Spent the First Night with the Male Lead, Thinking I Was Terminal (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
“Am I really going to become the Crown Princess?”
“Yes. If not you, then who else could possibly take that position?”
A warm atmosphere continued at Duke Herscher’s manor.
Her father, Duke Herscher, had finally made up his mind and gone directly to the Emperor to propose a marriage arrangement—
between Aria Herscher and Admon Wilhelm.
In truth, the Duke had long believed that aside from the Herscher family, no one else was suitable for Admon.
Indeed, there were hardly any families aside from the Herschers who could rival the Imperial House.
The Herscher family was an ancient and distinguished lineage, having produced Empresses across several generations, befitting their close ties to the Imperial family.
Moreover, the existing closeness between Admon and Aria carried significant weight.
It was widely known among others that the two had grown close during their time at the Academy.
The Duke had used this very point when petitioning the Emperor,
begging him to allow the two to become formally engaged.
‘Although I didn’t receive an immediate answer then.’
Odin had not given the Duke a direct reply.
Though Odin said he would first ask Admon himself, the Duke was already certain the marriage would happen—simply because he hadn’t been outright rejected.
His reasoning was exceedingly simple:
Aria was the only young lady of suitable age from a family worthy of marrying Admon.
Most noble daughters of comparable standing were either already betrothed during their Academy days or had already married.
Aria was the sole unmarried young lady from a ducal or marquess family close to Admon’s age.
‘Ah, though there is one other.’
But the Duke thought she had absolutely no chance.
His brow furrowed as he recalled a certain person.
That very individual, whom he’d previously dismissed as hopeless, had recently become entangled in a scandal with Admon—
a particularly unsavory scandal, at that.
“Aria, are you on good terms with the daughter of the Odoi family?”
“You mean Clea Odoi?”
“Yes.”
Aria paused briefly at the sudden mention of that name.
She wasn’t on good terms with Clea at all.
At the Academy, Aria had gotten along well with everyone, including Lloyd, Clea’s fiancé.
Lloyd himself welcomed Aria’s friendship, but the problem was Clea.
Clea intensely disliked seeing Aria grow close to Lloyd and often tormented her.
Some of her actions even crossed the line—there had been an incident where Aria nearly suffered serious injury.
Because of this, Clea earned the nickname “villainess” and began to be despised by others.
Meanwhile, Aria found herself surrounded and protected by people.
While under their protection, Aria struggled to understand Clea.
‘Why not just get along with everyone? It’s not like I have any other feelings toward Lloyd.’
She thought lightly of it.
After all, the one she was destined to marry was Admon.
She never even considered anyone else as a potential spouse.
That was precisely why she wanted to get along with everyone—
because she wished to be of help to Admon by his side.
‘The brightest person in my life.’
She glanced at the spot where the mark had cleanly vanished.
The curse.
No one else could see Aria’s mark.
Visible only to her, it had caused her constant pain and suffering.
Aria had desperately wanted to erase it by any means.
That’s why she still couldn’t forget that day.
The moment when, merely by standing near him, time itself seemed to stop—and the pain in her chest completely disappeared.
It had been a miracle she experienced by his side.
‘They say true love can lift a curse.’
In that instant, she realized that the one she truly loved was Admon.
“I’m not really on good terms with Clea.”
“Then do you know anything about her relationship with the Crown Prince?”
“What do you mean?”
Aria, bewildered by the sudden mention of Clea, was now even more flustered by where this conversation was heading.
Meanwhile, the Duke, puzzled that Aria—the veritable centerpiece of high society—had heard nothing of this rumor, let out a sigh and said,
“The rumor that the Crown Prince has been holding secret meetings with the daughter of the Odoi family.”
Upon hearing those words, Aria’s mind went dark.
“Who? Who are you talking about?”
Startled by this unfamiliar rumor, she dropped her teacup.
The cup shattered as it hit the floor.
Though those around her asked if she was alright, Aria repeated the same question again.
Realizing this was turning into a disaster, the Duke quickly called out to her.
“That’s impossible. Those two never had any connection to begin with.”
Among highborn families, people were somehow always linked.
Of course, in the Crown Prince Admon’s case, a connection could only form if someone approached him first—
or if Admon himself took the initiative.
But Admon wasn’t the type to approach others so readily.
Clea was the same, so the two had absolutely no point of contact.
Yet now they were supposedly meeting in secret?
Unable to believe it, Aria was about to rush to the Duke and demand an explanation.
Knowing Aria would lose all composure over anything concerning Admon, the Duke grew anxious.
Just then, a timely savior arrived in the form of a servant’s announcement.
“Your Grace, Grand Duke Persy’s son has arrived.”
“Aria, go greet him quickly. Isn’t the guest here specifically to see you?”
