Cedreloi remained silent for a moment.
Is he trying to avoid answering again? It wouldn’t be that easy. Meiana pledged silently. Today, regardless of what happens, she was determined to reach a resolution on this issue, and that determination was burning in her mind.
However, contrary to Meiana’s thoughts, Cedreloi’s choice of silence was not a means to avoid answering. Not at all… He was just contemplating, gazing at Meiana with eyes that seemed filled with darkness, as if feeling sorrow.
To disclose his story or not.
“Your Grace.”
Cedreloi lightly raised one hand to interrupt her.
“Don’t rush. I’m in the middle of contemplation.”
He sat on the sofa, clutching his forehead as if suffering from a headache. Leaning his head on the backrest, he wet his forehead, then sighed deeply and spread his arms wide.
He looks exhausted. Meiana thought. Well, he always seemed exhausted. Every time they met, signs of fatigue were evident. Being the Duke of Bautemont, he must have had numerous responsibilities to handle. But…
“Sit.”
At Cedreloi’s words, Meiana’s gaze subtly moved. There was a single chair next to the sofa. Normally, Cedreloi would sit there, and Meiana would sit at the edge of the sofa. However… at this moment, Cedreloi seemed to have no intention of sticking to such formalities.
As Meiana took her seat, Cedreloi leisurely adjusted his posture, straightening up from the relaxed position. He slightly lowered his head as if sitting at a challenging negotiation table, rested his elbows on his knees, and clasped his hands firmly.
“This is going to be a long story.”
He said, looking at Meiana. She nodded expressionlessly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You may not agree. I can’t guarantee that I’ll give you the answer you want. I just think I should answer the questions since they were asked. Is that alright with you?”
“It’s okay, Your Grace.”
In truth, it wasn’t okay. She was almost to the point of wanting to stage a sit-in until she got the answers she wanted. However, Meiana simply nodded obediently, and Cedreloi, after sighing once again, closed and opened his eyes at a slow pace.
“Do you know that Head Steward Jocelyn is from the household that has served our family for generations?”
“Yes, I’m aware. Does that have any relevance?”
“It’s not crucial. But there’s definitely a connection. The Stanfords have been overseeing the family members since the beginning of the history of the Bautemont Dukes. The more the noble family prospered, the deeper the pride and loyalty of the Stanfords became. I’ve mentioned it to Jocelyn, but I wonder if that loyalty is the hereditary kind. Because the Steward from the Stanford family has never betrayed or disappointed the Duke’s family even once, not for a moment.”
“But Head Steward Jocelyn is doing that. Disrespecting Lady Ariante is betraying the Duke’s family and ultimately causing disappointment to you, Your Grace.”
Cedreloi faintly chuckled.
“Yeah, you could see it that way. Jocelyn is doing what she’s doing because Lady Ariante isn’t the real daughter of the Duke.”
“Right. And the bigger issue lies with the parents who bore Ariante, my younger brother Verbo and Liria. What Jocelyn truly hates are those two.”
Liria. When Cedreloi pronounced that name, Meiana felt a sudden, inexplicable agony. Why was that? As if prompted by Cedreloi’s mention, the face of Lady Celin, the pitiful wife who had been waiting desperately for her granddaughter, flickered in her mind.
But Cedreloi, who paused in his speech, sighed briefly.
“Jocelyn’s heart raced when she learned that Verbo would marry Liria. It was… about not letting a woman of humble blood mix into the lineage of the Duke’s family.”
Head Steward Jocelyn probably said even harsher words. Meiana speculated inwardly. Cedreloi didn’t say it, but her speculation turned out to be true.
At that time, Jocelyn seemed almost mad… Even with Cedreloi by her side, she couldn’t control herself. Liria had already run away in tears, and Verbo stared at the furious Jocelyn with a cold disdain.
“[How dare you, who is nothing more than a mere servant, dare to meddle in someone else’s life? It’s intolerable, crossing the line and disgraceful.]”
In response to Verbo’s words, Jocelyn trembled with wide-open eyes. Her lips convulsively twitched as if anxious to pour out something, and even Cedreloi, watching this, felt uneasy.
“But Jocelyn… She didn’t finish her words. I thought she might. Instead of telling Verbo the truth, she preferred to pull out her own tongue and die, I knew that.”
Cedreloi muttered to himself, as if talking to himself. Meiana asked.
“What do you mean when you say Jocelyn didn’t say something?”
Cedreloi said, “The truth.”
“What truth?”
“The truth that Verbo is not the real son of my mother.”
Meiana felt her mind go blank for a moment. It wasn’t a joke; she really couldn’t think of anything. It was as if a vast, white canvas was placed in front of her, and she couldn’t understand anything, feeling helpless.
“What did you say?”
As if questioning the unbelievable, she blinked her eyes and asked again.
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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