Ariana tumbled out of the speeding carriage, rolling on the ground to cushion her fall. As she quickly lifted her head, she saw the legs of a black horse.
The knight on the horse mumbled in a slow, low voice.
“What’s this? A child runs out to welcome me?”
The assassins realized their plans had been foiled by the sound coming from behind them.
A girl with sky-blue hair and an elegant dress clearly wasn’t jumping from a wagon for no reason; no excuses would do.
The assassins acted swiftly.
They abandoned the carriage and tried to flee.
The agile assassins were about to leap off the ground. However, they had overlooked one thing.
Swish[Dash]!
Quick to react weren’t just the assassins.
The man on the black horse also quickly assessed the situation, and at the moment the assassins kicked off the ground, he drew his sword and threw it.
The long sword flew precisely and sharply through the air, embedding itself in the back of the assassin who had tried to escape first. The blade pierced through skin and lung in an instant.
The assassin fell to the ground without even a scream.
The other assassins didn’t look back at their fallen comrade and continued to flee.
Soldiers and knights near the castle gate intercepted the assassins. Some assassins tried to scale the wall with ropes, but the knights were already on their escape routes.
Sounds of clashing swords, screams, and grunts filled the area around the previously quiet castle gate. People who were leaving the castle gate hunched their bodies and fled.
The assassins fought well, but they weren’t enough to take on several knights at once. The man on the black horse shouted,
“Leave two of them alive!”
The man dismounted. Black boots reaching up to his calves. A wrinkle-free white uniform despite horseback riding. A blue-embroidered tiger face on the chest.
Only then did Ariana realize who the man was.
‘Geor White.’
The man with a delicate jawline, slender eyes, and dark blue hair was looking down at Ariana. He scrutinized her face as if intrigued, then said,
“You’re lucky, you know. If I hadn’t been here, you’d be dead.”
Ariana quickly stood up and courteously thanked him.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Well, you should be thankful. It’s an incredible coincidence that a knight of justice would appear before the men trying to kidnap the Eastern Princess. Thank the gods, shall we?”
“……Pardon?”
“Then again, the fact you were in a situation to be kidnapped by such dangerous people in the first place might be reason enough to resent the gods. Shall we curse them together?”
Ariana could find no words and just stared blankly at Geor. Geor was difficult to handle, but for different reasons than Cyrus.
‘What is this man saying?’
Seeing Ariana blink, Geor gave a sly smile.
His cold-looking face turned gentle when he smiled. His already slender eyes looked even more narrow, as if closed.
“Seems like it’s over there. What will you do? Care to watch the torture?”
In a tone as casual as if suggesting they have a cup of tea, he mentioned torture. Ariana also gave a radiant smile back.
“Yes, if given the opportunity, I would enjoy it gratefully.”
Geor’s smile deepened.
“You’re an interesting girl, aren’t you? Are you back to reclaim your throne?”
“What?”
“Your face is prettier than I imagined, your figure is elegant, and you even have the courage not to be afraid of torture. You would suit being the Eastern Empress more than me.”
Ariana truly did not understand what this man wanted to say.
“I would never dare to covet the position of the Eastern Empress, Your Highness.”
“How do you know who I am? I don’t remember telling you my name.”
“For the same reason you know who I am, Your Highness.”
“Ah, that makes sense. I accept that.”
Zeor extended his white-gloved hand toward Ariana. After briefly staring at the hand extended to her as if asking for a dance, she gently placed her hand over his.
The two walked lightly towards the center of the stage, where a blood-spattered fight had just occurred.
+++
There were two surviving assassins. Both men, appearing to be in their thirties, glared at Zeor with burning eyes.
As soon as they were captured, they tried to chew on the poison hidden in their mouths, but Zeor’s men forced their mouths open and pulled the poison out. Zeor himself pulled out their teeth to prevent them from biting their tongues.
Ariana watched the whole process, standing upright beside Zeor.
Removing his blood-soaked gloves, Zeor spoke.
“Well, it seems the danger of death has passed, so who would like to honestly tell me who sent you? The first to speak gets praise.”
“It was my wife.”
The assassin’s speech was slurred due to his lack of teeth. Zeor turned to Ariana and asked,
“Did you know that one’s speech becomes unclear without teeth?”
“I’m learning a lot thanks to you.”
“Right. I am an excellent teacher.”
Pleased with himself, Zeor turned his attention back to the assassins.
“Now, let me guess a few names. If I’m right, just nod your head. You can do that, can’t you?”
When the assassins didn’t respond, Zeor kicked their sides.
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.
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