“Gulp.”
Alicia hastily covered her mouth to avoid spitting out the water she was drinking, while Eric did the same to contain his laughter.
“Even if part of the lobby is open to outsiders, we have the image of a knightly order to uphold. We can’t just leave it be, can we? So, I searched thoroughly and found nothing.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I strictly instructed the guards not to let just anyone in. If security is breached, it should be by a mage, not embarrassingly by anyone else.”
“Good job.”
“By the way, Sisterinlaw, are you hot? Should I get you more water?”
Alicia, who had been fanning herself and looking away as if she couldn’t bear to listen, forced a smile at Allen.
“I’m a bit warm, but I’m fine.”
“Should I open a window? It feels cooler now.”
“Thank you, Sir Allen. I’m really fine. I’m leaving now.”
“Why? We were going to leave together.”
Eric, who was grinning from ear to ear, was annoying, but it was too embarrassing to make eye contact.
Still, Alicia answered as nonchalantly as possible.
“I think it’s better to go now; it seems busy.”
“Please go with me, Sisterinlaw. I’m not busy at all these days.”
‘Please keep your mouth shut, Sir Allen. If I stay here any longer, I might die of embarrassment.’
If she had to die, she’d rather die of curiosity.
Regretting inwardly, Alicia avoided Eric’s teasing gaze and turned her head.
However, Allen kept blabbing on, unaware of Alicia’s inner turmoil.
Now she understood why Eric was always annoyed by Allen’s mouth.
“I can take your place, Senior. Please go.”
“Alright, then? There’s nothing urgent, just process the documents on my desk.”
“Understood. Please go without worries.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t want to trouble Sir Allen.”
An embarrassed Alicia declined once again, but it had no effect on the unusually courteous Allen today.
“Oh, Sisterinlaw. Trouble? My work isn’t affected in your absence. Please go home safely with Senior.”
Allen nodded and opened the door for her.
Left with no choice, Alicia gave the clueless Allen a quick glance and stood up.
In the end, she left without asking about ‘that woman,’ the reason she came here in the first place. She awkwardly smiled at Allen and his subordinates, said her goodbyes, and left.
(This is a time separator.)
“Welcome, Captain Russel.”
“Your Honor.”
The day Eric met with the substitute official, the news from the priest he met at Allen’s villa had come.
The substitute official, an impressive man with a long white beard, kindly offered Eric a seat with a smile.
“I apologize for making you come all the way here.”
“No, I have many questions myself.”
“I see.”
“I’ve heard about the sorcerers to some extent.”
The smile faded from the official’s face.
“The number of missing sorcerers is increasing.”
“Are there more than those two?”
“Eleven are missing so far. The whereabouts of the remaining nine are still unclear.”
Eric closed his mouth with a grave expression.
“Although we don’t know the exact number of mages, the disappearance of sorcerers is detrimental to us.”
“That’s true.”
“Is there a possibility that they have fallen?”
Eric hesitated before asking.
The Substitute Bureau was responsible for managing sorcerers to reduce the possibility of corruption through divine purification, as had happened with mages 500 years ago.
It could easily be interpreted as blaming the Substitute Bureau for negligence, so he was cautious.
“We do consider that.”
The official surprisingly answered easily.
“Of course, we can’t be certain. We haven’t found any living sorcerers, so it’s hard to confirm. Moreover.”
“?”
“Have you heard that all the discovered sorcerers had their magical powers depleted?”
“I have. It seems like their powers were stolen.”
“Losing magic to that extent means death. Therefore, the possibility of being exploited cannot be ruled out, whether voluntary or not.”
“Understood.”
“That’s why I put ‘secretly’ as a premise. Even if the management of the mana reservoir becomes lax, if that fact is known to the public, it will cause unrest among the sorcerers and become an international issue.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you.”
“Shall I inform Lord Edinburgh as well?”
“No. This is a directive for you. His Majesty the Emperor has already approved, so I’d like you to proceed discreetly.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Only involve those you really trust, and don’t disclose the details. That includes your battalion commander and the knights.”
“Understood.”
Although Eric wasn’t entirely convinced, he accepted it for now.
“But why me?”
“You’re the most suitable, um, in terms of relationships.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t ask any more.”
“…”
Eric gave up asking any more questions to the Vice Minister, who tightly sealed his stubborn lips.
“There’s just one more thing.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know about the Zero Knights, Vice Minister?”
“…Yes.”
“Isn’t this strictly their business? Aren’t they involved?”
“They’re in motion.”
“Ah.”
“But their leader has a bit of an issue right now.”
“An issue?”
“I can’t say more. Anyway, that’s all I have to say.”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
