I sighed once while looking at Yezar Ferhaem’s face, and sighed again when my eyes fell upon the tip of his jaw.
‘What am I supposed to do now? A scratch on that face…….’
During our sparring, I had only focused on making my wooden sword graze against him, so I hadn’t noticed. But up close, the skin at the tip of his jaw was torn. Occasionally, a tiny drop of blood welled up.
I only realized it when I called for the physician to treat my wrist, and had them apply medicine and stop the bleeding for him as well.
“Madam, is your wrist still painful? Perhaps we should visit Ditvan again after all.”
Yet that foolish man was worrying about my wrist, which would heal fine with just some rest.
Muscle soreness and numb wrists were natural occurrences when practicing swordsmanship.
As a knight, he surely knew this. Yet he kept fidgeting anxiously, checking on me as if I were a critically injured patient bleeding profusely.
And here I was, distressed over the wound on that handsome face.
“I already said I’m fine. The reason I sighed was because I feel terrible that your jaw got injured because of me.”
“This kind of wound is very minor. I wasn’t slashed across the back or had a blade pierce deep into my flesh.”
He said those horrifying words with such a gentle expression.
“As I always say, Yezar, you must cherish your own heart and your own body.”
Yet when he himself suffered a serious injury, how shocked must the people around him have been?
Once, driven by ambition, I practiced swordsmanship with a real blade and accidentally cut my skin. The nurse who witnessed the blood spreading out beside me was so shocked she burst into tears.
I still remember how furiously she scolded me through her sobs.
“Just because someone is a knight doesn’t mean getting badly injured is normal. You seem to have forgotten for a moment—we are husband and wife now.”
Even if it was a contract, it was he who asked me to act genuinely as his spouse.
“It’s only natural for a wife to worry when her husband gets hurt, and even more so if the injury was caused by her! Honestly, why did it have to be on the face…….”
I gently caressed the tip of his jaw with a pained expression.
“If a scar forms on such a handsome face, that would be unacceptable.”
It would be a national loss, a loss to humanity itself. Of course, my personal loss would be the greatest—I had to see that beautiful face every single day.
“Madam, do you find my face pleasing?”
“Are there people who don’t like handsome men?”
Yezar was asking such a strange question.
“But doesn’t everyone have different tastes?”
That’s true. People are naturally drawn to different kinds of appearances. Now that I thought about it, I had always considered Yezar handsome, but had I ever really looked closely at his face?
So I pulled Yezar’s face closer to mine. Coincidentally, sunlight shone down perfectly on his features at that moment.
“Stay still for a moment, Yezar…….”
He lowered his body, letting himself be guided by my pace so I could examine his face.
I carefully studied his face. His golden hair shimmered in the light, flowing smoothly. His eyebrows stretched straight and clean. His forehead was smooth and even. And then, his eyes.
My fingers moved involuntarily, as if I couldn’t resist the urge to touch a sculpture crafted by the gods.
Slowly, gently, I traced the corners of his eyes.
Ah. Looking at him like this, I noticed something else.
“Yezar, now that I look closely, your eyelashes are thick and long. How lovely.”
His nose rose sharply and elegantly, and his jawline, though appearing soft, carried the firm line of a man.
But once again, my gaze came to a halt at those clear, transparent eyes.
His gaze fixed steadily on me. Those eyes seemed incapable of comprehending the world’s filth. Sometimes, they resembled the vast ocean, leaving me spellbound.
“Blue eyes like yours are incredibly captivating…….”
My fingertips trailed down his cheek. Now that I thought about it, Yezar’s skin was flawless, without a single visible pore.
It was enough to make me, a woman, feel jealous. Ah. Above all beauty stands a handsome man, and above all handsome men stands Yezar.
“Indeed, you are completely to my liking.”
The moment my fingertips touched his Adam’s apple, it moved up and down. As if his throat had suddenly gone dry from my touch.
When I pulled my hand away, he quietly stared at me. I could feel his breath so close.
Realizing we were too close, I stepped back one pace.
“So, what I meant was… I do find Yezar’s face pleasing.”
‘I didn’t even realize I had touched his face.’
Looking back, I wondered why I had done that. But seeing the man gazing at me now, I couldn’t help but give in to that sudden impulse.
Yezar was unusually quiet. He stepped forward the same distance I had retreated and gently took my hand.
The same hand that had just caressed his face.
“Madam, you may need to exercise a bit more caution from now on.”
“Huh?”
“…For your sake, and for mine as well.”
His calm gaze lowered to my fingertips. His fingers slowly traced along mine.
“Madam, you don’t dislike men who act on impulse and touch you without permission, do you?”
His gaze slowly rose and stopped at one spot.
Was I imagining it? Or was he truly looking at my lips? The thought sent a warmth rising from my toes, spreading through my body.
