Unlike other wounds, this scar still remained even after nearly a month had passed. In the first place, it was strange that this scar even appeared since his current body had never been stabbed by a dagger.
To Cassel, this bizarre wound felt like a warning to him.
As if telling him there wouldn’t be a second chance, so this time he must properly protect Riena.
Every morning, he would reflect his scarred body in the mirror and renew his resolve.
That he would certainly accomplish it.
Even if he couldn’t gain Riena’s love, as long as she could be happy this time, that would be enough.
Though he couldn’t save his mentor Count Dyke due to the misaligned timelines, at least he managed to save Noah, so that was fortunate.
And this time, he would uncover the truth about his mentor’s death and put his soul to rest.
But in truth, Cassel was overjoyed just to meet Riena again. He was happy to spend time together with her without any worries.
Recently, he even received a positive answer from her. Thanks to that, he couldn’t be happier these days. It was the first time in his life experiencing such overwhelming emotions.
However, what Riena told him today was truly unexpected. The moment he heard about her dream, Cassel experienced falling from heaven to hell in an instant.
Why did this have to happen…
“Please, no more…”
Cassel muttered in a pitiful voice.
“I beg you, please help Ria not remember that terrible event.”
At one point, he firmly believed gods didn’t exist. Because if they did, he thought they couldn’t be so cruel to him.
But now, all Cassel could do was sincerely plead to the gods he didn’t believe in.
[This is the timeline separator]Originally, Riena and Cassel should have headed north by now.
However, attending the banquet had already delayed them, and judging that it would be better to stay in the capital to investigate matters related to Count Dyke’s death, they decided to spend this winter in the capital.
After returning from the banquet, Riena’s daily life changed a little. She began receiving many letters and invitations.
There were letters from people she had been acquainted with, like Helen Satin, but there were also letters from people she had never spoken to at all.
Today as well, Riena’s eyes widened seeing Amy carrying an armful of letters.
“That’s an enormous amount.”
“Right? This is after the head maid and I sorted through them once already.”
Amy answered while pouring the letters onto the table.
“Sorted through?”
“Uh, well… You could say we filtered out letters with impure intentions.”
“Impure intentions?”
“The people sending letters to you aren’t just noble ladies and noble wives, you see.”
Riena immediately understood. In other words, there were men who insistently sent letters with personal intentions despite her having a fiancé.
Since they wouldn’t be writing to Riena, who had a partner to share her future with, about business discussions, those letters would truly contain ‘impure intentions’.
“Then what happened to those letters?”
“The head maid took them to His Grace for now.”
“And then?”
Amy shrugged her shoulders.
“Wouldn’t he have used them as kindling for the fireplace? It’s bothersome to tear them up one by one after all.”
“I see.”
She imagined Cassel throwing the letters into the fireplace with an expressionless face. It seemed quite intriguing.
Afterwards, while Riena was diligently sorting the many letters with Amy’s help, the head maid came with a somewhat stiff expression.
“My lady.”
“What is it?”
“You have a guest.”
“Is it perhaps Marchioness Donovan or Raoul Berna?”
“No, it’s not.”
“If not them, then Madam Satin?”
“Not her either, but…”
The head maid couldn’t readily answer. Whoever the guest was, it seemed they weren’t a welcome one.
“Then…”
Just as she was about to ask again who it was, a familiar voice was heard from beyond the open terrace door.
“No, I came to see my daughter, so how dare you stop me? Do you think you’ve become a duke just because you work here?”
A voice she never wanted to hear again. It was the Countess of Dyke.
“Has my mother come?”
The head maid finally replied.
“Yes. Countess Dyke and her daughter, Lady Bianca Belter, have come. They said they must see you, but I couldn’t let them in on my own authority, so I came to ask your intention first.”
“Seeing as they’ve only come to find me now, they must have come by carriage instead of using a magic portal. Considering the difficulty, their persistence is quite something.”
The magic portal usage fee was quite expensive to readily use with a count family’s budget. Moreover, there was no way the people of House Dyke, who were presumably struggling financially to the point of being in debt, would have used a magic portal.
As Riena remained silent for a moment, the butler asked again.
“Shall we send them away?”
“Haa…”
Riena pondered while rubbing her temples.
If it were up to her, she wanted to avoid seeing the two and immediately chase them out of this manor.
‘But even if I turn them away today, Mother and Bianca won’t give up. They’ll come back again and again no matter what.’
Moreover, there were many prying eyes at the manor. The two definitely wouldn’t leave quietly, and no matter how much they tried to keep it under wraps, today’s incident might leak out.
She didn’t care if only her own reputation was tarnished. However, now that she had decided to marry Cassel, her honor was his honor. She didn’t want to sully his name.
In that case, it was better to ask why they came and firmly refuse them. She should send them back saying she would never meet them again even if they came in the future.
“Please guide them to the reception room for now. I’ll change clothes and come down.”
