After Chad’s prison break, monsters started appearing in local cities and remote areas.
Because of that, the emperor declared war against the Red Eagles, and many nobles were either drafted to the battlefield or returned to their territories to defend them.
Perta Golden was no exception.
He spent his days busily arranging his territory near the capital and conducting military training.
Today, Perta was trapped behind a pile of documents when he heard someone knocking on the window. It was a messenger from the ducal family.
At the end of the short message was the name “Rukna Closet”.
‘Is this really for me?’
The wording was a bit stiff, as if it had been sent to multiple people with the same message.
Still, it was a letter from Rukna. Perta stopped what he was doing, carefully held the letter, and ran to his younger sister Giselle.
“Giselle!”
He opened the door to the magic training room where his sister was.
Giselle was sitting in the middle of the training room with her back turned. She was looking at a grimoire with an ominous aura and stabbing a doll with a needle.
“Um… Giselle?”
“Oh? Elder brother?”
Giselle smiled brightly and stared at Perta. The doll had a name tag that read “Matian Wiegratz”.
“What are you doing right now?”
Perta couldn’t take his eyes off the straw doll.
He was already anxious because the country’s mood was grim due to black magic, and it seemed like his sister was engaging in unlawful behavior.
‘No, our Giselle wouldn’t do that.’
But whether he narrowed his eyes or widened them, it was definitely a cursed doll.
“I’m practicing magic.”
Giselle spoke confidently, as if she had no intention of hiding the suspicious doll.
Perta sometimes found this aspect of his sister scary.
“Elder brother? Why are your hands shaking?”
“It’s, it’s a bit cold in this room, haha. Did you leave the window open?”
Perta looked around. The training room was completely enclosed for safety, so there were no windows to begin with.
“By the way, what kind of magic are you practicing?”
“Hmm, a spell to become healthy?”
Teehee. Giselle made a cute expression and added, “Of course, I’m talking about my mental health.”
The Golden siblings knew that Rukna, who had been exposed to drugs, had gone to the Wiegratz estate for treatment.
They didn’t know what kind of drug it was, but they heard that the symptoms were very severe.
At first, Giselle said she would find a good doctor, but Matian babbled that all the doctors in the capital were quacks and left for the estate.
If things continued like this, that nasty obsessive man might lock Rukna up in the estate and never let her go.
Especially considering the creepy look in his eyes when he was searching for the missing Rukna.
So Giselle was praying that Matian would get a stomachache using a black magic book that she and Rukna had found together in the mansion’s basement a long time ago.
She didn’t expect to get caught by her blood relative though.
“By the way, what did you come to see me for, elder brother?”
Perta looked at his sister and held out the letter he was holding.
“A letter from Rukna…”
Before he could even finish the sentence, Giselle ran over like an angry buffalo and snatched the letter.
She muttered, “Why did Rukna write to someone like Perta first?”
“Giselle? What did you just say?”
“Don’t talk to me, elder brother. Can’t you see I’m reading a letter from Rukna right now?”
“No, there are only a few sentences written, so it’s quick to read…”
“Shh!”
Giselle raised her index finger and placed it in front of Perta’s mouth.
Perta slightly pulled his face back, afraid that the merciless finger would poke his nose.
In the meantime, Giselle read the letter three times and put it in her pocket.
“Um, Giselle. That’s my letter.”
“Now’s not the time to argue about that, elder brother!”
“No, my letter…”
“What level of magic can you currently use?”
Giselle interrupted Perta and asked a question.
“Intermediate level for fire attribute, and one advanced spell each for earth and water attributes.”
It was a tremendous development for someone who had awakened magic late.
It was possible because he was a descendant of a great wizard, but his sister’s evaluation was blunt.
“Sigh. How can you beat Matian Wiegratz with that kind of skill?”
“I, I have to fight Lord Matian?”
“Do you think that jerk will let elder brother into the lord’s castle without a fight?”
“But I’m sure to lose.”
“If you don’t have the skills, you’ll have to compete with charm!”
“Ch-charm?”
“According to the young ladies, elder brother has a sickly charm. Isn’t that interesting?”
Girls! Giselle called her maidservants.
“Can you make our elder brother look like a short-lived pretty boy?”
“Yes, madam!”
Perta’s pale white face turned even paler at their combative attitude.
“Wait a minute, Giselle. Who will defend the territory if I’m away?”
“Don’t worry. You have a lovely younger sister, don’t you?”
Giselle hugged the cursed doll and grinned.
It looked a bit creepy, but despite her appearance, she was a genius of the Golden family who had mastered fire magic in a short time.
[This is the timeline separator]Around the same time.
‘Refreshing.’
Rukna stretched as she opened her eyes in bed. Her body, which had felt as heavy as iron, was now as light as a feather.
The 3 p.m. sunlight squeezed through the curtains and brightly illuminated the room.
Rukna checked the spot beside her. Matian was not there.
‘Maybe he’s working.’
Rukna got out of bed.
Another woman might have plopped down on the floor, but the proud graduate of the military academy stood up straight, refusing to succumb to her trembling legs.
‘Come to think of it, my body is clean, isn’t it?’
She was wearing a silk slip she had never seen before. Her dirty priestly robes were nowhere to be seen.
