“It’s been seven years, Miss Hilton.”
Upon hearing those words, Aria took a deep breath inwardly.
‘Maintain composure and control the expression.’
She reminded herself in her mind.
Soon, a superficial smile suitable for social situations appeared.
“…Seven years indeed. I believe we met even on Bonita’s last birthday.”
“Normally, people don’t refer to that as ‘meeting.’ Weren’t you busy avoiding eye contact, if not conversation?”
“Did I? I’m sorry; I can’t recall it well.”
It was an unseen struggle.
With Edward in between, neither Oliver nor Aria directly brought up the conversation.
It was just a small talk.
“Miss Hilton, do you have a terribly bad memory? Is that why you’ve come to the duke’s residence after seven years?”
“Especially. Knowing no one told me, you, who never taught her, knew about Bonita’s illness and came for a visit so quickly.”
Hidden within ordinary and mundane words were thorns.
Facing Aria’s attack, Oliver skillfully turned the conversation with a hearty laugh.
“It’s my genuine concern for my niece. How worried Bentley and I were about my cousin’s little sister… Isn’t that right, Bentley?”
“…Yes, Father.”
Bentley nodded with a slightly displeased tone. Aria looked at the boy in a peculiar way, then smiled shortly.
“You are truly sincere.”
“What else, it’s only natural.”
“As the duke might be a bit late, would it be alright if I entertain you in the reception room? I can at least offer some tea. Would you like some?”
“If it’s the last remaining heiress of the prestigious Hilton family hosting me, I would be honored.”
As he said, the Hilton Marquis was a family with a deep history and tradition. They had long held a position in the kingdom, transitioning from an empire to an independent kingdom and even carrying the name of an empire until recently.
Even if the entire family hadn’t been annihilated by a financial epidemic long ago, the family’s prestige would still have been considerable.
It was already ten years ago.
‘…Huh?’
Suddenly, something caught her attention.
Ten years ago.
If it was ten years ago…
“Miss Hilton? Shall I prepare the tea for you?”
Edward spoke to Aria, who seemed absent-minded for a moment.
“Oh, yes, please. Two cups of black tea, and some pastries.”
“Very well.”
Edward withdrew.
“Will you wait outside?”
A maid who tried to follow him was also stopped, so Bentley discreetly glanced at Aria before stepping outside.
“I’ll be outside, Father.”
Thanks to that, Aria could confront Oliver more assertively.
Within her embrace as she entered the reception room, there was a recorder.
It was a precautionary measure in case it might serve as evidence in formal situations, even though the probability was low enough to be more of a self-stabbing dagger.
While not a court, the story might be made public, perhaps even reaching Lenn or maybe Luke. Anyway, at this moment, tangible evidence was needed rather than circumstantial evidence. It was evidence that Oliver had tried to harm Bonita, and there was no denying that.
And there was no evidence as conclusive as a confession.
Aria had decided to conduct a leading interrogation while she had the chance.
“Switching Bonita won’t be a crime anyway.”
Even if he was the true culprit behind Aria’s fortune, punishing him under the kingdom’s laws for a simple fortune-telling wouldn’t be easy.
Above all, it had already been seven years. If even capable Lenn struggled, practically all traces of the evidence other than circumstantial evidence had likely disappeared.
In that case, if Aria could escape and gather evidence against Oliver…
There was, in fact, only one way.
Reluctantly, utilizing this incident.
Thud.
The door to the reception room closed.
Aria grinned.
“In fact, we don’t need tea, do we?”
“…Huh? What are you talking about?”
“It’s not like you came here to leisurely have tea.”
Aria sat opposite Oliver, testing her luck.
“Too bad. You must be very curious about what happened to Bonita by now…”
“…What’s the point of that statement?”
“Bonita’s collapse, wasn’t it an act your lord arranged?”
She spoke, feeling anxious.
Despite trying to appear calm, a cold sweat trickled down her back. The difficulty of the task ahead depended on the response she would receive.
‘Please…’
Flow smoothly.
“Me? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Unfortunately, Oliver slipped away like a mirage.
“Wasn’t my niece just unwell, causing her to collapse? Have you discovered some other cause, perhaps?”
Aria’s forehead narrowed.
“Well, don’t you know better, my lord?”
“Absurd. I live far away from the marquis, near the capital. Shouldn’t the Hilton family, who practically clings to the marquis, know much better about my niece’s condition?”
Fizz!
Sparks flew from the eyes of both individuals.
Oliver’s sinister eyes scrutinized her like a snake. Then, slowly standing up, he approached Aria.
Quietly watching Oliver in front of her, Aria squinted her eyes.
“What are you doing now…”
“Just a moment, excuse me.”
His hand touched the sofa.
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.
Link to read
