The Villain Family Opposes Independence (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 7
From the start, Adenmir didn’t even believe the claim that Elodie had fallen for someone.
He had assumed it was merely another ploy to grab attention—but…
‘Beltran Locke Wilrent? He must be out of his mind.’
Did he even understand his own position? Surely the daughter of Duke Ferdia wouldn’t entertain such an absurd notion as pursuing the Second Imperial Prince.
Duke Ferdia certainly wouldn’t stand idly by—and neither would Adenmir.
Of all the young nobles swarming the capital, why did it have to be Beltran?
The Second Prince Beltran’s reputation with women was notorious.
It was rumored that among all the debutantes from noble families, there wasn’t a single lady he hadn’t at least briefly pursued.
And that wasn’t all—reports constantly poured in of him frequenting the pleasure district, stumbling around shamelessly drunk.
In short, Beltran was human trash.
If Elodie’s reason for seeking annulment was Beltran Locke Wilrent, Adenmir absolutely could not grant her request.
He wasn’t so heartless that he’d stand by and watch his fiancée willingly walk into a garbage bin.
Noticing Adenmir’s gaze fixed far into the distance, his attendants whispered among themselves before calling out to him.
“Your Highness? Are you listening to me?”
“Be quiet for a moment.”
“Y-yes… yes…”
Though they were too far away to make out the conversation, one thing was certain: Elodie was smiling as she replied to Beltran.
The more he saw this, the more firmly Adenmir resolved.
‘Annulment must never happen.’
For Elodie’s sake—and for himself and Duke Ferdia’s sake as well.
Precisely because he knew Beltran’s despicable character, it was his duty to protect Elodie from harm.
Yes, that was exactly it.
That was why he refused her request for annulment.
Having repeated this justification to himself over and over, Adenmir finally decided he could wait no longer.
Though the entire gathering would witness the confrontation between the First and Second Princes, separating Elodie from that man was far more urgent.
“I’ll be back shortly—”
The moment Adenmir took a step toward Elodie—
“…!”
Someone had already stepped between Elodie and Beltran before he could.
Recognizing who it was, Adenmir was genuinely taken aback.
Truly, it was the last person he’d expected.
[This is the timeline separator]The Second Prince, who normally never spoke to Elodie, now offered a sly smile and greeted her with feigned nonchalance.
“I’ve often wished to have a meaningful conversation with Lady Ferdia, so I’m delighted such an opportunity has arisen.”
‘Not me.’
Contrary to her inner disgust, Elodie plastered on a capitalist-approved smile and gave a perfunctory nod.
“Haha, sure.”
“My lady, I heard you enjoy opera. How about we attend a performance together sometime?”
‘Ugh, why would I go anywhere with a creep like you?’
Suppressing her true feelings again, she gave a vague reply.
“We’ll see.”
“After the opera, I could reserve my favorite nearby restaurant entirely for dinner—it wouldn’t be a bad idea, would it?”
‘You go ahead and stuff yourself, you jerk.’
Hahaha… she once again brushed it off with a careless laugh.
She had assumed that showing such blatant disinterest would make him retreat on his own—but the Second Prince proved astonishingly persistent.
Despite Elodie’s repeated attempts to end the conversation, he kept doggedly dragging it onward.
This was especially baffling since she’d just uncovered that his advisor was a traitor, rendering the Second Prince utterly useless.
Meanwhile, Beltran was lost in a massive delusion.
‘She must truly love me—why else would she ask to break off her engagement with my brother? How amusing it’ll be when that bastard brother and Duke Ferdia find out.’
He never considered even for a second that Elodie might be setting a trap. Instead, he was utterly convinced of her affection.
The fake, forced smile Elodie thought she was giving appeared to Beltran as a shy, bashful expression concealing deep affection.
Was she embarrassed?
Her meek, obedient responses actually pleased him—no, quite pleased him indeed.
He’d always considered Elodie’s appearance exactly to his taste.
But due to rumors of her foul temper and the fact that she was his brother’s fiancée, he’d never considered approaching her.
Now that she supposedly adored him and behaved so timidly and demurely, he saw no reason not to take her under his wing.
“By the way, my brother is truly careless. Leaving such a beautiful fiancée all alone? How about it, Princess Consort? Shall I grant you the honor of dancing with—”
Just as he arrogantly extended his invitation with a smug smile,
a voice cut in between them.
“It seems your conversation is over.”
A languid, low voice.
A towering figure so tall that one had to tilt their head far back to see his face.
The first thing that caught attention was his piercing golden eyes. Elodie’s own eyes widened.
“Father?”
“I have something to discuss with my daughter. I’ll be taking her with me.”
Duke Ferdia grasped Elodie’s hand and immediately led her away.
‘Am I dreaming?’
Elodie, trailing behind him, even pinched her cheek just in case—
“Ow ow ow!”
It hurt. This wasn’t a dream!
[This is the timeline separator]Duke Ferdia brought me to a balcony where no guests lingered. Without delay, he drew the heavy curtains shut, blocking prying eyes.
Thanks to the thick drapes, the orchestra’s music from the ballroom sounded distant and muffled.
After spending so long amidst the bustling crowd, the sudden quiet of the balcony felt unreal.
I looked up at Duke Ferdia, who leaned against the railing.
“Did you want to tell me something?”
After silently studying me for a long while, Duke Ferdia finally spoke a single sentence.
“Stay away from the Second Prince.”
As expected—my brief, unavoidable exchange with the Second Prince had clearly displeased Duke Ferdia.
