Leydocks was one of those who detested Sicar, who held the puppet king at the forefront and ruled the kingdom as he pleased, with a reign of terror. Hence, it wasn’t strange for him to react this way.
Nevertheless, I had expected him to say that he would think about it, but Leydocks’s reaction was firm.
“Rejecting without a moment’s thought, even though you saved my daughter. I always thought you were arrogant, but now I see you’re an ungrateful man too.”
“If you’re not going to demand repayment by exploiting the favor, then let’s stop here. It could seem like you had planned this from the beginning.”
I should’ve stopped Sicar from coming along.
The tension between the two men made it hard for me to breathe. Noticing this, I interjected into their conversation.
“Your Lordship, allow me to apologize on his behalf. Please disregard what the Duke has said.”
With that, I looked at Sicar, making the most favorable impression I could muster.
Ignoring Sicar who was staring at me as if this was ridiculous, I returned my gaze to Leydocks, expressing utmost regret.
“And it was my idea to ask you to take care of my child, not the Duke’s. I remembered hearing about your innovative teaching methods when Lucy introduced me during our carriage ride here.”
Did I speak without sounding nervous, keeping my cool?
As I finished speaking, I felt a burning sensation in my chest and spoke calmly to Leydocks.
“Excuse me, but I’ll have a glass of water.”
Before the maid could pour me a glass, I poured it myself until it made a gurgling sound and gulped it down.
‘Whew, I feel alive.’
As I put the glass down, Sicar sneered at me saying, “How unbecoming of a duchess to drink water like that.”
I spoke in a whisper just loud enough for Leydocks not to hear.
“That’s why I asked for your pardon.”
“Even if noble ladies ask for pardon before drinking water, they don’t gulp it down like you.”
“That’s because you didn’t teach me.”
“Leydocks is watching, so stop whispering.”
Since Leydocks was watching us as if we were some sort of spectacle, I straightened up with an awkward smile.
Viscount Leydocks looked at me with a somewhat worried expression.
“Are you alright, Duchess?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Drinking water like that could upset your stomach or make you feel sick.”
Ah, I guess he’s always sipped water and doesn’t know how refreshing it is to gulp it down.
“No, it’s quite refreshing. Next time, Your Lordship, you should try drinking it all at once, like how you would drink alcohol.”
Leydocks looked even more flustered than before and Sicar shook his head at me.
“We don’t gulp down alcohol here either.”
“So, everything is sipped?”
“Because we are nobles.”
Sicar said calmly while looking at the obviously flustered Leydocks,
“She is a foreigner, her culture is different. Please understand.”
Leydocks nodded as if he understood and smiled faintly.
“I’m glad the Duke has found a good duchess.”
Anticipating Sicar’s arrogant reply, I quickly interjected.
“Your Lordship, pardon me, but I still have something to say.”
“Yes, Duchess, please proceed.”
“If Your Lordship agrees to take care of my child, I plan to play with Lucy doing things only a mother can do. Once a week.”
“Do things only a mother can do?”
“Like playing with dolls, choosing dresses, giving baths. Things that are difficult for a father to do, I can do.”
“My maid can do all that, so it’s not a problem.”
Sicar, who had been quiet until now, spoke as he set his tea cup down.
“Isn’t that a fair deal?”
His tone was casual, but his eyes were blazing as if to say, ‘Refuse and it’s war.’
“Your look is too threatening, isn’t it?”
“Negotiations are all about the look.”
That’s because you’re a villain, and you only deal with villains!
I clenched my teeth and said,
“We are not negotiating, we are requesting.”
Sicar snorted at my comment, but luckily, Leydocks seemed slightly positive.
“I’ll consider that part.”
This was quite a good harvest considering I didn’t expect to fill my stomach with the first spoonful.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“If it had been a noble other than Leydocks, the rumor would have circulated in the social world that Duchess Blake was an unrefined person who gulped down cold water.”
Indeed, among the people I know in this world, he seems to be the most sane.
“Although I thought I knew this world to some extent, the decorum and dignity that a noble should have is terrible. I’ll have to teach etiquette classes. Gillion’s wedding is coming up soon, and if there’s a mistake there, things will get tough.”
Gillion’s wedding. I’m meeting all the villains of this world. I felt like I had really entered the den of villains.
“Next time we rescue Lucy, I’ll move alone.”
“Alone? Are you planning to gulp down cold water without any manners again?”
Because you might mess things up by offending Leydocks!
“Leydocks is wary of you, I’m doing this to break down that guard. All we need to think about now is building a good relationship with Leydocks and hiding the sentence on Kian’s neck.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
