“…There was no trace of the young Duke to be found anywhere.”
“That makes sense. That’s why even the Emperor couldn’t find him and is troubled.”
After the Duke and Duchess Lotera died, the Emperor’s one act was to raid the Lotera Ducal House in the province and exterminate them.
But by the time the Emperor’s men arrived, the young Duke’s couple and child had already disappeared.
Brixton Lotera.
Hailin Nova Lotera.
Finally, Isabella Lotera.
The child was estimated to be around 13 years old and known to be a girl.
The child is said to have inherited platinum blonde hair and pink eyes from her father.
But such a noticeablelooking girl was not found anywhere.
Moreover, the young Duke’s couple disappeared from the ducal residence.
“Did they ascend to the sky or sink into the ground? There are no signs of them ever escaping outside.”
“The child?”
“She sensed it and was smuggled out… but the child’s whereabouts also disappeared the moment she crossed the southern region of the Brör estate.”
Casius furrowed his brow.
Lenisha asked him to find her family in exchange for the dress’s value.
He already noticed that this was Lenisha’s test.
And Lenisha…
The way Lenisha looked when she said that…
Casius could not easily forget the collapsed expression that appeared in an instant on a woman who seemed unbreakable at any moment.
Lenisha was smiling but seemed to be crying.
It was desperation.
The desperation of someone who holds hope that their family is alive and is wandering in search of them.
“We must find them.”
“I understand. I’ll ask around more.”
“Don’t we have allies spread all over the country? Connect them, cast a net like a spider’s web, and wait, and there must be something to catch.”
Terion nodded his head.
“But sir,”
“Why?”
“A strange invitation has arrived. I can’t understand this at all, so I brought it myself.”
Terion laid the flashy light pink invitation he had been holding on the desk.
It was garishly extravagant to the point of squinting.
Terrion shivered and personally turned over the invitation.
“Why is this woman inviting the Duke? And as a companion to Empress Peha’s tea party at that. Could it be that there was some connection with this woman there?”
“……”
Casius glared at the invitation.
A connection? There had been one.
He had snapped at her for talking nonsense, and she had turned red in the face, not ignoring him since.
It had seemed pitiful that a woman from the Emperor’s government, who Casius knew, was ignorant of history.
“She might be trying to poison the Duke.”
It looked suspicious, so it was a possibility.
“Or…… Ah! Maybe she has fallen for the Duke!”
It was absolutely not the case. Seeing how she fawned over the Emperor……
“Did you give her a chance? Surely not to this woman? You shouldn’t do that, Duke. Forgetting the grace of Duke Lotera……”
“Quiet!”
Casius growled softly.
He was on the verge of getting a headache, thanks to Terrion, who didn’t give him a chance to think.
“What did I do to deserve this shouting……”
Terrion grumbled.
“It’s an event that must be attended anyway. An invitation from the Emperor’s wife. Doesn’t it smell fishy? The Emperor must be involved, a thousand out of a thousand chances.”
Casius agreed.
What was Lexus thinking?
If he found it so disgusting, he could just give him something and throw him out.
He had been putting off the official bestowment day by day.
But now.
‘A tea party?’
Lenisha was hosting it, so Lenisha would attend.
Lenisha had been etched in a new way every time Casius met her.
It felt like the mark etched on his chest that Lenisha had touched not long ago.
In the shape of a small palm.
He felt suffocated at the thought of meeting Lenisha again, the aftertaste still not gone.
What had Duke Lotera brought up?
If asked what was the most dangerous thing in the Imperial City, Casius was confident he would choose Lenisha.
“Haah……”
The time given this time was only 3 days.
His eyes lingered on the invitation to check the place and time.
Casius, slowly confirming the content of the invitation, paused.
“A blue dress code? Does that mean I should wear a blue suit? Where would I have such a thing! Plus, a blue suit with red hair.”
Terrion, imagining Casius’s words for a moment, burst into laughter.
“Wow…… I really don’t understand the world of official fashion.”
Casius clenched his fist.
Damn, where to find a blue suit? Do people really wear those?
They must be madmen.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]Tesha tiptoed down the corridor, holding her breath.
Only after she got far away from Casius’s office could Tesha breathe again.
With her face pale and downcast, Tesha chewed over the stories she had just heard.
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
