When the young nobles of Gania surrounded Lucas, Elise inwardly rejoiced.
Great. Finally, she could escape from Lucas’s sight.
Lucas happily chatted with nobles his age about the upcoming jousting tournament. He seemed to be trying to divert his attention from Floyd rather than genuinely enjoying it.
So Elise judged that he wouldn’t be looking in Floyd’s direction.
Elise discreetly moved away from Lucas’s side and approached Floyd while engaging in brief conversations with other nobles. She planned to approach him as if she had accidentally reached his presence while simply enjoying the party, not targeting him.
So whenever a conversation with someone dragged on, she grew anxious and glanced towards Floyd, but Floyd sat quietly in the same spot with no intention of moving.
The knights standing on either side of him were also handsome, but they couldn’t shine in the face of Floyd’s vibrant beauty. Elise’s eyes were filled entirely with Floyd.
And so she finally reached Floyd’s presence.
Floyd stared in one direction as if he hadn’t noticed Elise standing before him.
“Excuse me, Your Grace…”
Just as Elise said that much.
Floyd suddenly stood up and roughly shoved Elise. Unable to withstand the force of his solid arm striking her, Elise’s small frame flew like a piece of paper and collapsed on the floor.
She was dazed, not knowing what had happened.
‘Did he just hit me? Me?’
The pain arrived a beat later due to the shock.
But more than the throbbing pain in her arms and legs, she worried if anyone had seen her in this state.
However, that was Elise’s needless concern.
No one was paying attention to Elise.
“Kyaak!”
A scream rang out. When Elise turned around sharply, realizing the commotion behind her, what she saw was men in servant attire entangled beside Lucas.
+++
Robert thought now was the chance to deal with Lucas while he was distracted chatting. Carefully approaching him with a plate of finger food, Robert skillfully pulled out the dagger hidden in his sleeve after confirming there were no guard knights around Lucas.
The tip of the dagger, honed many times for this day, aimed precisely at Lucas’s chest, but there was something Robert didn’t know.
That one of the servants lingering near Lucas with a tray was one of Lucas’s guard knights.
Lucas’s guard, who noticed the anomaly, blocked Robert’s dagger with his tray.
Clang-!
The sound of the blade hitting the tray was muffled by the music, so at first, no one noticed this small disturbance. Everyone realized a fight had broken out only after Lucas’s guard knight drew the sword tucked in his waistband.
Robert stepped back and raised his dagger to block the incoming sword.
Clang-!
Only then did people notice the weapons, and a few ladies screamed.
Robert handled the guard knight well even with a short blade, but the problem was that Lucas’s guard knights weren’t just one. There were two guard knights disguised as servants, plus two more openly brought guard knights.
They all rushed at Robert at once.
While blocking the silver sword swinging in front, Robert noticed the movements around him and inwardly sneered.
‘I’ll die without accomplishing anything.’
Those swords with clear intent would now pierce his neck, chest, and waist. And finally, the sword of the one in front would stab upwards into his solar plexus.
Robert guessed the direction from which the swords would come.
But none of the swords filled with killing intent touched Robert’s body. The swords of Arsen and Kirshan, who had approached unnoticed, blocked their swords.
Seeing this, Lucas glared at Floyd and shouted angrily.
“Did you think I’d just let myself be killed? Huh? Floyd, to plot such an assassination! Isn’t it too vile at a party!”
Floyd, still sitting on the stool, shrugged his shoulders.
“I didn’t plot anything.”
“Nonsense! Then who are these men?”
Lucas pointed at Arsen and Kirshan protecting Robert. Arsen calmly said.
“It didn’t seem right to show blood in front of the ladies.”
Even in their fear, the women blushed at Arsen’s manners. Lucas’s face reddened for a different reason as he shouted.
“You dare protect that criminal who tried to kill the crown prince of Gania? Don’t you know what’s more important?”
“You’re the criminal!”
Robert, who had been bewildered not knowing why Arsen and Kirshan were protecting him, shouted.
“Aren’t you the criminal who killed the Franche royal family members who trusted and accepted you! How dare you fabricate non-existent facts and tarnish the honor of the Franche royal family, you’re the real criminal!”
Lucas glared at Robert with a reddened face, belatedly realizing he was Roxiana’s guard knight.