“Understood.”
Riena stayed seated for some time. Then after about 20 minutes passed, she slowly left the room. Amy, who naturally followed behind, asked.
“My lady, will you really be alright?”
“What wouldn’t be alright? She’s still my mother and sister. Surely they wouldn’t harm me.”
“Still… How about telling them to come back another time when His Grace is here?”
“Amy, people have shameful secrets they never want to reveal.”
Mother and Bianca are my shameful secrets.
Riena swallowed the rest, but Amy seemed to sufficiently understand.
Having soon arrived at the reception room, Riena requested to Amy.
“Please send away all the people nearby. I don’t want anyone else to hear the conversation.”
“Understood. But if anything happens, please pull the bell-pull. I’ll come running right away!”
“Thank you. Then I’ll be counting on you.”
Riena took a few deep breaths in front of the door and went inside.
The Countess of Dyke and Bianca, who were admiringly eating the elaborately prepared refreshments, exclaimed in delight as soon as they spotted her.
“Oh, Ria. You came.”
In that moment, goosebumps rose on Riena’s arms. ‘Ria’, really? Had the Countess of Dyke ever called her by such a friendly nickname?
As far as Riena could remember, she never had.
‘As expected, they came with an ulterior motive.’
Riena let out a small sigh and sat across from the two.
“Why have you come?”
Skipping all preamble and going straight to the point, Bianca snapped back rudely.
“What kind of child are you to not even ask how we are?”
“Well, I didn’t know we were on terms to exchange such pleasantries.”
“You really…!”
As Bianca flared up, the Countess of Dyke stopped her. It was unlike her usual self.
“Bianca, calm down. By the way, why did you come alone? Where did Duke Winkler go?”
“There’s no reason for you to see him, Countess.”
“Why would I have no reason to see him? He’ll soon be my son-in-law, so of course…”
“Countess of Dyke.”
Riena deliberately used that title to draw the line.
“When I left the manor that day, I cut ties with House Dyke. I will soon become Riena Winkler, and I don’t want to be involved with House Dyke in any way.”
“What do you…”
“So don’t come looking for me like this in the future. You seem to need money, but House Winkler absolutely cannot provide financial support.”
“Are you done talking?”
Bianca sprang to her feet.
“How could you say such a thing when Mother raised you? Who do you take us for! Who said we came for that measly money?”
“Didn’t you?”
“Fine, since it came up, let’s be honest. How can Duke Winkler marry you without giving a dowry?”
As expected, it was about money. It wasn’t even surprising. She could only laugh.
As Riena let out a snort of laughter, Bianca’s eyes narrowed.
“I think you have some misunderstanding, Bianca. His Grace has already given a dowry.”
“What does that mean!”
“You said you owed a debt to Baron Rothman? His Grace paid back that debt to Baron Rothman tenfold. Since he paid the debt that House Dyke originally had to repay, that counts as a sort of dowry, doesn’t it?”
Top Celebrity Younger Brother Bears Her Child (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Forced to live stream romance with a top celebrity in a female-dominant world.
Yan Jin transmigrated into a brothel, with a fellow transmigrated junior beside her.
Hearing the obscene words coming from outside, the unfortunate junior covered his ears tightly, his cheeks flushed red, and whispered to comfort her, “Don’t worry, I will definitely help you escape.”
“Don’t worry, I will definitely defend your chastity.” Yan Jin looked at the flawless and delicate features of the unfortunate junior and gently comforted, “Because we have transmigrated into a female-dominant world.”
※※※
Top celebrity Yu Shu suddenly fell into a coma during a concert.
Research scientist Yan Jin fainted in the lab after working overtime.
Two people with no connection were rushed to the same hospital.
Three days later, neither of them had woken up.
Suddenly, the entire nation discovered that a live streaming app had been forcibly installed on their phones.
Upon opening it, they heard the two discussing how to escape from the brothel.
The entire internet was in an uproar.
After the two successfully escaped from the brothel, Yu Shu’s fan group rushed to make a banner and sent it to the hospital overnight.
“Big sister bravely took action to defend the chastity of our idol!”
※※※
When Yu Shu was diagnosed with pregnancy, Yan Jin stared at his belly for a long time.
Covering his stomach, he muttered gloomily, “If you don’t like it, I’ll go get an abortion.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it.” Yan Jin hugged Yu Shu and said softly, “I just feel like I’m not human.”
Yu Shu comforted Yan Jin, “I was already an adult when we got together.”
Yan Jin hesitated, “But you won’t be of legal marriageable age even after giving birth to the child.”
At the same time, a flood of bullet comments appeared in the live streaming room that the two couldn’t see.
[Although it’s inappropriate, I also want a young and handsome boyfriend to have my child.]
①Male pregnancy (highlighted)
The female lead is five years older than the male lead, and the male lead is already an adult when he appears.
