And they had sent Arcadia with the young Duke as a companion and right-hand man. But now even their second son was dead.
What had the Duke been doing while his lord and right-hand man died?
Their grief turned into anger towards Duke Zion Belphegor of the North. This became the beginning of the division in the North.
The Southern Duke’s web of lies and manipulation slowly ate away at the North. And eventually, the upright North became prey to the spider.
I’m trying to prevent that, Your Highness.
But I can’t tell all this to him now.
What should I say?
“Directly attacking Your Highness carries a great risk, but targeting your retainer is different. Sir Arcadia has the pain of his father’s passing. If something happens to Sir Arcadia, they can manipulate the incident using that pain. The death of Count Nugent was an event that shook the entire Empire.”
I spoke slowly and clearly, organizing my thoughts. It wasn’t easy, but I managed.
Did my words reach you?
I looked up at him again. The Duke slowly stood up and took a step towards me.
“You said you are a subordinate of Lady Medea. But why are you telling me this?”
His blue eyes flickered differently than before, like waves.
“Because I think it’s wrong.”
“Is that important to you?”
A painful question, but one I had to answer.
“It has become important to me at some point.”
It was the truth.
I will only speak facts and truths to you.
In my previous life, I heard that the Duke of the North has the power to see through people. To see the good and evil within, to pierce through to the truth.
That’s the power in the blood of Belphegor.
I didn’t avoid his gaze. He took another step closer to me.
Then, there were footsteps approaching from outside the room.
In that moment, the Duke covered me with his overcoat that was on the sofa and pushed me behind the bedroom.
‘!?’
He stood in front of the black curtain that concealed the bedroom, as if to hide me, and simultaneously the door opened.
The Duke spoke, “Knocking is the basic courtesy of a civilized person, Arcadia.”
“Ah, Your Highness, why so startled? I’m not the Southern Duke. I mean, I’d like to come in, but our guards are all over, the Southern folks can’t even peek in here.”
“You keep looking at me, that’s the problem.”
“It’s for Your Highness’s safety, safety. They are quite snake-like, after all.”
“Well, to catch a snake, a mongoose like you is needed from the North.”
“You’re too harsh, Your Highness.”
“Arcadia, I need my own time too. I was just about to change clothes, thought you were some outsider woman and got startled.”
“Your Highness, so mischievous. Were you hoping for that deep down?”
“Ar. Ca. Di. A.”
The Duke called Arcadia’s name in a staccato, a playful threat. To that threat, Arcadia laughed and withdrew.
“Alright, this Northern mongoose will take his leave. By the way, the dinner banquet is set in the main castle.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It was tough breaking the stubbornness of those Southerners who kept trying to come this way.”
“Thanks.”
“No need for thanks. Disruption is a must at times like this.”
With a loud farewell, Arcadia left. I recalled the Arcadia of the past life, with his long platinum hair and green eyes. He was a pure and mysterious man.
But I realized he was actually quite playful.
They seemed close.
Then I suddenly realized that I was pressed up against the Duke, with only a curtain between us. He stood in front of me, holding one hand on the curtain to keep it closed.
He was hiding me.
The scent of the Northern wind seemed familiar, coming off the Duke. A mixture of grass, wood, and snow.
Suddenly, I felt a chill down my spine.
If I could smell the Duke, could he also smell me?
Frozen, I sniffed at myself. The acrid, musty smell of the underground passage lingered.
Embarrassed.
Unconsciously, my cheeks heated up.
Then, the Duke said, “You’re still covering the unscarred side of your face.”
My heart sank.
The Duke remembers me.
“You can’t leave through the door, so you’ll have to go back the way you came. Will you manage?”
“I-I’ll manage.”
I replied like a mechanical doll. But I had to say my last piece.
“Your Highness, please be cautious. I don’t know when or how they’ll administer the poison.”
The Duke didn’t respond, just nodded.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
