuteness…’
Bianca stared at me for a while and then slowly blinked her blue eyes, hesitating a bit.
“Um, Lady Rebecca… So, I wanted to ask…”
“Yes? What is it, Bianca?”
Bianca clenched her eyes shut and then shouted loudly.
“Lady Rebecca! Can you come back to the Light Mansion?!”
I blinked in surprise at Bianca’s passionate plea.
‘Come back to the Light Mansion?’
It was a request I never expected to hear from Bianca. And somehow, it stirred a deep emotion in me.
“If you came here because you were afraid of me, you don’t have to anymore. Because I… I…”
Bianca’s round eyes softened as she looked up at me.
It was a smile like a little angel might wear.
“Now, my favorite time is when I’m with Lady Rebecca!”
Thump!
My heart took another massive shock.
I bit my lip and clutched at my chest.
‘Adorable! I’m going crazy! But I mustn’t be swayed… That would mess up the divorce agreement with Cedric!’
I shook my head, trying to clear it, as Bianca’s face fell slightly.
“Do you… dislike being with me, Lady Rebecca?”
“Dislike? No!”
“Really…?”
“Of course, I also love spending time with Bianca!”
I blurted out my true feelings before I knew it.
How could I dislike seeing that adorable face every day?
But the problem was, Cedric and I had already divorced.
‘How can I tell Bianca that I can’t return to the Light Mansion without hurting her?’
As I bit my lip, pondering, Bianca continued.
“If Lady Rebecca is happy with me, why don’t you come back to the Light Mansion? You can spend every day with me. Right?”
Bianca looked up at me with eyes like Puss in Boots, melting my heart. But I collected myself and spoke.
“Bianca. I would love to, but that’s…”
“Is it because of Duke Cedric that you’re hesitating?”
…Oh? Maybe I should use Cedric as an excuse! Technically, it wouldn’t be a lie.
I nodded, trying to ignore the faint guilt seeping in.
“Bianca, I’m sorry, but I made a promise with Duke Cedric.”
“…….”
“If I break that promise and go back to the Light Mansion, he won’t be happy.”
Phew, I managed to refuse.
But for some reason, Bianca’s face brightened at my words.
“Then, if Duke Cedric agrees, Lady Rebecca would too?”
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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