Valige’s hand lost its place in the air. She stumbled over her words, confused by her unintentional behavior that seemed to ignore the duke’s kindness.
“…I will call someone here, go to the infirmary.”
“…Yes, Your Grace.”
Lina got up from her seat with a stiff body. She then ran out of the room without meeting the duke’s eyes.
Left alone in the office, Valige blankly stared at the hand the maid had shaken off. Her image as she roughly shook off as if she didn’t want him to touch her lingered in his mind.
‘Everything is so bothersome.’
Somehow his mood sank, and Valige pulled on the bell cord. Soon after, Cullen, who had come in, stared blankly at the floor.
“Your Grace. What on earth…”
Cullen seemed to say something as he picked up the broken pottery pieces one by one, but it just brushed past his ears.
Valige soon sat back down, as if nothing had happened, and began to look at the backlogged work. However, soon, the tip of the pen fluttering elegant writing stopped again.
Suddenly, the scene from the forest where he first encountered Lina in the past flashed through his mind.
“Cullen.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Cullen, who had quickly tidied the room, answered.
“What happened to that Hans fellow?”
“Excuse me?”
“The one who refused to treat specific maids or servants.”
“You didn’t say anything, so I just warned him briefly and let it go.”
“A simple warning.”
The image of Lina wandering the forest because she couldn’t receive a single medicine from the infirmary came to mind. The thought that she might be denied treatment again began to bother him.
Valige got up from his seat.
“I’ll be back in a moment.”
He thought he would go to the infirmary, give Hans a proper warning, and see if Lina was properly treated.
Thinking that time was already a bit delayed, Valige’s steps quickened.
[This is the time separator]“Why is my face so hot?”
Lina pressed her hands to both cheeks and hurried her steps. It seemed that the hot water had splashed on her face. Judging by how her cheeks were burning.
“Ugh.”
Just a little while ago, the pain she hadn’t felt due to her lack of consciousness was slowly rising. Her skin was redder than before when she looked at her hand.
“Though a wound like this will heal quickly, there are watchful eyes, so I should get treated.”
She hastened her steps, thinking that she had to get treatment quickly and clean the office.
Knock, knock.
“Is anyone there?”
It was fortunate that no one was there. She was certain she would only argue with Hans if she met him.
“Lina?”
“Henry?”
However, Hans, who should have been there, was nowhere to be seen, and Henry was greeting her.
“Why are you in the medical room? Are you injured somewhere?”
“My father hurt his back, so I came to get some medicine. What about you? What happened?”
“I hurt my hand a bit.”
“What? Let me see.”
Henry approached her and examined Lina’s hand.
“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like a severe burn? It’ll be fine with just a little ointment.”
“Really?”
Henry began to rummage through the drawers to find the medicine.
“How did this happen?”
“I did it while boiling tea water.”
“Tea water? You made a mistake that even Meina would make.”
Henry chuckled and shook his head.
“Right, of all days.”
But he seemed not to hear her mutter in a low voice, and Henry brought up another topic.
“By the way, the Duke seemed a little angry earlier.”
“The Duke?”
Henry, who had been scratching his head while looking for the medicine, trailed off.
“The Duke seemed to dislike that I was with you……”
“What? There’s no way.”
“No, really. The look in his eyes when he saw me was really fierce? I thought he’d just killed someone and returned.”
Frightened by his words, Lina shook her head and gave a hollow laugh.
“You must be mistaken.”
“Mistaken?”
“Yes. The Duke is seeing you for the first time, so there’s no reason for him to have bad feelings towards you.”
At Lina’s words, Henry seemed relieved and let out a breath.
“Come here. I’ll apply the medicine for you.”
Having found the medicine and bandage, Henry waved at Lina.
“I can do it myself.”
“It’s okay. Come quickly before that Hans guy comes and says something.”
Lina approached Henry’s side, and Henry skillfully applied the medicine to the wounded area and wrapped the bandage.
“Weren’t you off today?”
“I thought so too, but apparently not.”
“What? Where did that come from?”
“Exactly.”
Henry looked pleased as he seemed to have finished the treatment.
“It’s done.”
Lina examined the bandaged hand, twisting it around.
“Thank you, I need to go to the Duke now.”
“It’s not a major injury, but don’t overdo it for a while!”
Lina smiled slightly at Henry’s words and stood up. And before the door of the medical room opened, one shadow that had been there quietly disappeared.
“Was someone there?”
Feeling a strange presence, Lina tilted her head and hurried towards the Duke’s room.
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
