Luke was once again flipping through the ancient texts he had gathered while researching dark magic.
He was doing so to investigate the curse that had befallen Bonita, trying to understand its nature.
“She mentioned having a headache.”
Before collapsing, Bonita had clear warning signs. Moreover, Luke was aware of another peculiar symptom.
“You had some snacks earlier, but you said they didn’t taste like anything.”
It was a story he heard from Mary. Since she had no reason to lie, it must be an undeniable fact.
“…Found it.”
After searching through the materials, he found one significant piece of information. It was a minor curse using dark magic.
The contents included temporary sensory loss, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and in severe cases, losing consciousness for about a day.
“Surely, this is it.”
He wanted to delve deeper, but the book didn’t contain any more information. It seemed like a light magic that didn’t cause significant harm to the body.
He pondered, “Dark magic must require a medium.”
While there were cases of directly casting spells, Bonita started experiencing strange phenomena when alone.
She collapsed while with Hindley Rotern, but he showed no trace of dark magic, so he probably wasn’t the culprit.
Could it be space?
Luke grabbed a passing servant in the hallway.
“Hey.”
“Oh, yes! Your Highness. What can I do for you?”
“Fetch Mary, the maid. I have questions for her.”
It didn’t take long for Mary to arrive.
Luke, with a tense expression, asked her, “Last time, Bonita suddenly couldn’t taste anything, right?”
“Oh, yes. That’s correct.”
“Did Bonita happen to visit the study room before that?”
Mary’s eyes widened at Luke’s question.
“How did you know? Miss Bonita finished her homework with the governess in the study and came here to assemble a train.”
…As expected.
Luke’s speculation turned into certainty.
To make sure, he asked again, “Do you remember how long Bonita stayed there?”
“Well, probably about two hours. She sat quietly for a very long time, which surprised me.”
“Thank you. You can go now.”
As he hurriedly walked toward the study room after the final confirmation, he paused for a moment.
“Wait! Just one more question.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“When Bonita was in the study room, were you waiting outside?”
“What?”
Surprised by the confident question, Mary clapped her hands.
“No, of course not! Naturally, I stood in a corner and watched over Miss as she studied.”
“…You were there too?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Then, at that time, did you experience any abnormalities in your body? Like suddenly feeling itchy eyes, stuffy ears, or not being able to taste things.”
Mary shook her head.
“Nothing like that happened to me. I’m very robust and have never caught a cold.”
“Is that so…?”
“…Did I make a statement that could be problematic, Your Highness?” Mary asked, looking uneasy and glancing around.
Luke waved his hand reassuringly. “No, you didn’t. You’re good to go now.”
“Oh, okay! Thank you!”
Mary quickly disappeared.
As Luke started walking back towards the study room, he became more confused than before.
“Hindley Rotern thought Delphinium had given him something, so I thought he was okay.”
Even if Rotern wasn’t the direct perpetrator, he was the governess recommended by Oliver. Luke suspected that something mischievous might have been done unintentionally on their part, affecting only Bonita.
“But why are other people fine when entering the study room?”
Could it be a condition related to space?
Lost in thought, he arrived at the study room. He took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Surprisingly, he felt no energy.
He walked around the room.
…As expected, no response.
“Come to think of it…”
Bonita, too, showed no trace of dark magic after waking up from unconsciousness.
“Is it disposable?”
There are occasional spells like that.
More emphasis on ‘not being caught’ than on power, these discreet spells make it challenging for most wizards to detect unless specific conditions are met.
The curse Bonita fell victim to belonged to a particularly weak category. Considering that most dark magic either kills the target instantly or leaves them in a worse state than death, it was a curse as light as a cold.
“…Indeed.”
If it was that kind of magic, it would undoubtedly go unnoticed.
With a clenched fist, Luke tapped his fingers.
There was still one possibility to test.
He wasn’t inclined to do it.
No, it wasn’t just a matter of not wanting to do it; he absolutely did not want to.
“Bringing Bonita back here again…”
If she returned to the study room, the curse might activate. In that case, he could undoubtedly find traces of dark magic.
For now, Luke decided to postpone that method as a last resort. It was something he wanted to use only in extreme circumstances.
Even though the curse passed lightly this time, what if it becomes stronger with each repetition?
He didn’t want to think about it.
Instead, he carefully observed the objects in the room. He wanted to preserve this state as much as possible.
“…Huh?”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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