Furthermore, isn’t he in the middle of taking off his shirt now? Rosé felt embarrassed in many ways.
If only he would say something.
After fiddling with her fingers for a long time, Rosé quietly called out to the duke.
“Um, Your Grace.”
The clear voice of Rosé echoed in the ears of the duke, who had been staring at her without any movement for a while.
And at the same time, as if a spell had been lifted, everything returned to normal.
The noisy sound of the clock hands, and even the rustling curtains.
As if nothing had happened, the flow of time returned to the way it was.
“Are you alright?”
Rosé asked the duke once more.
“You’ve been holding your chest for a while now. Is something bothering you?”
The duke’s fingers, which were clutching his chest, twitched. He smoothly lowered his hand and replied nonchalantly as if nothing was wrong.
“I’m fine.”
Although he still felt uncomfortable, it was just to that extent.
The duke walked over to the sofa on the opposite side of Rosé and flopped down. He was still not wearing a shirt, but he didn’t seem to care.
But Rosé was different.
She was bothered that he was undressing his shirt in front of her.
Such a handsome face and a good body, too.
‘This is unfair.’
She even thought that the main character of this novel might not be the scoundrel Eric, but Duke Artem.
Her hot face was not fully covered by her hands. Rosé couldn’t bring herself to lower her hands and kept peeking at the duke.
The duke, who had been sitting on the sofa nonchalantly, finally noticed.
That Rosé was feeling uncomfortable at his appearance.
‘Receiving a guest while being naked is not good manners.’
He looked down at his body once and spoke softly to Rosé.
“I’ll go get dressed.”
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“You need to change public opinion, Your Grace.”
The duke, who had put on his clothes in no time, silently listened to her words as he faced Rosé.
“Do you know what kind of reputation you have, Your Grace?”
Rosé cautiously spoke to the duke.
“I’m well aware that I’m infamous. I made it that way.”
Rosé nodded in relief at the sight of the duke, who had a good grasp of his situation.
If he knew his place, the conversation would go quickly. Without the need for unnecessary words, they could save time.
“That’s right. You, Your Grace, have been labeled as the problematic one of the royal family, the madman of the north, and the slaughterer of the empire.”
Each of Rosé’s words hit the duke’s heart hard.
He knew his place, but it was his first time hearing such words in person.
Rosé’s words subtly irritated him, but he didn’t show it on the outside, only slightly furrowing his brows.
“I saw the execution plan for you in my husband’s study.”
“Damn those imperialists.”
The duke spat out a curse, reacting as if he had expected it.
They had finally crossed the line.
The duke and the imperialists had been walking a tightrope. It seemed the end was near.
“But… I didn’t get to see the specifics of the plan. My husband walked in the moment I found the documents.”
Despite Rosé’s words, Duke Artem didn’t show any signs of agitation.
It must be due to his confidence.
The duke was confident he wouldn’t fall for such a petty trick.
“But I can tell you one thing for certain. They are planning to execute you by using your notoriety.”
Rosé’s voice was full of certainty. She looked at the duke with unwavering eyes.
Because she remembered clearly how he met his death in the novel.
“I’ll save you. So that you won’t die.”
Save me…
The thought of Rosé bravely declaring that she would protect him with her delicate and frail body somehow made him smile.
“How many nobles are there who support you, Your Grace?”
“Your family, the Serviat family… and three other families remaining.”
Excluding them, everyone else had lost their lives.
Due to the merciless trap of the current emperor.
The duke and other noblemen stood on the graves of their friends and families.
They lost their children in front of their eyes, bid farewell to their parents. It was inevitable for them to find it difficult to live normally.
However, because it was a life that was preserved through the sacrifices of others, they could not die easily either.
They had managed to survive in this hellish life.
Even in the face of fierce provocation, they didn’t wield their swords against them but simply gritted their teeth.
Not because they were afraid of dying, but because they didn’t want to give up the life that they had protected in vain.
“Is the connection still there?”
The duke stared blankly at Rosé, who asked as if she was inquiring.
‘She says she will save me…… but I can’t fully trust her yet.’
Without realizing it, I had spilled the information, but it seemed that there was no further leak.
While the duke was certain that Rosé had feelings for him, it didn’t suit his nature to hand over all the information to her.
There was a possibility that Rosé might slip up somewhere else, and even the slightest thing could become a significant variable.
Duke Artem gazed at Rosé with a cool look in his eyes and raised his head. His torso, which had been leaning forward, gradually leaned back.
With a subdued look in his eyes, he skillfully changed the topic.
“By the way. Didn’t you ask me to lend you some money?”
At the sudden change of topic by the duke, Rosé was at a loss for words.
‘Ah……. He doesn’t fully trust me yet.’
Although she had gained a certain degree of trust, his faith in her was not complete.
Even though the problem that needed to be solved urgently was urgent, Rosé calmly caught her breath.
‘That’s right, there’s no need to think too hastily. If I push too hard here, I might only get a needless misunderstanding.’
Rosé hid her inner thoughts and smiled sweetly. Borrowing money was also a significant task for her.
The society of capitalism is dreadfully coldhearted. After the divorce, the one thing that she needed to stand alone was money.
“Don’t feel burdened and tell me. I owe my life to you, so I can pay any amount.”
Here it comes.
Gulp.
Rosé swallowed dry saliva in tension. Would the duke lend her the amount she wanted without hesitation?
Despite the duke’s relaxed expression when speaking, Rosé was extremely anxious.
The amount she was going to borrow was not a small sum of money.
Rosé murmured, pondering the duke’s words.
“Any amount……?”
The duke nodded lightly at Rosé’s words.
I wonder how much she wants that she’s looking at me like that.
‘I could easily give about 100 million res.’
The finances of the Duke Artem’s house were solid. There were no unnecessary expenses because he did not indulge in pleasures and luxury.
The duke maintained a relaxed expression, unable to even imagine how much Rosé would propose.
And soon his expression fell. Because the amount that she proposed exceeded the duke’s estimation.
“Please lend me 10 billion res.”
“…….”
Duke Artem was momentarily at a loss for words.
‘What did I just hear?’
He stared blankly at Rosé. Doubting his own ears.
Surely, it was surprising. 10 billion was a huge sum of money that an average person could not even touch in their lifetime.
The living expenses of the commoners were 1 million res per year.
The annual salary of an earl is 1 billion res.
So, Rosé is asking for a loan amounting to the living expenses of the commoners for 833 years,
And an amount equivalent to the salary of an earl for 10 years.
“You told me to tell you any amount. I, I can repay all that money.”
Rosé said cautiously, clenching her hands tightly. Rosé’s eyes filled with certainty sparkled brilliantly.
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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