“……You. Did you really believe what my sister-in-law said, that she likes you?”
Feeling somewhat interrogated, I quickly defended myself.
“No, I believe it. I just don’t understand how Empress Dowager favors me and the Grand Duke takes an interest in me.”
The Grand Duke appeared uncomfortable, but it was better than getting caught in a pointless lie. I tried to appear as innocent as possible, widening my eyes. After all, my appearance was decent enough. It might not match up to the nobles, but it would still have some effect.
“That’s true. Why do they dote on a child like you? If it were me, I wouldn’t do that.”
I hesitated for a moment. Should I hunch my shoulders as if I’m hurt? Should I be honest? After some consideration, being straightforward with the Grand Duke seemed like a better option. He was perceptive for a five-year-old, good at reading people, and disliked pretense. So, I spoke honestly.
“I couldn’t understand it either.”
I knew my appearance was decent and harmless, but wasn’t doting on a living being different from doting on a porcelain doll?
If they wanted someone harmless and cute, it would be better to buy a doll and dote on it. It’s not like I was genuinely adorable, unlike real three-year-olds.
I knew how to flatter, but since I had never received a proper doting, it couldn’t be because of that.
“I thought, perhaps Empress wishes for me to be a playmate for the Grand Duke, so she treats me well.”
Considering my current situation, it was the only advantage I could think of. Exceptional for a three-year-old, they said. Just right for the heart of the precocious Grand Duke.
That was my only strength, something that even the most lovely and naive children from prestigious families couldn’t imitate.
A reason for the Emperor to take an interest in me.
“But, Your Highness, haven’t you heard Empress Dowager personally cherishes you in front of her?”
By this point, the Grand Duke seemed more surprised than annoyed. Well, it was better than making him angry, at least.
“…I just want to say this, even if you don’t cry in front of my sister-in-law, there’s plenty of reason for her to cherish you.”
“Reason… you say?”
Even infants who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, who were perfectly ordinary, didn’t cry? Seeing someone so affectionate and kind? It was incomprehensible.
“Yes. Among children under ten, you and I are the only ones who haven’t cried in front of my sister-in-law.”
Ah, I see now.
I finally realized why Empress Dowager had been so surprised when I said I would sit next to her at the tea party.
Ten years old… honestly, at that age, you were still closer to being a child than an infant. Even if you weren’t nobility, if you made such children cry, didn’t that mean you were practically scattering them to the wind and letting them roam free?
I didn’t know, and it was a fatal mistake.
“I didn’t know.”
I said it with all my sincerity. If I had known, I would have chosen a different approach.
“Well, you really didn’t know. I’ve never seen anyone as kind and affectionate as my sister-in-law.”
The Grand Duke seemed sincere too.
“Anyway, even if you don’t know, your strengths definitely exist. Just because you can’t understand it doesn’t mean you should disregard others’ feelings.”
I was speechless. I couldn’t be honest about why I thought, “No one could love me, it’s strange that people find me cute.” It was because of memories from my previous life. The previous Ye Bai Lian had never received unwarranted favor, so…
The Grand Duke’s question was valid. It was strange for a regular three-year-old child to find a reason in every favor. Such a disposition didn’t form without a long-standing abandonment.
“So, I can’t explain why I try to find reasons in the Empress’s affection. When faced with a question I can’t answer, I fall silent, and the Grand Duke, perhaps thinking I felt embarrassed, gracefully changed the subject.
“So, how do you like the mango juice?”
“Yes, it’s refreshing and cool because the fruit is fresh.”
I answered much more comfortably than the previous question. The Grand Duke chuckled and tapped his glass. Because of the width of the table, my glass was out of reach.
“I came here because of that. Since my sister-in-law asked me to treat you well. So, since we’re spending time, I wanted to treat you to something delicious and take you to a nice place. It’s not about having something to say or anything like that.”
Distrusting people’s affections was a habit built up over 65 years. So, even if I knew that a queen found me pretty without a reason, I couldn’t change my mind. At least not as long as I possessed the identity of ‘Yi Bai Lian.’
“…And you mentioned that you’d bring a gift to Empress Dowager, right?”
“Yes.”
“Can I deliver it for you?”
I didn’t want to follow Yi Bai Lian’s life patterns anymore. I didn’t want to live a life where, after dedicating everything and sacrificing myself, I ended up discarded like an old toy.
So, I should learn how to be loved without a reason now.
“…She will be pleased. Go ahead.”
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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