‘Ah… What should I do about this?’
To think she would end up revealing her true appearance to the world like this! Veronia was at a loss. She wanted to disappear right away using a teleportation scroll.
But not only did she not have a scroll, she couldn’t just disappear like this. Numerous people who had already recognized her were kneeling and calling out her name.
“Lady Nia, what in the world is going on?”
“…Holy Maiden!”
Holy Maiden Evangelina approached Veronia’s side. She had rushed over after receiving the message Windler had sent to the Count’s mansion, worried about a critical patient.
Evangelina was first surprised by the sight of people kneeling before Veronia, but was even more shocked seeing Veronia’s seriously injured state.
Was it because she felt relieved seeing Evangelina, or because she had lost too much blood?
For a moment, her head spun and her vision blurred as her legs gave out. The startled Killian firmly caught Veronia as she was about to collapse.
“Your Highness!”
“Princess Veronia!”
“Oh… No!”
Seeing Veronia limp and unconscious, startled cries erupted from people’s mouths. Everyone’s faces contorted with worry and concern. Evangelina hurriedly said to Killian.
“Her injuries are severe. We must treat her quickly! Please lay Her Highness down over there on that flat area.”
“Understood.”
As Killian laid Veronia down, Evangelina first treated the head injury that looked most serious. As she quietly recited a prayer and placed her hand on the head, a soft light flowed out.
After concentrating intensely on the treatment for quite some time, all the wounds healed. But Veronia still had not regained consciousness.
Evangelina gently spoke to Killian, who was standing restlessly with eyes full of worry.
“The wounds were very deep. Especially the head injury was severe, so it may take a bit longer for her to regain consciousness.”
“…I see.”
“Don’t worry too much. She’ll wake up soon. She’s such a strong person, after all.”
“…You’re right. Indeed.”
A faint smile appeared on Killian’s lips at Evangelina’s consolation, but quickly disappeared. Killian could not forgive himself for not being by Veronia’s side at such a dangerous moment.
It was horrifying that while she was so badly injured, he had been nearby but focused on other matters.
“Your Excellency, we will take care of the aftermath of the accident. The carriage is ready, so please return to the Count’s mansion with Her Highness first.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll leave the rest to you.”
At Windler’s words, Killian picked up Veronia and headed straight for the carriage. He held her preciously, as if handling the most fragile thing in the world. Windler felt complicated as he watched Killian’s back as he walked carefully.
‘To think Lady Nia was actually Princess Veronia! Then that means… His Excellency recognized the princess from the beginning? How did he recognize her? Amazing.’
Only then did Windler suddenly understand how Killian, who had long maintained a cold demeanor and never glanced at any woman, suddenly became interested in a commoner woman and her child one day.
He had thought it was love at first sight, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
‘It was the love of lovers reuniting after 5 years. And yet he didn’t say a word to me… He kept all of this hidden this whole time!’
While Killian’s decision was not incomprehensible, Windler couldn’t help feeling hurt. As an aide who had served him closely for many years, he felt like his position had been disgraced.
‘No, that’s not what’s important right now! Get yourself together!’
Windler soon shook his head while smacking his forehead.
‘How difficult it must have been for both of them all this time! I hope Princess Veronia recovers quickly…’
Windler’s concern grew deeper and deeper.
[This is the timeline separator]Jonathan and Tate, the two brothers, were having lunch together after a long time.
Both seemed to be in a good mood, as conversation flowed throughout the meal and gentle smiles graced their lips. As Tate swallowed the last piece of steak, he suddenly spoke as if remembering something.
“I had no idea you were so sincere about donating to orphanages, elder brother. I admire you.”
“What are you talking about? Donations to orphanages?”
Jonathan asked, holding his wine glass with a puzzled look. At this, Tate inwardly scoffed.
“You don’t need to pretend in front of me, elder brother. I heard through the grapevine that you’ve been donating to orphanages nationwide under the name of Club Ares for the past 10 years. They say it’s a considerable amount.”
