“So you tried to come between me and the Count by using the princess? Because it was a disgraceful act for you to do?”
“You believe the princess’s words? She blames me for her own foolish actions.”
“Indeed…… It was you who made the princess that way.”
The noble ladies around Seira buzzed at these words.
Adel was merely speculating. The timid princess wouldn’t have come up with the story of her pregnancy on her own.
Realizing she was tangled with Adel, Seira looked around and quickly changed the subject.
“You murdered my father! Do you think you can be happy after that?”
Adel stepped closer to Seira and smiled.
“Of course. There’s no shame or guilt for the villainess of Calaime.”
The change in Adel’s atmosphere confused Seira not a little.
She had thought of her as no more than a pebble under her feet until just a while ago.
A terrified girl trembling in the basement corner when living in the Oswald family.
A wicked villainess hiding and living on the outskirts of Greenhill after being expelled from the family.
That’s what Seira wanted Adel to be.
But she became so haughty just by being engaged to Vice Count. It was unbelievable.
No, it was intolerable.
The idea that a lowly halfnoble girl would become her equal.
‘Without Vice Count, she’s nothing!’
That’s why she tried to separate them.
But the noble ladies around her suddenly praised Adel, surrounding her.
“We should now call Lady Adel the flower of the Empire.”
“Indeed. No matter how beautiful a gem, it can’t attract butterflies, so it’s worthless.”
The gem referred to Seira.
They say there’s no eternal enemy or friend in society, and they all turned on Seira, putting her down as if to show off.
The Emperor gave Adel a star palace instead of striking her down, and the princess called her a friend. So the queen of the social world might soon change to Adel, who is the fiancée of the Emperor’s closest Vice Count and the friend of the princess.
Seira, sensing this, was out of her mind with jealousy and rage.
‘If only my brother were here!’
Yes, brother!
Then she remembered. How afraid Adel was of Stone. And they seemed to have some secret between them.
That’s why she flipped Stone’s crimes and Adel couldn’t say anything.
Seira elegantly fanned herself again and approached Adel.
“Oh, by the way, my brother sends his regards. He couldn’t attend the engagement, but he said he’d visit soon after returning.”
“……!”
Seira saw it clearly. How her face turned pale and stiffened. Adel resumed her elegant conversation with others, but the tips of her fingers, holding the fan, were trembling slightly.
Sharpeyed Seira didn’t miss it.
Was there something with her brother after all?
If her brother came back, she might easily separate her from the Count.
“Then see you again when my brother returns, Lady Adel.”
(This is a time separator.)
“Are you all right?”
At Christine’s voice, Adel quickly turned around. As she met his soft, worried eyes, her heart was immediately at ease.
“Yes, except that I’m a little tired.”
Christine tenderly caressed the pallid cheek of Adel, whispering softly.
“Let’s go rest. I’ll take you there.”
“No. I can stay a bit longer.”
Adel cautiously brushed his hand away, conscious of their surroundings. Whenever she and Christine were together, all eyes gathered on them to an uncomfortable degree.
Being popular seemed as exhausting as being labeled a wicked woman.
But he didn’t care about the stares. He couldn’t take his eyes off her, as if only Adel was in his view.
“You’ve pushed yourself enough. You’re just up from the sickbed.”
“Don’t worry. I’m so happy today that I’m all better now.”
“Still, conserve your energy.”
And then, a secretive whisper in her ear.
“We have something to do tonight, just the two of us.”
“……!”
Startled, Adel looked at him, and the corner of his eye mischievously curled.
Adel softly retorted, covering her mouth with a fan lest someone hear.
“What are you thinking! We just got engaged.”
Christine put on an innocent expression, feigning surprise.
“Who says what? Drinking tea, dancing, talking, walking…… even staying up all night won’t be enough.”
Dumbfounded, but Adel replied nonchalantly.
“Yeah, imagining it really excites me, Chris. But to do all that, I need to recover more. So, I guess we should go back first.”
“Together…….”
Adel neatly folded her fan and gently pushed Christine away with the tip.
“The party’s not over yet. It’ll be troublesome if both protagonists are absent. The Earl should come later.”
“Where does that…….”
“If you leave halfway, I’ll be the one blamed. For my sake, okay?”
In fact, everyone had gathered to see Christine. The wicked woman of Calaime could leave without anyone caring.
Adel’s playful smiling eyes made Christine pout like a petulant boy.
“Alright.”
“Thanks, Chris.”
“You know? A thank you isn’t done with just words?”
“Of course. I’ll reward you very sweetly, so look forward to it.”
“Really?”
“With a special apple pie.”
Adel winked elegantly and turned away from the bewildered Christine.
The alert Jimmer quickly followed her.
(This is a time separator.)
“Adel, you are mine.”
“You’re mad, Stone!”
“As long as this mark is here, you can never escape me. It’s proof that even your soul is mine.”
Inside the rocking carriage, Adel closed her eyes with a dreadful expression.
‘That bastard Stone!’
Could Stone really come back?
Could Seira’s words be untrue?
When he found out about her engagement to Christine, he wouldn’t stand still.
‘But no matter how Stone is, he can’t harm him, right?’
It was fortunate that Christine was strong, but complacency was forbidden. The man was wicked beyond imagination.
Even if Christine wouldn’t lose in a direct confrontation, who knew what Stone would do? He never hesitated to deceive others and stab them in the back.
What would Christine think if he saw the mark on my body?
‘No! I can never show such a terrible mark!’
Adel shuddered, shaking her head.
Today’s day, dreamily happy, seemed to have come at the cost of horrible thoughts tormenting her.
Two years at Oswald’s residence.
The time living as a basement lady was bearable.
What was unbearable was her time with Stone….
“We’ve arrived, Miss Adel.”
Jimmer’s voice brought Adel back from her awful thoughts.
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
