During teatime with the Grand Duchess, Callian’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
A small pink crack was visible on the palm of her hand holding the teacup.
“Did you… hurt your hand, Mother?”
At Callian’s words, the Grand Duchess smiled gently.
“It’s nothing. Just…”
The rose garden where they were having tea was filled with the scent of roses.
“There was a child who behaved rudely when shown affection, so I had to use the rod a little.”
Callian’s eyes flickered at those words.
Riona Klaus, the Grand Duchess of House Klaus, possessed mature beauty and dignity.
“You are to be the Duke of Klaus, Callian.”
Whenever he was lazy, she would use the rod.
With that strictness, she had raised Callian well, molding him into a fine heir to the ducal family.
That’s why Callian always deeply trusted and followed the Grand Duchess.
“I see. But to hurt your hand like this… I’m concerned that you’re overexerting yourself.”
He believed there was a reason for everything she did.
Even if it was somewhat cruel or something that couldn’t be revealed to outsiders.
“For this mother, there is only the Duke. If there’s anything that could hinder the Duke’s path… I’ll prevent it no matter what it takes.”
Riona’s elegant voice was heard.
“I know. The one who always thinks of me… is only you, Mother.”
“However…”
Riona slightly furrowed her brows, looking worried, and asked Callian.
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood today. Is there something troubling you?”
At Riona’s question, Callian’s hand holding the teacup twitched slightly.
As always, Riona was the first to notice the concern on her son’s face, and today was no exception.
“…It’s nothing.”
Callian put down his teacup.
The tea tasted particularly bitter today.
Esika’s gaze came to mind.
Those cold blue eyes that seemed to pierce through him were still staring at him in his subconscious.
Recalling those blue eyes made him feel nauseous again.
Callian stood up and said,
“I need to prepare to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince, so I’ll take my leave first.”
“Ah, that’s right. He said he would visit today too.”
The Grand Duchess smiled beautifully.
“Please go ahead, Duke.”
“Then have a peaceful time, Mother.”
Callian turned and strode towards the mansion.
The Grand Duchess watched Callian’s sturdy back for a long time.
Her lips, which had worn a warm smile, gradually hardened.
Soon, a maid who had been waiting behind her approached the Grand Duchess, knelt down, and opened a medicine box.
“This will leave scars if we don’t treat it soon. It’s not good to apply it so late.”
And she began to apply medicine to her delicate hands.
The medicine was carefully applied along the cracks on her palm.
“Shouldn’t my son know how much I strive for the family?”
The Grand Duchess coldly moved her lips.
And after a moment, she asked.
“How is the head maid… doing now?”
“You mean Yuri Anesis?”
The three maids who had doused Esika Klaus with water immediately reported what they had heard from Esika to Grand Duchess Riona.
And Riona’s reaction was predictable.
“It seems she’ll have difficulty moving for about a week.”
It wasn’t uncommon for masters to use the rod on their subordinates in the strict House Klaus.
Yuri, who had been beaten by the Grand Duchess until her legs were covered in blood, could only escape the severe punishment when she fainted.
“Well, a week should be enough time for reflection.”
The corners of Riona’s mouth curved up slightly.
How dare she, a daughter of House Anesis that’s not even as good as Brigitte, utter such nonsense?
Those who don’t know their place need proper education.
If it weren’t for the jewels that the head maid brings from Brigitte whenever she’s bored, she would have gotten rid of her long ago.
“To dare covet my son…”
Riona took a sip of the remaining tea in her cup and moved her lips.
“…That thing.”
**
“Ugh… uhhh…”
In the dimly lit room, Yuri was pressing white cloth against her bloodied calves while crying.
The Grand Duchess’s rod was truly terrible.
Even when blood splattered, she didn’t bat an eye and continued to strike.
Even when she begged and wailed, she didn’t stop.
Only when she fainted could she escape that horrific moment.
“No… sob sob…”
And the state of her calves when she woke up was horrific.
Not only were there bruises, but countless thin wounds were etched all over.
It was the first time she had been hit like this and wounded by someone.
This will surely leave scars.
Then she won’t look pretty in Callian Klaus’s eyes.
“It’s all because of that damn Esika…”
That resentment was directed not at Riona, who had actually beaten her, but at Esika.
