Cabelased was quite pleased with Jieselgrante’s contradictory behavior, seemingly about to reject him yet unable to push him away, ultimately accepting him.
In fact, Cabelased had also recently come across rumors that had begun to spread among the commoners.
It seemed that Jieselgrante had also received the news while searching for the culprit through a sting operation.
So Cabelased knew well that she hadn’t asked such a question out of jealousy for the Baroness of Berilston.
Nevertheless, there was a reason why he deliberately pushed her as if she were the embodiment of jealousy.
He was delighted by her reaction.
It felt like throwing a stone into a calm and peaceful lake.
Perhaps he wanted to leave a trace, like ripples spreading across the surface for a moment.
It was a desire to imprint himself on the heart of the always detached and composed Jieselgrante.
Just like now.
As the kiss lengthened, her squirming stopped.
Jieselgrante’s small, delicate body that fit perfectly in his arms was soft and tender, yet hot.
Cabelased buried his nose in Jieselgrante’s nape and inhaled.
He intended to calm his rising excitement.
But as the sweet scent filled his lungs, it only had the opposite effect.
Having no choice, Cabelased released Jieselgrante from his embrace.
Then he blankly stared at Jieselgrante’s moistened lips before slowly tracing them with his thumb.
The slightly swollen red lips somehow looked pitiful.
‘Was I… too rough.’
While he was thinking that, Jieselgrante also had many thoughts.
But her thoughts flowed in a slightly different direction.
Jieselgrante blamed herself for not being able to suppress her momentary impulse.
Once can be called a mistake.
But can it still be dismissed as a mistake when repeated two, three times?
At this point, she began to feel a little afraid.
“……”
Jieselgrante tried to move her upper body back to separate their bodies that were pressed together like one.
However, Cabelased’s strong and sturdy arms only continued to hold her.
“That’s enough now, please let me go.”
Jieselgrante twisted her waist once again to break free from his embrace.
Again, it seemed Cabelased had no intention of releasing her.
[This is the timeline separator]After dinner, Jieselgrante turned her steps towards the main building at the end of a short garden walk.
And just as she was about to enter the building, she encountered Count Preston walking towards her.
After exchanging eye greetings, Count Preston spoke to her.
“Young lady, do you have a moment?”
“Yes. But what’s the matter?”
“I have an urgent matter to report to the Duke, and it’s related to you, Lady Amaterasu.”
Jieselgrante hesitated for a moment before answering.
Perhaps because of what happened earlier in the day, she felt a bit awkward about seeing Cabelased’s face.
But while staying in the same mansion, she couldn’t avoid him forever.
“…Alright.”
Jieselgrante reluctantly moved her steps with Count Preston towards the office where Cabelased was.
Wondering what matter related to her it could be.
And when she arrived at the office, she encountered Cabelased, who appeared as calm as if nothing had happened.
No, he even seemed somewhat displeased.
It became clear that she was the only one who had been fretting over how to face him while recalling the earlier events.
For a moment, she felt deflated.
“I have an urgent matter to report.”
Count Preston said as he stepped into the office.
Cabelased, who had been putting down some documents he was holding on the desk, stood up.
And he approached Jieselgrante and Count Preston.
His gait, somewhat slower than usual, felt somewhat threatening, making her a bit tense.
“I suppose I should hear why you two have come to see me together.”
Saying so, Cabelased gestured towards the sofa with his eyes.
Understanding his intention to sit and talk, Count Preston sat on the left sofa of the upper seat.
Jieselgrante moved to the right sofa opposite Count Preston at the upper seat.
Cabelased naturally sat next to her, leaving the upper seat empty.
“……”
Count Preston, who had been glancing at the upper seat repeatedly, cleared his throat and began to speak.
“I think we’ve identified the source of the rumor that’s been a hot topic among commoners recently.”
“You mean the rumor that I was the one who encouraged the break-up between the Baroness of Berilston and Duke Cardia?”
Count Preston nodded slightly while biting his lips and observing her reaction.
And he sought her consent with his eyes as if asking if he could continue.
When Jieselgrante nodded, Count Preston continued.
“First, let’s address the part about the engagement news between the Baroness of Berilston and Duke Cardia being an unfounded rumor.”
Count Preston glanced at Cabelased and then opened his mouth again.
