“This place is only accessible to the royal family.”
Currently, there was only one other woman in the royal family besides Sephia.
The princess, a red fox beastkin named Ludien, famous for her fiery red hair since childhood.
However, Ludien had left the country after marrying a foreign dignitary before Sephia’s arrival in the beastkin empire.
Thus, at present, Sephia was the only woman in the royal family.
She thought this might require revealing her identity.
If that happened, the relaxed atmosphere would be impossible to maintain.
‘That’s a bit disappointing.’
Actually, more than just a bit.
As Sephia waited for his response, he said, “Then let’s keep it our secret.”
His golden eyes twinkled mischievously.
Watching his lips curve into a gentle smile, a thought crossed her mind.
Perhaps he was pretending not to know she was the Empress.
‘A strange feeling.’
Would it be weird if even that felt like a consolation?
It was a peculiarly comfortable and nostalgic sensation.
She felt slightly guilty about continuing the deception, but perhaps it was okay for now.
“Just this once then.”
“Yes, just this once. On my way here, I saw a place over there where the autumn leaves are beautifully colored.”
Roxan pointed to the opposite side of the lake.
Before she knew it, she was naturally strolling with him.
Reaching the spot he mentioned, they found the maple leaves brilliantly colored in yellows and reds.
‘Beautiful.’
While the weeping willow leaves swaying in the breeze were also lovely, this side definitely felt more vibrant.
Sephia stood next to him, admiring the autumn leaves.
There was no special conversation, but even the silence wasn’t awkward, helping to calm her previously restless heart.
Ssshhh.
Like a sudden shower, autumn leaves fluttered down in the wind.
She instinctively stretched out her hand but caught nothing.
Feeling a bit disappointed and looking down at her empty hand, a small red maple leaf landed on it.
Roxan had given it to her.
Turning towards him, their eyes met.
How long had he been watching her?
As their gazes locked, Roxan smiled. He confided, “Actually, I haven’t been in the capital for long. I’ve spent a long time on the battlefield.”
As Sephia had guessed, Roxan was indeed part of the expeditionary force.
The beastkin empire’s long history of warring with the barbarians was well-known.
The barbarians, a mix of beasts and humans devoid of reason and driven purely by instinct, had been a thorn in the empire’s side for centuries.
The one who finally ended this age-old war was Duke Leopold.
‘A whole decade.’
Having heard there were no reinforcements in between, Roxan must have also endured long years on the battlefield.
It was a war considered unwinnable from the start.
Yet, Duke Leopold managed to create a miracle in the wasteland.
Though victorious, not only the commander but also those under his command must have suffered immensely.
An indescribable length of time.
Sephia genuinely wanted to comfort him.
“You must have gone through a very tough time.”
“It would be a lie to say otherwise.”
His response was calm, but Sephia could guess the emotions it concealed.
Sephia, too, as the Empress, planned to celebrate the victory brought by the expeditionary force.
But for Roxan, she wanted to be helpful in a different way.
Her heart led the way.
Yet, how she could help him was unclear.
Then Roxan’s eyes softened.
“In that case, would you be willing to be my friend?”
“……Friend?”
Sephia was taken aback by the unexpected proposition, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Yes, it’s been quite lonely returning after such a long time without knowing anyone.”
That made sense.
It had been over ten years since he had left the capital.
‘Friend…’
Sephia, too, had no one she could call a friend.
Her first and last playmate, Demios, had become her husband, and no one in her homeland or in the beastkin empire had ever offered friendship.
An existence she thought would be forever absent from her life.
Suddenly her heart fluttered.
‘Would it be okay?’
Although neither of them had fully opened up to each other yet, she felt it might be alright.
It was purely instinctive.
“Okay.”
“It’s an honor.”
He bowed deeply, offering an exaggerated greeting that made her laugh.
“But, shouldn’t we start by asking who we are, rather than asking to be friends first?”
She was willing to answer if he asked.
And she wanted to know about him too.
‘Even if he already knew.’
It could be that he was using her status for his own purposes.
But she wanted to trust him just this once.
Unlike their first meeting, now Sephia was the one asking about Roxan.
Perhaps he liked that part. His eyes sparkled.
He was about to answer when…
“My goodness, isn’t that the Empress?”
A voice came from beyond the bushes.
Looking over, she saw Titie under a parasol, watching them.
‘Why is Titie here?’
This place was a secluded part of the Empress’ palace grounds.
There was no reason for Titie to be here.
Sephia glanced at Roxan reflexively.
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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