“Your Grace, I do not understand. Why would the prince plant another observer?”
“Isn’t it simple? Either he doesn’t trust me, or he has begun to doubt me.”
“What could have prompted this?”
“Well… the conclusion is, Prince Tesler was a cleverer predator than I thought.”
Thinking of Prince Tesler’s signature sly smile, Duke Martins frowned deeply.
“Who could be the spy passing information to the Chateau Neil royal family?”
“It’s not important who the person is, it’s more important to consider what the prince is planning to entrust to him.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“The prince could order the spy to poison someone depending on the situation, or he could even permit him to hire assassins. That’s what I mean.”
“Who is he planning to harm? Surely not Her Majesty the Empress?”
Viscount Rolf took a step closer to Duke Martins with a surprised expression.
“An uncooperative hunting dog needs to be killed before the hunt ends.”
“But what did Her Majesty do wrong? She merely became the proxy empress under Prince Tesler’s command.”
Viscount Rolf poured out his complaints about Prince Tesler as if he were Zelda’s escort knight.
“Wrong? Yes, there is.”
“What wrong?”
“The crime of being a thorn in Emperor Rinell’s eye.”
Duke Martins thought of Zelda’s bright pink eyes and spoke bitterly.
“But, that’s… Sigh, what will Your Grace do then? Will you just watch?”
“I’ll have to redraw the board.”
Duke Martins said, patting Viscount Rolf’s shoulder.
“Prince Tesler seems to not trust me, so I’m thinking of meeting his expectations.”
“How so?”
“Well? I’ll have to think about that.”
“Yes, Your Grace, I will follow whatever decision you make.”
Viscount Rolf pledged his loyalty by pounding his right fist over his heart.
“Thank you. Doesn’t it seem more realistic to dream of seizing one country, rather than seizing the entire northern continent?”
“That… You mean…!”
As Duke Martins asked in a serious voice, Viscount Rolf grasped his intention and sucked in his breath.
Duke Martins was a cousin of Prince Tesler.
If Prince Tesler were to abdicate or die without an heir, Duke Martins, a member of the royal family, would have the right to succeed the throne.
“I guess I have one more thing to snatch away.”
In Duke Martins’ mind, Zelda and the sight of the Chateau Neil palace rose simultaneously.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]Before returning to the Imperial Palace, I had showered in the bathroom attached to the main bedroom.
During that time, Sharon had entered the bedroom, holding a threetiered tray in her hands.
“What’s that?”
“Chief Steward brought it personally.”
“Stian?”
“Yes, he said it’s at your command… and he also passed on a message.”
“What did he say?”
I asked, looking at the food arranged on the threetiered tray.
It was too much for one person.
“He said if you do not eat breakfast, he will not let you return to the Empress’s palace.”
Sharon put the tray on the table, mimicking Rinell’s voice.
“He’s getting better at threatening.”
It was a lovely threat.
Sharon chuckled at my words.
I had no appetite this morning, what to do?
But to return to the Empress’s palace, I had to finish the dishes he had sent.
“Sharon, is the Chief Steward still outside?”
“Yes, he is standing outside with both feet firmly planted on the ground. I think he’s waiting to check the tray and see if Her Majesty has finished breakfast.”
“It’s His Majesty’s command, right?”
“Hehe, I think so too.”
“Sollie and Theresa are outside too, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Tell them to come in.”
Sharon went out to the bedroom as per my instructions, soon bringing Sollie and Theresa in.
“You called, Your Majesty.”
“Do you have orders, Your Majesty?”
Sollie and Theresa asked, looking somewhat tense.
“Yep, everyone, come here.”
I gathered the three maids in front of the breakfast table.
They exchanged glances, slowly approaching with faces that didn’t understand what was happening.
“Do we… did we do something wrong…?”
Sharon asked cautiously on behalf of everyone.
“No, what could you possibly do wrong to me? I called you here because I need help.”
“What do you need? Just say it.”
“Yes, we will even run through fire for you!”
“I will go with you too!”
They spoke with the same enthusiasm as knights about to embark on a journey.
“That’s all well and good… but you shouldn’t just jump into danger. Your body will burn, and you’ve never experienced that pain before, that’s probably why you’re speaking so lightly.”
Of course, they wouldn’t know how horrible that feels.
Only someone who has gone through it, like me, can understand that sensation.
But despite their hesitation, they all chorused, “We will still jump in!”
I smiled pleasantly at their fiery loyalty and got to the point.
“Not to diverge, but I would like you to carry out the queen’s orders with me.”
I spoke seriously, scanning the many plates laid out before me.
They followed my gaze to the plates and blinked in surprise.
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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