Derek Valuois was recently suffering from headaches.
The investment he had ambitiously made was not yielding much results, and his only daughter was not listening to him.
As for his daughter, he could just send her off to a suitable marriage and be done with it, but the lack of results from his investment was truly infuriating.
“So, is the rumor spreading well in the social circles?”
“Yes, master. The rumor that the young lady has eloped for love has already spread throughout the social circles. Even more gossip will likely emerge soon.”
Hans, the capable butler of the Valuois family, was returning after confirming that the rumor had already spread widely in the social circles.
Hans, who would jump up from his sleep at his master’s words, firmly believed that the missing young lady had thoughtlessly eloped for love and brought harm to the family.
It was only natural that he came to despise the young lady who had tarnished the honorable reputation of the Valuois family.
It was no secret that, in addition to what the duke had instructed, he had embellished the rumor that she might be pregnant.
“What about the situation with Alois?”
“The viscount seems to be trying, but Viscount Philip is quite a strict person.”
In other words, the viscount was unable to properly exert his influence.
Upon hearing those words, the Duke of Valuois rubbed his forehead as if a headache was coming on.
He had been swayed by Lloyd Alois’s clever tongue and had invested several thousand in him.
Alois had claimed that he could pay it back as soon as he received support from the imperial family, but now it was unclear whether that support would even come through?
The emperor was currently weighing between Alois and the Jenit Company, which were carrying out the support project.
They said the audits were sent to examine the progress of the project, but in reality, they were audits to determine who was more suitable between the two.
The Duke of Valuois had discerned the emperor’s intentions from the moment the incompetent Count Felice went to the Jenit Company’s side while the meticulous and strict Count Philip went to Alois’s side.
This was blatantly intending to fail Lloyd.
The emperor was having him work as much as possible while having no intention of supporting him.
The duke had overlooked the lack of results so far, thinking Alois could potentially become his son-in-law in the future, but now it really seemed like it wouldn’t work out.
After deliberating for a moment, the Duke of Valuois gestured to Hans.
“How far have you spread it?”
“Are you referring to the rumor? Just the story that the young lady eloped for love…”
As Hans stammered and observed the duke’s reaction, the Duke of Valuois chuckled and reassured him.
“Hans. I know well how loyal you are to Valuois. So there’s no need to be so cautious about the choices made for the sake of the family’s honor.”
“Thank you, master!”
When the duke gently smiled and comforted him, Hans began readily spilling out what he had done to the young lady he had cherished so much.
He said that he not only spread the rumor about her eloping for love as the duke had instructed, but also elaborated on when, how, and why it happened.
Furthermore, he even spread rumors about how promising the knight who ran away with her was, and how bad of a person the young lady was for seducing such a loyal man and manipulating him as she pleased.
“And I also spread the rumor that the young lady might be pregnant.”
If she was in her right mind, she would be too ashamed to even show her face in the social circles.
Hans spoke with his shoulders squared and a proud expression, as if boasting about what he had done.
Not even realizing how cold the duke’s face was becoming as he looked at him.
“Yes, Hans. You’ve done well.”
“Thank you for acknowledging it.”
“No. It’s only natural since I know how much you work for the family. Then, is the rumor in the social circles now that Anna’s partner is that knight?”
“Yes. Most people probably believe that.”
The Duke of Valuois concealed his cold inner thoughts and gently comforted Hans again.
The overall picture wasn’t bad, but he thought it would be good to add one more thing to it.
With this, he could probably get rid of not only Arianna but also the incompetent Viscount Alois in one go.
“Then, how about adding a rumor that the knight was actually Viscount Alois?”
“Are you referring to the viscount, master?”
“Yes. I didn’t want to say it, but the viscount has been blackmailing me a bit to give him the funds needed for the business. He’s also been meeting with Arianna for a long time, trying to seduce her.”
As the Duke of Valuois lowered his voice as if to share a secret, Hans also lowered his voice and moved closer to the duke.
To such Hans, the Duke of Valuois conveyed a mixture of truths and lies.
Even putting on a gloomy expression as if he had really been struggling.
“As the head of a family, I know it’s foolish, but how could I refuse someone Arianna was meeting so frequently? I had no choice but to give him this and that.”
