“Now is the time to divorce the princess.”
It was what Herdin had expected.
“It was never fitting for you to be His Majesty’s match from the start. To bring in the daughter of the enemy who killed the late Empress as the mistress of Delmark…”
“That’s right. It was an unreasonable thing from the beginning. How tormented the late Empress must be, buried underground.”
They spoke assuming that Katrina was responsible for Esmeralda’s death, as they had done from before this incident happened. It was already like that even before this incident. The rumors only fueled the fire.
As their voices gradually became louder, Ruth, who had been listening to the conversation next to them, cautiously intervened.
“I apologize for interrupting the conversation, but there’s something I hope you all understand.”
Then the elders seemed to think that Ruth, who was a loyal retainer, would join their side, so they invited him into the conversation.
“Right, you have something to say too.”
“That’s correct. As an advisor, you have the right to speak.”
Ruth hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I agree with what you’re saying, but Her Excellency disagrees with the intentions of the late Empress. She is making efforts to uncover the memories of the fire at the Empress’s palace ten years ago. This is not a rumor; it’s a fact.”
While intellectually agreeing with their words, Ruth felt uneasy as it seemed to reveal animosity towards Blair.
However, when Ruth, who they naturally thought would be on their side, expressed a different opinion, the elders frowned as if they didn’t like it.
“Well, any grateful person should do that! She was even considered a daughter by the Empress of tranquility. If you’re going to say such things, then get out.”
“Anyway, it’s not too late. It’s rather fortunate. What if she had conceived the bloodline of Delmark before this?”
Herdin chuckled as he heard their words.
Fortunately…
Is it really fortunate?
He cut off his contemplation and asked sarcastically. Although he heard a weak elder coughing from the elders, he ignored it.
Ruth subtly watched Herdin’s reaction.
Herdin was listening to the elders’ noisy remarks without interrupting them, but Ruth knew from years of experience.
When Herdin closed his mouth like that, he was usually preparing for a ruthless action.
“Your Highness, please take advantage of this situation to request a divorce from Her Majesty. And this time, bring in a quiet and virtuous lady to establish Delmark’s prestige.”
Herdin, while letting the words of the elders pass through one ear, keenly felt anew.
There is no one on Blair’s side.
The courtiers of the imperial family shouted that she plotted against her mother and her sister with a man, and the retainers of Delmark were dissatisfied because they couldn’t bring out the daughter of their enemy.
Even though he didn’t know who spread the rumor, it precisely and skillfully targeted Blair.
Whether standing by the imperial family or standing by Delmark, in the end, she could only become a scapegoat.
Then he realized.
I hoped that a mere eleven-year-old child could endure such things. I wished she would fight against everyone as an enemy.
Even now, at twenty-one, she is still so small and weak.
Only now do I realize that my childhood hatred toward her was just my forced resentment.
The fact that the hatred was actually directed at my powerless self, unable to do anything.
“Your Highness! Are you listening?”
The elders’ voices broke through his thoughts.
Herdin, with a cynical smile, opened his mouth with a voice filled with weariness.
“So, are your words suggesting that we should use a wife only until the injustice of the late Empress is resolved, then send her back to the imperial family?”
“It’s not an easy task to bring the enemy’s daughter as the lady of the house.”
“Afterwards, what treatment she will receive from her family is not our concern, right? She has to become the lady of Delmark as your granddaughter.”
Herdin’s voice, saying so, was extremely dry, but his sharp words were cutting.
“Well, if you belittle our loyalty like that…”
“Loyalty, well, I don’t know. But I do understand your love for your granddaughter.”
With a face exuding weariness and sensuality, Herdin stood up from his seat.
“That’s enough for today. If you come unannounced like this again, I’ll have you wait outside, so keep that in mind.”
While the elders were speechless and muttering, Herdin turned and left the reception room. At the same time, he encountered Blair passing through the corridor.
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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