It felt odd, like the King was evaluating the quality of a product he had chosen.
‘Yes, to the King, I must appear as a mere item.’
“Anyway, Lady Lorentz, no, maybe that’s too formal for a father and daughter. May I call you Egreine more casually?”
I was surprised.
Calling someone by their first name in a father-daughter relationship is trivial, but this was the King.
It’s unusual for a King to address someone without a title by their first name.
I bowed respectfully.
“It’s an honor, Your Majesty.”
‘He’s starting to act overly familiar.’
The King then began to casually address me by my name.
This indicated that he didn’t see me as just a titular princess, at least nominally.
“Count, you’ve hidden such a fine lady for so long.”
“Her industrious nature keeps her busy at home,” replied Hubert, smiling comfortably. The King, bursting into hearty laughter, then turned his gaze to Aris beside him.
Aris lifted her dress slightly in a polite gesture.
“And you are?”
“Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. I’m Aris Dolencia.”
“Ah, the priestess from the Lorentz family.”
He smiled warmly and looked at Hubert.
“Truly as beautiful as a fairy of Marta. Worth cherishing.”
Hubert’s smile deepened, clearly proud.
“Aris is also highly capable. She oversees the rainmaking rituals at our house, so you’ll see her in action soon.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of Lorentz’s promising priestess. Looking forward to the next rainmaking.”
The existence of the Temple of Water and the rainmaking priestess is a unique aspect of the Kingdom, different from the Empire. And the priestess is a recognized talent of royal blood.
Sensing my cue, Aris’s blue eyes sparkled.
“I’m happy to use my modest abilities for the Kingdom.”
“Lorentz has many talents. Keep up the good work, Miss Dolencia.”
“Please, feel free to call me by name. You’re like another father to me, since you’re my sister’s father.”
Aris smiled gently, dimples forming on her cheeks.
Cute and charming enough, but the King’s face stiffened awkwardly. Hubert too.
“I am indeed the father of all.”
His tone cooled as if the warmth had never been there, and Aris glanced at Hubert, flustered.
The King said gruffly.
“Count, send some etiquette books to your residence. Seems necessary.”
Hubert’s expression twisted slightly.
Then, the King led me to the center of the ballroom, ignoring Aris.
‘Aris’s foolishness shines through here.’
It’s rare for someone to dislike a playful personality.
However, Aris chose the wrong person this time.
The King, despite his amiable appearance, is an extremely authoritarian and selfish person.
Unless he himself says it’s okay to call him father, no one dares to do so.
Aris, unaware of his nature and seeing only his kindness to me, mistakenly thought he would do the same for her.
Hubert’s affection, her beauty, her selfish yet charming personality, and her blessed water talent made Aris the center of the Lorentz family.
Hence, she had never experienced a situation where she was less favored than me.
The King was attentive to me, treating me as if I were his actual daughter.
But my heart remained cold.
The King’s metallic eyes revealed that all this was merely a show for the Empire’s delegates.
‘As long as it’s not bad for me, I’ll play along.’
Nobles stared at me, addressing the King as father, with astonished eyes.
The reactions in the hall, filled with elegantly dressed people, varied.
Most were surprised at the King’s excessive hospitality towards me, a mere titular princess.
And the most important, the Empire’s delegation…
Kichev’s displeased expression was the first thing I noticed.
‘He must think I’m conspiring with the King.’
I shifted my gaze.
The 5th Prince, with his arms crossed, looked bored, observing the ballroom.
Just seeing his face made me tense up reflexively.
What was he thinking?
Not drinking, eating, or conversing with anyone, he stood silently. I watched him unintentionally.
I noticed an interesting scene.
People around him were of two kinds: those whispering from a distance about his tanned skin and those trying to strike up a conversation with him nearby.
Whether in disdain or admiration, the attention and gaze towards the Prince of the desert never ceased.
Even though he wasn’t flaunting eloquent speech or showing much expression, his large physique drew the attention of the Kingdom’s nobles.
Even Kichev, who was bigger than the men of the Kingdom, didn’t seem so large next to the Prince.
‘He looks like he could be Hubert’s age.’
His unique intense gaze and enormous size created an imposing atmosphere, making it hard to guess his age.
“Is this your first meeting with the Prince?” whispered the King.
I glanced at the King while observing Giovanni. The King was just smiling warmly without looking at me.
I barely moved my lips in response.
“Yes.”
“Then it’s good that the first impression is favorable.”
What’s so fortunate about that?
Looking puzzled, the King smirked.
“You look exceptionally beautiful today.”
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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