Clea looked at the ring on her finger.
A beautiful ring with a blue hue like her eyes.
Not many people knew what kind of ring this was yet.
Once the identity of the ring is revealed, the empire will probably be in an uproar.
‘Who would have ever thought that the successor of the grand ducal family could change.’
It was extremely natural for many people, including myself, that Lloyd would succeed the grand ducal family.
Even if his abilities were utterly inadequate.
The grand ducal couple had no other children, and the threatening collateral relatives had already been completely eliminated by the current grand duke.
Since there was no one around to threaten him, everyone thought the position of successor was solely his.
Clea still couldn’t believe that the situation had been completely overturned.
“It really seems to suit you very well.”
At the voice of Rupia beside her, Clea snapped out of her thoughts.
The ring suits her well.
It could be taken as a simple compliment.
But Rupia also found out what kind of ring this was. Did she really mean it simply as the ring suits her well?
Regardless of her intentions, Clea no longer cared.
In any case, no matter what others thought, nothing would change as the ring was already on her hand.
“So what happened with Lloyd’s matter?”
Meanwhile, Clea was curious about how Lloyd’s matter was handled.
Clea, who had clearly shown him what happens when pointing a sword at her, wanted to know the situation afterward.
Everything that happened there was handled by Rupia.
Rupia looked at her and spoke.
“The injury is not serious enough to worry about. It may fester if not properly treated, but it’s very minor compared to the injury you suffered, Lady Clea.”
Rupia recalled what had happened just yesterday.
When Lloyd clutched his wound and rolled on the floor, she thought he had suffered a fatal injury.
Of course, it was understandable since he was cut by a sword, but it was inevitable to overlap with Clea.
‘Although I didn’t directly witness the scene, anyone could see that the injury Lady Clea suffered was serious.’
The day Clea returned to the Odoi ducal residence with an injury was truly chaotic.
Her side was stained with blood, and the royal physicians worried about where she got such an injury.
Rupia couldn’t forget the expression Clea had at that time.
While the expressions of others were filled with worry, Clea was expressionless as she is now.
Looking at her smiling faintly as if nothing had happened, Rupia wanted to ask. If she feels pain at all.
‘What kind of things have you been through?’
But come to think of it, this level of pain might be nothing to her.
Since she had already experienced worse things, she might have considered it trivial.
So Rupia felt Lloyd, who was writhing miserably on the floor, even more pathetic.
“What else?”
Clea showed no particular reaction.
Whether he lives or dies, she didn’t care. What mattered to her was the situation afterward, not Lloyd’s well-being.
Rupia soon told her the answer she wanted.
“I heard that as soon as you left, the grand duke personally sent a letter to the Herscher family.”
Sent a letter.
It was roughly expected what kind of content the grand duke would have written and sent.
But Clea wanted to know more details. So she asked Rupia again.
“What did he send?”
“He wrote asking how about having you two stay together in the same house until you get married, so that your hearts can grow closer.”
Hearing Rupia’s answer, Clea smiled.
There was no reason for Duke Herscher to oppose what the grand ducal side suggested first, hoping that the two would get along well.
If there was anyone in that household who would oppose, it would be Aria and the duchess.
“It’s really something to look forward to. How will that young lady overcome this crisis?”
Clea wanted to tell Aria to try to escape if she could.
The more she tries to escape, the deeper she will sink like a beast stuck in a swamp.
Even if God exists and helps her, Clea was now determined to bring Aria down no matter what.
* * *
“Father, you’re not going to accept the proposal, are you!”
Aria raised her voice and sought out Duke Herscher.
Duke Herscher saw Aria, who had barged into his office without notice, with a furrowed brow and a throbbing headache.
He had planned to handle it quietly without telling her, knowing that Aria would be like this, but it seemed someone had leaked the news to her again.
The duke sighed, thinking that he should find and fire that person.
“It’s already been decided.”
