Once hailed as the leading candidate for the imperial throne, Prince Orent, the Second Prince, lost everything in an instant and plummeted into the abyss.
The Emperor did not spare him just because he was a direct member of the royal family.
In the end, it was declared that Duke Hamilton acted alone in his crimes, saving Orent’s life.
But that was all he could save; he lost everything else.
He lost his father, his royal status, his health deteriorated in prison leading to hair loss, and he lost Cedric as well.
The hair loss happened while he slept, a sneaky act by Prince Anselot, but Orent, unaware, thought it was a hereditary condition from his father.
Losing Cedric was more devastating. Cedric, his aide, was his greatest asset, the one who had provided the means to procure the hornpipe for Orent and Duke Hamilton.
But as soon as they were captured by the Emperor’s soldiers, Cedric disappeared without a trace.
It was obvious; faced with impending punishment, he fled the Empire to save himself.
“Luibell, that foolish girl! If she hadn’t come up with her mother and mentioned the hornpipe that day!”
Orent failed to recognize his own wrongdoings, instead blaming all his misfortunes on Luibell.
Hearing that Luibell was participating in the martial arts tournament and had advanced to the finals infuriated him even more.
“I cannot be the only one to fall like this.”
Determined not to die alone, Orent managed to escape his guards and create chaos in the arena.
“I’ll destroy everything! You and this damned Empire!”
Orent pulled something from his pocket.
The knights rushing to apprehend him recognized the object in his hand and were horrified.
“That’s…!”
“It’s a demonic suppression binding orb! Everyone be careful!”
“Damn, catch the ex-crown prince!”
Orent hurled the orb towards the arena. However, in his haste to avoid the knights, he missed his aim, and the dark energy orb flew towards the spectator stands instead.
“Screams erupted as Luibell, with the speed of light, dashed towards the stands.
Klaus, who had been focused on Luibell, quickly grasped the situation and followed her.
“Princess Luibell…!”
And then—
Bang!
An explosion turned everything pitch black.
Rewinding time to a few days before the final day of the martial arts tournament.
The day Luibell handed Klaus the proposal ring, confessing, “Become my knight!” and ran away from him, she noticed a familiar name on her mini-map – .
Stripped of his royal status, his surname ‘Ajester’ was gone from his name.
“Why is someone who is to be sent to a monastery in two weeks roaming here?”
Suspicious, she tracked his movements. Orent stopped at the dark guild merchant.
“Without his assets, he wouldn’t be able to buy much there…”
Then she remembered a marketing tactic used at the dark guild merchant – additional rewards for ranking first in exchanging the ‘Worn Hornpipe’.
“It’s a kind of marketing! If you achieve first rank, we give an extra reward of a demonic suppression binding orb!”
“A demonic suppression binding orb? Isn’t that sold in regular weapon shops?”
“Of course, ours is different. The one we give is an S-grade item that ensures permanent binding unless the orb is broken.”
Demonic suppression binding orbs were magical orbs used against multiple demons.
The demonic suppression binding orb was a tool that engulfed demons, confining them in another space for a certain period. Naturally, using it on people was illegal.
It wasn’t a particularly interesting reward to me, so I didn’t give it much thought.
“Did he go to get that? But what would he use it for?”
Orent, who had been dealing with demons at the borders, might have used these orbs several times, but now he was a deposed prince.
“I don’t think Orent’s character would just quietly leave the palace…”
I wondered if he might be sharpening his blade even now. Orent, a cowardly man, wouldn’t dare confront our powerful mother, so his blade would be aimed at me, the weaker one.
And, in anger, use the binding orb…
“Nah, he wouldn’t do that.”
I tried to reassure myself out loud, but soon silence returned.
“……”
Whether Duke Hamilton acted alone was never confirmed, but Orent had already done unspeakable things at the border.
For his own fame, he overlooked people getting hurt and killed. Now, having nothing more to lose, would he quietly leave the palace?
This sudden doubt made me pay attention to Orent’s movements since that day.
“If Orent really tries to harm me with the binding orb, do not attempt to save me,” I told Anselot, sharing my observations of Orent’s suspicious behavior.
Anselot raised an eyebrow, asking for an explanation.
“If I’m trapped in the binding orb, we’ll need someone outside to find and break it.”
Touching the orb prematurely could trap them in another space along with me. So, if Orent tried to attack me with the orb, the best course of action would be to wait until the orb settled down after engulfing me and then break it.
“It would be easier to eliminate him before he causes trouble.”
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.
Link to read
