Samuel, who had transcribed the message from the communication device, spoke with evident pride. “Your Highness! As your capable aide, I’ve already prepared everything for departure. If we return to the Grand Duke’s castle now…”
“Hah, what are you talking about?” the Grand Duke, seemingly bemused, brushed back his rain-soaked blond hair and looked up. “Our princess is currently in the palace.”
At the unexpected word from his lips, everyone tensed, but the Grand Duke only gazed solemnly at his vice-captain, Morton. “Morton, I’m heading straight to the capital. Return to the castle, gather the troops, and prepare to follow.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness?” Samuel, puzzled by Morton’s unquestioning obedience as he led the remaining knights away, was about to follow them when suddenly…
Grip! The nape of Samuel’s neck was caught, and he turned to find the Grand Duke’s intimidating black mask close to his face.
“Where are you going? You’re coming to the capital with me.”
“Me? Why would I…”
“You’re my capable aide, aren’t you? It’s only natural for you to assist me.”
At that moment, Samuel sensed the imminent hardships he was about to face.
“Ah! Your Highness, please have mercy!”
He regretted not sending someone else.
Meanwhile, after repeatedly cautioning the Empress Dowager not to overexert herself, Charlotte emerged into the corridor to encounter Serena, who approached her quickly and bowed.
“Empress.”
“Serena? Have you already escorted Lady Annette to her room?”
“Well, actually, Lady Annette wanted to take a walk, so I guided her to the rear garden.”
Serena sought forgiveness for taking Lady Annette to the garden without permission, as Annette seemed distressed by the Empress Dowager’s collapse.
“Oh dear, I intended not to spoil the Empress Dowager’s first impression and ended up causing unnecessary confusion.”
Charlotte didn’t scold Serena; instead, she praised her and hurried to the garden to clear the misunderstanding.
Back in the garden, Annette, having met all the family members except her husband-to-be, was suddenly brought back to reality by the impatient young prince’s questioning.
“Well, that is…”
What should she say? That she’s going to be his aunt?
Annette couldn’t bring herself to say that, realizing the prince might not believe her due to her appearance, which even the Emperor could mistake for being the prince’s age.
Deciding it was best to leave her identity explanation to the Emperor and Empress, Annette revealed only part of the truth.
“Prince Mikhail, I am a foreigner invited by the Empire. I will be staying in the palace for a while.”
“A foreigner? I thought your hair color was unusual.”
Mikhail, nodding, then asked sharply, “But why are you in this garden?”
“Well, that is…”
Should she say she got lost while exploring the palace?
Before Annette could respond, Mikhail exclaimed in sudden realization.
“You’ve fallen for me and followed me here!”
“Excuse me?”
Confused by his absurd conclusion, Mikhail took her reaction as confirmation and said, “Just as Audrey predicted!”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot reciprocate your feelings.”
“Wait, I think you’ve misunderstood…”
“It won’t matter. My heart already belongs to Audrey.”
Who in the world is Audrey?
Annette tried to quickly clear up the misunderstanding, but the young prince seemed not to hear her anymore. He shook his head, sighing heavily. Annette watched, dumbfounded, as his breath fluttered his bangs.
“Mikhail?”
“Oh, Mother!”
Just as Charlotte entered the garden, she widened her eyes in surprise at seeing her son with Annette.
“Why are you here… Isn’t it your class time?”
Briefly startled, Charlotte, now stern as a mother, asked. Mikhail’s face, which had been bright with joy, suddenly froze.
“Well, that is… You see…”
“Surely you haven’t been skipping your lessons to laze about here?”
Mikhail hung his head in response to her pointed question, and Annette felt a twinge of guilt. It seemed her request for a walk in the garden had led to this situation.
“Mother! This lady is not to blame.”
Mikhail, deflated, was quick to defend Annette, which slightly moved her.
“Everything is because I’m just too… charming…”
Annette was startled as he began that bizarre story again.
She hurriedly spoke up, seeing Mikhail shyly twisting his body in front of her.
“Empress, I’m sorry for impulsively asking for a walk. I apologize to Prince Mikhail too. I wouldn’t have entered if I knew he was inside.”
“It’s not your fault, Lady Annette.”
Charlotte, who believed the fault lay solely with her son sneaking out of class, glared sharply at Mikhail.
But then…
‘He wasn’t following me…?’
Realizing his mistake, Mikhail’s eyes shook wildly, too shocked to notice his mother’s stern gaze or her addressing Annette.
‘He must be embarrassed.’
Annette, noticing Mikhail’s flushed ears, suppressed a laugh.
With the misunderstanding cleared, the young prince seemed quite adorable to her, reminding her of Laon, four years his senior.
Laon, the latecomer of the Heyworth Kingdom, always picked fights with Annette, demanding more patience than facing monsters.
‘Compared to that troublemaker, he’s practically an angel.’
…Even if he does have a serious case of prince syndrome.
“Don’t be too harsh, Your Highness. He’s at an age to play. Please.”
Annette, feeling kindly towards the young boy, momentarily forgot her own predicament and spoke gently.
Mikhail, about to protest being treated like a child by Annette, hesitated and looked back and forth between his mother and Annette.
His mother usually showed respect, even to other nobles, but seemed unusually friendly to this foreign girl.
‘And she even allowed her to walk in the garden, reserved only for royals.’
Unable to contain his curiosity, Mikhail inadvertently blurted out, “Mother, who is this lady…”
“Oh, Mikhail, remember your manners. She’ll soon be part of our family.”
The revelation hit Mikhail like a bolt from the blue.
“It seems that His Highness, the Crown Prince, is quite startled…”
“It’s better for him to be a bit startled than to be rude to Lady Annette. He’ll understand when we explain later.”
Annette, concerned about Mikhail’s staggering exit from the garden, asked Charlotte, who responded nonchalantly.
Recently, Charlotte had shared the joyous news with Mikhail that his uncle, Cardinal, was getting married soon. So, his mind must be incredibly confused right now…
Given his young age, Charlotte didn’t have much to explain to her son. More importantly, she thought it would be good for the mischievous boy to behave more calmly while Annette stayed at the palace.
Annette, who had just realized the extent of Mikhail’s misunderstanding, felt a bit uneasy, but this was quickly forgotten when Charlotte mentioned the Dowager Empress.
“So, the Dowager Empress does not dislike you, Lady Annette. Quite the opposite, in fact.”
“But…”
“Would she have invited you for tea again if she truly disliked you? Oh, and she mentioned sending a surprise gift tomorrow!”
Encouraged by Charlotte’s words, Annette nodded, though she was still somewhat skeptical. She spent the night resolving to maintain a dignified presence before the Dowager Empress and pondering what the surprise gift might be, finally drifting off to sleep.
And at last, the next day dawned.
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.
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