What on earth was he saying? I felt as if my soul had slipped out of me, blindsided by the completely unexpected revelation.
I stared blankly at Iscariel before finally speaking.
“…Your Excellency, what do you mean…”
A faint frown crossed Iscariel’s face.
“Could it be, you didn’t know?”
I took a deep breath.
‘Of course I didn’t know!’
It was fortunate that Iscariel was unaware of my real secret, but the one he revealed was no less unsettling.
‘It can’t be a lie. But if Angelica is Iscariel’s granddaughter, how could I not have known about it!’
When Reto and his party arrived at the capital, Angelica had already passed away. But if they were truly family, it would have been mentioned in the game. It must be another plot twist from the developers.
“I think you’re mistaken.”
I shook my head.
“Your granddaughter must look similar to me.”
As I said it, I realized something unusual. Iscariel also bore a striking resemblance to me.
‘…Our eye color, hair color, even the aura, they’re the same. It’s like looking into a mirror.’
Iscariel sighed.
“Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my own granddaughter? I personally gave you a blessing when you were born. Its traces are still on your cheeks.”
A faint smile crossed his lips.
“I never even thought I would see you again…”
“Your Excellency.”
I cut him off in a firm tone.
“I grew up in a coal mining village. If I were really your granddaughter, how could I have grown up there?”
Iscariel stared at me intently.
“My daughter did not want it.”
“…!”
My body stiffened. If what Iscariel had been saying was true… then his daughter would be Angelica’s mother.
“My daughter despised this bloodline. She married an incredibly ordinary man… On the night you were born, I secretly went and gave you a blessing, but that was the last time I ever saw her.”
Iscariel lowered his head.
“I thought she would at least tell you who you are… I guess I was wrong.”
“I know nothing about my parents.”
The words flew out of my mouth. My eyes blinked rapidly, disoriented by my own emotional upheaval. From the perspective of Angelica in the game, it was certainly true.
Yet, why did I feel this surge of emotion for a mere game setting?
‘…Why?’
I licked my lips. Now was not the time to contemplate the reasons. I could do that later.
“Pitiful, isn’t it.”
Iscariel sighed.
“She probably couldn’t handle you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were very frail from birth. Even my daughter, who shuddered at the thought of sacred power, would have agreed to bless you. But to keep you alive, you would’ve needed regular blessings.”
Iscariel’s gaze wandered.
“My daughter… being a holy woman, could have given blessings. But she had difficulty utilizing sacred power, and it was forbidden.”
I moistened my lips, feeling as if I knew what Iscariel was implying. Angelica’s mother must have died using sacred power to save her daughter.
And probably, the father abandoned the daughter who had caused the mother’s death.
“I should’ve looked for you.”
I clenched my teeth.
“You knew what would happen to my mother and me.”
I knew it was a story that had nothing to do with me, but why did it make me so furious?
Iscariel looked straight into my eyes. A strange light flickered in those blue eyes, so similar to mine.
“What if I found you? What then? My daughter vehemently refused any help. She even despised meeting me! Are you telling me to watch my daughter die from a distance, as if that’s some lesser form of torture?”
“…”
I swallowed dryly. A question that hadn’t disappeared since a while ago circled my head.
“Why did my mother… dislike Lord Regent so much?”
Iskariel smirked.
“I can’t answer that for you.”
I stared at him. His daughter, who wouldn’t even utter Iskariel’s name, vehemently rejected her own father.
Even though she had a way to get her father’s help to save her life.
“Angelica.”
Iskariel called me softly.
“Come back to the capital with me. I can give you everything.”
I remained silent.
Denesor’s voice echoed in my ear.
“You’re not considering going over to that thing, are you?”
“What?”
I responded only in my mind so as not to be caught by Iskariel.
“I don’t know if it’s strong, but it’s extremely malicious! If you know the situation you’re in…”
Iskariel, watching me closely, suddenly approached me. I retreated a few steps, but was quickly caught up.
As expected, Iskariel forcibly pulled Denesor from my grasp.
“…Why are you carrying this?”
Iskariel’s voice was full of disdain for Denesor.
I mustered the courage to answer.
“It’s my sword. Give it back.”
Iskariel shook his head.
“No, this is not your sword. It looks like it belongs to His Grace, the Duke.”
“…”
“Carrying it without permission is the same as taking someone else’s property. I’ll return it for you.”
Denesor was surprisingly silent. I would expect it to be screaming by now, but not a word was heard.
‘Did it get scared of Iskariel?’
I decided to talk to Denesor later, taking a step towards Iskariel.
“I’m cursed by a gargoyle.”
Iskariel looked down at me.
“…Cursed?”
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
