Startled by his sudden exposure, Adel let out a short scream and covered her eyes with her hands. However, the image had already imprinted itself vividly in her mind.
His broad, firmly muscled chest and slender waist, arms smoothly muscled. The orange glow of the fireplace light reflected off his broad shoulders, shimmering softly over the taut muscles.
He looked as solid as freshly forged steel. It was astonishing how elegant a man’s bare body could appear.
Gazing at that radiance only intensified her own feelings of inadequacy. Her modest clothes, shadowed eyes, pale complexion, and shorter stature compared to other northern women…
‘Is this all that amounts to being a daughter, a woman? How easily they patch things together.’
A memory from years ago stabbed into Adel’s heart like a sharp weapon. She barely managed to exhale the breath she had been holding.
“It seems there are no more serious injuries.”
Adel tore her gaze away from his chest, her voice trembling, but he seemed not to notice. It was even unclear if he truly understood her words.
Adel stood up, holding the tray. Valentin desperately grabbed the hem of her dress, his eyes filled with anxiety.
“Ah… uh…”
If he could speak, he might have demanded to know where she was going. Adel soothed him softly.
“I’m just going to dispose of this water and come back.”
“Aen, an…”
“Are you upset that I’m leaving?”
Valentin looked at her without nodding or shaking his head, just gripping her dress tighter, almost tearing it with the strength of his grasp. Adel recalled how he had crumpled the pewter cup with that same hand.
“Just a moment.”
Startled, Adel set down the tray.
“If you don’t like it, I won’t go, just… please let go of this. It’s one of the few clothes I have…”
She added softly, her voice filled with embarrassment. Valentin then released her dress.
‘Phew.’
Adel felt a bit relieved. The old Valentin would have been furious, berating her for even the slightest thing. He was always busy despising her actions.
She remembered a flag she had painstakingly embroidered for Ansagar being returned torn.
“Adel.”
Sensing her mood plummet, Valentin softly called her name. Adel looked at her husband, feeling a bit strange.
It was still awkward that a person who couldn’t speak properly could pronounce her name so perfectly. It was a bitter, unfamiliar feeling.
As if she was really something to that man. As if she was an important existence in someone’s life.
Adel smiled faintly.
“It feels a bit strange when you call me by that nickname.”
“…….”
“Do you still not remember anything?”
Valentin just looked at her, no response.
Adel hesitantly stepped closer to him. She gently brushed his disheveled black hair. She remembered the first time she saw Valentin at the wedding, peeking at his handsome face through a thick veil, her heart pounding.
Even as the people of the south pointed fingers at him, calling him a barbarian, they couldn’t help but blush at his stunning appearance.
If they looked past the deep-rooted hatred towards the region of Vichelleben, they would see the illustrious lineage of the emperor’s kin. And eventually, they genuinely bowed their heads in respect.
Even though Adel knew her father had entangled Valentin in an enormous scam, she initially harbored a glimmer of hope. That naive dream shattered the moment she entered the bridal chamber…
‘His anger was justified.’
She had heard that several years’ worth of Ansagar’s budget was given to him, along with the family’s heirlooms. The healers of Laihenau were always sold at the highest price in the marriage market.
The only mistake of the Duke of Ansagar was not specifying his daughter’s name in the contract with the Count of Laihenau.
‘Who would have done that anyway? Even the maids working in Laihenau barely knew of my existence. My father deliberately used this to deceive His Grace.’
The more Adel thought about how much Laihenau profited from her marriage, the more the Duke of Ansagar’s noble name became a subject of ridicule. To the people of Ansagar, she was a despicable ‘southern woman.’
Until yesterday…
‘Everyone seems to think there’s something between His Grace and me, but I know that’s not the case. He just suddenly remembered my name. There’s no need to read into it. He’s clinging to the one thing he remembers since he’s lost all his memory.’
It felt like someone was painfully stabbing her heart. It was unbelievable that her own thoughts had turned back on her like a blade. Adel bit her lip.
“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you once you awoke.”
He slowly lifted his eyelids, which had been lazily closed, as if enjoying her touch. The light glinted off his auburn eyes, staring directly at her. Just a straight look, without any response or words.
“Why did you think of my name first? Not Herman or Oscar… They were in the room too.”
“…….”
“But I know once your memory returns, you wouldn’t be here with me. Even if it wasn’t my wish, I’m someone who deceived you….”
“…….”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
