It was when Ibi was enjoying the rain alone.
Beyond the wall, a loud voice could be heard. At first listen, it sounded like Cassel Montra throwing a fit.
“What’s going on?”
Ibi pressed her ear against the wall, quietly eavesdropping, then opened the door stealthily. Peeking through the door crack into the corridor, she saw Cassel’s steward, who had just been chased away, arguing with other attendants.
“Aren’t you going to drink it?”
“Don’t talk. He complains that it smells like dust in the water.”
“Really…”
Water? Smell of dust?
Ibi chuckled at the steward and attendants’ words.
“Shall I make some tea?”
“No, don’t bother making a fuss again.”
“Well, then, what do you suggest? You said you don’t want juice anymore.”
Finally realizing the situation from eavesdropping, Ibi burst into a wry smile.
“So many complications, really.”
It seemed that the high noble was suffering because he couldn’t drink the water in Bis.
“Drinking only clean spring water and finding the water below distasteful, right?”
So, the attendants squeezed fruits to make juice for him, but no matter how much he drank, his thirst didn’t go away. Cassel’s temperament got worse, so, as a last resort, they collected rainwater and gave it to him.
However, that annoying Marquess immediately detected the smell of dust in the rainwater, and he threw a fit, making the situation even messier.
“Know your precious Ibi, will you?”
Ibi felt greatly amused by the fact that Cassel couldn’t drink the water and hoped for his suffering to continue. While wishing for that, a sudden thought crossed her mind, and she chuckled.
Ibi wandered around and picked up a pebble from a flowerpot. Then she carefully walked down the corridor.
“Um, I happened to overhear your conversation…”
As Ibi approached, the steward and attendants, who had been nervous, turned their heads. With a more subdued voice than usual, Ibi spoke up.
“It may be irrelevant, but I think I can help.”
Saying that, Ibi extended the pebble from the flowerpot with both hands.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a rock.”
Ibi gave an honest answer first and then calmly weaved a story.
“It’s a stone that cleans water.”
“What nonsense…”
“I’ll show you.”
Without explaining much, Ibi collected rainwater in a cup. Then, very dramatically, she dropped the pebble into the water. Secretly humming a tune from Manyanya, she presented the cup.
“Try it.”
The masked maid handed the cup of water with the rock to them.
When the steward looked at it skeptically, a curious attendant took the cup and sniffed it first.
“Huh?”
After sniffing the water, the attendant widened his eyes.
“It doesn’t smell like dust at all! It tastes like the water we drink in Tinda!”
Upon hearing the attendant’s words, the steward, with a surprised expression, intercepted the cup. Then, he showed the same astonished look.
“Okay, if it’s this, I’ll have it! Bring more rainwater!”
“Oh, to use the stone again, you need to let it dry in the sun. It’s useless when wet.”
The steward and attendants, who were rejoicing, suddenly looked at Ibi in surprise. The cups they received from Ibi were almost empty as they were busy tasting each other’s water.
“Y-you should have told us in advance…!”
“I have another stone in my room. With your permission, I’ll go get it.”
“Hurry up and go, quickly!”
The steward, shocked, confused, and relieved, didn’t even realize he was being played.
So Ibi nodded and satisfyingly headed down the corridor.
From 9 PM to midnight, every hour on the hour. Outer 4th floor, west corridor, innermost storage room.
Ibi had written such a note and hidden it under the decorations in the castle corridor.
Originally, the meeting place with Dias was decided to be written and hidden in a later note. At that time, it was unknown how freely Ibi could move around the castle.
“It’s resolved so easily.”
Being close to Cassel Montra turned out to be quite advantageous for Ibi.
Moreover, since she gave water to the thirsty guy, he would probably accompany her well, at least until tomorrow.
“Now, if only Dias and Ubia come…”
However, outside, the rain was still pouring like a deluge. The rain made Ibi somewhat uneasy.
It was when Ibi sighed. Along with shuffling footsteps, trouble approached without a break.
“What are you doing alone in a place like this?”
“Preparing for theft.”
“What are you talking about, kid?”
A mercenary named Sunet, who had nothing to do, laughed at Ibi’s response.
Although not as rough as the mercenaries seen during the day, the atmosphere was quite annoying.
Ibi didn’t hesitate and handed the seal given by Cassel’s steward. Then the mercenaries recognized it immediately, clicked their tongues, and turned away.
“Wait.”
However, Ibi suddenly called them back.
“Are you guys free right now?”
In response to Ibi’s question, the mercenaries shifted their eyes nervously. There was a tone in her question that suggested she doubted the seal given for the maid role.
So, Ibi took out a handful of coins and added, “If nothing’s going on, want to earn some spending money?”
The rain continued to pour.
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
