“We’ve arrived. Here we are.”
As the carriage came to a stop, Thomson lifted the curtain slightly and spoke.
It seemed we had finally arrived. When he caught me glancing outside to see the scenery, he closed the curtain again and turned to me.
“Don’t come out right away. Stay inside until I inform the village chief that Lady V has arrived.”
I nodded, and Thomson promptly got off the carriage, heading towards the entrance of the village.
“Lady V, are you really okay?”
Minah’s question drew the simultaneous attention of the other maids toward me.
Their eyes were filled with concern.
“Those people might not be welcoming to Lady V.”
“That’s right. Of course, we’ll do our best to assist Lady V and defend her, but… don’t be too surprised.”
I made an effort to reassure them with a smile.
“It seems like you all are more worried. Don’t worry too much; I’m fine, everyone.”
After saying that, I slightly moistened the curtain and peeked outside.
At the entrance of the village where the carriage had stopped, there was a small sign fixed to a tree.
[Grayzone Village]Beyond it, a seemingly ordinary and quaint village was visible at a glance.
Inside the village’s fence, there were modest yet distinctive houses, and white smoke rose from chimneys.
It seemed like they were just starting to prepare for breakfast.
Despite the scolding from mothers to come eat, the children just laughed and frolicked on the dirt road.
It was at that moment when my heart warmed by the scene, and I unintentionally burst into laughter.
In the distance, Thomson returning with the carriage caught my eye.
How much time had passed while he waited for me, pretending nothing had happened, his expression finally seemed a bit uneasy when he opened the carriage door.
“I’ve already informed several people in the village, including the village chief. Please get off.”
After getting off the carriage with the maids, I brought down the luggage we had brought.
“What is this?”
Thomson, who was standing next to me, showed interest.
“I couldn’t come empty-handed. It’s a small token of appreciation.”
“For a small token, it’s quite a lot.”
After saying that, he took the luggage from my hands.
“Thomson, I can carry this myself.”
His eyebrows raised in surprise at my words, but he soon returned to his usual rough expression.
“I told you clearly. No matter what happens, I won’t help Lady V.”
Thomson emphasized the same words again.
Taking the luggage back from his hands, I replied, “I understand. Thomson’s vow not to help me starts from this moment, then.”
Upon hearing that, Thomson shook his head slightly and walked towards the entrance of the village.
Following him, we finally reached the center of the village.
Around the time we arrived, a man who was sitting and laughing loudly happened to glance at me and smirked.
The man, seemingly confused by my plain attire and hat, scrutinized my face once again.
Soon, the man’s face twisted into an unpleasant expression.
“You…?!”
At that moment, other gazes around him started to focus on me.
“Hey, isn’t that the Duchess of Twins?”
“It seems so. Why on earth did she come here?”
“…How shameless! Tsk!”
The spittle forcefully spat out by the young man fell beneath my feet.
In an instant, Minah, who had steeled her expression, quickly stepped forward.
“Long time no see, Roy.”
“You… Minah? What on earth is happening here? And with that shameless woman!”
The man’s words caused Minah’s face to become even colder.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger with an expression that tried to conceal it.
“Regardless of what you think, this lady is the Duchess of the Twins, the central figure of the Twins family, our mixed-blood vampire.”
“Hey, Minah…”
“So, be careful with your words.”
Minah warned coldly.
The man, making a bewildered expression, soon began to sneer while snorting.
“Yeah, you’re probably still siding with the Twins family. I, too, used to take the Duchess’s side back then! But what did that woman repay me with?”
The man, who had suddenly become enraged, shouted harshly with a distorted expression.
“Discrimination, disdain, and eventually, a dismissal notice!”
The man’s outcry drew the attention of the people in the surrounding village back to me.
Minah looked around once and then, lowering her voice like a warning, growled at the man.
“Mind your manners, Roy. We didn’t come here to fight with our kin.”
However, the young man’s face only twisted more fiercely.
“How can we believe that?! Especially considering your words bringing that wicked Duchess to our village!”
Simultaneously, the gazes of the people surrounding us started to become even more hostile.
“That’s right! How recklessly that woman treated us!”
“I can still feel the whip if I gain weight!”
“She came into our village without permission on such a topic; that woman has to pay the price!”
The atmosphere gradually became tense.
In the midst of the imminent crisis, the maids drew a circle around me, seemingly intending to protect me.
“Stop it, Roy.”
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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