Clutching her painful legs, Yuri’s eyes flashed with tears.
She had said those things loudly enough for the Grand Duchess’s maids to hear, knowing full well this would happen.
“I’ll definitely kill her…”
Creak-
Just then, the door opened.
She had asked a maid earlier to bring medicine that wouldn’t leave scars, so it seemed she had brought it.
Yuri, with her head half-raised, thought as she saw the hem of the maid’s dress.
The maid was holding a bucket, probably full of medicine.
“Hurry, the medicine…”
“Pfft.”
But Yuri flinched at the sound of a mocking laugh that cut off her request for medicine.
Her face hardened as she looked up.
“…Esi… ka?”
Esika, with her silver hair tied up high, was standing in front of her with a smile.
Esika opened her lips with a thoroughly amused expression.
“Poor Yuri.”
Yuri’s face was trembling.
Why was Esika wearing a maid’s uniform and standing in front of her?
Seeing that face immediately made anger rise.
“Your future mother-in-law seems to be treating you very well.”
“You… you…!”
Yuri glared at Esika and shouted angrily.
“Do you know how much I suffered because of you? Because you said those things!”
“Ah, the daughter-in-law of House Klaus? The position you desperately want… my position?”
Yuri became even more enraged at Esika’s gaze looking down on her.
“I’m different from you. If I stand by his side, I won’t do pathetic and stupid things like you and lose Duke’s favor. Even if the Grand Duchess doesn’t acknowledge me now…”
“Is that what you want? For that, you sharpened your knife behind my back while pretending to be a friend…”
Esika continued.
“You stabbed me in the back. What a commendable effort.”
Esika’s calm gaze provoked Yuri’s inferiority complex.
Esika always easily obtained things that Yuri struggled to reach no matter how hard she tried.
Even the position of wife to Duke Callian Klaus, that perfect man.
“I’ll take everything from you someday.”
Yuri said, grinding her teeth.
“…But, Yuri.”
Esika leaned her upper body slightly to meet Yuri’s gaze.
And with a smile on her lips, she spoke.
“To me, Duke Klaus is a golden carriage full of horse dung.”
“…What?”
The area around Yuri’s eyes trembled.
‘I’m going to push that dung carriage off a cliff,’ Esika wanted to say to that distorted face, but she held back her words.
It’s best to leisurely watch with legs crossed when an enemy is willing to walk into the fire themselves.
The sight of Yuri crying in the broken dung carriage would be quite pleasing to see.
“What are you saying…”
In any case, she has a personality that always pays back what she receives.
“Ah, I brought some water to disinfect for you.”
Esika lifted the bucket she had brought and poured the water inside over Yuri’s head.
The water flowed down Yuri’s head, soaking her entire body.
Just like when the maids had poured water on Esika’s body.
“Ahhh!”
Yuri screamed loudly.
And she grabbed the wet cloth that was covering her wounds.
A pain like her flesh was burning rushed in.
“It hurts! Ahhh!”
“It’s salt water, good for disinfecting.”
Yuri’s eyes, wet with water, trembled at Esika’s words as she smirked.
If such dirty salt water was poured on such severe wounds, it would surely leave terrible scars.
“No! No! Ahh!”
Yuri cried out, tearing off the wet cloth, but the salt water had already seeped into her wounds, intensifying the pain.
The wounds felt like they were on fire.
“Please! No! Ahhh!”
Esika happily watched Yuri writhing in pain for a while before turning around.
Even after closing the door, her screams could be heard from far away.
“Ah, this maid uniform is indeed comfortable.”
Esika stretched with a refreshed expression.
Her previous self would have detested it, but since it allowed her to freely roam outside like this, she thought she would wear it usefully for the time being.
‘Now then, shall I go to the kitchen…’
It was when she had left Yuri’s room and was turning the third corner with light steps.
Thud-
Startled by something solid that suddenly appeared, Esika reflexively stopped her feet.
Her body tipped over, and as she tried to break her fall, something grabbed her waist strongly and pulled her.
“…”
Then her eyes met with those of the large-built man supporting her waist.
Esika’s eyes wavered, and the eyes of the man supporting her also wavered slightly.
A man with jet-black hair and brilliant golden eyes.
The Empire’s Crown Prince, Resban Deon Lucein.
He was holding Esika’s waist.
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
