Rather Than Be Taken, I Will Take (12 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 7
The marquis’s residence had been bustling since early morning, thanks to the servants who had been moving about busily since before dawn due to Kedilen’s scheduled trip.
Unlike his public image of a gentlemanly and courteous man, Kedilen was, in truth, pathologically obsessed with punctuality.
If anyone was even a single second late to his scheduled time, a scolding would follow—and in severe cases, dismissal.
Aware of this, the servants scrambled to protect their own livelihoods, and the noise from their frantic efforts and the butler and managers hounding them penetrated beyond the entrance hall all the way into Ludmila’s room.
“Oh my, you’re already awake?”
“…Yeah.”
Emma, who had opened the door intending to wake Ludmila, widened her eyes in surprise.
Seeing Kedilen off was not solely the servants’ duty—Ludmila was also part of the preparations.
Emma approached Ludmila, who sat perched on the bed in the dark room, lost deep in thought.
The sun had not yet risen, so no daylight filtered in.
When Emma lifted the lamp to dispel the darkness, she gasped in shock upon seeing Ludmila’s haggard face.
“Good heavens! Didn’t you sleep a wink last night?!”
Even beneath the lamplight, the lack of vitality in Ludmila’s complexion was starkly evident.
Emma lit every lamp and wall sconce in the room. As the shadows receded, Ludmila’s face appeared far worse than Emma had initially thought.
“Oh dear, what on earth…!”
A deep sigh escaped Emma’s lips. Ludmila was usually so expressionless that she often resembled a porcelain doll.
Now, however, her already pale skin had turned ghostly white, and her sunken eyes made her look as if she hadn’t eaten in three days.
Her chapped lips and dry, brittle hair bore no resemblance to the elegant noblewoman she usually was.
What would His Lordship say if he saw her like this!
To a man with such perfectionist, obsessive tendencies, seeing Ludmila in this state would surely cause him to lose his composure.
Knowing full well that the relationship between Ludmila and Kedilen wasn’t as affectionate as it appeared publicly, Emma couldn’t possibly let her present herself like this.
“Come this way. Let’s get you ready quickly.”
Ludmila looked at Emma with weary eyes. Emotions flickered across her gaze as it cut through the empty air several times before her eyelids finally lowered and the expression vanished.
“Yeah.”
Her soft reply signaled the start of another exhausting day.
[This is the timeline separator]“Have a safe trip.”
Just before stepping into the carriage, Kedilen turned to look at his wife, who stood there offering a gentle smile and farewells.
With dozens of servants and his own wife seeing him off, the man with nothing left but to depart took another heavy step forward.
It wasn’t that he felt so moved by Ludmila’s farewell that he wanted to embrace and kiss her.
Instead, his hand reached for Ludmila’s platinum hair. After rubbing it absently a few times with a detached look, he frowned slightly and clicked his tongue.
“Your hair’s in terrible shape. Didn’t I tell you yesterday to take better care of yourself?”
“…”
“At this rate, not only will you never conceive, but I won’t even feel like holding you.”
His voice, murmured just loudly enough for Ludmila to hear, hung softly in the air.
Kedilen lowered his hand and ascended the steps into the carriage once more.
Before closing the door, he gave a slight flick of his fingers. The butler hurried over and bowed deeply.
“Make a hospital appointment for Ludmila. Her complexion looks poor, and she clearly isn’t well. Ensure she receives continuous treatment while I’m away.”
“Yes, sir.”
After dismissing the butler, Kedilen turned to meet Ludmila’s eyes, which watched him with a quiet smile.
“As I mentioned yesterday, I’ll proceed as soon as I return, so take good care of yourself. And I’ve told you repeatedly—don’t make me have to scold you over something this trivial. Can’t you even manage this properly?”
“…”
“Hah—. Better end this here. Let’s go.”
The carriage door slammed shut roughly, swallowing Kedilen’s irritation.
Ludmila’s eyes followed the departing carriage until it vanished completely from sight.
“M-my lady, Marquise… about the hospital appointment…”
“Schedule it with the obstetrics department.”
“Pardon?”
Ludmila turned to the butler with eyes once again devoid of life, like dry wood, and offered a brittle smile.
“Find a doctor who’s reasonably skilled—but who also loves money very much.”
It was the very beginning of winter. A black-haired man resting in bed slowly opened his eyes at the sound of shouting coming from beyond the window.
Aden’s golden eyes, returning not to his own home but to his quarters within the imperial palace after finishing his duties, were heavy with exhaustion.
He wished to sleep just a little longer, but the shouting only grew louder.
Finally, Aden sat up and splashed some water on his face. A hot sigh escaped through his parted fingers.
Just as he rose from the bed, the closed door opened.
Aden glanced sideways and gave a dry chuckle upon seeing the man with bright blue hair approaching him.
“Looks like fortune isn’t on my side for a good rest today.”
He muttered quietly and closed the window, restoring quiet. The man who had approached bowed respectfully to Aden.
“You’re awake.”
“How much longer will that carry on out there?”
Aden jerked his chin toward the window.
