‘Method acting is great. If he were an actor, he’d chew up an Oscar.’
The tingling sensation did not leave my hand.
I tried to rub my hand to erase the secret touch, but it was useless.
My pride was hurt, even momentarily thrilled.
“Your Majesty. Why did you call the elders?”
“I thought I needed witnesses to change your heart.”
Nikolai’s crafty lips twitched.
A flash of cunning shone in his deep green eyes, then disappeared.
Nikolai skillfully put back on Casanova’s mask.
And then he knelt on one knee before me.
“Elizabeth. Will you marry me?”
The nobles inhaled sharply at the continuous shock.
I could see clearly what those who had tried hard to ignore my existence were thinking.
The Emperor is smitten by a femme fatale who sucks men’s blood!
Why is he making such a fuss here to play with her in the harem?
He wouldn’t really appoint her as the Empress, would he?
Even though he’s a playboy, would he do that? He’ll get bored soon!
Contrary to the mocking nobles, the heads of the four great families that produced four empresses guarded me with tense expressions.
It seemed they had noticed that Nikolai’s attitude was not ordinary.
“Elizabeth can’t answer because she’s watching you all, right? Even the noble empresses must be worried. She’s more delicate than she looks.”
Nikolai casually wrapped his arm around my shoulder.
I tried to shake it off, but he didn’t flinch.
If I could, I would write on his forehead ‘I know nothing, I’m a fool.’
Or even a ‘Double Personality Warning!’ sign.
“If you all bless our marriage, Elizabeth will gladly become the main wife. What do you all think?”
The faces of the four great family heads turned ashen.
The eyes pouring down on me became even more sinister.
I lightly bit the inside of my mouth.
Now I could understand this situation.
‘Aha! Want to shake the board using me? Do you think I’ll be taken by a kidnapper?’
What happens if a beloved empress, who maintains an awkward balance in the harem, appears?
‘Some will flatter, some will reveal their true intentions. They might even try to overthrow the Emperor.’
Nikolai watched the reaction of the nobles.
As expected, the nobles started to raise their voices in disagreement.
“What’s wrong with a lord having multiple wives?”
“There are procedures and laws for everything.”
“It’s an imperial decree. We must obey it as subjects!”
“How wonderful would it have been if the Empress was here? We must hasten the appointment of the Empress at this opportunity!”
Lately, the influence of the nobles, centered around the four major families, had been growing.
Avoiding the eyes of the Emperor, the noble landlords were gaining power in the provinces, illegally amassing wealth.
He had obtained intelligence that there were those secretly raising mercenaries in collusion with enemy states.
Clever rats had hidden their tails well.
Nikolai had to discern loyal subjects from traitors, all while wearing the mask of Emperor Casanova.
It was a complicated and lonely task.
‘More dangerous than the plague is the fear and anxiety of the people. I must hide the fact that the carriers of the underworld flower are isolated in the harem. The problem is the rats blinded by power.’
However, Nikolai’s attention was not on the nobles who were gambling, but on Elizabeth, who was observing with an indifferent face.
The tingling scent of cherry blossoms.
As the stench disappeared, everything seemed much clearer.
‘I thought she was just fragrant, but she’s much smarter than known. She’s already noticed what I’m planning.’
Elizabeth was not flustered.
She did not burst in with harsh and frank words.
Though she glared at him occasionally with terrifying eyes, Elizabeth was handling the situation much better than Nikolai had anticipated.
The one who chose her, Nikolai, felt a strange sense of pride.
‘After all, I’m not captivated by that woman. I haven’t lost my selfcontrol. As always.’
He had to convince himself so.
He had brought a woman unrelated to the underworld flower.
Even at this moment, he was anxious she might run away.
Nikolai was far more obstinate and pathetic than the flirt he had pretended to be.
If he wasn’t swayed by Elizabeth, there was no need to feel ashamed.
If he was just using her, there was no need to fear change.
A diffuser to drive away the stench of the underworld flower.
A catalyst to divide the cowardly nobles.
Elizabeth’s use was sufficient for that.
“Your Majesty. Douglas Nettleton, the Duke, has requested an audience.”
Nikolai’s eyebrows twitched.
He didn’t miss the flush that gently touched Elizabeth’s beautiful face.
The desire to send him away and the desire to verify Elizabeth’s former fiancé surged simultaneously.
‘He’s nothing but a fallen noble pretending to be something. There’s no need to waste time meeting him.’
That’s what he had to do, what he intended to do, but then…
He met Elizabeth’s provocative black eyes.
Sparks intertwined with their gazes.
She was not a wilting flower, but stood tall like a knight on the battlefield.
Does she have something to say?
Nikolai tried to forget, but those red lips he couldn’t forget for a moment teased him.
‘If you’re scared, get lost.’
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“Please appoint Elizabeth as Empress!”
Douglas offered Nikolai a box containing the eyes of Morasinia.
In front of the Emperor and distinguished nobles, he was not at all intimidated.
He could have lost his life.
His entire family could have been in great trouble.
But Douglas had not forgotten his promise to protect me.
‘I underestimated Douglas. He’s handsome, kind, and a strong man.’
Why would he take such a risk for a woman who abandoned him?
I couldn’t understand it, not one bit.
That’s why I was more thankful, and touched.
이 은혜를 어떻게 갚을지 감도 잡히지 않을 만큼.
Today, he particularly looked at Douglas’s wide back.
“Treasures bestowed by the first Emperor. At that time, there were five great noble families in the empire.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“Is that so? You will use the edict for that woman?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you know what that means?”
Nikolai’s eyes suddenly turned fierce.
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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