After that, the next morning, I prepared to go to the Penton Mansion. A few days ago, we had promised to play chess with the Duke, and today was the day.
‘What should I wear? Why don’t I have suitable clothes?’
I stood in front of the wardrobe for a while. After contemplating, I chose a bright dress and personally selected a necklace to wear.
“Hmm…”
Even though I adorned myself, it felt like something was lacking. In the end, I applied makeup, not too excessive, and sprayed a moderate amount of perfume. Finally, I neatly tied my hair halfway and glanced in the mirror.
‘I hope I don’t smell like peanuts.’
The problem was grinding peanuts late into the night yesterday until my arm nearly fell off. After sniffing my arms, I ended up spraying perfume a couple more times before being able to step outside the room.
‘…It’s cold.’
I compared my bare hands, without gloves, to each other. Outside felt quite wintry. Although it hadn’t snowed yet, this vast hill would soon be covered in snow.
I passed through the winter garden and walked a bit. I arrived at the Penton Mansion before my hands turned red.
“Oh, welcome. Reize.”
“Hello, Duke.”
The interior of the mansion was quiet. I followed the Duke, who was guiding me, and looked around.
“Do you have plans in the afternoon? Today seems different from usual.”
“Huh? …No.”
Sweeping my hair back, I sat on the sofa. On the table were a chessboard and neatly arranged pieces. In addition, there were simple desserts, warm tea, and even a blanket.
“In truth, it’s been a long time since I played chess with you, so I was nervous.”
“……. ”
“Reize? What’s bothering you?”
As I kept looking around, the Duke asked.
“Oh, no. It’s just that the mansion is quiet. I was wondering if everyone hasn’t woken up yet…”
Even before I finished speaking, footsteps from this floor echoed loudly. Judging by the unreserved pace, it was undoubtedly Yune.
“Sister! So it’s Sister Reize!”
“Yune. From now on, Reize and I will be playing chess, so don’t disturb us.”
“I can watch, right? I’ve learned the rules of chess by now!”
Yune quickly came downstairs and took a seat beside me.
With an eager face, she stared fixedly at the chessboard that hadn’t seen any action yet. Seeing Yune’s passionate gaze, the Duke, who was about to send her away, gave up.
“I’m sorry. The child hasn’t matured yet.”
“It’s okay. I feel more comfortable with Yune here.”
Yune giggled. Although her gaze was uncomfortable, I had received help from her in social situations, so I just let it go.
“Reize?”
“Oh, sorry. What did you say?”
“…Hmm. Should we postpone chess for later?”
“Huh? No! It’s really okay. It’s just… just because Lady Penton isn’t here. Also, Yuric…”
As I stuttered, the Duke laughed, seemingly having figured something out. I felt uneasy that he might have guessed my inner thoughts.
“Madam went to her family. It seems her sister-in-law is unwell.”
Yune answered.
“Oh… I see.”
“Yuric went to train before dawn.”
Yuric wasn’t here… While my tense heart was relieved, part of me felt disappointed. Concealing my disappointed feelings, I gently touched the chess pieces.
The Duke, who took the initiative, moved the pieces, examining each move with a smile.
“I heard you’re planning the Sacisset Chess Tournament?”
“Yes, for now. I want to test my skills there.”
“Do you still dream of becoming a chess champion?”
“I’m not sure because I lack confidence in my skills. I didn’t think about it until the Marquis returns to the village. I’ll relax and play until then.”
I knew better than anyone that becoming a chess champion was difficult.
However, focusing entirely on chess would be challenging for me because there were many things I needed to do.
It would take at least a few months for Viscount Kito to return to the village. I had to prepare to become independent at the Marsten Mansion by then.
“By the way, are you more accustomed to using the phone now?”
“More than before.”
“Looks like it.”
“It’s just improved; whenever the game gets tough, the pawn is always isolated.”
I placed my pawn within the Duke’s attack range. It was a trade with the Duke to conveniently move other pieces.
The pawn has always been a challenging piece for me, then and now. It’s better to sacrifice what I can’t use well.
“Take it easy, Reize. We’re playing chess after a long time, right?”
However, the Duke didn’t capture my pawn in the corner.
“Yes.”
It was the expected result.
I had always harbored a desire for chess while attending the boarding school. I was no longer a novice who panics when a trade fails. If the opponent rejects my atmosphere, I would forcibly dress it up to sweep them into the atmosphere.
I dare say I was very good at it, changing the game by giving reversals.
“Reize?”
“!”
A familiar voice was heard in front. Instead of moving the bishop, I briefly looked ahead. Yuric’s flushed face came into my view.
“Yuric?”
He said Yune went to the training grounds last night…?
Due to my confusion, I accidentally placed the bishop I was holding in an awkward position.
‘Huh?’
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.]
