A fiery argument followed the melody of the elegant waltz. But the atmosphere was light, and Cesare seemed to be enjoying the situation in his own way.
It was a rare feast where he could exchange debates while dancing with a lady in a blue dress with long arms and legs stretched out like a deer, under the gaze of everyone.
And the one who gave him the most enjoyable gaze was dancing in the center of the floor.
‘…!’
Alfonso, who saw Cesare dancing the waltz with Ariadne in his arms just ten steps away, thought his stomach was turning over.
Unknowingly, Alfonso stared piercingly at the couple, Ariadne and Cesare. Ariadne seemed to make eye contact with Alfonso at some point, but soon turned her head and surrendered herself to the melody of the waltz.
When Princess Lariessa realized that he wasn’t focusing on her, she grumbled like a ghost.
“Prince Alfonso…!”
“…Princess Lariessa.”
Alfonso sighed and turned his gaze to Lariessa. He finally realized that if he didn’t handle this situation now, he couldn’t move to the next step.
“I don’t love you.”
Lariessa looked up at Alfonso with a shocked expression. Whether she was losing energy or was despondent after hearing these words, her foot tripped on the step she was taking.
Alfonso, not wanting to be noticed by others, led her and took care of her so that she wouldn’t fall, and finished his remaining words.
“I don’t think I will either.”
Alfonso wanted to tell Lariessa honestly that there was another woman he loved.
But considering her nature, it was clear that Princess Lariessa would try to harass Ariadne. Alfonso chose his words carefully and conveyed his feelings as clearly as possible to avoid misunderstandings.
“If you come to my side, you will be deeply unhappy.”
A woman who could not win her husband’s heart and clung to his outer shell. Alfonso knew that his mother, that woman, was not happy.
But Princess Lariessa didn’t give up easily.
“Prince, the affection between a husband and wife builds over time! I can do well until then!”
“Can you be satisfied with just affection?”
At Alfonso’s counterquestion, Lariessa was at a loss for words.
“Can you live happily for the rest of your life with just the respect for the queen and the affection between husband and wife, without burning passion and deep love?”
Because, even in Lariessa’s view, she wanted Alfonso’s body, mind, and even his fleeting gaze.
Alfonso firmly drove the point home.
“I plan to formally propose to Avamama soon. Please consider the engagement as if it never happened.”
At the prince’s definitive declaration, tears welled up in Lariesa’s eyes and her breath became a bit ragged.
Perhaps her shortness of breath was due to her poor physical condition, or having danced two waltzes in a row.
“I apologize. For not being able to return your feelings.”
Along with Prince Alfonso’s proclamation, the second song ended.
[This is the time separator]After finishing the waltz with Cesare, Ariadne, who had returned to her seat, was leaning against a temporary table, waiting for Raphael and Julia to return.
It was in the midst of palace servants wandering around offering sparkling wine and small finger foods on trays to the guests.
“Signora, would you like a drink?”
A servant came over and offered her sparkling wine.
But something was strange.
Servants at the ball typically circled around like shadows with trays, never initiating conversation or offering anything. Ariadne, feeling a bit uneasy, declined the servant’s offer.
“That’s okay. Thank you.”
As Ariadne declined, the servant pulled a small note out of his pocket and handed it to her.
“Well, have a good evening.”
Watching the polite and receding palace servant, Ariadne pulled out and unfolded the note she had received.
The note was scrawled with poor handwriting in blue ink.
“I’ll be waiting at the central arch of the daffodil garden now.
A.”
The terribly written message was unmistakably Prince Alfonso’s handwriting. Ariadne blushed, unable to hide her lips that were breaking into a smile.
“Oh, really.”
The daffodil garden was a beautiful outdoor garden connected to the ‘Room of Lilies’, the venue for today’s ball. In spring, it was a sight to behold with a variety of colorful daffodils blooming.
It was already dark outside, which was a bit scary, but Alfonso would be there if she went a little further. Ariadne excused herself from Count Caseri, Julia’s partner who was at the temporary table with her.
“Excuse me, I’ll be visiting the powder room for a moment.”
“Shall I escort you?”
“No, it’s just up front. Please take care of it when Count Valdesar returns.”
“Don’t worry, Lady de Mare.”
With a light step, she dashed out of the ballroom and down the small stairs leading to the daffodil garden.
She’ll meet Alfonso soon!
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
