“I see the sun of the Empire.”
Chloe was the first to bow her head in greeting as she met his gaze.
‘Why is His Majesty here…’
Internally flustered, Chloe maintained a calm exterior. The Emperor’s sudden visit was unsettling.
Was it, as the chairman suggested, to commend the efforts of the attendees of the meeting?
That was more likely, yet the Emperor’s true intentions seemed to differ.
Otherwise, he would have appeared at the start of the meeting, alongside the chairman.
Not now, when the speeches and commendations had already concluded.
‘…Could it be?’
His appearance toward the end of the meeting, capturing everyone’s attention, appeared calculated to Chloe.
The Emperor, no longer in Chloe’s line of sight, was busy whispering to Dylan who had followed him. He seemed to be giving orders.
Soon after, Dylan left the conference room in a quick pace.
The peculiar actions of the two made the atmosphere strange.
Finally taking action under everyone’s focus, Kun moved and stepped into the recessed area of the U-shaped table.
“Ah, Helena.”
The Emperor finally spoke, pausing at a certain distance.
His voice was completely different from the one he used when joking with Chloe.
The person targeted by his voice slowly raised her head.
“You have achieved great merit.”
Even before she could respond, the Emperor continued.
“I read the resolution passed last night as well. According to the general affairs manager, it was flawless.”
“Th-thank you, Your Majesty…”
The praise, endlessly received since last night, felt different coming from Kun. It was the most uncomfortable of them all.
Perhaps it was due to the subtle smile on his lips. If she tried to understand the meaning behind that smile, she felt he might be mocking her.
“However, the report didn’t list any references.”
“Ah…”
Unconsciously, Helena took a sharp breath. A groan intermixed with her hurried respiration.
As Helena was not the one who wrote the report, she couldn’t fill in the missing references.
‘Does he suspect me?’
Helena found Kun’s subtle aggressiveness suspicious.
“I’ve already pointed that out to the chairman.”
She swayed the atmosphere in her favor.
It seemed the Emperor had no evidence. It was probably suspicion borne of ill will.
“It’s my first time preparing a formal proposal, I didn’t know I had to cite the references I used…”
She was confident in her defense.
After all, she didn’t plagiarize thoughtlessly.
Helena emphasized her inexperience.
“That’s a common mistake for beginners.”
The Emperor seemed to accept this and move on.
“Yes, I’ll make sure to include them next time!”
“What about now?”
“Excuse me?”
“If there’s a flaw in your great achievement, it needs to be rectified. Tell me, Helena.”
At the Emperor’s piercing gaze, Helena flinched.
The Emperor’s words, praising her achievements yet asking her to fix her shortcomings, felt discordant.
Why would someone she had been so invested in, someone who had stood with her enemies, support her now?
“I’m really grateful, but what do I do? I can’t recall my speech right now. I’m sorry…”
It wouldn’t be odd if she was seen as awkward for refusing even the speech she had prepared.
“Then, since you’re apologizing for being awkward, let’s move on.”
“…”
“If speaking is difficult, write it. List your references on the paper in front of you, Helena.”
“…Yes?”
“I hope you won’t say you’re awkward at writing, too. Especially when your report was so perfect.”
At his remark, Helena looked down blankly.
There on the table lay a fountain pen and paper, prepared at some unknown point.
“Your Majesty, it seems unnecessary to request the missing references. They should have been listed anyway, as most of the books in the library are written by imperial authors. It’s not plagiarism; it’s merely a citation. So, it should be fine in terms of copyright.”
Then, a savior-like chairman stepped forward and spoke to the two.
“If not, does Your Majesty have any other concerns? May I dare to inquire about the situation? I will also try to find a solution.”
At the chairman’s words, Koon muttered in a voice tinged with laughter.
“It’s not work per se, I simply wanted to acknowledge her efforts.”
“As I mentioned earlier…”
“I felt like I needed to be sure.”
“Excuse me?”
“I found suspicious circumstances in her proposal.”
Koon, who had been looking at the chairman, turned his head back toward Helena.
“So, Helena, please dispel my doubts.”
“……!”
Significant words, the gaze behind the mask now directed at Helena.
The emperor didn’t just harbor light suspicions; he was convinced.
‘Think, think…’
Helena frantically racked her brain.
She had read many books and newspapers during her visit to the library. Surely, one would overlap with the references in her report.
“I may not remember all, but I referenced the newspaper published on October 8th, 163, by ‘Zenith News’, and the book ‘Empire’s Festival Chronicles’ by the author ‘Demonne Criahtz’!”
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.
Link to read
