She could have escaped if she wanted to. Not only could she escape without a hair on her head being harmed, but now she had the power to punish them.
The wind could untie the tightly bound ropes, the water in the air could condense and engulf their faces, and the ground could rise up and overturn the carriage. If necessary, she could even summon the fire spirits as Jin had said, but she didn’t.
She wanted to know who had kidnapped her and for what purpose.
‘It can’t be Lucas… He’s probably too busy dealing with rumors and Elise’s pregnancy to focus on anything else. The same goes for Joseph V. Then is it the temple or the empire after all?’
If it was the temple or the empire, it would be better not to reveal this power. No matter what they did, she must not show the power of the spirits until the very last moment.
At a time when she was already busy dealing with Lucas and Elise, if the empire and temple became enemies too, there would be no end to the headaches.
‘Besides, it would cause trouble for Torkan too…’
Roxiana knew that Floyd wouldn’t get angry even if she caused him trouble.
‘How do I know such a thing?’
There was only one time when Floyd would get angry at Roxiana. When Roxiana harmed herself. When she did something that could harm herself.
‘Why is the Grand Duke so lenient about everything else but so concerned only about my body getting hurt?’
Here she goes again.
At a time when she should be thinking about who the kidnappers are and how to respond and question them, she’s thinking about Floyd. What good would it do to know the answer?
The carriage stopped.
The curtain surrounding the luggage compartment was lifted, and a bright light entered. It wasn’t sunlight, but light reflected off armor.
Silver armor, with an eagle holding an Adelia flower engraved on the chest.
It was the armor of a holy knight.
There were people in full armor and those who weren’t. Thinking that the ones in ordinary clothes were probably the ones who kidnapped her, Roxiana examined their appearances.
‘The person standing at the very back seems to be the highest-ranking person here…’
He was a man with a different gaze and posture. His short brown hair neatly swept back and deep blue eyes were striking. His tightly closed lips and downcast gaze exuded arrogance.
Holy knights were highly respected and revered, known as ‘knights above kings’. As not just anyone could face demons, those with the power to confront demons gained that much authority. Just like Floyd, who instantly gained the title of Grand Duke.
Just as Roxiana was examining them, they were also examining her. Eventually, at a nod from the brown-haired man, two men in ordinary attire climbed into the carriage and skillfully untied the ropes, helping Roxiana to her feet.
The brown-haired man approached and held out his hand. Roxiana hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and stepping down from the carriage.
As soon as she let go of his hand, he took out a handkerchief and meticulously wiped his own hand.
‘What, there are people like this?’
To Roxiana, who was speechless with disbelief, he said,
“Shall we go inside and talk?”
Despite his rude behavior, his tone was polite. Looking where he pointed, there was a small wooden house. It seemed to be a place built for woodcutters or hunters to rest briefly when entering the forest.
The brown-haired man spoke to the other knights.
“Hide the carriage and guard the area. They probably won’t be able to follow us this far, but don’t let your guard down.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, my lady.”
The brown-haired man said to Roxiana.
“It would be best not to think about escaping. It would be a reckless act.”
A reckless act?
Roxiana didn’t know how skilled they were as knights, but she was confident she could confuse them for a moment and use that opportunity to escape. She was also confident she could inflict considerable damage on them.
But she hid her thoughts and smiled gently.
She docilely followed him into the wooden house. Well-trained, the knights didn’t lower their guard and blocked any path for Roxiana to escape.
As he and Roxiana entered, the door closed. He nodded ever so slightly towards Roxiana and said,
“I regret that we had to use such rough methods.”
“You chose your words poorly. Shouldn’t you say ‘sorry’ rather than ‘regret’?”
He slightly furrowed his brow at Roxiana’s pointed remark.
“It seems the lady hasn’t properly grasped her situation yet.”
Roxiana smiled gently, listening to what the wind spirits gathered around him were saying.
−What an unpleasant and rude fellow.
−This guy is Valde Erton. The vice-commander of the Katus Holy Knight Order.
−He’s an unlucky bastard.
−If we call Lord Shuriel, he’ll tear him to pieces.
−We could even shave his head clean.
Valde seemed unaware that so many beings were gathered around him.
“Why are you smiling?”
“Because I haven’t properly grasped my situation.”
“…”
“What’s the reason for ‘kidnapping’ me in such an ‘uncivilized’ and ‘rude’ manner?”
