He traveled twice the distance in two days. The weather was good, but if the currents were turbulent, it might have taken another day.
He wasn’t particularly prone to seasickness, but spending a long time on the water was tiresome.
Having disembarked from the ship, he boarded the vehicle sent by the Sahir Imperial Palace at the designated location. The carriage used for welcoming guests seemed to have received considerable attention.
Upon arriving at the imperial palace, knights and attendants waiting for him were visible. Since it was noon, they escorted the emperor to the dining hall for lunch.
“Greetings to the suns of the Sahir Empire.”
In the dining hall, the Sahir Emperor and Empress were already waiting. Kun, who had been guided, promptly greeted them with courtesy.
“I greet the radiant suns of the Freihed Empire. Have you been well, Your Imperial Majesty?”
“Thanks to you, I’ve been well without any major issues. Seeing that Your Imperial Majesties are also in good health, it seems you’ve been enjoying pleasant days.”
“We have, thanks to you.”
After exchanging brief pleasantries, Kun took his seat.
At the signal of the emperor, the kitchen staff began to move busily. Before long, appetizers were served with the pre-dinner drinks.
“I heard that Your Imperial Majesty has urgent business at the imperial palace. I also wanted to meet you…”
The Sahir Empress, who had lightly sipped her pre-dinner drink, raised the topic of the arranged meeting.
In response, Kun replied with a cheerful smile, “Yes, I precisely mentioned that I wanted to discuss matters related to Duke Theodor.”
Duke Theodor.
There was emphasis in Kun’s voice when referring to Cedric, as if he intended to highlight that particular word.
The empress, having grasped the intention, suddenly darkened. She exchanged glances between Kun and the Sahir Emperor, then finally opened her mouth.
“It’s a bit questionable to discuss Duke Theodor in the imperial palace…”
“Well, he is affiliated with the imperial family, so to speak.”
The empress, who was hesitantly continuing her words, fell silent. It wasn’t solely because Kun rudely cut in on her conversation.
After a while, the empress, with an embarrassed expression, glanced at the emperor. The emperor, who had been silently observing the two, finally intervened to mediate the situation.
“Haha, affiliation, you say. Your Majesty seems to speak as if the duke is a person of the imperial palace.”
“Thanks to the imperial favor, my brother, who had nothing, can even play the role of a duke here.”
“If you put it that way, Your Majesty, Duke Theodor is indeed affiliated with the imperial family.”
Kun’s subtle sarcasm signaled the Sahir Emperor to grasp the atmosphere and address it directly.
The Sahir Emperor, with a hearty laugh, eased the frozen atmosphere. He spoke again.
“So, it’s not entirely fair to say that the duke’s actions are the responsibility of the imperial family. What concerns Your Majesty about the duke’s affairs?”
“I demand the expulsion of Duke Theodor.”
To demand the expulsion of Duke Theodor out of the blue was a sudden and bold request.
“What is this about…?”
The Sahir Emperor and Empress looked at each other with surprised expressions.
“You are aware that Duke Theodor brought Duke Arhen as his partner for this hunting festival, right?” Kun brought up the topic of the hunting festival, initiating the conversation.
The empress’s face, which had shown signs of tension a moment ago, visibly relaxed, and she promptly countered.
“Do you mean to suggest that Duke Theodor is trying to shift the responsibility to Duke Arhen? Just like the duke himself stated, the two are merely financially entwined. Duke Arhen paid a hefty sum to the duke to participate as his partner in the hunting festival, nothing more.”
“A hefty sum? Do you believe that Duke Arhen, who purchased two types of drugs from the black market and paid money to participate as a partner in the hunting festival, had the funds available? His support from the Valont royal family has been cut off, and the Arhen Duke’s business is in decline, with the family on the verge of bankruptcy. At the time, he had no money to manage his estate, let alone pay wages to the mansion’s employees. Do you think he miraculously obtained such a large sum?”
“Even if he was a duke, he must have found a way to raise funds…”
“If that were the case, the source of the money would have been revealed somehow. Especially during the time when the whole world was criticizing Duke Arhen, it would have been even more apparent.”
At Kun’s words, the Empress did not continue the conversation. She coldly stared at the lukewarm main dish and, similarly, sipped the cooled tea. The distinct bitter taste of herbs had intensified.
“…So, does Your Majesty believe that all the incidents of the hunting festival were Duke Theodor’s actions, and that this matter has been wrongly attributed to Duke Arhen?”
“Your sharpness, Your Majesty, in grasping my opinion at once, is truly an honor.”
It was a response dripping with sarcasm.
Unknowingly, the Empress tightly gripped the teacup. Glancing at her own reflection wavering on the tea’s surface, she raised her head with a professional smile.
“…Very well. Since Your Majesty is confidently asserting the expulsion of the duke, there must be evidence to prove his guilt, right?”
“No, there isn’t.”
After all this trouble, and yet there is no evidence to prove Cedric’s guilt. Even that answer, boldly declared by Kun, left him bewildered.
“What? What on earth…”
“However, even without evidence, it should be fine.”
His impudent smile hinted at an unfriendly intention. The eyes staring at the Empress also shone fiercely.
“I mean to threaten the Sahir imperial family.”
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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