In order not to collapse from the corset, Rayna was too busy groaning to notice that the Duchess’s gaze was different from usual.
“……”
The Duchess still hadn’t made her final decision, looking at the maid in front of her.
The Duchess opened her mouth from behind Rayna, who was holding onto the bedpost and groaning.
“Do you know that Lord Arthur has returned?”
“Eugh, yes… Yes……”
Breathing heavily due to the corset, Rayna barely managed to respond.
Was there anyone in the empire who didn’t know that he had returned?
Ever since a month ago, the temple’s newsletter, the guild’s newspaper, and all sorts of news bulletins had been broadcasting his activities every day.
“Oof.”
Mrs. Hurst suddenly covered her face with a towel soaked in hot water.
It’s hot!
Her scream disappeared into the towel.
Then, another wet towel was scrubbed against her hair.
Next, a hot hair iron approached, emitting heat.
“……!”
Her neck shrank at the threatening heat approaching her skin, and goosebumps rose on her spine.
Wait, wait a minute! It’s hot, it’s scary!
The Duchess’s voice continued from behind.
“You’d better tell Lord Arthur that we’re not in trouble if you want to live. If it’s revealed that you were impersonating Christina before, it’s going to be a huge problem for both of us. Especially for you, you won’t be safe at all. You’re smart, so I assume you know that.”
……?
For a moment, she thought she was being asked to serve as Miss’s maid, but she immediately realized that was impossible.
Rayna’s face turned thoughtful as she finally understood what the Duchess was saying.
What does that mean? Who am I supposed to talk to?
“Pardon?”
Startled, Rayna turned her head and looked at the atmosphere between Mrs. Hurst and the Duchess.
So, the mention of Lord Arthur’s return earlier…
The Duchess coldly looked down at Rayna.
It wasn’t hard to realize that Lord Arthur’s return, which she thought was at least ten days away, had now become an immediate crisis.
And she also knew what the command just given to her was.
Rayna was flustered, but she politely and cautiously responded.
“Ma, Madam. Isn’t it time for the real Miss Christina to step forward? Lord Arthur has now returned as a fullfledged General of the Empire, and the royal family is offering a huge reward.”
The Duchess did not reply.
Rayna continued hesitantly.
“Th, That much… I think he’s worthy of being the soninlaw of the Duchy… What if something gets messed up because I go out there…”
The current him was no longer the old Lord Arthur.
Even if they were the powerful Duchy, they couldn’t handle him carelessly or brush off his mistakes anymore.
The most modest expression used to describe him in the newsletter was ‘the rising star of the royal family’.
Although it wasn’t directly stated, even the royal family indirectly acknowledged him as a fullfledged member of the royal family by expressing their joy over the ‘brotherly affection’.
In other words, he was no longer someone they could sneak a maid in as a standin.
But why?
Even if they tried their best to hide the past, it wouldn’t be enough, so why me?
“Ma, Madam.”
She was young back then and didn’t know any better, so she went along with it, but now she knew enough to understand that if she got tangled up in this, she could be in serious trouble.
She didn’t want to get involved anymore.
Just a celebrity that she’s somewhat associated with.
Someone who she could feel unjustifiably proud of when hearing the news of his success…
She sincerely did not want the distance to get any closer than that.
However, the Duchess who had been silent, finally opened her tightly closed mouth.
“……It seems like he may have noticed.”
Before she could even ask who ‘he’ was, the Duchess’s voice changed.
“Or are you lying to me? You said he didn’t realize that you weren’t Christina!”
Startled, Rayna repeated the answer she had been giving for the past month every time she was called in.
“Of course. You must not have noticed at the time… I did as you ordered…”
She anxiously recalled her past memories in a hurry.
However, before she could think further, the sharp voice of the Duchess pierced into her ears.
“Why the hell does that bastard look at Christina and say she’s not my wife!”
Iris was startled and held her breath.
‘…Did Sir Arien say that?’
Her heart dropped.
The possibility that Sir Arien realized he was married to a fake bride and would take issue with it was frightening to Iris.
That marriage was a contract with the royal family.
What they had done was deceive the royal family.
Everyone involved could be executed if the issue was raised.
Then, Madam Hurst, who had served three Duchesses while protecting the mansion for fifty years, turned Iris around again and spoke to the Duchess.
“Was it because Iris was caught? Why would there be a commotion now when there wasn’t five years ago? I would be angry and want to raise it as a problem too if I had been covering it up for five years.”
At Madam Hurst’s straight words, the Duchess of the world was speechless.
Madam Hurst’s mouth did not stop.
“So, make up your mind after you’re sure he’s dead. Send proper supplies when you hear the news of him setting up his station. How can it not be unfair? I told you this could be a problem, that it wasn’t right.”
Iris almost chimed in because the words were too correct.
However, seeing the terrifying expression of the Duchess, Iris quickly managed her expression.
The Duchess, who couldn’t do anything to Hurst, the respected elder of the mansion who received the affection of the Lady, instead glared at Iris and raised her fanwielding hand.
“You…!”
She reflexively shrunk her shoulders.
But the expected slap didn’t fall.
The Duchess, with her veins popping in her hand, trembled and turned around with gritted teeth.
“… Be ready. If this matter is resolved well, I will make sure your grandmother is not disappointed. You understand that if things go wrong, neither you nor your grandmother will be safe?”
And the Duchess left the room without waiting for Iris’s response.
Bang!
“…”
Iris stared blankly at the closed door, answering the Duchess who couldn’t hear.
“…Yes, whatever.”
A strong hand busily tied a ribbon to her dress.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
