Theron was still lively and full of jokes, and thanks to him, I learned how Reus ended up in such a predicament in the Quiet Forest.
“That’s a curse that costs the caster’s life. So, getting hit by it is almost like dying. But it seems Reus wasn’t destined to die yet. You appeared just in time to save his life. Of course, if he didn’t have his monstrous recovery abilities—”
“Let’s stop it there.”
Reus cut off Theron’s words with a cold response, but Theron didn’t seem bothered and just laughed heartily.
After a while, Theron left us. He mentioned he was only planning to greet us briefly today.
Anyway, from my brief conversation with Theron, I learned the full story of what happened in the Quiet Forest.
I wasn’t sure what they were looking for, but they were searching the forest, dividing areas between them. Reus was attacked by a group during this search, and it was just my good fortune to appear at that moment.
‘A bit later, Theron found me from a distance and revealed my identity the next day…’
But those people who attacked Reus and even resorted to forbidden black magic…
‘Their manner of speaking suggested it wasn’t their first encounter.’
The Quiet Forest was a land completely abandoned by the Ibell house. But there, an empire’s duke, the master of Anast Guild, and an unknown group were involved…
‘What exactly was happening in that forest, believed to be deserted?’
‘Wait a minute. Does that mean Uncle Haven also knew but pretended not to?’
I had known him for a long time, even more reliant on him than my father, so the thought of him deceiving me felt really upsetting.
However, I decided it was better not to know if he had deceived me, and after much thought, I asked Reus about it.
“Reus… I have a question. About Uncle Haven… the person you saw when you woke up that day. When he was with me, he seemed to know nothing about you. Was he just pretending not to know?”
“The people in the Duke’s mansion are as unaware of Theron’s existence as the members of the Anast Guild are. So, it’s true he doesn’t know me.”
I would have been really upset if his reactions were an act.
After a brief silence, Reus smoothly changed the subject.
“By the way, Roel. Soon, an invitation from the imperial palace will arrive.”
‘An invitation?’
Before I could ask what it was for, I remembered.
‘Ah, that’s right.’
In the original story around this time, Iris’s birthday celebration was held. After all, the fact that Iris is the princess wouldn’t change just because I married Reus.
It was good to predict many things if the original story didn’t deviate too much, but this time, it wasn’t particularly welcome news.
Especially not for the main character, Iris.
Finally, the day of Iris’s birthday celebration arrived.
The banquet started in the late afternoon, but we arrived at the imperial palace earlier than other nobles due to a message from the emperor wanting to speak with us.
“Your Majesty. Duke Rocester and Duchess Rocester have arrived.”
Not long after the steward announced our arrival, heavy doors opened, revealing a middle-aged man.
The Emperor of the Asilit Empire, Den Aren Asilit, with hair and eyes more radiant than any gold decorated in the Asilit palace.
I greeted the emperor with a respectful bow, smiling gently.
“It’s an honor to meet Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
“Welcome. I believe this is our first meeting. You’re the eldest daughter of the Ibell Count, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s an honor to meet you in person.”
As I was about to bow again, the Emperor gestured for me to stop and sit down.
“The empire has been abuzz with news of your marriage. I too was surprised. It seemed you had no intention of marrying, and then suddenly you have a wedding.”
“I apologize for not informing you in advance.”
“That’s fine. I suppose it’s my fault for losing a close friend early. If Ricassen had been here, he would have been the first to know about your marriage.”
There was a hint of longing for Ricassen and a slight rebuke towards Reus in the Emperor’s tone. Reus, accustomed to such situations, continued the conversation calmly and naturally.
It was hard to believe he was the same person plotting a rebellion.
‘He’s really good at this…’
Surprisingly, the Emperor Den and Reus’s father were very close. So much so, that one of the Emperor’s first actions upon his coronation was to hastily bestow the title of Duke on Ricassen, Reus’s father.
The story of how the Emperor was plunged into grief, neglecting his duties for days when the Duke and Duchess of Rocester died, was still a well-known anecdote.
That’s why I always wondered why Reus was the mastermind behind the rebellion.
The Emperor continued to support the Rocester ducal family even after Ricassen’s death, and vice versa. Reus always came to the Emperor’s aid, no matter the situation.
‘I used to think Reus must have been someone with a strong desire for power…’
But now, my perspective has entirely changed.
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.
Link to read
