Clodel showed her hand to Hanna.
On her left ring finger was a thin ring. Simple as it was, it suited her thin, pale fingers well.
“Oh my, the Duke really gave this to you?”
“Yes. It’s pretty, isn’t it?”
She sat by the window, letting the gentle morning sunlight fall on it.
No matter how small or thin, gold was still gold.
The sunlight danced across the bent surface of the yellow metal as she moved her hand.
Looking at it contentedly, Clodel heard Hanna say with excitement,
“See? No man can resist a beauty.”
Clodel didn’t respond.
Hanna’s words were flawed.
First, she wasn’t a beauty, and it wasn’t certain that Kyan didn’t dislike her.
Don’t people usually show some expression?
Kyan seemed different in that regard.
His eyes, cold and slightly angry, often glared at her with his distinct red irises.
Anyway, that couldn’t possibly be a sign of affection, and it wasn’t clear whether he disliked her or not.
‘It’s because I’m from Bermont.’
It was a loveless marriage.
She never expected affection.
While spending the night with her, his disdain for her red hair seemed to embarrass him in his excitement.
His eyes, filled with contempt and coldness, coexisted with his arousal.
Facing that made Clodel sad, so she kept her eyes closed while Kyan embraced her.
That’s why she was indifferent when there was no gift after their first night.
‘So he wanted to show his dislike for me.’
But deep inside Clodel, who just turned twenty, there was an unacknowledged expectation.
She had imagined hundreds, thousands of times the possible humiliations of marrying into Temnes.
Walking into Loen Castle, drenched in rain and muddy water, was just an extension of the cold treatment she anticipated.
But the loss she felt, having given away something precious as a woman, was different.
Realizing she hadn’t received a gift felt like a deprivation.
The Duke of Bermont had sold her for food, and she was left with nothing.
All Clodel wanted was a gift from him, even a single flower would have sufficed.
She was just trying to tidy up his crumpled, discarded clothes to ease the awkwardness, but when something fell from his clothes, she was startled, fearing she had ruined them.
Seeing the item fit her finger perfectly made her want to try it on.
The ring, hardly recognizable as a button’s bezel, looked just like a ring.
That’s why Clodel liked it.
‘Can I keep this?’
Even as she asked, she didn’t think he would agree.
She thought Kyan wouldn’t visit her again after their first night, but he did.
His casual demeanor when he said it had fallen off several times emboldened her.
There’s nothing for Bermont.
She was confident she wouldn’t be hurt even if such words came back to her.
‘Go ahead.’
Even if his words were cold, the permission was clear.
“Last night wasn’t just duty, right? You came to see me again, so you must like me.”
Hanna seemed more thrilled than she was.
“You’ll get even better gifts.”
Clodel didn’t respond to her.
She had no desire for better gifts.
Receiving even one thing was enough for her.
“I’ll bring breakfast. Are you going to eat?”
As Clodel’s illness worsened, she barely ate. Breathing deeply or swallowing food aggravated the pain in her chest, feeling as if it was being scraped by a claw. Today, feeling better, she nodded.
“Yes, I’ll eat.”
“I’ll quickly go to the kitchen and bring it,” said Hanna enthusiastically, and disappeared.
Clodel gazed at the shining gold ring in the quiet of the morning.
“…I received it.”
Hanna hummed on her way to the castle’s kitchen. It was her third day in Loen Castle. The fact that she had to go to the kitchen herself meant the maids on Clodel’s floor had ignored all of Hanna’s requests. So, until now, whenever she had to go to the kitchen, she was extremely angry.
“Uh-huh. Heh-heh.”
That was how Hanna used to be, but now a humming tune lingered on her nose.
“She would have been so happy. How much more if she had received it yesterday?”
During Clodel’s time as a noblewoman in Balmond Castle, Hanna mingled with the maids. They pitied Hanna, who lost her parents in an accident at a young age.
Just ten years old.
Hanna was too young for menial tasks in the castle. The castle maids, mostly from large peasant families, often gave her sweets, reminiscent of their younger siblings at home.
But they didn’t restrain from adult talk in front of young Hanna. The maids, curious about the news of someone who spent a night with the lord, discussed it eagerly.
Unfortunately, Balmond Castle lacked the kind of young, passionate, handsome lord they desired.
Duke Bermont was older, and his relationship with the Duchess was quite harmonious. They had only one daughter, Irena, but their bond was strong enough to prevent any succession issues despite not having a son.
Scandals and accidents weren’t part of Balmond Castle’s background.
The maids freely shared various social stories and rumors, and whenever young Hanna blinked in confusion, they would giggle, saying, “Hanna will understand these things someday.”
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
