The trembling white fingers tightly grasped Orbis’s clothes. He embraced her forcefully, blocking her view, and instantly moved to the top of the embankment.
As she felt the solid stone floor beneath her feet, she barely raised her head from within his arms. A large hand cupped Litania’s cheek as she gasped for air, her face still pale.
“I’m sorry, Litania. I was careless.”
“Oh, Orbis. I…”
“It’s alright. You won’t fall into the water again, so don’t be afraid.”
At the calm voice soothing her, sensation returned to her cold, stiff fingertips. Her intermittent breathing slowly returned to normal.
“Were you very scared?”
“…”
The moment she realized deep water was at her feet, she froze, recalling when she fell into the river with Herna choking her.
Although it was she who deliberately jumped into the river to escape being strangled to death, remembering the sensation of cold water pressing against her body made her feel suffocated.
She remembered how underwater, no matter how much she screamed, only gurgling sounds came out, unable to convey her thoughts.
“I didn’t know you’d be this scared. I’m sorry.”
“I, I didn’t know either. I thought I’d be fine.”
It wasn’t a flowing river but a reservoir, and it was daytime, not night. She wasn’t on a boat, and Orbis was with her, so there was no way she could fall in.
Yet just being in the middle of wide, deep water brought back those memories and made her afraid.
Sometimes, memories imprinted on the body like this don’t listen to reason.
Litania closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As her churning insides settled, the hand that had been embracing her shoulders and patting her back also stopped.
“Even when you couldn’t swim, you weren’t this afraid of water.”
“Orbis…?”
“How dare they.”
Orbis’s eyes sank coldly. It was as if the hot summer air had suddenly frozen.
As Litania blinked in confusion, not understanding the situation, Orbis gently caressed her earlobe and asked.
“Litania. Do you want revenge?”
“Revenge? What do you…”
Could he mean revenge against Herna?
Litania quickly shook her head.
She no longer wanted to be entangled with Herna. Hadn’t Emperor Ferus said that Herna would never leave the underground prison for life?
That was enough. Litania didn’t want to think about Herna anymore.
Even if it was to punish Herna.
“It’s fine. I just… want to forget.”
“I see. You’ve thought well.”
She had expected him to urge her to take revenge immediately, but unexpectedly, Orbis readily agreed and stroked her back.
“There’s no need to waste your emotions on revenge.”
“…”
A strange sense of déjà vu arose.
Sometime in the past, she had heard Orbis say something like this.
When the punishment for Herna, who had kidnapped and tried to kill Litania, ended with mere light confinement.
She had gone to her father, the emperor, reproached him, and returned crying.
Unable to tell Orbis her true feelings, she fell asleep receiving his comfort, and he had definitely said that.
Not long after, the emperor, whose illness had worsened, abdicated to the crown prince and died without lasting even a season.
“Orbis. Could it be that the late emperor’s death…”
He was barely over fifty years old, yet was it possible for the empire’s emperor to suddenly fall so ill?
He hadn’t been weak or had any chronic illness, yet suddenly developed heart disease, aged rapidly in an instant, and passed away.
His heart had softened to the point where he couldn’t punish a serious crime because he didn’t want to see his daughter die.
“Did you do it?”
“I did not lie.”
“What?”
“I told you I didn’t kill anyone this time.”
He had indeed said so.
He hadn’t killed Snow, who had repeatedly defied his master Orbis and refused to back down. He hadn’t killed Bain either, who had pointed a sword at him while reciting chivalry.
He had even spared the lives of the kidnappers who had abducted her.
It was difficult to see the emperor as having died by Orbis’s hand.
“But I do have emotions.”
Orbis, confirming that Litania’s breathing had stabilized, stepped back and stood properly.
“I can curse those who hurt you, who are precious to me.”
“…Curse?”
“Don’t humans also resent those who hurt them? Dragons can resent someone too.”
A dragon’s will is more powerful than that of humans. Just like the wishing stone.
Those who receive a dragon’s resentment, its curse, can never live properly in this world where dragons thrive.
It means that with just a curse, it’s entirely possible for a healthy person to fall ill, and for a sick person’s condition to rapidly worsen and die.
“The dead emperor hurt you. For a long time.”
“Orbis.”
“Should I not have resented and cursed him?”
Litania quietly shook her head.
The dead emperor had, to the end, sought reasons for rejecting Litania externally. He blamed Litania, blamed the divine dragon, blamed her dead mother.
He was a coward who never admitted his own mistakes.
“His Majesty had many children.”
Her father had never considered her his own daughter.
So there was no reason for her to consider the dead man her father either.
Even if the late emperor’s sudden death was due to Orbis’s curse, Litania did not resent him for it.
There was no reason to resent him.
“But Orbis has only me.”
Dragons are cruel and ferocious.
However, the dragon cursed the dead emperor not simply because he had offended him.
It was because he had hurt the one precious existence in the world.
That was a natural expression of emotion. It wasn’t Orbis’s fault that the dragon’s power was so overwhelmingly strong.
“What you swallowed was ultimately my anger. So it’s not your fault.”
“Litania.”
“But please don’t do it anymore. I don’t want you to commit sins because of me.”
Litania let out a small sigh and reached out her hand towards Orbis.
“It would be better to leave the reservoir management supervision to Rico. Shall we head back now?”
“…Let’s do that.”
Long fingers intertwined with the white, small fingers, grasping them tightly.
Two leaves settled on the sunlit water.
[This is the timeline separator]It was near the end of the tropical nights. The room, with its lights off and curtains drawn, was dark without even moonlight entering.
Snow’s red eyes gleamed sharply as he stood before Orbis, who sat casually on the bed.
“I told you that you should respect Lady Litania. You shouldn’t do things you’re told not to do.”
“Is that so.”
Orbis’s temporary quarters were quite far from the bedroom where Litania slept, so there was no need to lower their voices as she wouldn’t hear them.
Snow thought that the fact that Litania was still keeping her distance from Orbis was helpful at times like this.
“When you intervene, things get bigger, so please stay put.”
“You’re still speaking impertinently, Snow.”
“But if the late emperor died of heart disease, and his daughter, Princess Herna, dies of the same illness, wouldn’t everyone find it strange? Especially since the other siblings are fine.”
Snow shrugged without showing any fear of his cold master’s expression, and Orbis smirked.
Even after having his tongue cut out twice, he still spoke impudently in front of his master, which meant he must have something he firmly believed in.
That his loyalty towards Litania would be accepted.
“Litania was afraid of water.”
“Of course, it was a life-threatening situation. When she returned after being kidnapped, her body would freeze even if the blanket just wrapped around her in her sleep.”
“…”
It was a tone subtly blaming Orbis.
Constantly bringing up the past when he had allowed the kidnappers to abduct Litania, making his master speechless, made one wonder if he truly respected his master.
“Litania has the support of the people, but her foundation within the imperial family is weak. Unlike ‘that one’.”
Herna was a legitimate princess. Although she’s now imprisoned underground for her grave crimes, as time passes, groups supporting her will gradually raise their heads again.
If so, it’s only a matter of time before her status changes from underground prison to house arrest, and from indoor confinement to conditional outdoor activities. Orbis had no intention of letting that happen.
“If left alive, she will always try to harm Litania.”
“That’s why I’m telling you that ‘you’ don’t need to handle this directly, master.”
“If not directly, then?”
“Have you forgotten?”
Snow tilted his small face and smiled brightly.
Dozens of pairs of eyes gleamed sharply behind the boy’s back.
“We are the dragon’s minions, after all.”
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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