The Duke, who had just returned from an outing, was still wearing his overcoat, emanating a cold aura. With a feeling of dryness in her mouth, Vialle respectfully addressed her father.
“You’re back, father. I just went to the library to read some hardcover books.”
She awkwardly showed him the novel she was clutching, as if to explain herself. The Duke, seemingly uninterested in the hardcover book, glanced around and then, placing a hand to his mouth, asked,
“Have you still not made up with Gaisen?”
“What would we have to reconcile about?”
“Well, even though he’s my son, I wonder whom he takes after with such stubbornness.”
Without saying anything, Vialle gave a faint smile, feeling a twitch in her lips.
“Don’t hate him too much. He is your kin, after all.”
“I will, father. You must be tired. Go inside and rest.”
“Yes, I should. My daughter, have sweet dreams.”
“You too, father.”
Vialle bowed briefly and hurried to her room, trying not to let the Duke notice any change in her behavior. The ducal mansion seemed to retain the tranquility of the past, but Gaisen and Vialle were no longer part of it.
There was an unshakable feeling that something was off, but the fact that she couldn’t pinpoint what it was troubled her.
The distant stars, buried in the multitude of constellations, shone brilliantly, contrasting with Vialle’s troubled heart. Unable to sleep, she simply walked by the window bathed in moonlight.
‘I can’t continue like this with Gaisen.’
Both were harboring uneasy feelings, but the Duke was also observing the siblings. Deciding to reconcile with Gaisen, at least superficially, Vialle slowly walked to his room.
Maybe he didn’t want to see her right now. In fact, it was almost certain.
‘I thought I knew you better than anyone.’
She had thought she was a dependable sister to him, but it was just her pride and arrogance. A bitter smile formed on Vialle’s lips as she hesitated to open the door.
Then, sensing her presence, Gaisen abruptly opened the door and quickly concealed his hostility upon seeing his sister.
“……Sister?”
“May I come in?”
Gaisen, slightly surprised, ran his hand through his hair and reluctantly nodded.
Inside Gaisen’s room, chess pieces were scattered on the table, indicating he had been playing alone. It seemed he still played chess by himself when he was uneasy or deep in thought.
Vialle noticed something and raised an eyebrow, looking intently at it. Gaisen, puzzled, followed her gaze and turned his head.
Seeing the green glass bottle, his face flushed red as he quickly gestured with his hands, saying,
“This isn’t alcohol. Don’t misunderstand!”
She assumed Gaisen had taken it out of curiosity from the family’s trading goods. The green bottle didn’t contain alcohol but had a high caffeine content, earning it the nickname ‘the devil’s drink.’
Already well aware of it, Vialle wasn’t particularly concerned, but Gaisen’s overreaction made her want to tease him further.
“It’s okay, I won’t tell father.”
“What are you talking about? It’s not what you think.”
“Curiosity isn’t a bad thing.”
“Curiosity about what…”
“Of course, the mistake is yours.”
“Big sister…!”
Gaisen, realizing he had been tricked, had a flush of embarrassment on his face. Vialle, chuckling at her playful deception, watched him quietly before he resignedly shook his head and said,
“That stuff is not good. Don’t drink it, big sister.”
“Alright, I won’t.”
Surprised by Vialle’s easy agreement, Gaisen slumped onto the sofa, looking deflated. Vialle, observing him, fiddled with the bishop and rook on the table for a while before suggesting,
“Choose between black and white.”
“You want to play chess?”
“Yes, we used to play a lot when you were younger.”
Gaisen, slightly skeptical, picked up a black piece and said somewhat seriously,
“You remember the rules of chess, right?”
“Yes, somewhat.”
Vialle responded briefly, setting up the white chess pieces on the board, and Gaisen did the same with his black pieces. With a meaningful smile, Vialle looked at Gaisen and proposed,
“It would be boring to just play. How about we make a bet?”
“A bet at our age?”
“Why, are you afraid?”
“Of course not!”
Gaisen’s slightly irked reaction resembled that of a boy, easily provoked by a small challenge. Yet, he seemed eager to play, cautiously asking her,
“So, what’s the bet?”
“The winner gets a wish granted.”
Gaisen’s face darkened as he probably guessed what her wish might be and hesitantly said,
“……Is there a right to refuse a wish?”
Vialle, sensing what her brother was worried about, had no intention of revealing her thoughts to him yet. It seemed he was already determined to win this game desperately.
‘You don’t get it, silly.’
Pretending to be nonchalant, Vialle looked at Gaisen and suggested,
“How about being a servant for three days as a concession?”
“Big sister, are you longing for childhood?”
Gaisen shrugged his shoulders at her attitude, puzzled, then sighed.
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.]