The vigorous training taking place since early morning was nothing short of a torturous alarm clock to him.
The man flicked his eyes toward the soldiers and gave a blunt answer: “Until next week.”
“Hah—.”
Aden finally let out a long sigh.
Seeing Aden’s sigh—so deep it seemed he’d endured the world’s misfortunes all at once—the man offered words of sympathy.
“I have something to report.”
“…”
Not even a moment’s rest. Aden nodded wearily as he picked up a glass of water.
As the man delivered his report in a formal tone and manner, Aden’s eyes remained fixed on the window.
After scanning the busy soldiers with his eyes, Aden slowly turned his head.
“Now that I think of it, the harsh winter training is coming up soon, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Despite the shift in topic, the man responded calmly. Aden swirled his glass thoughtfully before speaking lightly.
“I noticed the Crown Prince seems very interested in the training. With that border dispute with Kundra, is he already thinking about war again?”
“There’s no confirmed information regarding that.”
“No confirmed information? When there’s living proof right before my eyes.”
Aden let out a mocking laugh. When the man fell silent, Aden waved dismissively.
“It’s fine. Go ahead.”
“No, that was all.”
“Really? Good work. You may go.”
At Aden’s gesture to leave, the man nodded calmly and turned to go.
Just as he reached the door with his steady, gentlemanly stride, he turned his waist instead of grasping the handle.
“May I ask one more question?”
“About what?”
“I heard there was an argument between you and Speaker Bex at General Cedric’s retirement ceremony. Is that true?”
“How quaint.”
Though the reply was barely worthy of the name, it was enough for the man.
He removed his glasses and exhaled softly.
“As I’ve stated before, securing additional funding for Havertz absolutely requires approval from both the Senate and the House. If you continue clashing with Speaker Bex, we won’t secure the budget increase this year either.”
“I know. But it’s just my nature—I can’t simply ignore despicable people when I see them.”
“Weren’t you in urgent need of financial support?”
“I am. That’s precisely why I’m here handling this pointless chore, Count Benjamin Turval.”
Aden smiled faintly and leaned casually against the wall as he looked at Benjamin.
Completely disregarding palace etiquette, Aden revealed his raw, unfiltered self—the Empire’s very embodiment of chaos.
Those touched by his relaxed demeanor often forgot that formal decorum even existed.
When Benjamin let out a small sigh, Aden chuckled softly.
“You don’t need to worry so much. Isn’t it simple? You, the esteemed and noble son-in-law of the Senate’s presiding officer, Count Trubal, can just persuade them yourself.”
“That’s utterly absurd—!”
The sharp cry burst from Benjamin’s lips—so unlike his usual self, who until just moments ago had spoken only with refined composure and carefully chosen words.
As fine lines appeared gently at his eyes, Aden grinned with evident delight.
“Aden, are you really going to keep acting like this? There’s a limit to how much I can help. If you keep being this deliberately stubborn, I won’t cooperate anymore. You’re only hurting yourself by antagonizing those very senators—especially your father-in-law—who already view Havertz unfavorably.”
“Hmm—.”
“You said yourself you need funds! You admitted Havertz is in serious debt and requires imperial support! Then humble yourself a little! How long do you plan to hold your head so stiffly in the air?”
Though his academy classmate of fifteen years spoke with genuine concern and sincerity, Aden merely kept a faint smile on his lips, saying nothing.
Seeing Aden’s expression only stretch further, as if to ask if he had anything more to add, Benjamin’s brow furrowed tighter.
“I’ll say it again: if you want next year’s budget approved, keep that mouth of yours shut. Don’t stir unnecessary trouble—and especially! Don’t provoke Marquis Erdi and his wife.”
Erdi? At the familiar name, Aden’s eyebrows arched sharply, betraying his interest.
“I also heard you made outrageous remarks to both Speaker Bex and Marquis Erdi’s household. Please—for my sake—just stay quiet. Don’t go stirring up ashes.”
Whether it was advice or persuasion, Benjamin delivered his final words, praying his sincerity would finally reach Aden.
But Aden remained still as a statue, his gaze scattered across the floor as if unsure whether he’d even heard Benjamin at all.
Only when Benjamin’s sigh grew heavy did Aden finally lift his eyes and calmly offer his gratitude for his old friend’s worry and efforts.
“Were you still standing there?”
“You…!”
Gritting his teeth, Benjamin spun around and stormed out of the room.
Bang! As the door slammed shut, a quiet chuckle escaped Aden’s lips.
“Still as hot-tempered as ever.”
Turning toward the window, Aden faced the sunlight pouring over him.
By now, the morning sun had softened and felt pleasantly warm against his skin.
“Hah—! Hah—!”
Except for those unnecessarily loud battle cries, of course.
“You’ve got energy to burn, don’t you.”
A nap seemed out of the question. With a wry sigh at his own fatigue, Aden picked up a decorative bottle of liquor from the cabinet and headed outside.
That evening, the capital’s evening paper lit up the streets with the headline that soldiers, drunk from drinking since broad daylight during training, had been parading through the city.
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.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)