“Why are you here?”
Grit exercised as much patience as he could.
In his heart, he wanted to shout right away, grab Clea’s wrist, and forcibly drag her away.
But unfortunately, this was the imperial palace.
It was a place where every action could have unforeseen consequences.
Instead of raising his voice, he lowered it as much as possible while infusing it with intimidation.
On the other hand, Clea, looking at them, had to try her best to hold back her laughter.
The intimidation they had shown until now had never once made Clea feel afraid.
When they raised their voices, it was annoying because of the noise, and when they raised their hands, the wounds visible through the mirror brought on a feeling of irritation.
“Do you know how much commotion you’ve caused in the family because of you alone?”
“Are you going to keep standing like that?”
“Clea.”
Now, there was no need to listen to their words as they were.
All that remained for her was death, and she had the means at her disposal to make that journey comfortable.
In the end, Steve, unable to stand by any longer, stepped in to mediate.
He persuaded Grit to sit down first, saying what if Admund appeared and saw this scene.
When Admund’s name was mentioned, Grit sat down as if he had no choice, following Steve’s wishes.
Only after seeing the two seated did Clea raise the corners of her mouth.
“Admund won’t be coming.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’m the one who called you two here.”
To be precise, she had only called for Grit. Seeing Steve who had followed along, she held back a sigh that was about to escape and looked at her family members she was seeing after a long time.
“Let’s go home now.”
The proposal came from Grit, who had been sitting with a grim expression on his face.
Steve shrank back, but Clea quietly savored the aroma of her tea.
“Do you know where this place is?”
“I know at least that this is the Crown Prince’s palace.”
“You know the relationship between the imperial family and our family, yet you’re here!”
“So what? I’m not an Odoi anymore anyway.”
The atmosphere turned cold at Clea’s words.
When she mentioned that she was no longer a member of the Odoi family, the eyes of the two men grew even sharper.
Clea, observing this, felt pleased.
It was amusing to see those who had always treated her as a useful tool now trying so hard to take her back.
“If you come back now, we won’t remove you from the family.”
“That’s right, Lloyd has long forgotten about the broken engagement. Even if he brings it up again, I’ll somehow prevent it, so just stop this and come back.”
“Ha, you’re still as deaf as ever.”
Clea stopped savoring the aroma and put the teacup back in its place.
Then she looked straight into the eyes of the two men.
Grit and Steve remembered how Clea used to avoid making eye contact with them.
They had clearly thought then that Clea couldn’t meet their gaze out of fear.
But now, there was no trace of fear in Clea’s gaze.
“You don’t actually think you abandoned me, do you?”
“Clea?”
For a moment, Steve called her name to make sure he had heard correctly.
But there was no response.
Clea glanced at Steve once before quickly looking away.
Feeling uneasy at that glance, Steve called out to Clea once more.
However, Clea didn’t look in Steve’s direction even once after that.
“I abandoned you.”
“What do you have that allows you to abandon us? Stop with your pitiful pride and let’s quickly return to the mansion.”
“Are you unable to understand why I’m here even after seeing it with your own eyes?”
Grit thought to himself.
That Clea was just being stubborn now.
Of course, he too had been very surprised when he first saw Clea here with his own eyes.
It was a place he had never dreamed she would appear, even as he denied the possibility while thinking it couldn’t be.
But Duke Odoi still didn’t believe the rumors.
The implausible rumor that Admund had taken in Clea instead of Aria Hersher.
“You must have begged on your knees to the Crown Prince. Pleading for him to help you just this once.”
“Why would His Highness listen to me if I did that? What would His Highness gain?”
“Wouldn’t the Crown Prince be pleased with the disgrace happening in the Odoi family? After all, the Odoi family is not exactly a favorable house to the imperial family.”
The Odoi family, not favorable to the imperial family, being disgraced.
Hearing those words, Clea could no longer hold back her laughter.
Clea’s laughter echoed through the reception room.
Everyone around her was quiet.
The atmosphere froze even colder than before Clea had laughed.
Grit felt his patience reaching its limit, feeling as if she was mocking his words.
Steve, while worried about Grit, spoke to Clea in a pressing tone.
“What kind of way is that to speak to your father!”
Clea stopped laughing at Steve’s words.
And without even looking at Steve, she sneered.
“Why should I consider someone who only sees his child as a tool to be my father?”
At that moment, Grit, unable to hold back any longer, tried to stand up. But Clea’s words were not finished.
“Did you think I didn’t know about all the things you’ve gained from the Grand Duke and Duchess by using me?”
The moment they heard the following words, Grit froze like a person whose body had turned to ice.
This was, in fact, the reason why the two had been searching for Clea.
The fact that if Clea’s existence disappeared and the ties with the Percy Grand Duke’s family were severed, they would no longer be able to obtain the things they had been getting.
She looked at the two frozen people with contempt.
‘What on earth was she afraid of that made her want to stay under such people?’
