‘Please check on the nanny’s condition right after I select a handmaiden.’
In the lobby of Growen Castle, those were the words Yerpi had spoken to Raymond in front of the evergreen painting beside the ornate central staircase.
‘It seems Dante has been staying somewhere else. I’m suspicious about whether the nanny is properly caring for him.’
Yerpi’s words had sparked a flicker of doubt.
Raymond could have ignored her words. After all, nothing seemed amiss until now.
But Raymond followed her advice, and the scene he discovered was horrifying.
That night.
Dante emerged from underground, cradled in Yerpi’s arms. The young dragon pretended to be brave, making no sound at all.
But it didn’t take long to realize he had been terrified.
The child was taken to the safest and warmest place possible.
ads
In a soft bed and the warm embrace of a woman with a sweet fragrance, the young dragon cried bitterly for a long time.
Whenever he coughed from crying, a gentle hand stroked his back, and lukewarm water slid down his throat.
After crying, he was comforted and held close; when he struggled to calm down, a light kiss would gently land upon Dante’s forehead.
It was the first time he had ever experienced such affection.
Each time soft, warm flesh touched his forehead, Dante flinched in surprise.
But it felt good. The warm, peaceful embrace, the tender voice and gentle touch—these were everything the child had ever dreamed of.
Awaiting the exhausted child, as night deepened, was an endless, deep slumber.
A sleep so deep it felt like he might never wake again, yet so warm and cozy that he never wanted to leave—within that sweet embrace, the child finally slept a sugary, peaceful sleep for the first time in a long while.
Even when he briefly opened his eyes, it was the same.
Inside the clean, spacious room, the scent Dante loved filled the air abundantly.
ads
The sweet fragrance stimulating his senses, the soft scent of skin, and faint traces of shampoo and body wash brought Dante a sense of relief.
Even if it was a strange place, as long as this embrace existed, it was fine.
Yet occasionally, a thought would arise.
‘Why am I here?’
Then memories of yesterday would naturally surface, making everything feel like a dream.
No, was it perhaps yesterday’s events that were the dream? If so, then Meidi was…
But his thoughts kept getting interrupted by the deep slumber, preventing him from thinking too deeply.
Yet one thing remained unchanged—every time he half-opened his eyes and closed them again, there was someone beside him.
‘Too good.’
He could only think that.
ads
Dante fell asleep again. When the young dragon finally opened his eyes properly, a full day had passed, and it was the middle of the night.
‘…I’m hungry.’
The first sensation upon regaining consciousness was hunger.
Having gone nearly two days without eating, his empty stomach growled on its own.
Intense hunger and suddenly clearer vision revealed details of the room he hadn’t noticed yesterday.
For example, the beige canopy and neat green wallpaper, along with the matching furniture.
While he was observing these things, the door opened.
Dante, startled in advance, jumped up, tail raised. The one who entered while his bright yellow eyes were wide open was the room’s owner.
‘You were awake. I startled you again.’
Yerpi observed Dante’s reaction.
Her gentle voice soothed the young dragon, who had arched his back in alarm.
Yet the lingering tension dissolved completely at the delicious scent wafting from somewhere.
‘Are you alright? I was worried because you slept for so long.’
The source of the scent was the cart the duchess wheeled in. Confirming Dante’s gaze was fixed entirely on the cart, Yerpi smiled faintly and pulled back the cloth.
‘I brought this because I thought you’d be hungry.’
As she placed each dish on the table, Dante’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Fragrant corn soup and snow-white, tender bread. Among them, what captivated Dante most was the ripe, sweet peach.
‘Have the soup first. It’s not good to eat fruit on an empty stomach.’
Yerpi slid a small plate in front of Dante. Though slightly dissatisfied, since it seemed true, Dante took a bite of the soup first.
‘Delicious.’
ads
The soup, cooled to the perfect temperature, was smooth and rich in flavor. As he hastily licked the bowl clean, small pieces of torn white bread were offered to his lips.
Cautiously checking her expression, he saw the duchess smiling. Accepting the bread, the woman showed visible delight, and seeing her smile, Dante finally felt at ease.
‘Ah, I’m full.’
A proper meal, eaten for the first time in a long while, completely relaxed the young dragon’s heart.
Silently assisting Dante’s meal, the duchess was peeling a peach beside him.
The juicy peach emitted a fragrant aroma the moment the knife touched it.
‘Here, try this too. I picked the tastiest one from all the peaches in the castle.’
A neatly cut piece of peach was brought to Dante’s mouth.
He hesitated again, but the temptation of the peach was nearly impossible to resist. In the end, he opened his mouth and took the piece—it truly tasted like honey.
‘The most delicious peach in the world!’
ads
Excitedly, Dante snorted and devoured the rest. Not satisfied, his scent-seeking mouth even licked Yerpi’s fingers.
‘…!’
‘It tickles.’
Startled again, Dante jumped back. Seeing the distance Dante created, Yerpi reassured him.
‘It’s alright. You must have really liked the peach. I should have brought more. Oh, wait a moment.’
Smiling gently, the duchess left her seat. Dante’s heart continued to beat uneasily.
‘Mei di really hated this kind of thing.’
Dante’s nanny always treated him like an animal, yet she utterly despised it when he actually acted like one.
But just now, the duchess had been different.
Her gentle smile in a situation that could have angered her made the young dragon’s heart race.
ads
The fact that she didn’t dislike him made him incredibly happy.
Yet due to extreme memories from the past, Dante grew gloomy again.
Only briefly, though—Yerpi reappeared. She was now wearing a robe.
‘Come here. Let’s take a bath together.’
Forgetting his gloom, Dante jumped in shock. If he were human, his cheeks or ears would have turned bright red.
Noticing his reaction, Yerpi smiled and gently stroked the young dragon’s head.
‘It’s alright. You’re still young.’
Dante was nine years old this year.
Yerpi carried the stiffened Dante toward the bathroom. The room was filled with warm steam, and the bathtub was full of warm water.
While Dante was tense, Yerpi entered the tub with him.
ads
As the warm water enveloped his body, tension melted away naturally, drawing out a sigh. Dante felt the same.
‘The bathtub—it’s been so long.’
As his tension eased, he soon forgot his embarrassment.
Peaceful moments always brought thoughts.
‘Mei di only bathed me when she had to take me to Raymond.’
Remembering the now-invisible nanny brought gloom back once more.
Swinging between happiness and sadness, he felt as if he weren’t himself.
What had happened to Mei di?
Did she…
‘Did she love me even a little?’
Forcing himself not to cry, his throat grew tight.
‘What are you thinking about?’
At the duchess’s question, Dante quickly shook his head.
He wanted to answer, but he lacked the courage.
‘I don’t want to be hated.’
If even this woman, who held him in her arms, came to hate him, he felt he might truly die.
But Dante well knew that without hatred, one could not receive love.
The love Mei di had shown him was exactly that.
Still, there was one thing he desperately wanted to ask the duchess.
The child opened his mouth, bracing himself for being hated.
ads
‘…!’
Startled by the telepathic voice echoing in her mind, Yerpi’s eyes widened.
The words came not as a voice, but like a wave of sound, yet the boy’s trembling heart was conveyed perfectly.
The boy was trembling.
Yerpi turned the child, who had been leaning against her chest, around to meet his eyes.
‘I have never hated you, not even once.’
[But…]With a body like this monster, if I can even speak—how much more disgusting would you find me?
[Everyone avoided me.]‘No, they didn’t.’
At her firm denial, Dante lifted his head.
Large eyes had already filled with droplets of tears.
ads
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]