After finishing his words, Tate took a sip of wine and leisurely savored its flavor. A rather satisfied smile soon appeared on his lips. This time Jonathan spoke up in a more excited voice.
“My, Tate! Aren’t you being too modest? I know you’re a loyal subject and brother. But that doesn’t mean you need to attribute your good deeds to me.”
A broad smile filled Jonathan’s face. On the other hand, a dumbfounded Tate put down his wine glass and asked. Deep wrinkles formed between his brows.
“Pardon? What do you mean, elder brother? My good deeds?”
“Wasn’t it you, Tate, who had been donating to orphanages nationwide under the imperial name all this time? Especially to the Michelson Orphanage in the south, you donated the most, didn’t you?”
“Th-that…”
“Was it because of your connection with that director? What was his name again? Ah, Lars Cohen, right?”
Tate was left in a daze. Jonathan’s ability to lie so naturally without changing his expression was chilling. Though he had watched Jonathan closely throughout his life, this was the first time he felt so frightened by him.
But he couldn’t just sit there and take it. Tate gathered his wits and slowly opened his mouth again.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something, elder brother. I’m ashamed to say I’ve never donated to an orphanage even once. I rather thought you were the one who had been donating.”
“There you go again. I said that’s enough modesty. Let’s see if you can still say that after seeing this.”
At Jonathan’s signal, a waiting servant brought over a document envelope and handed it to Tate. Though caught off guard by the sudden turn, Tate tried not to show it as he received the envelope.
“What is this, elder brother?”
“Go ahead and open it.”
Jonathan’s face bore an expression of intense amusement as he urged Tate on, waving his palm. He looked like he might burst into laughter at any moment.
What came out of the envelope were several donation certificates. Tate’s eyes widened as he confirmed their contents.
“No… Why is my signature here? This is indeed my signature, but I didn’t do this!”
Tate’s hands trembled as he clutched the documents. He was both dumbfounded and angry. Watching him, Jonathan raised his voice as if startled on purpose and asked.
“No way? How can that be! How can you say you didn’t do it when it’s your signature?”
“This is someone trying to frame me!”
And that someone is clearly you, elder brother! Tate exclaimed while eyeing Jonathan through narrowed eyes. Jonathan now wore an expression of incomprehension, but to Tate’s eyes it was obvious he was acting.
“Frame you? What nonsense are you talking about, Tate? Since when did donating to orphanages become a crime? You’re acting strange today.”
As Jonathan said, donating to orphanages is not a crime at all. That is, if it’s not revealed that the orphanage used the donation funds for something strange.
“…Ah, yes. I suppose so. I was being a bit oversensitive.”
It seemed he had fallen into a trap Jonathan had set. Tate swallowed dryly and composed his expression as he tensed up.
‘I see you’re telling me not to be curious about or even mention what’s happening at Michelson Orphanage, elder brother!’
Whatever was going on there, the moment he expressed doubt, Jonathan would immediately pounce on him and pin the blame. The donation certificates were a warning sign of that.
‘You seem quite concerned about Michelson Orphanage, elder brother. Just what is going on there that makes you act like this? It must be quite dangerous? Enough to potentially jeopardize your position.’
Tate was certain. There must be a reason why Jonathan was threatening him with a smiling face to keep his mouth shut. He just needed to find out exactly what that reason was.
‘Looks like I’ll need to visit the Ashmore Information Guild again.’
Tate stood up while mentally rearranging his afternoon schedule.
“Why are you getting up already? Won’t you stay a bit longer?”
“How can I take up any more of your busy time, elder brother? It was a very enjoyable lunch after a long time. I hope we can meet like this often in the future.”
Tate bowed politely before turning around immediately. He didn’t want to stay in the same space as Jonathan for even a moment longer.
‘I won’t be so easily defeated, elder brother.’
Jonathan smiled triumphantly as he watched Tate’s back disappear through the door.
‘You can’t beat me. Go ahead and look carefully. See if there’s any way out.’
Chuckling contentedly, Jonathan downed the rest of his wine in one go. The wine’s bouquet tasted especially sweet today.
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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