Dietrich stormed into the council chamber. Duke Tailo was so startled that he licked his lips.
“Why, why are you here……”
“Is this a place I shouldn’t come to?”
With a poker face, Dietrich tilted his head slightly. His indifferent gaze grazed over the faces of the councilors who avoided meeting his eyes.
“Did you just call me ‘sir’? Duke.”
Dietrich stepped into the council chamber. Every step he took caused the sword at his waist to reflect on the chandelier above, emanating a sharp light.
Although the sword was sheathed, it wouldn’t have been strange if Dietrich drew it and turned the council chamber into a sea of blood right then and there.
“…Duke Calypso.”
Finally, Duke Tailo backed down. After all, Dietrich held the title of Duke, and he controlled the military power of the palace.
Even though the title of Duke was a mere formality, like the three Dukes having the right to appoint themselves, the fact that he was the commander of the royal knights hadn’t changed.
“What brings you to the council chamber, Your Grace? You must be busy.”
Though they feared Dietrich, the councilors did not hide their discomfort. After all, Dietrich was their biggest enemy that should be removed as a top priority.
Dietrich despised beating around the bush. He got straight to the point for coming here.
“I was curious about the councilors’ opinions on the woman who assassinated the Emperor.”
Seamlessly, Dietrich took a seat at the head of the council table. The act was as natural as water flowing.
“How can we let that woman live? This is clearly an act of deceiving the royal family.”
A councilor loudly voiced his opinion.
What he said aimed to criticize Dietrich’s current actions—to blame him for not killing Seliya and keeping her alive.
Dietrich’s gaze turned towards the face of the councilor who had just spoken.
“The deception is what you all are doing right now.”
The councilors were taken aback by Dietrich’s blunt words.
“Wha, what did you just say?”
“I prepared the funeral for the assassinated Emperor, and I’m also the one who imprisoned the woman who assassinated him.”
Dietrich paused and scanned the faces of each councilor in the room. Every councilor present seemed like a snake, eagerly wanting to devour him.
Not a single one was an exception. If it weren’t for the backing of the three Dukes, Dietrich would have long ago killed these nuisances interfering with his plans.
Dietrich’s lips parted as he looked at the visages of the high-ranking nobles with an indifferent face.
“What have the nobles ever accomplished?”
“!”
The nobles’ jaws trembled at the insult.
“Why do you insult us when you asked for our opinions?”
“…Opinion?”
Dietrich let out a derisive snort. With eyes showing no mirth, he raised one side of his lips and added,
“Since when has a loaded accusation been called an opinion?”
The nobles, feeling exposed, avoided Dietrich’s gaze by pretending to look elsewhere.
Dietrich found the nobles pitiable. They happily slandered him behind his back, yet were tongue-tied in front of him.
“I hear whispers outside the palace asking to release Seliya Brillion’s angel. I cannot ignore that as one who serves.”
“!”
The nobles’ eyes quivered. What Dietrich was saying implied that he would spare Seliya.
Duke Tailo stepped forward.
“Are you saying you would cover up the crimes of the woman who tried to assassinate the emperor?”
“…Crimes?”
Dietrich looked down at the duke with dry eyes.
“If there are crimes, they lie with those trying to take advantage using the Emperor’s death. Perhaps you know, whether someone within the palace used her to assassinate the emperor.”
“Your Highness! Are you suspecting me?”
“I didn’t say who, Duke.”
Dietrich rose from his seat. The flushed face of Duke Tailo came into Dietrich’s view.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
Without any regrets, Dietrich left the assembly. The room he left was filled with nobles cursing Dietrich.
Dietrich had not been able to provide food for Seliya for two days.
Busy with the Emperor’s funeral, he had not even had a moment to close his eyes.
He was concerned about Seliya even while he was working. She wouldn’t starve to death in two days, but it was difficult to distinguish between day and night in the underground dungeon.
Two days could feel like a week to a prisoner.
The reason Dietrich visited the assembly as soon as the funeral was over was to publicly announce that he would not kill Seliya.
Many men outside the palace admired her. Men who had seen Seliya even once, or who had a history of courting her, were desperately trying to save her.
Dietrich found them fascinating. The idea that he could love the woman known as Brillion’s angel so deeply.
Didn’t know? That’s all just talk made up by fools.
However, it seemed Seliya disliked men who loved her. A fleeting look of disdain seemed to pass by.
As she said, men who were bound by unrequited love appeared pathetic in Dietrich’s eyes.
‘Well, it works out for me.’
Thanks to that, he felt he could soon get Seliya out of prison.
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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