Normally, the Duke would have scolded Lloyd for his rude habit of dropping by unannounced, but now he hurriedly sent Aria to meet him.
Aria’s face was filled with frustration.
Yet, thinking it wrong to keep her friend waiting, she followed the Duke’s wishes and made her way to the reception room.
[This is the timeline separator]“Aria, have you been well?”
“Yeah. I was just having tea.”
“I see. That’s good.”
Though they’d met just yesterday, Lloyd greeted her as if they hadn’t seen each other in ages. Aria accepted his greeting calmly.
Watching Lloyd’s tired face for a moment, Aria thought to herself,
“Lloyd, can I ask you something?”
“Anything, if it’s for you.”
Since Clea was his fiancée,
she figured it was fine to ask him this question. She met his gaze,
convinced the rumor couldn’t possibly be true.
After all, Clea had chased after Lloyd relentlessly during their Academy days.
There was no way she’d suddenly turn her eyes toward Admon. Managing to calm herself slightly,
she put on a bright smile and asked,
“There’s a rumor going around that Clea’s been meeting Admon in secret—doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Clea loves you, after all.”
Hearing this, Lloyd’s eyes widened as he stared at Aria.
Seeing his reaction, Aria assumed he, like her, had only just heard the rumor and was shocked.
“Aria, don’t be startled—just listen carefully.”
“Huh?”
But Lloyd quickly composed himself and prepared to tell Aria the truth—
something she neither wanted to hear nor know.
“It seems that rumor might actually be true. When I went to the palace, I saw Admon and Clea together.”
[This is the timeline separator]Could someone be talking about her?
Feeling a slight itch in her ear, Clea sat peacefully, looking across at her companion.
She had hoped to get by with just a small piece of bread and some soup, but seeing the lavish feast laid before her, she thought,
“Is this my last meal?”
“That’s absurd.”
She’d just heard that Admon had gone to dine with Odin. Clea felt neither disappointment nor sadness.
After all, it wasn’t strange for family to share such a meal.
What concerned her lay elsewhere.
It was Obern himself who had entered the room and set down her meal.
“I specifically asked for just a few slices of bread and some soup.”
“Will that really fill you?”
“At least by my standards, it’s more than enough.”
Just looking at the feast before her made her feel full already.
Though she didn’t intentionally eat little, meals shared with unpleasant company often made her feel sick—so she’d grown accustomed to eating small portions.
It had simply become her routine.
She’d intended to do the same this time, but unfortunately, Obern seemed determined not to allow it.
“You need to eat to regain your strength.”
“I never expected to hear those words from you.”
“Aren’t you sick from being so thin?”
“Then does that mean every young lady in the Empire is a sickly patient?”
Clea let out a laugh.
Obern, momentarily flustered by her laughter, cleared his throat and urged her again to eat.
Since the meal was already prepared with care, she decided to eat—though only moderately.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop treating me like an invalid.”
“What else would a sick person be but an invalid?”
“Don’t pity me either.”
“So you think I’m heartless?”
“Weren’t you the one without blood or tears?”
Uncomfortable with Obern’s sudden shift in attitude, Clea sighed.
At least he wasn’t gloating or mocking her as she’d feared—but this was troublesome in its own way.
After eating a reasonable amount, Clea stood from her seat.
Obern continued insisting she see a physician for a pulse check and other such things, but Clea, annoyed, ignored it all.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to walk off my meal.”
“It’s still cold outside.”
“It’s fine. If a little chill could kill me, I’d have been found dead on that bridge long ago. So don’t follow me.”
“My Lady!”
She worried that if Obern’s excessive fussing reached Admon’s ears, he might find out about her condition.
How would he react if he heard she was terminally ill—after everything he’d said about never letting her go and warning her not to regret it?
Lost in such thoughts as she walked, she suddenly realized Obern’s voice was no longer behind her and looked around.
“Oh.”
She quickly understood her situation.
In her attempt to take a brief stroll and escape Obern for a moment,
she’d ended up lost inside the Imperial Palace.
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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Chapter Comments (17)
Inline Comments (209)
“Your Highness’s lips, perhaps.”
Oooh girl…😏 She wants something else for dinner i see 🙈
At this rate, heading straight to the bedroom instead of dining was only a matte
….😏🙈 You perverts sitting in a tree k.I.S.S.I.N.G😆
He desperately wanted to shout right then and there, grab Clea’s wrist, and drag
These brute losers ….how can their duchy even functioning properly…? That’s what I wanna know
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I wonder if subconciously he knows that she is sick.
Its quite weird that his aide calls her a close friend when its quite clear that Admon barely registers her presence 🤣
Urgh …i love this …she ain’t no damsel in distress, she’s fierce….i think I’m in love