Baron Shaban’s complexion turned ashen, then paled significantly.
He seemed to have guessed that he was summoned to the palace to be criticized for trading noble titles.
“Recently, two kinds of gifts have arrived at the palace in your name, in front of foreign royalty and nobility who are staying here.”
Under the cold gaze of Ikar, Baron Shaban slightly bowed his head.
“…”
“However, there seems to be a problem with those gifts.”
Baron Shaban abruptly lifted his head only to meet Ikar’s sharp eyes and lowered his gaze again as he spoke.
“I honestly don’t understand why you’re asking me about this matter.”
“…Don’t know?”
Ikar’s lowered voice filled the reception room.
Although the weather was particularly chilly today, cold sweat began to bead on Baron Shaban’s forehead.
“It seems, Baron Shaban, that my office is a bit warm.”
Ikar spoke in a slightly softer tone than before.
Then he looked at Dehan.
Dehan wiped the sweat from Baron Shaban’s forehead with a handkerchief he pulled out from his pocket.
“Th-thank you for your consideration.”
“No problem.”
Dehan smiled as if it was nothing, and Ikar approached Baron Shaban.
The wiped sweat reappeared on Baron Shaban’s forehead.
“It’s truly strange. You claim not to know about the gifts sent in your name.”
“…”
Ikar stopped right in front of Baron Shaban and bent slightly to look him in the eye.
“Isn’t it, Baron Shaban?”
Shaban’s body shook noticeably, his teeth chattering.
“Let me ask again. Have you sent gifts to the dignitaries staying in the palace?”
“No, no I have not.”
“You deny it? Even though there is clear evidence?”
“I swear by God, I never sent any questionable gifts to the palace.”
Ikar’s icy voice caused Baron Shaban’s brown eyes to quiver.
Nevertheless, Baron Shaban consistently maintained his stance.
“One final question.”
“…”
“Do you know that trading titles is illegal?”
Baron Shaban hesitantly opened his mouth as he lowered his head.
“Yes, yes…”
Ikar looked at Bain.
“Now that we know, we can’t simply ignore the title trading.”
Bain nodded in agreement.
“We will administer the appropriate punishment, Your Highness.”
Baron Shaban slightly wavered, but Bain paid him no mind as he escorted him out of the reception room.
“Your Highness, I will continue my report.”
Dehan followed Ikar as he left the room.
“It seems someone sent a fruit gift to Count Siren’s daughter using Baron Shaban’s name, and then sent a sapphire pendant to Princess Solti.”
“…”
“It appears the gifts were sent to the palace through multiple intermediaries, making them difficult to trace.”
It was likely done to make tracking more difficult.
It was reasonable to assume that the gifts were sent to harm Renev and the fake princess.
“Have we found the sender?”
At Ikar’s question, a playful smile crossed Dehan’s face.
“It was a bit challenging, but it turns out the one who sent the fruit to Count Siren’s daughter was the fake princess.”
Ikar narrowed his eyes and continued to stare at Dehan, as if urging him to continue.
“And the person who sent the gift to Princess Solti turned out to be Count Siren’s daughter.”
Ikar’s eyes widened slightly.
“Count Siren’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“How strange.”
Ikar’s eyes narrowed.
“I agree, Your Highness.”
Ikar had previously harbored doubts about the relationship between Renev and the fake princess.
He had immediately initiated an investigation but found no connection between the two.
Yet why would they manifest animosity towards each other? It made no sense.
“Your Highness, do you have plans to discuss this directly with Count Siren’s daughter?”
For once, Ikar and Dehan’s thoughts seemed to align…
“If there’s no other way to find out indirectly, then I must ask him directly.”
“It seems I have no choice but to meet with the Duke of Seiren.”
“In that case, I’ll send a servant to arrange the meeting.”
Dahan bowed slightly and turned when Ikar spoke up.
“Dahan, what did you say was the fruit that came as a gift for the Duke of Seiren?”
“It was Ppeshi, Your Highness.”
In Bashuker, unlike in Paradium, Ppeshi was not a common fruit.
However, thinking it could harm Renab, the mere sight of it became repulsive.
“From now on, Ppeshi is to be prohibited from entering the palace.”
He was not unaware of the sacrifices made by guests who were staying in Bashuker for the sake of peace between the two nations.
Therefore, the intention was to ensure the safety of the guests during their stay in Bashuker.
Especially more so if it was Renab who voluntarily came to Bashuker.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“It’s been a long time, madam. I came to see you because there’s something I’d like to consult with you about.”
The Duchess of Dürenburg was somehow unnerved by the sight of Princess Solty, who was smiling as brilliantly as a blooming flower.
However, since the princess had been relying on her, which wasn’t all that bad, she maintained her smile.
“I’m really curious what you would want to consult with me about.”
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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