Rukna pulled the long cord attached to the bedside. Then, with the sound of a bell, a maid who had been waiting outside politely entered the room.
“Are you awake, young lady?”
Young lady? They had called her a priestess before, but the title had changed.
“Where did Matian go?”
“The young master is currently meeting with the lord for a moment. Please come this way. I will get you ready.”
“I don’t need to get ready…”
“It would be inappropriate to wear sleepwear.”
“Ah.”
Rukna looked down at her body again. She certainly couldn’t walk around indoors wearing this pure white silk slip.
She followed the maid to the dressing room attached to the bedroom.
She didn’t know whose clothes they were, but there were many fancy dresses and accessories on display.
Rukna chose the most ordinary outfit among them.
It looked plain when displayed with the other dresses, but once she put it on, there were more than a dozen diamonds on the dress alone.
‘I could make a living just by selling this.’
The dress fit perfectly. If someone saw it, they would think it had been tailored in a dressmaking shop, that’s how accurate the size was.
The maid arranged Rukna’s hair with a jeweled headband and applied light makeup.
Sitting in front of the dressing table, Rukna gazed into the mirror. Wow. She couldn’t help but admire herself.
‘It’s awkward to say this myself, but I look like a princess.’
Perhaps because she had never properly dressed up even while living as a woman, her reflection in the mirror was as beautiful as a novel’s protagonist.
Then someone banged on the bedroom door.
The knocking, which showed no sign of courtesy, was not Matian’s.
Soon, a small argument ensued, and the door swung open.
“Are you the priestess who seduced my elder brother?”
It was Orien Wiegratz, the youngest son of the ducal family. He barged in and pointed at Rukna.
The boy carefully looked at the beautifully dressed Rukna and realized her identity, saying, “It’s Priestess Lulu?”
“I don’t know what’s going on, but elder brother has changed because of you! Take responsibility quickly!”
“He changed?”
Rukna got up from the dressing table and stared at Orien with wide eyes.
At her beautiful appearance, the boy was at a loss for words for a moment, then came to his senses.
“O-our elder brother is a hero who will save the empire.”
“I know.”
“But because of you, he keeps defying the emperor’s orders. Father said he could become a traitor at this rate.”
[This is the timeline separator]Led by Orien’s hand, Rukna moved to the room that was said to have been used by the hero 300 years ago.
‘Do we have to talk here?’
The interior of the room was the same as she had seen before.
The arrangement of the furniture, and the way the servants subtly avoided entering this place.
Only Orien frequented this place like his own room. Of course, now he was crouching in the corner with his back turned, crying.
“Take responsibility. If our elder brother becomes a traitor, you, a descendant of the saint, have to take responsibility!”
Orien shouted at the wall as if throwing a tantrum.
‘There were already many reasons I had to take responsibility for Matian, but now there’s one more.’
Rukna stretched her lips that had turned bitter.
While taking a short nap, what had happened? Lost in thought, her green eyes scanned the room, and a holy sword hanging on one wall caught her eye.
‘So the sword I left in the room was here.’
Was this the room? She heard Matian disliked this place, so it was unexpected.
‘Hello, Bisbi.’
She greeted the sword while stroking its hilt. However, she couldn’t hear the sword’s voice. She tried to lift it with strength in her arm, but it didn’t budge.
‘It’s probably because I’m no longer the owner.’
Still, Rukna couldn’t easily take her hand off the sword. Maybe because it was a sword with its own ego, it felt like meeting an old friend.
While fiddling with the sword, Rukna checked the portraits of successive heroes hanging right next to it again.
The faces that looked identical as if stamped from the same mold also resembled Matian.
“It’s like the same person has been reincarnating.”
“I think so too.”
Orien, who had sorted out his emotions, stood up.
“While others denounce elder brother as a demon when they see these portraits, I believe the soul of the hero has been reincarnating each time to find Saint Closet.”
Orien voiced his opinion in a stuffy voice and sat down in front of an old desk.
His straight posture was both cute and quite dignified.
He opened a notebook on the desk.
Judging by the words “Orien’s Life Story” written on the cover, it seemed to be his diary.
Rukna, who had taken her hand off the holy sword, approached the boy. He was writing something in the diary in small, crooked letters.
It was a rather grandiose sentence. Rukna was peeking at someone else’s diary when her eyes met Orien’s.
“So I haven’t cried, Priestess Lulu.”
Then he sniffed and inhaled the snot. Still, a bit of clear snot flowed out.
Rukna smiled and took out a handkerchief the maid had prepared and held it out to him.
“Wh-what is this? I told you I didn’t cry.”
“Let’s say it’s a sign of my favor to a brave man. Or would you like me to drop this in front of you like in books?”
“Th-then let’s say I picked it up for you.”
Orien blew his nose refreshingly with the handkerchief he received.
“Uh, you don’t have to return the handkerchief.”
“That expression just now was not very ladylike, Priestess Lulu.”
“Because I’m not a lady, I’m a priestess.”
“No, you’re not. From what I heard my parents say, aren’t you going to marry elder brother? That’s why everyone calls you young lady?”
“Ma-marriage?”
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.
Link to read
