These were the spring dresses of young ladies, lavishly embroidered with gold and silver threads and adorned with finely crushed jewels on the hems.
Though she didn’t realize that it was this fabric, she remembered upon hearing.
“May I touch it?”
“Please do.”
The man cautiously felt the end of the fabric.
Then he took a step back, confident.
“This will do. You can entrust the design to someone with good taste.”
“Thank you.”
“If we’ve been of any help, we’re happy.”
The man politely bowed his head.
Those who had followed him also bowed their heads in unison.
It was a straightforward and polite demeanor.
Upon seeing this, Bianca suddenly furrowed her brows.
“Is someone missing?”
“Ah!”
As if struck by lightning, the man suddenly knelt.
“I didn’t realize you meant for everyone to come; I left one behind.”
“Why?”
“I heard he was upset yesterday.”
“So you ostracized him?”
“No, no! Absolutely not!”
The man was flustered, waving his hands in a frenzy.
“We would never dare to do such a thing to him.”
In stark contrast to his calm demeanor earlier, the man was in disarray.
He was so surprised that he seemed to forget who he was talking to, even mixing up honorifics.
“It’s a bit sick.”
“Sick?”
“He came back wilted yesterday, saying he felt stifled and went out to get some air…”
Bianca didn’t listen to the merchant’s words to the end.
“Haley! Call Mr. Benson.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
There was no need to listen further.
Foreigners would know the situation of other foreigners best.
Most likely, the man had been sighing heavily and then felt refreshed by this icy wind as it was.
He must have thought it was the capital.
It was all too clear without looking.
“Lead the way.”
“Pardon?”
“The prescription should help him recover quickly.”
After examining the man, Benson reassured the merchants.
‘You’re sending the duke’s personal physician? No, we’re really fine. We have overthecounter medication.’
The merchants were outraged over this situation.
However, those who had been fervently refusing started to spill their worries once Benson began the examination.
‘He had a high fever last night. We were so scared.’
‘The fever didn’t go down even after taking antipyretics.’
‘He coughed a bit too. It won’t develop into something serious, right?’
Each one followed like ducklings, spilling their beans.
Benson, who was checking the patient’s pulse and condition, reassured them many times that it was nothing serious, that the fever would drop in a day or two, and it was merely a cold.
Only then did they relax.
Or so he thought.
The elderly man who had recommended the medicine to Bianca stepped forward with a question.
“Then, what should we feed her to aid in her recovery?”
For a moment, Benson hesitated.
“You can feed her anything. For the menu options, you should consult, ahem, the steward.”
“The steward.”
As Benson stepped aside, the crowd rushed towards Hailey.
Even Hailey, who had maintained a stoic expression all along, seemed momentarily taken aback.
“Meal planning is the kitchen’s responsibility, so I…”
“Could you inquire for us? We are unfamiliar with the available food supplies here.”
As the flurry of questions increased, Bianca instructed Julie to send the merchants away.
Hailey would handle the followup, so there was no cause for concern.
Once everyone had left, Bianca could finally take a proper look at the man.
The man who had been wandering around yesterday now lay with his eyes closed, pallid.
“…….”
His breath was barely audible.
It seemed the rumor that his fever had spiked overnight wasn’t a lie; his lips were cracked and tinged with the bloom of salt.
Had she been overly cautious?
Seeing him like this made Bianca feel as if she had contributed to his state, and a part of her felt uneasy.
How long had she been staring?
The crowd had dispersed, and it was about time for people to return when she was about to turn away.
“……Who……”
A faint voice grabbed Bianca by the ankle.
“Are you regaining consciousness?”
Bianca took a step closer to the bed and asked.
His gaze was murkier than before.
“Soon, the medicine will arrive. Just hold on a little longer.”
“What is happening here?”
His voice, albeit subdued, was clear in its pronunciation.
“As a guest who has fallen ill from the cold, it’s only natural for the host to be concerned.”
There was no aristocrat who would go this far for a mere merchant, but he wasn’t in his right mind, so it was fine.
“Do you care?”
“Of course. Barlock does not neglect its guests.”
“Aren’t you also an outsider? It doesn’t seem like it’s any of your business.”
What?
He didn’t miss the slight parting of Bianca’s lips in confusion.
“Is, is the cold tolerable for you?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Do you think you can live your entire life in this icy world?”
Before she knew it, the man was standing.
With saltencrusted pale lips and long, disheveled black hair.
His uneven breathing sounded so vivid, yet for some reason, he felt intensely menacing.
“I am……!”
“If you wish, I will escort you out.”
The man’s black eyes wrapped around her like a whip.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