A part of the novel came to mind.
Clea, who continuously sought recognition as a member of the Odoi family.
Though she was undoubtedly a noble lady born and raised from a legal wife, not an illegitimate child, the more she obsessed, the more she drifted away.
In the end, she became fanatically obsessed with the name Odoi, and ultimately met a miserable end after being used by the Odois.
‘If she had just let go of her attachment to the Odoi name a little, the Clea in the original work might have had a peaceful life.’
Whether she truly loved Lloyd and followed him, or forcibly maintained their relationship because of the family.
If she had lived for herself instead of for the Odois, she wouldn’t have engaged in the reckless act of trying to fight Aria.
“Sign here, please.”
She held out a piece of paper in front of Grit.
Grit gripped the paper Clea had handed him tightly.
Clea’s expression remained calm as she watched the paper slowly crumple.
The content written on the paper was simple.
“Please sign the contract stating that you will permanently expel me from the Odoi family.”
Grit frowned and glared at her, as if she were telling him to stop using her.
“Do you think I’ll agree just because you say so?”
“Didn’t you tell me until I was sick of hearing it? That if I don’t listen, I can’t keep the Odoi family name. I can’t even count on both hands how many times I’ve disobeyed until now, so why don’t you just expel me already?”
“You dare try to get the better of me just because I’ve been a little lenient!”
“Ah, Father!”
Before Steve could intervene, Grit stood up.
Grit had finally lost his patience.
Forgetting that this was the imperial palace, he raised his hand towards Clea.
Clea sighed.
Given the place, she had thought ‘surely not’, but she realized that people indeed do not change.
Who would have thought he wouldn’t hide his pathetic behavior even in the imperial palace?
‘If my face is scarred, will he dislike seeing it?’
Despite Grit glaring at her fiercely, Clea met his gaze without flinching.
She was more worried about the face she would show Admund than the pain.
She worried that if her face became scarred to an unsightly degree, would he dislike it?
As she was pondering while touching something in her hand, something suddenly appeared before her eyes.
She opened her eyes wide and looked at the situation.
“I was a bit worried so I was watching, but what is going on here?”
“Y-Your Highness!”
The one who suddenly appeared was none other than Admund.
Admund grabbed the wrist that was about to strike Clea, as if twisting it.
Grit was bewildered to see Admund, who not only suddenly grabbed his wrist but also had hostility in his eyes.
“Is this why you told me to watch?”
“I didn’t think you would resort to violence in a place where Your Highness was present.”
She looked at Admund who had appeared and saved her.
He was thoroughly angered.
‘I thought he was just a gentle lamb, but he’s exactly like in the novel.’
Because he had only shown a gentle and mild demeanor in front of Clea, she had thought he was different from what she had heard.
But the Admund before her eyes was a man who perfectly matched the rumors.
With just his eyes, both blazing and cold, he exuded an overwhelming aura.
And Grit, meeting that gaze directly, was completely overwhelmed and frightened.
“And I had no intention of meekly taking the hit either.”
She proudly held out what was in her hand.
Admund couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity when he saw what she was holding.
What Clea held out was a teacup filled with tea.
Just as she had spilled tea on Lloyd when he had spoken rudely before, she had intended to do the same this time.
But Admund had appeared before that.
“Then shall we resume our conversation, Duke?”
Clea no longer called Grit ‘Father’.
Aware of this, Grit’s brow remained furrowed.
Cold Male Lead Became My Clingy Husband (Female-Dominant)
Feng Bai Su transmigrated into a matriarchal novel, becoming the sister of the female protagonist and the Seventh Princess of the Feng Ling Kingdom.
After working herself to death in her previous life, finally reincarnating as a princess, she only wanted to be a lazy fish who could eat, sleep, and play.
Until she met the male protagonist from the book, Wei Jing Mo, and he took a liking to her!
Wei Jing Mo is the top young man in Feng Ling City, talented in both appearance and ability, from a prestigious family, with a cold and otherworldly appearance, a figure like the bright moon in the hearts of noble ladies. It was thought that only the most powerful and talented noble lady in Feng Ling City would be worthy of such a brilliant young man. Who knew that this young gentleman would secretly admire the infamous Seventh Princess?
Short scene 1:
Feng Bai Su looked at the young man crying like a pear blossom in the rain before her, and couldn’t help but doubt her life.
Wasn’t the male lead described as a cold and otherworldly figure in the book?
Then who was this poor little thing crying with swollen red eyes and tear-stained face?
Short scene 2:
Wei Jing Mo stared intently at Feng Bai Su who was about to go out, wanting to say, “Be careful on the road.”
Before he could speak, Feng Bai Su suddenly bent down and bit his cheek.
Her peach blossom eyes were full of disdain: “Tsk! You’re so clingy!”
Wei Jing Mo: “…”
A talented fox spirit female lead with a flirtatious appearance but actually abstinent VS A cold-looking but actually naive and clingy little jealous male lead
