The courtier conveyed the information again, glancing at the Emperor. Although he was just delivering the message, the courtier’s face turned pale.
The Emperor’s anger reached its peak, and this fact was clearly felt even in the breath of the Emperor.
“Are you saying that your words imply that the Empress poisoned the Prince Consort in the tea with the intention of harming the Crown Princess?”
“I haven’t heard such words yet.”
“Then did the Empress, who drank tea with the Crown Princess, remain unharmed?”
“Although there was no such statement, judging by the remarks about the Crown Princess, it seems that the Empress is unharmed.”
“That ultimately means the Empress intended to harm the Crown Princess!”
Gadro, in anger, slammed the table forcefully. The tea cups and plates on top clashed with each other due to the sudden vibration, creating sharp cracking sounds.
Gadro closed his eyes tightly with a heavy sigh. Even without Rellia Yeong-ae’s recent movements being particularly quiet, there was no contact with Duke Garnet, and no major disturbances. He thought that this time, at least, his words were properly understood.
She wasn’t a good wife to him, but it seemed she wanted to be a good mother to their only son.
With just that, his thoughts towards Yustia were changing, even if only a little. But ultimately, things took a turn like this.
“So, what is the condition of the Crown Princess?”
“The Emperor urgently took the Crown Princess to the Crown Prince’s residence. However, there are too many rumors about the Crown Princess’s condition, so the exact state is…”
The courtier mumbled, trailing off at the end of his words. Gadro, looking frustrated, got up from his seat with an impatient expression.
“I will personally go to check the Crown Princess’s condition.”
Then, he left the room without hesitation.
In the sunny afternoon at the Crown Prince’s residence.
Despite the weather that naturally put one in a good mood, the atmosphere in the Crown Prince’s residence was unusually gloomy and heavy.
The servants of the Imperial Palace hurriedly came and went from Ibelia’s bedroom. Faelin and other maids silently shed tears, guarding her by her side.
Caliph stood a step away, staring blankly at her. Despite thinking that he should stay focused, it wasn’t as easy as he hoped.
The hurried movements of the palace attendants seemed slow, and their whispers sounded eerie, like the cry of a monster.
After lingering for a while, Gadro grabbed the arm of a passing palace attendant before he could think and said, “What’s going on.”
“That… difficult situation.”
“Without complicating things, just honestly tell me about the Crown Princess’s condition.”
Caliph asked without taking his eyes off Ibelia. The palace attendant, whose arm Gadro was holding, pondered for a while before answering.
“…Everything depended on the Crown Princess, but it is clear that she is in a critical condition.”
“Is there a chance of recovery?”
“That possibility cannot be completely ruled out.”
Upon hearing that answer, Gadro released the palace attendant’s arm. Then, he tightly clenched the hand that had fallen weakly. In the deeply sunken eyes, there was still only Ibelia. Ibelia, lying on the bed with a pale face, looked incredibly fragile. It wouldn’t be strange if she stopped breathing at any moment.
Caliph couldn’t accept that fact in any way.
[Crown Princess, did you drink this tea?] [Yes? Ah, yes. I followed suit as the Empress prepared for the ceremony. The fragrance of the tea is exceptionally pleasant; would Your Majesty also like to enjoy it together…]The last image of Ibelia’s face lingered in his mind. It must not have been comfortable or pleasing to be alone, dominating the Empress. Therefore, when she discovered herself, she was smiling more gracefully than ever.
However, she undoubtedly smiled brightly when looking at herself…
That beautiful smile withered in an instant, and the victory was perfectly lost.
The process that happened in the blink of an eye felt like it was etched into Caliph’s mind with excruciating pain.
The fist that Caliph tightly clenched gained even more strength. The hand that was trembling in an instant felt as if a blade had penetrated his flesh. However, Caliph’s face showed no signs of pain.
“Caliph.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed. Caliph slowly turned his head, tearing his gaze away from Ibelia.
Felix, who had somehow entered, was standing there with a stiff expression on his face.
Caliph stared at him in silence. Then, he slightly nodded towards the courtiers and maids remaining in the bedroom.
“Tell everyone to leave and wait outside.”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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