I covered my lips with my free hand. His gaze dropped, seemingly disappointed, then met my eyes.
“Your eyes are also incredibly beautiful—they seem as if they could pull me in when I look at them. They are truly exquisite.”
This time, my face flushed bright red.
The carriage jolted once.
‘When will we arrive at Marchioness Stemun’s residence?’
I was on my way to attend Marchioness Stemun’s tea invitation. My sore wrist from that day had healed perfectly after a few days of rest.
And the wound on Yezar’s jaw, which I had worried might scar, had also healed completely.
However, the problem was that the incident still occupied my thoughts. Me tracing his face, his words as he caressed my fingertips.
“What exactly did Yezar mean by what he said back then?”
When he told me to be careful, he must have meant I should be cautious about touching his face up close. It was my fault for giving in to impulse and touching him.
But why, instead of pointing out my mistake, did he say it was for both our sakes?
‘Was his gaze on my lips not my imagination after all……?’
Lost in thought for a moment, I unexpectedly let out a laugh.
“Pfft. Hahaha. As if. What absurd thoughts am I having?”
With any other man, maybe—but this was Yezar. Recalling how my heart had been torn apart by his passionate love during my days as a reader, I knew there could be no other woman in his heart.
‘Besides, I look nothing like Bertisha.’
Bertisha had soft silver hair and violet eyes—she was the very image of a quiet, gentle noble lady.
Generally, men who hold onto their unforgettable first love tend to favor women who resemble that first love.
But the image I had shown him……
On our first night, I startled him by taking down the sword neatly hanging on the wall, claiming I was catching bugs. Then, after waking up drunk, I groped his chest. And during our sparring, I had even caused a wound on his jaw.
My expression involuntarily turned cold. No man would feel affection from such behavior.
‘Unless he sees me as a troublemaker. How could romantic feelings arise?’
But if he did develop feelings for me, it wouldn’t be because I resembled Bertisha.
Unconsciously, I bit my lip hard. I nervously tapped my fingers on the carriage seat and spoke.
“Then it means he likes me just as I am.”
After saying it aloud, strangely, my ears grew hot. My chest tingled oddly too.
Thankfully, Yezar wasn’t beside me. I muttered, blaming his appearance.
“…Honestly, being unnecessarily handsome.”
Yezar was far too dangerous for someone like me, who had zero immunity to handsome men. He had treated me normally for days as if nothing happened, yet just recalling that moment made me pointlessly embarrassed.
If he had been here, it would’ve been even worse.
Squeak. Right on cue, the carriage arrived at Marchioness Stemun’s estate. The driver opened the door, and I slowly stepped out. The breeze outside cooled my heated face.
Immediately after stepping down, an elderly man who appeared to be the butler approached.
“Please follow me.”
His no-nonsense movements and neat demeanor pleased me. Glancing subtly around the interior as I entered.
I realized Marchioness Yekert must have been spreading completely false rumors.
‘How could this be the mansion of someone accused of living in extravagance?’
The Stemun estate was tastefully decorated without a single common gemstone—elegant and orderly, classic yet tidy.
Though I had hesitated and only decided to attend Marchioness Yekert’s tea party as a precaution, I now felt I had made the right choice coming here first.
Finally entering the tea room, I found a woman seated there—smaller and younger-looking than expected. Her hair was neatly tied up, but her lively brown eyes clearly revealed her emotions.
Sarsina Stemun. She appeared so briefly in the story that I hadn’t immediately recognized her.
The veiled genius painter. Cortina, the artist famed among nobles for having “hands gifted by the gods.” That person was none other than the Marchioness Stemun before my eyes. Not one to appear publicly, she kept her identity hidden, yet her connection with the imperial family was exceptionally special.
She had been particularly close not only to Emperor Camileo, but also to the late emperor. As the official imperial portrait painter and a renowned artist whose fame extended abroad through trade, her worth was immeasurable, and nobles fought fiercely to acquire her paintings.
‘Lucky for me. The protagonist Camileo’s perspective narrated that the painter was Sarsina Stemun.’
The heroine Bertisha never discovers the painter’s true identity. This artist was so carefully protected by the late emperor that he only hinted at her identity to his son.
Therefore, there was no reason not to accept this invitation. The Marchioness Stemun, under imperial protection, could never fall, and provoking her would only put Marchioness Yekert at a disadvantage. After all, though Marchioness Yekert ruled the social circle, the high society was also a place where one single mistake could lead to downfall.
While I stood there lost in thought, the lady sipping tea spotted me and smiled brightly.
“Duchess, you’ve truly come!”
“Thank you for the invitation, Madam.”
I absolutely must become close to her. There was no harm in gaining a high-level connection.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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