While Lennon and Aria were deeply engrossed in a serious conversation, Luke and Bonita were in the playroom.
What they were doing there was—
“Umm, this is hard.”
Playing darts.
“Wow! I hit it again!”
“Bonita is much better at this than daddy.”
Bonita, excited that the dart she threw from almost point-blank range landed near the center, jumped up and down joyfully. Her cheeks were flushed pink.
“Do you want to try again?”
“Yes!”
Bonita, now brimming with confidence, strode proudly.
“This time, I’ll try from this far back.”
“Good. You can do it.”
Luke, now completely serious, clenched his fist and cheered for Bonita.
Bonita’s short arm drew back. Her ears peeking through her hair perked up.
“Yah!”
The dart, finally thrown, wobbled through the air and landed on the 5-point section of the dartboard. Bonita looked disappointed.
“I only got 5 points this time.”
“That’s okay. Do you want to try again?”
“No. Now it’s your turn, Count. We have to play fair and square!”
“Hmm, hmm. Indeed. Quite befitting of the daughter of the Lysianthus Count.”
Luke praised Bonita with a pleased expression and took his position at the starting line. He threw the dart.
“Oh no, missed again.”
Thunk.
The magnetic tip of the dart stuck with a sharp sound just beside the dartboard.
Bonita eyed Luke suspiciously.
“Are you really trying?”
“Uh, hmm?”
Caught off guard by her astute observation, Luke broke into a sweat and stammered an excuse.
“Of course. You know, daddy’s specialty is swordsmanship, not throwing things.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right.”
Reassured by Luke’s answer, Bonita’s mood brightened again. She basked in her victory with a broad smile.
Luke was also in high spirits.
He remembered the advice he got from a servant before playing with Bonita.
“Are you planning to just sit and drink tea with the lady for an hour? Do something physical.”
“Physical activity?”
“Yes. There are many things, like darts, running, horseback riding.”
“But what if my fragile daughter gets hurt playing such games!”
“She won’t get hurt! And doing sports is how you quickly bond!”
‘Certainly a useful person.’
Indeed, playing games with Bonita was the right choice, as per Ed’s suggestion.
Bonita’s face, which used to be awkward around Luke, was now much more relaxed. She had quickly adapted to him.
“Do you want to play another round of darts?”
“Hmm, let’s do something else.”
At Luke’s suggestion, Bonita spoke earnestly.
“If we keep going like this, I’ll keep winning, and that won’t be fun for you, Count.”
“Cough!”
“Count?”
“Ahem, no, it’s nothing.”
Luke, trying to hide his laughter, inwardly exclaimed.
‘So cute!’
She was so unbearably cute. He almost instinctively hit the wall but stopped himself, fearing the pillar might collapse.
Instead, he sipped his dainty cup of cocoa. It was bittersweet, just the way he liked it.
After clearing his throat, he tried to keep a straight face.
‘No, I can’t laugh. Bonita is serious.’
Yes, this was a serious game.
Recomposing himself, he asked Bonita with a grave face.
“So, what do you want to do?”
“Um, um, um…”
Bonita, holding her cocoa cup, hummed as she pondered.
What play activities could the two of them do?
An easy question for most children, but not for Bonita.
She rarely had the chance to play with anyone. Even the dart game they just finished, she had to learn the rules from Luke initially.
“What did you usually do for fun?”
“Usually…”
Bonita reminisced about her ‘usual’ days.
After Aria left in the late morning, Bonita would wait all day for her mother. During that time, she would usually clean the windowsills or go shopping.
But calling that a ‘play’ wouldn’t be accurate. After thinking for a moment, Bonita came up with something.
“I look at books or draw pictures.”
“Books? Can you read letters?”
Luke was surprised by Bonita’s response. He hadn’t expected Bonita, who was raised among commoners, to be literate, a skill usually associated with nobility.
Bonita’s face turned slightly red.
She felt embarrassed to admit that she couldn’t read.
She spoke in a small voice, “No, I can’t.”
“Then you looked at the pictures.”
“It’s a bit different from that.”
Bonita shook her head.
“My mother used to read books to me occasionally, and I memorized them. Then I knew what story came with which picture, so I could imagine it.”
“You memorized the books? That’s impressive.”
Luke was astounded.
Of course, the books Bonita memorized were likely simple children’s fairy tales. But to most parents, even the smallest accomplishments of their children seem significant. Luke smiled slightly and thought to himself.
‘Could it be that my daughter is a genius?’
In his imagination, Bonita had already become the top student in the political science department at the Imperial Academy. Or, considering her intelligence, perhaps even a magician.
‘I should bring in more books.’
He was already bringing in toys and play equipment for children, but he hadn’t yet procured picture books or educational materials.
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