“You are…”
“Yes, I am Robert Chenare! The guard knight of Princess Roxiana Franche who lost her family and life due to betrayal by her fiancé! I will cut off your head today and bring it before the princess!”
It was then that Robert snatched the sword from the hand of the guard knight standing beside him.
Woooooo-!
An ominous howl came through the open window.
Wooooooo-!
A sound eerie enough to stop this commotion. Like the sound of a hellhound, a wolf’s howl echoing from deep underground.
Wooooooo-!
At the unceasing, gloomy howling, everyone present shuddered.
Lucas, who had nearly been assassinated. Elise, who was frozen in shock at Robert’s survival. Even Cassar, who was suspicious whether Floyd had prepared this assassination attempt.
At that moment, Floyd slowly rose and said in a casual voice.
“The wolves are howling.”
His deep voice somewhat dispelled the fear that had settled over the party venue. Floyd brushed back his disheveled hair and stared out the window.
“Perhaps a mabeast has appeared?”
People flinched at the word ‘mabeast’. Only then did they remember that just a few months ago, people were sent from the temple due to a newly formed rift.
Floyd looked around at the frozen people and grinned.
“But luckily, I’m here today. Mabeast hunting is not something you can easily see. Shall we watch? It should be quite an interesting sight!”
The Red Tiger who annihilates mabeasts.
Belatedly recalling his nickname, people emerged from their state of fear. Even the band had stopped playing, and murmurs arose in the quiet party venue.
Regardless, Floyd moved towards the party hall door as if he was going to do his job.
“Are you really going to follow?”
“How often do we get to see an actual mabeast hunt like the Grand Duke said?”
“It might be dangerous…”
“Seeing how confident the Grand Duke is, it probably won’t be that dangerous.”
“Look at that. The Grand Duke left all his knights behind and went alone.”
“Is it really okay?”
“I don’t know. I’m going to follow.”
People who had been whispering began to leave the party hall one by one, following Floyd. Lucas’s face contorted as he watched people rushing out en masse.
No one cared about the fact that Lucas had nearly been assassinated just moments ago. As if staged, the timely wolf howl had diverted all attention to Floyd.
Now Lucas was more furious at the possibility of Floyd hunting a mabeast in front of everyone and gaining admiration and respect, rather than angry at Robert who had tried to assassinate him.
“Kill that bastard.”
Lucas ordered his guard knights, who were hesitating not knowing what to do, to kill Robert, and left the party hall with Elise.
In the now empty party hall, with even the servants having left, only Robert, Lucas’s knights, and Arsen and Kirshan remained.
Lucas’s knights weren’t experienced, but they knew of Arsen and Kirshan’s reputation, so they hesitated to move rashly.
“Did you not hear His Highness’s order?”
One knight asked Arsen, who was still protecting Robert. Arsen coldly replied.
“The one I serve is not your side.”
“That man is a criminal. It won’t be good for Torkan either if you protect someone who tried to assassinate the Crown Prince.”
“Well. He may be a criminal to you, but he doesn’t look like one to me.”
“He tried to kill someone.”
“And you’re trying to kill someone now too.”
“That’s because he’s a criminal…!”
“I told you.”
Arsen’s sword moved slightly. The chandelier light reflected off the silver blade and pierced the knight’s eyes. Just as the knight frowned, Kirshan moved.
Thud-! Thud-! Thud-!
Kirshan’s sword hilt struck the back of the knights’ heads hard. Caught off guard, the knights collapsed without even swinging their swords once.
Looking down at them, Arsen continued.
“To my eyes, you’re the criminals.”
Robert, not understanding why Floyd’s knights had helped him, blinked his eyes and asked.
“Why did you…?”
Arsen elegantly sheathed his sword and glanced at Robert. Finally, he answered calmly.
“It seems the one I protect might know you.”
“Pardon?”
“Shall we go together? You’ll be able to see the one I protect.”
Robert couldn’t understand.
The person Arsen, Floyd’s knight, protected should naturally be Floyd, but from Arsen’s tone, it seemed he meant someone else.
Robert hesitated whether to escape before being spotted by Lucas and plan for another day, but seeing Arsen’s straight gaze, he nodded.
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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