Lansty, who had been quiet until now, opened his mouth.
“Seems like we have a custody issue.”
Russel, who had been standing beside Ariana’s bed, turned his head to look at his younger brother. Lansty continued to speak.
“Usually when parents divorce, the mother gets custody of the daughter and the father gets custody of the son, as long as there are no major issues. That’s why we couldn’t take Ariana back when that woman took her.”
“But brother, that woman made the child like this! Does she deserve to be a mother?”
“Pellos, listen to me until the end. Just because Ariana escaped from Dongryeong after enduring abuse doesn’t mean we can keep her here indefinitely. If Rachel finds out Ariana is here and wants to take her, we have no choice but to let her go.”
As Lansty had said, Russel let out a deep sigh.
Russel stopped Pellos, who was about to flare up again, and spoke.
“First, we must hide that Ariana is in Dongryeong. Then we must gather evidence and testimony of abuse.”
“Yes, brother. I know you want to declare Ariana the princess of Dongryeong immediately, but that’s not possible. Securing Ariana’s custody is the priority.”
Lansty looked down at Ariana with dark eyes.
“I’m sorry for Ariana, but as soon as she recovers to some extent, we must inquire about her life in Soryeong. We need that information to find witnesses and evidence, so we can win the custody battle.”
+++
Three days later, Ariana woke up to see blue eyes. Eyes as blue as a clear day’s sky.
She thought those blue eyes shone with an incredibly tender light. Realizing that Russel owned those eyes came a moment later.
Ariana tried to sit up as soon as she realized Russel was next to her.
“Just lie down.”
A low and deep voice tried to stop Ariana, but she managed to sit up anyway.
“I pay my respects to Your Highness the Emperor. Please forgive me for not being able to stand due to my poor health.”
“What are you talking about!”
Startled by the sudden shout, she realized there was another person in the room besides Russel.
Looking past Russel, she saw a man with a similar build and appearance. He walked briskly to the bed and spoke.
“I’m your father. Your dad! The Emperor, you say? Who calls their dad that?”
Why was this man shouting? And to call Russel her dad? Ariana had never even imagined calling Russel her father.
“Pellos, lower your voice.”
Only after hearing Russel’s words did she realize that this man was the youngest son of the White family. Count Pellos White. As far as Ariana knew, he also served as the commander of the White Knights.
“I pay my respects to Count White…”
“Call me Uncle.”
“Excuse me?”
“If you’re going to call me by such formal titles like Emperor or Count… then don’t call me at all!”
Confused by Pellos’s brusque command, Ariana didn’t know what to do.
Her head wasn’t functioning well since she had been bedridden for so long. Though there should have been an appropriate response, she couldn’t figure out how to act mature and resourceful.
“Try it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Call me Uncle.”
Ariana glanced at Russel. When Russel gave a slight nod, Ariana cautiously spoke.
“Uncle…”
“Heh! That’s it!”
Pellos shouted as he covered his eyes with one hand.
Ariana still couldn’t understand what was going on.
Uncle.
Of course, there were people in Seoryeong who could be called uncles. But none of them ever told Ariana to call them uncle, treating her like a slave child attached to the Bronthe family.
“See, Langsti? I was the first to be called uncle.”
Pelos looked back and spoke. Only then did Ariana realize there was another person.
He was smaller in stature than Russel or Pelos, but he was tall and thin, with a calm and cold gaze.
‘Is that man the second son of the White family?’
Langsti White, Duke.
Unlike Pelos, he looked at her as if examining, making Ariana tense.
“Ariana, I am Langsti White. Your father’s younger brother. Pelos’ older brother.”
“You are Duke White?”
“Did you hear that from Rachel… your mother?”
“Yes, Duke White, it’s an honor to meet you like this. I apologize for not standing up to greet you…”
“Ariana, you are still very sick.”
Contrary to his cold, piercing eyes, his voice was warm.
“There are many things I want to ask and say, but for now, it’s best for you to eat well and rest well.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Duke. But I am fine now. If you have any questions, I will answer.”
Ariana tried to speak cheerfully, but Langsti’s face stiffened, making her confused.
‘Why does he look angry? Did I do something wrong?’
Ariana thought it was important to clear the White family’s suspicions. They would also feel uneasy not knowing the purpose of Ariana’s visit.
“Why are you acting like that, brother? Why are you pressuring the kid?”
Pelos pulled Langsti back angrily.
“When did I pressure her…”
“When you say you have many questions and things to say, the kid feels pressured. Just let her rest, for heaven’s sake!”
“Do you agree, Ariana?”
Ariana blinked, not knowing what to say.
Russel, who had been quietly observing Ariana, spoke.
“Pelos is right.”
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.]
