Duke Martins nodded slightly in acknowledgment and spoke again.
“But you look tired. Is something bothering you?”
“A bit.”
With a furrowed brow, Prince Norton splashed his face with water using one hand.
“How was it to meet the princess again?”
Duke Martins asked as if probing.
“The same. The problem is… whether the princess knows about that day or not, I don’t know.”
“If the princess is unaware of what happened that day, what difference would it make? As I mentioned in the letter, Princess Lyselia aims to become the new Empress of the Raphion Empire.”
“Did Prince Tesler say that? Does the princess share the same thoughts?”
Duke Martins found the question from Prince Norton to be complicated.
“Of course.”
The Duke strengthened his voice, as if it were an obvious answer.
Prince Norton remained silent.
For a moment, the prince, who had been gazing into the air, turned his attention back to Duke Martins. A scar on the Duke’s right cheek caught his eye, leading him to change the subject.
“But… Duke, what’s with the scar on your face? Did it happen when you went to meet Prince Tesler?”
“It’s a welcoming gesture from the prince.”
Duke Martins casually replied with a smile, but a bitter undertone lingered in his laughter.
“Well, what did you talk about with the prince? You must have mentioned me, of course.”
“Yes. Rather than being surprised that the mercenary we thought was dead is alive, he was more shocked to learn that the mercenary is the prince of the Parsha Empire on the Southern Continent.”
“Was there no mention of that day’s incident?”
“That day? Ah, the day when the princess betrayed and recklessly followed the royal knights?”
Duke Martins emphasized, deliberately probing.
In case Prince Norton’s feelings were starting to waver upon seeing Princess Leselia – if that were the case, the situation needed to be reassessed.
Unless Princess Leselia had directly pushed Prince Norton off the cliff, Prince Norton’s vengeful spirit couldn’t be one hundred percent trusted.
Especially when earlier, the eyes of Prince Norton, filled with some inexplicable affection, met his when the topic of Princess Leselia came up.
“Did you ask the princess about it?”
“I did.”
Prince Norton had openly questioned her about that day’s events in his chambers earlier.
‘Oh my, such a dreadful incident happened?! Tell Father immediately and have those knights pushed off the cliff in the same way! Thank you for surviving such an ordeal, Norton. And for protecting our son… I love you.’
Princess Leselia expressed apologies, tears welling in her eyes. Having received the apology, Prince Norton collapsed onto the bed together with her. The princess’s face, seen from the bed after a long time, remained beautiful. Reflecting on Princess Leselia, who hadn’t let him go and held him close, Prince Norton responded to the Duke.
“The princess didn’t know.”
“Do you believe her?”
“Well…”
“You don’t just want to believe it like that?”
Duke Martins changed the question.
“…”
Instead of denying it, Prince Norton remained silent. When Duke Martins poured wine for the prince, he raised his wine glass and spoke again.
“The reason you turned your back on Prince Tesler, it seems I haven’t heard that yet.”
‘You think I can’t trust only you? It’s just as suspicious.’
Prince Norton thought silently while looking at Duke Martins, who was smiling innocently.
“I am a savvy trader engaged in the trading business, and I am quick to adapt to changing situations. However, I value trust more than anything else.”
“Does that mean the prince broke the trust first?”
“Some things are worth more than profit when they result in a loss. Well, once or twice is acceptable. Losses are inevitable in business. However, if trust is broken, further transactions become difficult. Even if it brings me immediate benefits, sooner or later, trouble will arise.”
While the words were spoken gently, Duke Martins’ gaze was as stern as ever.
“That’s a valid point.”
Prince Norton agreed with the Duke’s opinion as he sipped his wine.
“Here in the royal palace, there are eyes and ears I didn’t even know about… reasons for the breakdown of trust with Prince Tesler.”
“Trust was fragile to begin with, so it’s been a long time.”
Duke Martins lowered his voice as he spoke.
Duke Martins touched the scar on his face caused by Prince Tesler with his hand.
“So, you found out who the hidden hunting dog of the prince is?”
Prince Norton asked, leaning forward.
“Yes.”
“Someone? That spy…”
As I and Lionel exited the banquet hall, the steward had our horses ready outside.
“Stian, take care of the horse the Empress rode. She will go with me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Is it okay?”
He extended his hand to me and asked.
Already having given orders to the steward, asking for my consent afterward seems unnecessary.
I smiled and took his hand.
“Yes, of course.”
He helped me speak first, then gently settled behind me with a slight and graceful movement. I felt reassurance in his hand holding the reins and his strong arms.
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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