Roxiana deliberately emphasized words that would provoke him as she asked. His eyebrows twitched at the words ‘uncivilized’ and ‘rude’.
“You’re fearless, my lady.”
“I’m so perplexed by being kidnapped in such an uncivilized manner that I haven’t had time to be afraid. Would you prefer if I showed some fear? Do you want to intimidate me like ruffians harassing women in the marketplace?”
Valde’s face turned red.
“If you brought me here so roughly, there must be a reason. There must be a reason for coming armed and acting in a way that would upset Grand Duke Ratean.”
“Grand Duke Ratean.”
He curled the corner of his lip.
“Is it because you trust that fellow that you’re being so rude?”
“No. It’s because I’ve made it a principle in life to be equally rude to those who are rude to me.”
Valde glared at Roxiana for a moment, then took out a handkerchief and meticulously wiped his hands.
‘Is it a habit?’
Watching him drop the handkerchief he had used to carefully wipe each finger onto the floor, Roxiana realized that he had also discarded the handkerchief he had used to wipe his hands earlier.
‘How many handkerchiefs does he carry around?’
Valde straightened his posture and said,
“Let’s stop this meaningless argument, my lady. We have simply come to escort you to the Grand Temple.”
“So suddenly?”
“It’s not sudden. We sent you several letters, but they were ignored.”
Roxiana had never received a letter from the Grand Temple.
‘The Grand Duke must have intercepted them all.’
Valde seemed to think the same as he said,
“Grand Duke Ratean probably intercepted them. That’s the kind of man he is, a scoundrel who intercepts other people’s letters.”
Roxiana felt a surge of anger at the insult to Floyd, but she didn’t show it.
“What’s the reason for taking me to the Grand Temple?”
“To hear your explanation about various rumors surrounding you.”
“Has the Grand Temple been so idle as to concern itself with baseless rumors circulating in society?”
“Well. Whether they’re baseless or not remains to be seen. If you explain and confirm it there, the ominous rumors will disappear without a trace. It’s not a bad thing for you. Rather, you should be grateful.”
Valde truly seemed to believe what he was saying.
What should she do?
‘No matter what I say, they’re determined to take me.’
It seemed that no excuse or persuasion would work.
‘But if I use my power here, it might lead to an even bigger disturbance later.’
She had never used this power against humans before. Moreover, she didn’t want to use it against humans. She didn’t want to see the lovely chattering beings killing humans.
‘But if I let myself be taken like this, the Grand Temple won’t just let me go. They’ll try to keep me there somehow.’
She might have to live a life with her movements restricted under the management of the empire and temple, like many mages or priests. Although she didn’t know the detailed circumstances of the magic tower or temple as they were closed places, she had never heard of anyone regaining their freedom once they came under their management.
‘What should I do?’
Roxiana had many things she needed to do, and if they just let her do those things, she didn’t care where she was or who the ruler was.
‘Do I really not care?’
A voice in her head asked, but Roxiana ignored it.
She didn’t want to be swayed by futile emotions. With so much to do and so much to shoulder, she couldn’t let personal feelings ruin her work.
She needed to think of a better direction.
‘How will the Grand Priest react? Will they try to simply eliminate my power, or will they try to use it well? If they’re trying to use it, there might be room for negotiation. If they’re trying to kill me… I guess I’ll have no choice but to become their enemy.’
She wasn’t worried about being taken and killed without being able to do anything. Even now, Roxiana knew that if she wanted to, she could kill the arrogant and rude man in front of her.
Knowing her own abilities made her decision slower. There were too many options, and her heart kept leaning towards the worst choice.
‘I want to be by the Grand Duke’s side.’
Even in this situation, she was afraid of never seeing him again. Although Ranian, Lucas, and Elise should be her top priorities, Floyd weighed on her mind.
Although she knew very well that she had to discard what needed to be discarded to achieve her goal, that personal feelings were useless, her heart wavered.
“You’re thinking a lot.”
Valde said.
“I’ve just made a polite proposal for your sake, but you should know that I can take you anytime I want.”
Just as Roxiana thought she wouldn’t lose to him, Valde also thought he wouldn’t lose to Roxiana.
‘Right, I decided to follow my heart.’
The moment she saw Valde’s arrogant gaze, Roxiana made up her mind.
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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