“Anyway. By focusing on the fact that the rumor spread among commoners rather than nobles, we were able to find one person during our investigation.”
“Who was it?”
“It was none other than the daughter of Count Minster!”
Count Preston looked back and forth between Cabelased and Jieselgrante as if asking if they weren’t surprised.
In fact, it wasn’t particularly surprising to Jieselgrante as she had expected it to some extent, and Cabelased seemed to feel the same way.
“I guess you both had some idea?”
When Jieselgrante asked, Cabelased turned his head slightly towards her.
“Judging by your reaction, it seems you had the same thought as me, young lady.”
“I thought the person spreading the rumor wouldn’t be a noble currently active in social circles. I didn’t anticipate who might be behind it, though.”
Belatedly, Count Preston nodded and agreed with their words.
“Actually, I had expected that part too.”
It didn’t seem very credible.
When Jieselgrante looked at him with such a gaze, Count Preston hurriedly changed the subject.
“So what should we do now? It seems difficult to contain the rumor that’s already spread even if we apprehend Count Minster’s daughter……”
Count Preston furrowed his brow and sought opinions, and Jieselgrante immediately opened her mouth.
“I have a good idea.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Is that true? I heard that the Duke Amaterasu’s daughter was supposed to be stupid……”
A middle-aged lady expressed doubt.
“It’s true, I tell you! Are you saying I’m lying right now?”
When Count Minster’s daughter firmly refuted, the middle-aged lady looked around at others and said,
“No, I’m not saying a young lady like you is lying……”
Another lady next to her chimed in,
“We should side with those who need support. Is it okay to just seduce someone else’s fiancé and marry into a good family herself?”
“Hey, why are you talking to me like that?”
The two middle-aged ladies who couldn’t agree started raising their voices as if they were about to fight.
‘This isn’t good……’
Count Minster’s daughter hurriedly mediated between the two and steered the conversation back to the original topic.
“Anyway! She’s quite a bewitching woman. She absolutely must not become the mistress of a great family like the Cardia dukedom.”
As soon as Count Minster’s daughter finished speaking, the gathered people each added a comment.
“I heard she has an innocent-looking face……”
“We shouldn’t be deceived by appearances, it seems……”
“You know, that innkeeper’s daughter living on 3rd Street, she also seduced a young man who had a girlfriend working at the blacksmith’s, and there was a big scene with hair-pulling not long ago……”
Although the topic quickly turned elsewhere, this much could be considered quite satisfactory.
The small spark she had ignited would soon spread to dry kindling and blaze up.
With a smile full on her face, Count Minster’s daughter moved her steps to find where people were gathered.
Then she noticed a group of people moving.
Just as she was about to approach them, someone in the group shouted.
“There she is!”
Then the person next to them pointed at Count Minster’s daughter.
“That’s right, it is! It’s Count Minster’s daughter.”
She was wearing a shabby dress.
She wore no accessories at all, and while her behavior and speech might reveal her noble background, at least in appearance she was no different from a commoner.
‘But how did they figure out my identity so quickly?’
She had doubts, but sensing their ominous atmosphere, Count Minster’s daughter began to slowly back away.
And soon she recognized some familiar faces among the people charging towards her like bulls.
A stern-looking old lady and a middle-aged man with a protruding belly.
They were familiar noble faces.
They were all people who had handed over gold coins to Countess Minster in exchange for investment information about Semper Alpine.
“……!”
Count Minster’s daughter ran forward at full speed without looking back.
‘How did they know I was here?’
Such thoughts invaded her mind, but that wasn’t important right now.
She couldn’t even imagine what would happen if she fell into their hands.
For she knew better than anyone the cruelty of enraged nobles.
[This is the timeline separator]While pressing Jieselgrante’s wet golden hair with a fluffy towel, Lindsey asked.
“But why on earth did she spread such false rumors?”
“She must have been trying to tarnish my reputation.”
Ola, who was taking out perfume from a drawer, added a comment.
“What does that person gain by tarnishing your reputation, young lady? I don’t quite understand.”
“That’s right! It’s not like she could marry Duke Cardia by doing so.”
“Well. I’m not sure either.”
Though she said that, she seemed to understand Count Minster’s daughter’s psychology to some extent.
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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