“He approached me first. I was just giving brief replies.”
My hurried explanation did nothing to soften the duke’s hardened expression.
“That man is infamous for his wandering hands. Avoid meeting him alone. If he contacts you, ignore him.”
“That won’t happen, so there’s really no need to—”
As I spoke, I tilted my head in confusion.
‘Worry…? Wait, worry?’
Though it seemed impossible, I cautiously asked anyway, just in case.
“Are you… worried about me?”
“…”
No answer came.
Of course not. How foolish of me to even ask—right as I began mocking myself—
“Yes.”
Duke Ferdia replied in a quiet voice.
I stared up at him, eyes wide.
“You’re worried about me?”
“Yes.”
“About me?”
“…How many times must I answer?”
My cold, indifferent father—who’d never shown me a shred of concern—suddenly acting this way left me utterly bewildered.
Perhaps, just perhaps, he was showing care because I was still technically his daughter. In that moment, I remembered the harsh reality.
‘He probably only treats me this way because he believes I carry his blood. Once he finds out I’m not his real daughter, he’ll discard me without hesitation.’
I firmly crushed the foolish hope welling inside me, recalling the novel’s plot where the imposter daughter was exposed and met her end.
Instead, I tensed slightly and looked steadily at Duke Ferdia.
“Father, I have something to tell you.”
“Speak.”
“It might sound absurd or completely unbelievable, but…”
“…”
“Be careful of Advisor Arald.”
Whether or not he believed me was his choice—but I hoped he’d at least consider doubting him.
If he uncovered the traitor early, it would surely benefit him greatly in the future.
This was my own small way of repaying him for raising me.
[This is the timeline separator]The imperial banquet hall of Wilentia.
Under the brilliant glow of grand chandeliers, eligible young ladies’ eyes darted busily across the lavish hall.
Glances kept flickering toward the same two destinations.
Yansi and Carlot Ferdia—the Ducal heirs of House Ferdia.
Though their family was infamous as villains, their power was so immense that even the Emperor yielded to them—earning countless admirers.
In particular, an uncountable number of ladies dreamed of catching the two dukes’ eyes and becoming their lovers.
Regardless, Carlot was currently fuming in exasperation.
“Ha! Shouldn’t someone drag her to a physician?”
“Carlot. Lower your voice.”
“No, seriously! Why’s she suddenly clinging to the Second Prince? Is that something a sane person would do?”
“It’s the Second Prince clinging to her—not Lily.”
Yansi calmly tried to placate him, but Carlot couldn’t calm down.
Elodie had always been a troublemaker at parties, known for stirring up chaos wherever she went.
But this time, she’d caused an entirely different kind of disaster.
“It’s the same thing! She’s gone mad! She shouldn’t be allowed in society! How can you just let her run loose like this—who knows what she’ll do next?”
As Carlot ranted furiously, Yansi—who’d been silent—quietly smiled.
Ssssh.
At that moment, the wine glass in Yansi’s hand slowly blurred and vanished into thin air.
The power of annihilation.
Carlot’s eyes widened in shock—he knew Yansi never used his abilities in public.
Yansi grinned brightly and ruffled his younger brother’s hair with his now-empty hand.
“I accidentally used my power. But Carlot, could you please stay quiet? You’re giving me a headache—might use it again otherwise.”
This was a warning disguised as a request.
“Yes, brother…”
The wild colt that was Carlot instantly became docile.
After all, he had no desire to meet his end by his elder brother’s power…
[This is the timeline separator]After returning from the balcony, I was sipping a drink handed to me by a servant when my fiancé—who’d vanished without a trace earlier—suddenly appeared before me and extended his hand.
“Would you grant me the honor of dancing with you?”
“I’m tired and don’t feel like dancing.”
“…”
Adenmir’s expression stiffened slightly—he clearly hadn’t expected me to refuse.
“Take it. I have something to say.”
Not a request—an order.
Reluctant as I was, what choice did a pitiful noble lady have when His Imperial Highness himself had business? I placed my hand in his.
Soon, we began gliding gracefully across the floor to the music.
I could keenly feel the sharp, envious stares of everyone watching us.
“Princess Consort.”
His voice came from alarmingly close. Our faces were so near I could feel his breath.
Instead of answering, I gave a small nod. He continued.
“You said you wished to annul our engagement.”
“Yes.”
What’s this? Why bring up annulment again all of a sudden?
Could he possibly have changed his mind?
Hope bloomed inside me as I looked eagerly at the First Prince—but he shattered it mercilessly.
“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re quite useful to me if you remain my fiancée.”
‘Useful? Useful?!’
What on earth is this man talking about?
In a flash of anger, I forced a sarcastic smile, pretended to lose balance—and deliberately stomped hard on his foot.
Thud!
The First Prince frowned sharply and glared down at me accusingly. I met his gaze defiantly, unflinching.
“Oh dear! My mistake.”
And of course, I didn’t forget to flash him a dazzling smile.
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.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (62)
Oh my God, it’s terrifying, but it’s worth it. Poor Lily, I hope she can escape this family. But I don’t think they’re evil; I think they have some affection for her.
Hahaha, the Duke is really funny. He looks like he’s giving something away, not his own children. Poor Lily.
Hahaha, yes, yes, you made a great choice, Lily. Teach him a lesson; I like his responses; he’s completely transparent.
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Miioo
Yes, you’re right. You must discipline him. He’s rude and filthy. I don’t like him. Break up with him, Lily.