Startled, the pickpocket froze momentarily and stared at the person in front of him.
It was the same woman whose purse he had just stolen moments ago.
He glanced around—she didn’t seem to have any guards with her.
She must have come alone to search for her purse.
His racing heart began to calm.
He must have imagined that flying object earlier.
“Miss. You startled me for nothing.”
“Give it back.”
Her words, coming from someone smaller and seemingly harmless, sounded laughable.
But just in case guards arrived later, he quickly considered running away.
Getting tangled with nobles never ended well.
“If I were going to return it, why would I have stolen it in the first place?
Noble lady, don’t wander around alone and get yourself into trouble. Just leave now.”
Avoiding one woman couldn’t be hard.
The maze of alleys might confuse newcomers, but he knew every turn.
As he prepared to dash off, the woman suddenly drew her sword.
‘Even if she’s a woman, drawing a blade makes things troublesome.’
But to his surprise, she wasn’t gripping the sword itself—she was holding the scabbard.
He had already noticed how awkwardly she held it in one hand, clearly clueless about swordplay.
“If you return it right now, I won’t do anything to you.”
“If I were going to return it, why would I have taken it!”
“That’s actually a fair point.”
She calmly agreed with his own words—there was definitely something strange about her.
While she stood there peacefully, he quickly turned and ran.
But in an instant, she caught up and swung the scabbard at him.
Thud—! A dull sound rang out above his head.
His skull vibrated, and his mind buzzed.
“You crazy woman!”
Annoyed, the pickpocket pulled out a dagger hidden in his clothes and swung it wildly.
But she dodged swiftly, then lashed out with a long leg, striking his abdomen.
She looked so delicate—yet the impact was strong enough to make him cry out.
Clutching his stomach with one hand, the pickpocket, enraged, lunged at her.
Only then did the woman break into a bright, cheerful smile.
At that moment, chills ran all over his body.
“This is how I loosen up.”
She looked exactly like she’d been waiting for him to attack.
[This is the timeline separator]The guards watching Julietta from afar chuckled.
The dagger the pickpocket had wielded had long since been flung far across the ground.
Now clutching his head with both hands, the pickpocket was shouting surrender.
“Alright, I’m sorry! So please stop, ow!”
“If you’re sorry, why won’t you let go of the stolen purse?”
“I’ll let go, I will! Ugh! At least listen to what I’m saying…!”
The scabbard in her hand now looked more like a thick club.
It was hard to tell who the victim was and who the aggressor.
“Ow! My wrist—it’s dislocated…!”
“You complain your wrist is dislocated from just one hit? How frail are you?
Are pickpockets naturally dramatic by nature?”
Hearing that, the guards collectively thought:
‘She doesn’t seem to be exaggerating, my lady…’
They were suspicious—how could a scabbard make such a heavy, dull sound?
“Is what I’m seeing real?”
“If this is a scene of one-sided assault by the lady, then yes?”
“We rushed over worried about the unexpected, even though the lady is skilled with a sword.
Turns out, all that worry was completely unnecessary.”
They stood quietly, wondering when the scene would end.
Then one guard nudged another.
“Got anything to eat?”
“I did buy some dried fruit earlier. Want some?”
Immediately, others gathered around.
Each grabbed a piece and began chewing slowly, watching Julietta “educate” the pickpocket.
Someone might have called it negligence, but honestly—they had nothing to do.
After using the pickpocket like a human training dummy, Julietta stretched pleasantly.
The battered thief, thinking he was finally free, briefly felt hope—then despair.
“Alright. Say it again, slowly.”
“I’ll never steal anyone’s money ever again!”
Face swollen and puffy, the pickpocket raised both hands and began reciting his apology.
“Your voice is too quiet. Do you want another hit?”
When Julietta lifted the scabbard, the pickpocket flinched with a “Yiik!” and shouted louder.
“I’m sorry! I’ll do better!”
“That’s right. Good job!”
Just as the guards, seeing Julietta happily smiling, thought it was finally over and stepped forward, Yezar appeared.
In one hand, he carried a hat he had bought for Julietta.
The guards, spotting Yezar, grinned and offered him dried fruit.
“My lord, you’ve arrived? Ah, would you like some dried fruit too?”
They had been sent to guard her, yet instead of guarding, they were peacefully eating snacks.
He should have been angry—but somehow wasn’t.
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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