Among the numerous words that struck the ears, there was not a single incorrect statement.
Vallont, realizing that he could no longer defend himself, maintained silence. He simply toyed with his aging knees with his worn hands.
Cloé, too, remained silent.
Between the two, except for the inevitable sound that must be made, no other noise occurred until their gazes met inevitably.
“You never apologize to the end.”
Cloé, with eyes reflecting a sea as deep and mysterious as hers, muttered quietly.
The situation she had foreseen enough felt new when it actually happened.
The calmness that she had managed to maintain began to be gradually covered by anger. Even the happy memories with the family that she occasionally recalled for comfort ultimately turned into anger.
“I have only one question. For someone like me who used to blindly follow Father’s words, is nobility still present?”
The king guarded the silence alone.
Then, very slowly and deliberately, he spoke.
“If you hadn’t embraced the bomb called divorce, it might have remained.”
It seemed that there were views that did not resonate even with the deep connection through blood.
The king still completely failed to understand Cloé’s feelings.
Thanks to that, Cloé could finally let go of the lingering attachments until the end.
“If I hadn’t divorced, the marriage between the Duke and the government would have been at the center of the mass media. And I would have been the sacrificial lamb.”
“The pitiful Duchess, Cloé Argent, who lost her position to the government, leaving only a hollow shell. ”
Already, in Cloé’s mind, the headline of a low-grade newspaper was being imagined.
It was dizzying.
If Cloé hadn’t insisted on divorcing Calis, what would have happened to her standing?
Even the position she had within society, which was relatively credible, would have gradually crumbled without the status of being a believable royal family.
“If I was going to be a sacrificial lamb anyway, I would prefer to do it in a slightly happier way.”
The calm, deep blue eyes closed slowly and then opened. Then her chest slowly rose and fell.
“…So, did you abandon the royal family?”
The king asked, as if struck by lightning.
Eventually, Cloé nodded without hesitation.
“Yes. Because I need to live too.”
The slender voice, resembling the atmosphere of the owner, had now transformed into a strong one.
The once lifeless focus was nowhere to be found, and her eyes were now focused.
“Rather than the trivial things Father desires. I will live for the pride of Cloé Vallont, Argent, or the entire royal family.”
“…”
“First, I have to live.”
Anyway, it didn’t really matter anymore.
Whether he understands my feelings or not, whether he disappoints me, angers me, or saddens me.
“Like Father abandoned me to live, I’ve decided to leave the royal family to live as well.”
When Vellant King visited Cloé.
When not even a single common concern emerged upon hearing that news.
Since then, Cloé made a vow over and over again.
“Farewell.”
To discard the name Vallont.
“The names given by Father, the names Vallont and Argent.”
It became easier.
To discard those whom she thought she could never part with, those who were an integral part of her life…….
Even though there were no more guests to welcome, Cloé was still sitting alone in the reception room.
With the cooling jasmine tea and shattered biscuits.
She sat there, killing time absentmindedly, forgetting the reality that swirled around her.
“Princess.”
And so, she belatedly realized the fact that the Emperor was right in front of her.
Kun stood firmly in front of her. Behind the mask, his eyes sparkled red as he stared at her.
As Cloé’s gaze reached him, the tree that seemed like it would never sway finally moved.
After remaining motionless for a while, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Cloé.
As if he foresaw that she would cry.
“…Thank you.”
Cloé received the handkerchief with a bewildered expression. The handkerchief was embroidered with flowers she liked.
Suddenly, the royal garden came to her mind. The king often instructed the gardeners to plant the flowers Cloé liked.
Afterward, every year, he presented her with the beautiful scenery as a gift.
“…But now, it seems I no longer deserve that title.”
She muttered, flipping the handkerchief inside out, as if she didn’t want to see it.
It might be a puzzling statement, but, as always, Kun waited rather than asking.
“I offered my resignation. Even if I hadn’t, something would have happened… Soon, I will be formally expelled from the Vallont royal family.”
Her laughter was particularly bitter, as if expressing both satisfaction and regret.
“Well, should I start calling you ‘Mu’ now?”
Beyond the lowered head, his hair touched hers. Kun contorted his limbs, curling up his body.
Behind the mask, his eyes were somewhat filled with sorrow.
“…I don’t know.”
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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