Meanwhile, at Duke Artem’s mansion, Rose and the Duke were having breakfast together.
“Yesterday, I went out early in the morning and didn’t come back until it was pitch-dark in the evening.”
He glanced at Rose with a hint of hesitation. Was the time spent with her enjoyable? The Duke, who found Rose coming in late last night, was quite concerned about it.
“Are you intentionally not telling me what you did with that outsider last night?”
The Duke still believed that Rose liked him, and he, too, was gradually developing positive feelings toward her.
He had no doubt that their emotions were reciprocated.
Unaware of his one-sided affection, he continued the one-sided romantic interest with Rose.
“If it were me, I wouldn’t do things that make the other person worry.”
A strangely hurtful feeling crept in.
Rose, enjoying her breakfast by spreading cheese on bread while humming, was unaware of the Duke’s feelings.
“Gwen said he recognizes the architect, so I only need to focus on my meeting with the princess.”
Eating a large bite of the bread, Rose slowly raised her head to tell the Duke about yesterday’s events.
Then, she met the Duke’s chillingly frozen face.
“…Scary.”
Today, the Duke’s mood felt particularly low-pressure.
Rose blinked her eyes awkwardly as she gazed at the Duke.
“Did I make a mistake or something?”
Somehow, it felt like the Duke’s bad mood was because of her. Although slow to catch on to romantic cues, Rose had been good at reading unnecessary moods.
Despite this, she showed an awkward smile with a feeling of not spitting on a smiling face.
Whether Rose’s smile worked or not, the Duke slowly opened his tightly sealed lips.
“Did you have fun yesterday? Your face doesn’t show a smile.”
The Duke’s voice was notably cold.
“Oh, yes.”
Rose awkwardly nodded in response to the Duke’s words.
‘What? Did I enjoy it? With that guy?’
She hoped Rose would deny it, but Rose’s response was, “It was enjoyable.”
The Duke was furious internally. How could she not know his feelings?
The Duke’s expression stiffened more than before. The dining room was filled with a chilly atmosphere.
As Rose and the Duke locked eyes, it felt eerie, as if walking on thin ice.
Rose, fidgeting with her fingers, cautiously opened her mouth.
“I signed a contract for the department store… in the Artem Estate.”
At the mention of the ‘Artem Estate,’ the Duke’s eyebrows twitched.
‘I thought she knew how to purchase property in the capital.’
The Artem Estate was an insignificant piece of land. The Duke felt concerned about Rose buying such land.
‘Perhaps the guy who was with Rose yesterday, he might be a swindler.’
A person with common sense wouldn’t think of building a large shopping center in the Artem Estate.
‘If he deceived Rose… I’ll gladly twist his neck.’
The Duke looked at Rose with sharp eyes, tightly gripping the spoon he held. With a clattering sound, the cutlery in the Duke’s hand folded weakly.
Quickly hiding the utensils under the table and using magic, the Duke restored the cutlery as if nothing had happened. Nonchalantly, he held the spoon again and sipped the soup.
“To purchase land in the Artem Estate, what were you thinking?” It was a question born out of concern, but it didn’t seem that way to Rose. In her eyes, the Artem Duke seemed as if he were scolding her for daring to waste his money.
Rose calmly expressed her opinion to the Duke. “I thought the Artem Estate was the most suitable site. This place is a hub for transportation and trade. Considering its future value, it was a rational choice.”
She briefly summarized what she had told Gwen for the Duke. However, the Duke’s expression remained unchanged.
“Even so, it seems like an unreasonable gamble.”
Observing the Duke’s still stern expression, Rose thought she needed to tell a more satisfying story.
There’s a saying, “Put on boots and come out after changing shoes.” Developing the Artem Estate wasn’t only good for the Duke.
Rose could also achieve favorable results for her investment, making it a mutually beneficial arrangement.
“I thought it would be even better if we could turn the Artem Estate into a self-sufficient city. That way, it would be helpful for you as well, Your Grace.”
Of course, it would also be beneficial for Rose herself.
The Duke’s pupils momentarily shook at Rose’s words. ‘To help me… She seems to like me quite a bit.’
Although spoken as part of the negotiation, it didn’t sound that way to him.
The corners of the Duke’s mouth went up with a smirk. He tried to hide his laughter and replied dryly, “Yes, you are a very clever person.”
Trying to grasp both business and love at once.
‘She truly is an interesting woman.’
Blushing at the Duke’s praise, Rose scratched her cheek as if feeling embarrassed.
‘It’s not like all this knowledge originated from my head; I’m just applying modern knowledge.’
It felt strangely uncomfortable, as if all the knowledge was stubbornly stuck in her head.
‘Getting treated as a genius for the first time in my life isn’t bad at all.’
When Rose shyly smiled, Nervan, the butler who had been watching, muttered in a chilly voice.
“…To be conceited about living like a parasite.”
Hearing Nervan’s voice, Rose briefly doubted her ears. Judging by the Duke’s expression, he seemed to have missed hearing Nervan’s muttering.
She turned her head to look at Nervan standing behind her.
“What? What did you just say?”
Could it be… Nervan’s words… directed at me?
Rose blinked her eyes, waiting for his response. Nervan, with deep-set golden eyes, gazed at Rose without a word. Then, as if nothing happened, he closed his eyes and kindly spoke.
“Oh, I was just talking to myself. Lately, Pin has been suffering from an infection by parasites, causing quite a bit of trouble. Parasites that suck the nutrients from others… They should all disappear.”
Nervan’s eyes, folded like a crescent moon, showed no sign of vitality. His smirk as he spoke seemed somewhat unpleasant.
It felt as if the term ‘parasite’ he mentioned was somehow pointing at her.
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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