“You didn’t say a word to me!”
“I didn’t say a word because it was obvious you would unconditionally oppose.”
“Of course! Who would want to marry Lloyd Percy!”
“Then you should have gained the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince!”
Aria approached right in front of the duke and shouted, slamming the desk.
Unable to endure it, the duke raised his voice and glared at Aria.
He was furious that she had created the worst situation instead of getting close to Admund despite him pushing her so much.
Recently, the duke’s mood had hit rock bottom.
Many people, including him, had no doubt that Aria would become the crown princess.
Since they thought Aria was the only candidate unless he brought another woman from a foreign country, everyone tried to be on good terms with Aria and the Herscher family.
‘What kind of humiliation is this?’
However, the situation was reversed with the sudden appearance of a person named Clea.
His desk was already full of letters sent by various families.
Some demanded to know what was going on, while others had the absurd content of asking for the gifts and money they had sent to be returned.
Some families, still unable to give up, asked if there was any connection with the imperial family left, but that was extremely rare.
As a result, many who had tried to be on good terms with the Herscher family turned their backs in an instant.
It was truly unbelievable.
Had a ducal family ever been treated like this?
The Herscher family, which was quite high-ranking even within the Emperor’s faction.
The duke thought there was only one reason why people reacted to this extent.
It was the fact that the relationship between Clea and Aria was extremely bad.
“If you had gotten along well with Clea, there would have been no need to marry Lloyd.”
“Father, are you done talking? How can I get along with Clea! I told you Clea threatened my life!”
“In the first place, you provoked her first, so she must have done that because she couldn’t stand it anymore.”
“Father!”
Meanwhile, the servants peeking through the crack in the door had sorrowful faces.
Just a few months ago, the two had a good relationship. Enough to be known in the capital.
But now they were fighting, blaming each other. They were no longer a close father and daughter.
“Don’t make me repeat the same thing! Your marriage with Lloyd has already been decided between the families!”
The situation had already been fully discussed between the families.
The marriage between Lloyd and Aria was almost certain.
For Aria, who knew this, it was frustrating.
Marriage with none other than Lloyd.
She didn’t want to admit it, but in her view, the best choice now was that.
To marry Lloyd and become the lady of the grand ducal family, second only to the imperial family.
“I will marry the person I want!”
However, Aria refused to marry him to the end.
If she were to marry Lloyd, it was obvious that she would experience the things that had happened in the past countless times.
Thinking of Lloyd’s forceful behavior, she wanted to run away from the empire even now.
“Ha, are you saying the person you want is still His Highness the Crown Prince?”
On the other hand, the duke felt frustrated by Aria’s answer.
The marriage between Admund and Clea was now irreversible.
The marriage was already confirmed, and invitations had been sent to each family.
The duke wanted her to finally give up her lingering attachment and tried to say something. But before that, Aria spoke first.
“If not Admund, I’d rather marry Bawin Lockin.”
“What did you just say?”
“I said I will marry Bawin.”
If she can’t marry Admund, Aria wanted to marry Bawin, who was kind to her and capable.
Of course, Lloyd also had a kind side to her, but he was already out of favor.
The only person Aria was somewhat interested in now was Bawin.
‘Of course, I have no intention of marrying him either. For now, I have to somehow buy time.’
She didn’t give up hope.
If time keeps passing like this, Clea will surely meet her death. The curse is still following her.
Aria thought it would be enough to marry Admund again after Clea dies.
Meanwhile, Duke Herscher, who had no way of knowing such thoughts, raised his voice at her.
“You’ve gone completely mad! Who’s going to marry whom?!”
“Ah, Father! But the Lockin viscounty is…”
“From today, I will cut off your allowance! And stay in your room for the time being without taking a single step out!”
Aria was taken aback by the duke’s much more hardline approach than expected.
She wanted to say something in protest, but the duke called the servants to confine her to her room, and she had to be dragged away.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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