Tap, tap, someone poked my cheek with a finger.
Who is disturbing my honeylike morning sleep? I scowled and buried my face deeply in the pillow.
[Mortal, mortal.]What woke me up was none other than a whisper that seemed to echo in my head.
[Get up, you insignificant mortal.]“It’s the silver snake.”
[I’m not a snake!]Judging by the way it spoke so sharply, it was indeed the silver snake. I reluctantly opened my eyes, recalling what I had asked the silver snake to do.
“What happened? Did the Duke really release Count Lipe?”
[Yes, are you talking about the mortal who was trapped underground? If that’s the case, he’s been released!]The silver snake said, wagging its tail.
[If you want, I can show you what I saw.]I nodded in affirmation, and the wagging tail of the silver snake lightly touched my cheek.
My vision darkened instantly, and I saw the silver snake’s memories. From the moon hanging in the dark sky, it seemed that Count Lipe had been released at midnight.
A rattling sound was heard.
‘Was it a carriage?’
Nothing was caught in the total darkness. As time passed and the view brightened, the first thing I saw was the front gate of a certain mansion.
The fence was large, but it looked modest for a noble’s mansion.
‘Oh my goodness, Master!’
An elderly servant came out, limping. As Count Lipe descended from the carriage, the servant grabbed his hand.
‘I’m so glad you’re safely released! Truly, I’m glad!’
‘Fool, then I’d be released! Did you think I’d be in big trouble when I’m innocent?’
Count Lipe shouted, but he also seemed to pat the servant’s shoulder in gratitude.
‘Uh, what happened? Did the Duke recognize your innocence?’
‘Yes, yes. That’s what it is. I’ll tell you the details inside.’
Count Lipe disappeared into the mansion with the servant, and the tail of the silver snake that was touching my cheek fell away.
[Well, how about it? He got home safely, right? You’ve checked everything you wanted, haven’t you?]The silver snake asked, twinkling its eyes. I, still sleepy, nodded and yawned widely.
“That’s it, thank you.”
I blinked my eyes heavily and closed them, but I still felt a gaze. With a suspicion, I opened my eyes, and the silver snake was staring at me, flicking its tongue.
[What will you give me this time?]That’s right, I had promised to give something shiny if it helped me again.
‘…I have no choice.’
Seeing it wait like that, it seemed like it wouldn’t disappear from my sight until I gave it something.
I reluctantly got up and rummaged through my treasure bag.
‘I should give something that looks cheap.’
These were all my emergency funds. My independence plan was only postponed, not abandoned, so my determination to save money was still strong.
‘This is the best.’
I handed a small gem that had fallen out of a frame to the silver snake. The silver snake laughed slyly and gulped it down.
[Hehe, it’s pretty.]The silver snake sat in the middle of the room, wagging its tail, looking at the gem I gave.
‘It seems to like it.’
I was worried it might complain that it was too small, but it seemed to like the sparkling object.
Still, I thought I should not ask the silver snake for favors in the future.
‘I can’t keep wasting my funds like this.’
Thinking that, I went back to bed to sleep, but suddenly the ceiling started to spin.
‘What?’
What was happening? In the meantime, my offbalanced body fell heavily onto the bed.
I wasn’t hurt from falling on the bed. Blinking my eyes, I slowly got up, seeing my vision return to normal.
‘What was that just now?’
The dizziness I felt a moment ago was something I had only felt once when I was with Rebecca.
It was the time I had collapsed after not eating anything for several days.
그때 레베카는 돈도 없고 자신이 먹을 것도 없다며 내게 알아서 먹을 것을 구해 오라고 했고, 먹을 것을 구할 수 없었던 나는 쫄쫄 며칠을 굶을 수밖에 없었다.
‘그렇지만 요새는 엄청 잘 먹잖아.’
After coming to the Duke’s residence, I ate a nutritious meal every day and even enjoyed my favorite snacks.
I didn’t realize I was such a good eater. I ate so well that my plump weight was noticeable even to my own eyes.
‘I must be sleepy, right?’
Looking out the window, I could tell that it was dawn, before the sun had even risen.
‘I must be halfawake.’
I nonchalantly laid down on the bed.
[This is a time separator.]Two weeks after the full recruitment day, a secret meeting was held in a mansion.
“I didn’t expect the Earl to host this gathering first.”
The host of the meeting was none other than Earl Shustead, known as a close Duke ally.
“But some seem to be missing.”
“They must have gone straight home, and I couldn’t call them again.”
One of the nonattending families was also included in the Earl Othol.
Although the Earl’s residence was not far from the Duke’s domain, the others did not have any particular suspicions.
It was a gathering hosted by the same close Duke ally, Earl Shustead.
Then, another person appeared in the conference room. The nobles began to murmur from that moment.
“Li, Earl Life?”
“How are you here!”
The conference room began to buzz.
I did not hear the details, but I had heard the rumor that Earl Life was imprisoned in the jailhouse for causing a disgrace.
The jailhouse managed by the Duke was not a place to escape easily.
It was not a place where you were imprisoned simply because you were suspected of being a criminal, but a place where only those with clear evidence were confined.
But how easily did he come out with his face intact?!
“Earl Life, what is this! Is it something you can stand against us like this!”
“Yes! What if his grace suspects us as well!”
“Everybody, stop.”
In the midst of the turmoil, the first to speak was Earl Shustead.
“His grace released him directly, so don’t doubt anymore.”
His words quieted the noisy conference room.
“Yes, so there is no reason why I can’t come out like this.”
A little while ago, the nobles who were accusing Earl Life all closed their mouths.
“Thank you for not forgetting to invite me, Earl Shustead.”
Earl Shustead only nodded lightly. Earl Life’s gaze at him narrowed for a moment.
As all the invited guests gathered, the topic of conversation unified.
It was about the Duke’s own daughter, Diane Crustel, whom the Duke had found on the whole recruitment day.
“Even if you say the bloodline is drawn, it’s still on my mind that his grace didn’t even do a paternity test.”
“Yes, that’s right. Even if there was a signet ring……”
“Black hair is not a common color, but in the East Continent, black hair is a common hair color as well. Therefore, it should be confirmed about that part……”
“Don’t tell me you guys are doubting her grace now?”
Among all those doubting the Duke’s own daughter’s lineage, one person stopped it.
It was none other than Earl Life. Everyone sent a baffled look.
That was understandable,
‘Wasn’t the one who most resented the baby Earl Life!’
Everyone had the same thought. The Earl, who noticed their reaction, coughed unnecessarily. But he did not change his stance.
“Seeing her grace by his side and hearing such nonsense, there is no more disgusting thing.”
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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