Mayana could not easily hide her surprised expression. She soon composed herself, but that did not completely conceal her astonishment.
It wasn’t unheard of for a noble and a commoner to fall in love, but most of the time, the results were not good.
They would either break up due to strong opposition from the family or run away to a distant place, only to become the subject of gossip and backbiting for a long time.
Even if they were lucky enough to be accepted by the family, it was not easy to fit into the exclusive social gatherings of the nobles.
Mayana thought,
‘Whether male or female, if they were of common birth, even if they held a formal wedding, everyone would still treat them like servants……. Did Mrs. Celine not know that? Anyway, I understand why someone like Valterminster Duke came here. But…….’
Then, the Duke’s unexpected words abruptly interrupted Mayana’s thoughts.
“Madam, I shall take this young lady with me when I return. Is that all right?”
Celine turned her cloudy eyes towards where Mayana was, her head tilting.
“The Duke is taking the young lady with him?”
She looked very surprised, and somehow also seemed uneasy. Was it because of the rain, or something else?
The Duke said,
“Yes. She needs a job, so I am thinking of hiring her. One of my maids has just quit, and I was about to hire a new one. If she has experience, she’ll adapt easily.”
Mrs. Celine’s wrinkled lips twitched in surprise, but not for long. As if it were her own affair, she wore a warm smile, patting Mayana’s knee encouragingly.
“That’s really fortunate. It’s a good thing. My eyes are like this, so I couldn’t even ask her to stay with me……. The Duke is a wonderful man, and the young lady is honest and kind, too. It’s a good thing for both.”
Mayana smiled awkwardly, then overlaid her hand on Mrs. Celine’s, as if to answer.
After finishing the tea, the Duke stood up from his seat, announcing that he must leave. He then placed a red silk purse on Mrs. Celine’s worn tea table.
Jingling, a sound was made. Mayana reflexively knew what was inside the purse. It seemed Celine did too, as she turned her troubled face toward the Duke.
The Duke said,
“It’s on Liliya’s behalf. And…….”
There was a rustling noise, and the Duke took a thin envelope from his pocket, handing it to the madam.
“It’s a letter from Liliya from her travels. Please have someone else read it to you.”
No doubt, the letter from her granddaughter was more comforting to Mrs. Celine than the moneyfilled purse. Her expression, as she fingered the envelope, was complex. With a mixed smile of joy and sorrow, she trembled for a long time before saying,
“Please send my regards to Liliya, Duke. I don’t want to say this, but as I grow older, my health is deteriorating. It will be hard, but…… please tell her to come and see me before it’s too late.”
A very dark shadow crossed the Duke’s face for a moment. Mayana saw it, but Celine could not.
The Duke said,
“I will do so, madam.”
Celine also bid Mayana a warm farewell with a hug. Leaving behind her wishes for health and blessing was not easy.
On such a pouring night, the fact that Celine would go to bed alone with only Chels made Mayana’s steps heavy.
As she opened the door to leave, a man holding a large umbrella was standing there. He glanced at the unfamiliar Mayana but did not question the Duke about who she was.
The Duke said,
“This one here is a new maid employed in Valterminster starting today. She will accompany me to the Duchy, so please put more blankets in the carriage. And, as I mentioned earlier, find a repairman to fix Lady Celin’s roof as soon as the day breaks tomorrow. Make sure he’s thorough and honest.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Mayana asked, flustered,
“Am I… going in the same carriage as Your Grace?”
“You were planning to ride in the luggage carriage? If you have a hobby of crouching and fitting into tight boxes, I won’t stop you.”
“Thank you for the ride.”
The Duke briefly glanced at Mayana, who replied promptly. His lips moved almost imperceptibly, and his expression soon returned to one of impassivity.
The inside of the carriage was surprisingly spacious and luxurious. It might be a bit cramped for the tall Duke, but Mayana found the seats wide enough to lie down if she bent her knees.
Despite this, there was ample distance between the passengers, preventing unnecessary contact.
The Duke pulled the bell by the window, and the carriage slowly began to move. The sound of giant wheels sliding over mud was heard. Through the misty window, Celin’s dimly lit house gradually receded.
“I have something to ask, Your Grace.”
Valterminster Duke nodded his head, a gesture of permission. Mayana hesitated for a moment, nibbling at the corner of her lips before speaking.
“Is it true that Lady Celin and Your Grace… are related?”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, it’s not a problem, but… You are the Valterminster Duke, aren’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Mayana’s brow slightly furrowed.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
