The maid, who had become Irene’s confidant, was circulating red energy while moving around Diana’s side wherever there was someone keeping her company.
Although it was just a faint trace, it played a significant role in arousing malice among the servants. Malice gradually seized the space where Diana was.
The strange feeling started with very minor things.
“Wake up! How long do you plan to keep sleeping?”
“Why are you lazing around when you have nothing to do?”
The once kind voices of the servants became abrasive. The attitudes of the servants, who used to respect her, had changed. This attitude soon manifested in their actions.
“I’ve brought your wash water.”
“Ah, it’s cold!”
Noel, climbing onto a platform and dipping his hands in the water, screamed as if in agony.
Was it their intention to make them feel the cold of the north by bringing water so cold that it could freeze fingers?
“Ah, it’s hot!”
The water for tea was boiling hot, scalding Noel’s fingers as he held the cup. His fingers turned bright red. Diana’s expression hardened as she held the child’s hand.
Even though she was just sitting there, the maids and ladies-in-waiting around her expressed their dissatisfaction with her.
“My goodness. Look at these clothes.”
“And these jewels.”
The maids sneered as they looked at the dresses and various jewels filling the dressing room, all made exclusively for Diana.
Isn’t it too extravagant for a woman unknown to the family?
This sudden thought led to jealousy and envy, blinding them. Even her position as the eldest prince’s fiancée now seemed laughable, as their discernment faded away.
“Irene didn’t have even half of this.”
“Poor Miss Irene.”
“Isn’t Miss Irene so kind-hearted?”
Even the servants from different living areas, who rarely interacted with her, started praising Irene.
“Right! She’s so kind-hearted. She even gave me this.”
A maid proudly raised the waist pouch she was wearing, showing it off as if it made her special. The pouch emitted red smoke as it responded to her emotions.
“Wow. That’s enviable!”
“I wish I were assigned to Miss Irene.”
“Maybe the housekeeper would let us switch?”
“Can I see it too?”
“Sure! Anytime……?”
The maid, not realizing the voice came from behind, froze mid-sentence.
The chattering maids suddenly fell silent and became rigid. Following their gaze, the owner of the pouch was shocked to see Diana.
“Oh my, why are you all so stiff? I won’t scold you just for taking a little break.”
Diana stood casually at the open doorway of the dressing room, unnoticed. The maids fidgeted, having not sensed her approach.
“May I see that pouch? Just for a moment?”
“No, you can’t!”
As if Diana was about to forcibly take it, the maid desperately clutched the pouch.
“This is very precious to me. Please be merciful.”
“…….”
As the maid humbly pleaded, the eyes of the surrounding maids turned into daggers.
“How could you! Trying to take a servant’s belongings.”
“Exactly! A noble shouldn’t treat us this way.”
“Even if you are the captain’s fiancée, this is not right!”
As the maids shouted, the owner of the pouch began weeping. Her pitiful appearance made it seem as if Diana had been bullying her.
“We’ll report this to the housekeeper! Let’s go.”
The maids rushed out of the dressing room, brushing past Diana.
“Wait.”
The last maid carrying the sachet was startled when her way was blocked, her eyes widening in surprise.
Diana, who had blocked the entrance with one arm, gently smiled as she spoke.
“You dropped something precious.”
“Y-yes?”
She indicated downward with her gaze. Although the maid was sure she had been holding it tightly, her hand was now empty. Following Diana’s gaze, she saw the sachet lying on the floor.
“Th-thank you.”
“I wonder what the Duke would think if he knew about the conversation you all had.”
She whispered softly to the passing maid.
“Ah, in the north, they used to cut the tongues of servants who spoke out of turn, didn’t they?”
The maid turned pale and hiccupped at Diana’s chilling words. Diana’s eyes narrowed as she watched the maid hastily bow and leave.
She feels fear. So they haven’t completely lost their emotions? I thought they were incapable of feeling fear given their lack of discernment.
Diana picked up the sachet she had switched from the maid’s hand.
She had been closely observing the maids and managed to find a similar sachet for the switch.
The sachet emanated an ominous energy. It seemed similar to the red magic that amplified Roderick’s madness.
It seemed to have influenced the emotions of the servants. Especially those who felt a strong red energy were noticeably discontented with her.
What is this thing? Diana frowned as she opened the sachet.
A stone fragment? Each small stone, like a marble, was engraved with ancient characters.
Would Noel know what this is?
“Nuuna, we need to get rid of this. It’s really, really bad!”
When she showed it to Noel for consultation, the child, without much explanation, incinerated the entire sachet with magic.
“Hey, Noel. Shouldn’t we investigate this more?”
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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