Lucian, belatedly, tried to cover Cici’s mouth, but when Cici was in a bad mood, Lucian couldn’t even be his opponent. Cici, clenching his fist, glared at Ariante, lips quivering anxiously.
The incident had occurred, and the anxiety of having done something very serious slowly filled their chests.
“That’s not true.”
Swan unexpectedly broke the silence that seemed like it was going to burst like an inflated balloon. Cici openly snickered, looking playful. It was a tone that seemed to say he wouldn’t know such things unless he were a real noble like Sailorus.
“What do you know? You’re not even the son of the Duke.”
Ariante, for the first time, stood up with the intention of punching Cici. However, Swan calmly pulled Ariante back down, looking straight at Cici.
“That’s right, I’m not the son of the Duke. But, didn’t I say? Duke is my guardian, and my father was very close to him. They were friends since I was very young. If Ariante wasn’t the Duke’s daughter, my father would have told me. But my father never mentioned anything like that, and the Duke has always referred to Ariante as ‘my daughter.’ I’ve known it even before I saw Ariante’s face for the first time.”
Swan’s tone was mature and very calm. He was tense, but he neither hesitated nor stumbled in his words. Even Ariante was just staring at his face in surprise.
Cici’s face turned red, and he exhaled a frustrated breath. No matter how much he talked back, he was only seven years old, and it was difficult to win against logic.
Swan drove the point home.
“What you’re saying has no basis, Cici. Isn’t that right? People gossip about who Ariante’s parents are without any evidence. Whether it’s true or not, Ariante is the daughter of Duke of Baltermance, and she will become the new Duchess. So, don’t speak rudely.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Cici burst into tears and ran out of the playroom. Swan took a deep breath, wiping the flushed cheek with the back of his hand. A feeling as if his chest, which had been tightly closed, was suddenly pierced overwhelmed him.
And he thought he should have said this sooner. When Jocelyn slandered Ariante, he should have said these words to her…
Umbrose raised his head and said, “Sailorus speaks so well. Indeed, the brothers are different.”
Inside the carriage heading to the capital, Jocelyn had nightmares every time she fell asleep.
In her luggage, there were two loaves of bread, cheese, and a basket of light wine instead of water, which she had brought for the journey, but she hadn’t opened the lid for days.
She couldn’t believe it… She repeatedly imagined Cedillroy’s angry expression. When she was awake, she was only locked into that thought, and when she closed her eyes, she endlessly repeated the moment she kneeled in front of Ariante.
[“Kneel right now, Jocelyn! Or I’ll order someone to force you to kneel! And I’ll banish you from this house forever!”]How could you say such things? Jocelyn bit her lip and glared out the window. Surprisingly, like a venomous snake searching for prey, her eyes, which were sparkling like flashes, turned red and teared up.
She had no reason to hear such words… At least Jocelyn believed so. She was the only one sincerely dedicating herself to the Duke’s family.
Staking her honor and loyalty to the Stafford family, Jocelyn never thought of tarnishing the Duke’s family.
Someone who could destroy the duke’s family, brandishing swords and spears and invading, even if they came, she would eventually block them, even if she had to receive them naked.
Serving the Baltermance family was Jocelyn’s life itself. Besides the glory of the noble family, nothing was important to her. Even if it were a child she bore herself, it was the same.
A child born of a servant… Moreover, a child born out of wedlock. What if rumors spread that the Duke of Baltermance had an affair with the housekeeper and had a child? What would people say about the honor of the duchess?
So she tried to get rid of the child in her womb. She had never relaxed, even once, witnessing the duchess raising Verbue as her son without any worries.
If the child were to grow up and dare to surpass Cedillroy, what would happen? She was always on guard, wondering if there would be a need to remind Verbue of his place. You’re nothing more than an uninvited guest in this house…
Protecting Cedillroy entirely and cleaning his surroundings spotlessly. That was Jocelyn’s duty and lifelong mission.
For that, there was nothing she wouldn’t do, but Cedillroy brought shame upon himself for the sake of that girl. What on earth has happened!
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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