The sun set in the distance, dyeing Astel in shades of red. Lucas and Serena had finally managed to climb the hill and catch their breath.
Overexerting herself to show Lucas her capabilities had brought on a sudden wave of exhaustion.
“Did you bring me to this hill as the final item on our itinerary to show me Astel’s lights that shine even at night?”
Lucas saw through Serena’s intentions with a calm face. Serena turned her head quickly, trying to hide her fatigue, but Lucas took a step closer to her.
“This is my second time here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Before visiting the ducal residence, I came here.”
Caught off guard, Serena stared at Lucas.
“Wherever I go, if they know my identity, they’re busy flattering and covering up the true state of the territory.”
“So, you looked over all of Astel beforehand?”
Lucas nodded.
“Darkness has to fall everywhere to know its true form.”
By now, his insight couldn’t be ignored.
“So, what did you think of Astel?”
“In every small house, the fire was bright, and smoke was rising from every chimney. Just like the ducal residence.”
The prosperity of a territory did not necessarily equate to the happiness of its people.
No matter how affluent the territory, if most residents were tenant farmers and the lord only collected taxes, the territory was neglected, while indulging in luxuries in the capital.
“Even if the ducal residence wasn’t that large, from the hill, other households wouldn’t have looked any different.”
“Should I take that as a compliment?”
Lucas grinned at her confident words.
“Yes. Having spent today with you, the secret behind Astel’s prosperity has been revealed.”
“A secret? There’s nothing like that in Astel…”
“What made Astel special was Serena, the current lord. You are special.”
He wasn’t just a stubborn man. He didn’t underestimate Serena for being a woman and genuinely acknowledged her achievements and capabilities. Serena couldn’t help but smile.
“I’d like to give you a small token of gratitude since you’ve complimented me.”
For the first time, the two people standing close to each other were looking at the same place.
As Serena’s slender and pale finger pointed toward the northern sky, a particularly bright star was visible in the sky that had completely darkened.
“It’s Polaris. This is the place where Polaris looks the largest and brightest.”
As Serena took a few steps toward the edge of the hill, Lucas followed her. He didn’t say that her platinum blonde hair shimmering in front of his eyes was brighter than Polaris.
“And if we take one more step from here…”
Just as she was about to take another step, she tripped on a stone because she had been looking at the sky, throwing her off balance.
“Ah!”
Serena clenched her eyes shut, as the slope she saw in the darkness seemed almost like a cliff.
“Oh.”
Instead of tumbling down the hill, Serena vividly felt the touch of strong and large arms.
“Be careful where you step at night.”
Lucas’ low voice resonated in Serena’s ears, and his scent filled her senses as he held her in one arm.
Even as Serena unconsciously clung to his back, she felt his large, firm muscles.
“…Yes.”
Serena regained her balance and stiffly stepped out of his arms. Thankfully, it was too dark for anyone to see her flushed cheeks.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
As Lucas tried to come closer, Serena quickly raised her hand.
“I’m fine, completely!”
What Serena felt now was embarrassment. She never thought the day would come when she would perceive him as a man after their engagement. She had always thought first impressions never changed.
“Hmm… well then, let’s go back.”
“Yes.”
Lucas was the first to mount the large horse, his sturdy upper body subtly glowing in the moonlight.
Especially his back and robust shoulders, which Serena had inadvertently grabbed earlier, kept catching her eye.
“Why, is there a problem?”
Unaware of the situation, Lucas asked a question to which Serena quickly shook her head and spurred her horse. The chilly autumn night wind would cool the heat of her cheeks when they reached the mansion.
After dining casually, Serena, who left the table first, finished her bath and was assisted by Anna.
“Miss, are you tired? You’re unusually quiet today.”
Serena, who had returned to the mansion with a somewhat hardened expression, was uncharacteristically silent. Anna could not guess the situation, as Serena wasn’t particularly bad-mouthing the Crown Prince.
“Is there something wrong…”
“No.”
Serena smiled faintly at a worried-looking Anna.
“There’s nothing wrong. I just overbooked my schedule and I’m tired.”
Knock, knock. As Anna was combing Serena’s hair again, there was a knock.
“Your Highness.”
Chief steward Peter greeted Serena with respect. Her mind had felt empty due to an unintended deep interaction with Lucas, but recalling today’s special mission upon seeing Peter’s face refilled it.
“So, what happened?”
Serena’s eyes sparkled again.
“Unexpectedly, Lord Cedric showed interest in me and we were able to discuss various matters all afternoon.”
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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