This Life, I Will Save The Duke (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 10
Ariel, small and alone between the two tallest figures in the banquet hall, effortlessly drew everyone’s attention. Moreover, for nobles who loved gossip, the current situation was prime fodder.
“I told you to let go, didn’t I?”
Her voice, lowered a tone, carried overwhelming authority. Ariel stared blankly at Kaius, momentarily forgetting the pain in her wrist.
Could it be… Is he actually worried about me?
It might simply be gentlemanly behavior, yet the hope that he might accept her suggestion grew slightly stronger.
As murmurs among the crowd swelled—wondering if a fight might break out any moment—Ariel hurriedly opened her mouth. She had to step in and resolve this herself. There was absolutely no chance that Ludvian, a duke from the demon realm, would heed the words of Kaius, a mere human.
“Let go of me. Right now.”
At Ariel’s quiet yet firm tone, Ludvian chuckled softly and obediently released her wrist. But immediately afterward, without the slightest hesitation, he extended his hand and asked her to dance. Sighing in exasperation at this, Ariel bowed politely to Kaius, intending to send him back to his seat.
“My lord Duke, it was a pleasure.”
I’ll see you again shortly.
Instead of voicing those unspoken words, she expressed her goodwill only through her eyes. Yet Kaius, completely unaware of Ludvian’s veiled threats, tilted his head in confusion at Ariel’s farewell gesture toward the other man.
She always seemed to offer everything to him first—but behind that, she was always with that man.
Marriage. Celebration. Dancing. It was always the same.
Right before his eyes.
Kaius turned away, having silently watched Ariel. A mocking sneer escaped his lips as he began walking slowly away. Though this marriage was never what he had wanted, he found the current situation deeply unpleasant. Halfway back to his seat, Kaius halted, turned around, and looked back at her.
Their hands touching—another man’s and hers. Seeing the red mark left on Ariel’s pale wrist, Kaius’s brows knotted involuntarily. Irritated by an indefinable discomfort, he quickly averted his gaze from her.
“Your Grace.”
Lemon, who had been watching the scene from afar, nearly spoke out in utter disbelief—but upon meeting his liege’s indifferent eyes, the words died in his throat. He had to wait; his lord hadn’t yet made a decision. Sighing, Lemon filled the empty wine glass extended toward him.
***
Ariel’s previously uplifted mood plummeted in an instant, and she let out a quiet sigh. She still couldn’t understand this demon. It was enough that he just tended to her flowers—why did he insist on dancing? Her eyes involuntarily turned sharp.
“Do you intend to marry that man?”
Unlike his usual self, Ludvian addressed her without a smile. His voice sounded subdued as well. Ariel tilted her head, puzzled by his change in demeanor—but that was all she did.
“Isn’t it obvious? He’s my fiancé. Even after we marry, I’ll keep tending the flowers as promised, so don’t worry.”
He was probably interfering constantly out of anxiety over that, so reassuring him should suffice.
“I’ll send the oil to your ducal house—I’ll just say I’m sending someone to relay news from Letiana.”
“So you’ve already thought that far ahead.”
Of course I have. For the past year, that’s all I’ve thought about. I hoped Ludvian wouldn’t chase me all the way to the empire, but that was unlikely. Even back when I liked him, he’d gone out of his way to track me down and keep me in line.
“Please don’t even think about coming yourself.”
He wouldn’t listen anyway—but she still wanted to say it.
“Let’s take it slowly. You might not even go through with the marriage.”
“…?”
Did he perhaps know something? Was Kaius possibly considering breaking off the engagement? Ludvian’s words made Ariel’s heart race anxiously, and the current musical piece suddenly felt unbearably long. After briefly glaring at the unfortunate musicians, Ariel shifted her gaze toward Kaius—he appeared to be deep in conversation with someone who’d come as head of a delegation, legs crossed leisurely.
Meanwhile, Kaius couldn’t readily answer Count Hammond’s question about when exactly he planned to formalize the engagement. Absentmindedly, his eyes scanned the room for Ariel, prompting Count Hammond to speak again.
“She’s a stunning lady. The last time I saw her, her hair was dazzling silver—but it’s changed slightly with time. Her eye color seems different too.”
It had been silver?
It wasn’t unusual for appearances to shift with age—but hair and eye color rarely changed. Watching her quietly, Kaius felt a vague unease and slowly set down his wine glass.
“Lemon, there’s something I need you to look into immediately.”
He instructed Lemon to obtain portraits of Ariel from the past three years, then rose calmly from his seat.
All the while walking toward the exit, he kept his eyes fixed steadily on Ariel, moving deliberately. After locking eyes with her several times, his intention had surely been conveyed clearly enough.
Now that she’s seen me, she’ll follow.
***
His steps led him to a garden in full bloom with roses.
