The Duke was simply spooning and eating the soup without uttering a single word. Unintentionally, Lina stared at the empty plate and asked,
“Would you like some more?”
“Please, a bit more.”
“Yes.”
Lina answered with a brighter voice than before. She had thought that the Duke only consumed alcohol and medicine, so seeing him eat this well was reassuring.
Lina took a few excited steps as she transferred the soup to an empty bowl. And just as she was about to bring it back to the table.
“You’re…… Oops!”
Lina moved the empty bowl with slightly excited steps. And just as she was about to place it back on the table…
“Here…… Oops!”
Perhaps she was too hasty. Falling over her tangled feet, Lina ended up sprawling on the floor.
Clatter[—].
With a sharp sound, hot soup and fragments of the bowl splattered in all directions.
“What on earth, are you hurt anywhere…?”
Lina, who didn’t catch the words quickly approaching from beside, muttered in a startled voice.
“Sorry, I’m so sorry. What should we do? The bowl…”
This place was a hiding place prepared by Princess Ariana. She had already received significant favor from her, and now, she was breaking things in the courtyard.
Even if it looked like an inconspicuous bowl, being in the princess’s hideout meant it could be a valuable item.
‘What if it’s a cherished bowl?’
She remembered the teapot that had been broken in the Duke’s mansion a while ago and felt even more regretful. Just as Lina sighed, trying to clean up the broken pieces…
Crash[—].
“What are you doing now?”
The Duke spoke with a chilly tone as he approached.
“We need to clean this up quickly…”
Then, this time, the Duke grabbed Lina’s wrist.
‘Why is he doing this?’
What could have suddenly angered him again? Lina looked at the man with a puzzled expression.
“What’s the big deal if the bowl is broken…!”
The man’s voice, as if he were really angry, abruptly stopped talking.
And then.
He looked at her with a different gaze than before.
As if he had realized something, a gaze with a hint of enlightenment.
Lina quietly
Whether he had forgotten that he was more seriously injured or not, the Duke rummaged through the drawer, starting to search for bandages and medicine that the doctor had left.
‘It’s not even a severe burn.’
Fortunately, the soup in the pot was not extremely hot, as Velige had his meal while it cooled a bit. This prevented a major burn, but her hand was slightly reddened.
Nevertheless, the Duke, perhaps not sharing the same opinion, began to wipe her hands with a cold towel. He did it very carefully, as if handling precious pottery.
How long had it been since they had a conversation? Lina, who had been quietly receiving the Duke’s touch, opened her mouth.
“Um…”
However, the Duke either didn’t hear Lina’s words or pretended not to hear, continuing to apply antiseptic to her hands in silence. As if handling precious pottery, he was very careful.
In an awkward situation for some reason, she scratched her cheek when she spoke.
“I mentioned that my name is Leia. Are you originally from this place?”
Starting to echo the name she mentioned, he began to ask questions. After a moment of nodding, Lina replied.
“Yes, my hometown is Festius.”
“Then, how old are you?”
“Twenty… five.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
Why is he so curious? She looked at the Duke with a puzzled expression as he suddenly asked various questions about herself.
‘Why is he asking these things?’
With a cautious heart, she answered differently from the information Velige knew about her.
“I have a younger sister.”
“How old is she?”
“She’s five.”
However, the Duke, without stopping after Lina’s answer, continued to ask another question, continuing the conversation.
In such a situation, Lina, who had gradually relaxed, began to answer as she pleased.
“Are you married?”
“No, but I had a fiancé.”
“A fiancé?”
Oops.
Perhaps due to the tension being released, Lina, who accidentally revealed the truth, looked at him.
But he seemed uninterested, and he continued to move quickly, and the bandage began to wrap around her hand.
“But why past tense?”
“That… we broke up.”
“Why?”
The Duke, seemingly oblivious, continued to throw another question, continuing the conversation.
In such a situation, Lina, thinking that the tension had completely eased, began to reveal her inner thoughts.
“Why aren’t you asking about the reason I broke up?”
He spoke with a voice that seemed to contain anger.
“Because of that?”
It seemed like there were eyes with anger in them.
“The reason why he left me.”
It felt like the bandage wound around her hand was tightening.
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
