Alexander could easily escape from being teased. The once haughty third son of the proud Belvarore family was no more, leaving only Alex, a pushover who loses to Larisa every day.
“Ahh! Fight me fair and square!”
“But if I do that, I can’t beat you, right?”
“What’s the point of winning unfairly!”
“Will you fight fair and square in a real battle too?”
Larisa’s argument seemed valid. Thanks to that, even the instructor didn’t stop them, and Alexander had to endure various unfair tactics every day.
While Alexander received sympathetic looks from his peers, he also envied the special bond between Larisa and him.
One day, one of his peers asked him straightforwardly.
“Do you also have feelings for Miss Larisa?”
“What?”
When a shocked Alexander asked, the boy who posed the question casually smiled and replied.
“Well, as the third son of the Belvarore family, you’re not really interested in the dowry, right?”
“Dowry?”
“Don’t you know at all? There’s a rumor that Miss Larisa’s dowry is equivalent to the annual budget of this country.”
He didn’t know. Initially, the introverted Alexander wasn’t interested in social rumors.
“Was everyone fawning over her because of such rumors?”
Aspiring to become a knight, most boys, except those from noble families, were usually younger sons or below.
In Arandia, where the eldest son inherits everything, the second son and below must find a way to fend for themselves. Therefore, the dowry was the most important evaluation factor for a bride.
In affluent and prestigious families like Belvarore, the eldest son often took care of all his siblings for the sake of honor. However, it was said that there were more nobles who couldn’t do so due to various reasons.
Once Alexander became aware of this fact, Larisa, who stuck around him, seemed a bit different.
“This guy, does he know that others are only pretending to be friendly to me because they have some ulterior motives…?”
It was a misunderstanding. Larisa was just playing with Alexander because he didn’t have any friends, but Alexander misinterpreted her actions.
“Alex, let’s have a duel!”
“…Do it moderately, seriously.”
“Why? Challenging a strong opponent is a virtue of a knight!”
Larisa said with a bright smile. The sunlight was dazzling, and Alexander was momentarily at a loss for words.
“Huh? Alex, why not duel?”
“Why are you calling me whatever you want…”
“Call me Lara fairly too!”
“Sigh…”
Alexander sighed.
“This guy, does he actually need a friend?”
Surrounded by guys with dark intentions, he must have felt lonely. Alexander decided to become Larisa’s friend.
“Alright. But I won’t go easy on you.”
“I won’t expect you to!”
Alexander and Larisa’s duels always had a fifty-fifty win rate. Despite Alexander being a senior, Larisa’s cunning tactics improved over time.
Anyway, the two quickly became close. One day, Larisa was the first to suggest something like this.
“Alex, do you also eat alone? I know a great restaurant; want to go together?”
“Why would I go with you…”
“Haven’t you tried that kind of food? Aren’t you curious about what the common folks’ households in Arandia eat?”
“…I am curious.”
Alexander, hesitantly, followed Larisa and, on the way to the knight academy, encountered a senior.
“William!”
“…Lara, I was about to invite you to have a meal.”
There stood William Rodante, a handsome young man resembling the Ice Witch Ginevra Rodante, emitting a chilling aura.
“Huh? I have a prior engagement?”
Larisa casually linked her arm with Alexander’s fist and said, “I will see you later.” Then, a chilly gaze swept over him. Blushing, Alexander said, “Go, go away.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll go later.”
“Why? We were supposed to eat together.”
Then William asked, “Are you friends?”
“Yeah, we’re having a meal together for the first time.”
Larisa’s cheerful response made the young man’s expression complex and subtle. Alexander started sweating coldly.
“Am I in that situation right now? Am I being evaluated as my little sister’s boyfriend?”
To dispel the misunderstanding, Alexander desperately shouted, “It’s not like that!”
“Hello, senior. I am Alexander Velberore. I am just a simple friend of Larisa!”
“…Is that so? Then, shall we go eat together?”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“She’s Lara’s friend, and I wanted to treat her to a meal.”
Larisa nodded with a smirk. William had never treated Juliana to a meal before.
“Where were you planning to go?”
“Arandia’s dining table.”
“Oh, there.”
Hmm, William scrutinized Alexander once again. The first male friend being taken to Larisa’s favorite restaurant. No, a male friend.
“Why does it have to be Velberore?”
He didn’t like it.
Larisa didn’t understand the situation.
“So, he’s the third son?”
“Yes, yes, senior.”
“Do you plan to become a royal knight after graduation?”
“Yes.”
William was scrutinizing Alexander. Larisa blinked quietly, wondering if she should rescue Alexander.
“Why does Velberore need a knight order when there is one in the royal family?”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