Kaius walked deep into the garden and found a bench far from the lamplight. As he sat, the dim moonlight cast shadows over him. Leaning back heavily, he crossed his long legs and habitually pulled out a cigar. But just before lighting it, he realized this wasn’t a suitable place for smoking.
Letting out a soft sigh, Kaius loosened his tie and undid the top button of his shirt.
Ariel von Retiana.
A princess of a failing nation. A woman forcibly betrothed to him by Emperor Hart, who despised him. She might even be the emperor’s spy. And now there was another man involved. If that were all, he wouldn’t have agonized over it this much—but
she possessed the healing power he desperately needed.
Yet that single quality alone wasn’t enough to outweigh the weight carried by the name Elbaltan.
A faint sound of footsteps reached his ears. Turning his head slightly, he confirmed it was Princess Ariel—just as he’d expected, she’d come looking for him.
Should he stand up and signal his presence?
Kaius hesitated briefly but decided to observe a little longer. As her footsteps drew nearer, he unconsciously held his breath.
With every step she took in her Letiana dress—revealing her ankles—the slender, pale curve of her ankle appeared and disappeared again under the lamplight, contrasting against her blue shoes.
“I thought you’d be here… Or not?”
A small sigh escaped Ariel as she finally approached the shadowed bench.
“Oh!”
She tripped over his outstretched leg. To catch her before she lost balance, Kaius leaned forward from his slouched position—his figure, hidden in darkness until now, emerged under the moonlight.
Startled as though she’d seen something forbidden, Ariel flailed, but Kaius pulled her into his arms. Had he not, she would have tumbled ungracefully onto the ground. This, at least, felt like fulfilling his duty as her fiancé.
Realizing she was now seated on Kaius’s lap, embraced by him, Ariel nearly fainted from shock. She immediately leapt away and turned her back, trying to calm her racing heart.
After a long pause, she finally turned around again and began to apologize.
“I’m sorry. It was dark, and I didn’t hear you.”
“So you’re saying it’s my fault for not making noise.”
Kaius’s low voice was imposing. His ability to make others cower with just his voice remained unchanged.
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
Seeing her shake her head quickly at his remark, Kaius let out a faint, quiet chuckle.
“…?”
Confused by his laughter, Ariel opened her mouth to ask why—but his cold, unwavering stare made the question circle silently in her mind.
“Thank you for helping me avoid injury, Your Grace. And… I’ve been looking for you.”
She’d apologized and expressed her gratitude—it was time to state her purpose. Yet she hesitated, feeling slightly embarrassed about jumping straight to the point.
Should I just ask him outright?
But what if he refuses? What would she do then? Lost in such thoughts, she sighed quietly—just as he slowly rose to his feet. His imposing presence made her instinctively step back, but she managed to steady herself.
“Let’s walk together.”
Instead of replying, Ariel simply nodded. As Kaius started walking in the direction she’d come from, she gently grasped the sleeve of his coat.
“Not that way—this way.”
She gestured toward the opposite direction from where he intended to go—specifically, deeper into the garden, where it was even darker.
After staring fixedly into the shadows for a while, his gaze shifted to her face—and then slowly drifted downward.
He consciously tried not to look, yet his eyes passed over her slender neck, the fully exposed collarbones, then lingered on the emphasized curve of her chest before returning to her face and finally settling on her lips.
His Adam’s apple moved slowly as he processed her suggestion—dressed like that, asking to go alone with a man into the dark.
Sensing his gaze, Ariel turned her back to him. Her back was no different—her pale shoulders were fully exposed.
Ariel had only wanted to head into the dark because she worried Ludvian might come looking for her if she stayed away too long. Now, however, she grew concerned that Kaius might misunderstand her intentions because of her outfit.
“Don’t misunderstand me, please.”
She really should’ve chosen a different outfit today.
Ariel kept pulling up the slipping shoulder straps of her dress—but doing so only made the neckline dip lower, leaving her flustered and unsure what to do.
Thud.
A large jacket settled warmly over her small shoulders. Startled, she turned her head—and his hot breath brushed against her cheek.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (5)
Yes! Ariel actually told Kaius, I thought she would keep that to herself and keep suffering on her own, but Kaius is still being so stubborn about not giving in. Ugh, this man is seriously getting on my nerves!
I don’t understand Ariel. I mean, she used to say that the appearance artifact interfered with her healing magic, which is why she had to take it off to heal Kaius, but this time, she did it without removing it. And they don’t even mention that her appearance changed or that she had silver hair.
I really don’t understand Ariel. I mean, she says she’s in love with Kaius, and right now when he gets close, she struggles to break free and then runs away. In fact, admitting her feelings would have been the best way to make him believe she wanted to keep the engagement with him.
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Rahzel Everlasting
Finally they’re alone! I’d love for Ariel to be more honest with Kaius, but well, that would make the plot too easy. Even so, I do hope that at some point she tells him she’s being coerced by Ludvian.