“That, that happened…”
The loyal Hans’s face turned pale at the Duke of Valuois’s lies.
He also felt guilty for being a pathetic butler who failed to grasp his master’s situation.
Hans knelt down on the spot and prostrated himself.
“It’s my fault! I should have noticed that you were enduring such humiliation, master…!”
“No, no. It’s because I was incompetent. How is that your fault? Please get up.”
“No. This is indeed my fault! I greeted the viscount every time he came, not even knowing…”
Hans spoke in an anguished voice as he banged his head on the floor.
It was a mixture of loyalty to the family, guilt towards his master, and anger at Viscount Alois.
The Duke of Valuois looked down at such Hans with contemptuous eyes and spoke in a calm voice.
“I was the same way, Hans. So stop such meaningless acts and continue working for the family in the future as well, will you?”
It was a voice that sounded like salvation itself.
No, at least that’s how it sounded to Hans.
He raised his head to his master with a moved expression.
Where else in the world would there be a master like this?
He gazed at his master with even tears in his eyes.
“Of course, of course, master! I will work for you and the family with my life!”
“Hearing you say that puts me at ease. Thank you, Hans.”
So I’ll be counting on you for the future trends in the social circles as well.
The Duke of Valuois smiled with unparalleled benevolence.
So that Hans could handle everything on his own without needing to be incited.
[Timeline separator]“Then let’s discreetly leave one by one and meet in front of the carriage.”
Arnold, John, Zero and I left the cafe at slight intervals.
As I left, I received a meaningful glance from the cafe owner, but I just ignored it.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t concerned, but it’s not like we actually did anything like that!
Muttering to myself that I wasn’t concerned, I headed to where the carriage was parked.
When I arrived, Arnold had already arrived first.
“When did you get here? I’m pretty sure I left first.”
“I’m a fast walker.”
“I, see.”
Arnold replied in an even stiffer manner than before.
Hearing that firm answer made me a bit flustered as well, causing me to stammer a little.
Feeling the rapidly encroaching awkwardness, I looked around, but it seemed John and Zero who left after us had not arrived yet.
I closed my mouth after deliberating on what to say.
Silence was better than carelessly saying anything and making a mistake.
He also didn’t say anything, so the front of the carriage was filled with silence for a while.
As the silence lengthened, many thoughts came to mind.
What instantly filled my cluttered mind was the conversation I had with Arnold in the carriage earlier.
What did I think of Leoprick?
This marriage was entirely his will from beginning to end.
There was nothing that did not reflect his intentions, he had said.
I recalled Arnold’s extremely serious expression as he spoke and felt my heart sink heavily.
I couldn’t fully imagine what kind of worries and anguish Leoprick went through before deciding to marry, but the important thing was that he wanted me.
And both then and now, he never hid those feelings in the slightest.
Recalling how he would often check my reaction even to small physical touches, I let out a small sigh.
This was all because I couldn’t be honest.
I still couldn’t get a grasp on things.
Whether to stay by his side or leave him like this.
The problems from my past life that were being resolved one by one, the methods to defeat Lloyd that were rapidly emerging.
And even the opportunities to create a better future than now.
Right now was a better time than ever to elevate Leoprick and the imperial family’s status.
And once that time passed, the Reinhart imperial family would likely gain incomparably powerful authority compared to before.
If that happened, no one would be able to say anything even if Leoprick took several concubines.
Even if he dethroned the empress and welcomed a new empress, no one would be able to speak out against him.
At first, I thought that was all I wanted.
But ever since I knew his heart and who he was, I had been constantly conflicted.
Whether it was really okay to carry out my plan like this.
Whether I could wait for the day to execute the contents of the contract we made on our wedding night with a joyful heart like before.
And even what I truly wanted.
I was continuously in conflict.
Although all the issues were being neatly resolved, it would take more time for everything to be completely settled and there were still matters that required attention.
It might seem hasty to have such worries in this situation, but now that I knew him better like this, I couldn’t help but worry.
What choice would truly be for his sake?
“You all arrived first.”
While I was lost in thought like that, Zero and John arrived.
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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