The assumption that the Crown Prince tried to kill the Duke, a threat to his position, seemed plausible.
Adeline remembered that the Duke’s family, the Thorpeo, had been a noble house that traditionally produced empresses.
Wasn’t the previous empress also from the Thorpeo family? Although her end was not favorable.
‘Surely if it’s the Thorpeo family, it wouldn’t be strange for red eyes to appear, being mixed with royal blood…’
Adeline narrowed her eyes as she looked at the Duke.
Even if the Duke’s family was close to the royal family, it wasn’t easy for a non-direct descendant to exhibit the Emperor’s hallmark.
Just a baseless fear?
Adeline eventually dismissed it as unnecessary speculation.
No matter how high his social status, the Emperor’s emblem was too far-fetched.
“Let’s go back now.”
Adeline stood up and extended her hand to the Duke.
At that moment, Severus leaned back on the sofa, facing a table in Horn’s top-tier inn.
Though it was the best inn in Horn, it didn’t meet his expectations.
He had received news that Adeline had been spotted in Horn.
“Your Grace, we found traces of Lady Adeline moving south. She seems to have exchanged the jewels she took for gold coins at a pawnshop.”
“Which route?”
“She moved south, so likely towards the Horn region.”
The Horn region, far from the capital where the Credion Duchy’s downtown house was located.
Known as a remote village, Horn was the least populated region in the Soltarius Empire – a relatively underdeveloped area.
The place Adeline fled to was a village without even a notable local noble.
She vanished the morning after receiving a proposal letter from the Crown Prince.
Adeline had been disinterested in marriage since childhood.
Or rather, she didn’t show interest in things that noble girls typically would.
‘Marriage, luxury goods, social circles.’
The only thing Adeline showed interest in was money.
A child more interested in business, akin to a trading company.
He had thought she wouldn’t be thrilled about an engagement with the Crown Prince, but fleeing was unexpected.
Suddenly, the Duke’s eyes glinted menacingly.
Initially, he thought it was just a simple runaway case and she would return after a few days.
The inherited estate was not large, so Adeline did not take much with her when she left.
Having lived her life as the only daughter of a duke’s family, it was expected that she would return in tears and reluctantly engage with the crown prince.
However, as days turned into weeks and months, there was no sign of Adeline’s return.
“Lord Duke, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is quite displeased. It’s been a month since he sent the proposal, and such a delayed response is concerning.”
“Surely, Lady Credion has not truly gone missing? Especially with an engagement to the sole Crown Prince of the Soltarius Empire looming.”
The words of the secretary serving the Crown Prince carried a sharp edge. It was an unspoken pressure for the Duke to find Adeline and consent to the engagement.
Ultimately, Severus had no choice but to set out in search of Adeline.
With reports of Adeline moving to Horn, Severus gathered his knights and headed south.
He thought she would be easy to spot, resembling him so closely in appearance.
Yet, she was not easily found.
The Duke deeply inhaled from his lit tobacco pipe and exhaled.
The murky smoke dispersing in the air seemed to mirror Severus’s turbulent emotions.
Just then, a knock sounded, and a subordinate appeared.
“Your Grace.”
“What’s the situation?”
The man approached where Severus sat and knelt before him.
“I’m sorry. Despite deploying the knights, we couldn’t find any trace of the lady. She must be skilled in disguise, making it difficult to locate her…”
Severus picked up a glass from the table and hurled it towards the knight commander.
With a loud crash, the glass shattered beside the man.
A shard grazed his cheek, leaving a diagonal mark.
The commander’s face turned pale as drops of blood fell to the floor.
“Is the Duke of Credion to return empty-handed after coming this far?”
As Severus’s chilling voice echoed, the commander bowed his head lower to the ground.
There had been more than one knight dismissed for displeasing the Duke.
“I’m sorry! I’ll turn the Empire upside down to find her…”
The knight commander hadn’t finished speaking when the Duke’s secretary, standing in the shadows, stepped forward and bowed. He was the Duke’s closest confidant.
“Your Grace, it’s time to return. Leave the search for Lady Adeline to them and let’s head back.”
Severus frowned at the secretary’s words.
“There are only three days left until the dinner appointment with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”
The ‘them’ referred to by the secretary were those who dealt with the Duke of Credion’s clandestine affairs.
Severus muttered ‘useless’ under his breath and stood up.
The thought of being toyed with by a young Crown Prince for failing to find his own daughter was infuriating.
“Let’s return. I will decide your fate once we’re back.”
The Knight Commander was met with Severus’s icy gaze, as sharp as frosted blades.
Cold Male Lead Became My Clingy Husband (Female-Dominant)
Feng Bai Su transmigrated into a matriarchal novel, becoming the sister of the female protagonist and the Seventh Princess of the Feng Ling Kingdom.
After working herself to death in her previous life, finally reincarnating as a princess, she only wanted to be a lazy fish who could eat, sleep, and play.
Until she met the male protagonist from the book, Wei Jing Mo, and he took a liking to her!
Wei Jing Mo is the top young man in Feng Ling City, talented in both appearance and ability, from a prestigious family, with a cold and otherworldly appearance, a figure like the bright moon in the hearts of noble ladies. It was thought that only the most powerful and talented noble lady in Feng Ling City would be worthy of such a brilliant young man. Who knew that this young gentleman would secretly admire the infamous Seventh Princess?
Short scene 1:
Feng Bai Su looked at the young man crying like a pear blossom in the rain before her, and couldn’t help but doubt her life.
Wasn’t the male lead described as a cold and otherworldly figure in the book?
Then who was this poor little thing crying with swollen red eyes and tear-stained face?
Short scene 2:
Wei Jing Mo stared intently at Feng Bai Su who was about to go out, wanting to say, “Be careful on the road.”
Before he could speak, Feng Bai Su suddenly bent down and bit his cheek.
Her peach blossom eyes were full of disdain: “Tsk! You’re so clingy!”
Wei Jing Mo: “…”
A talented fox spirit female lead with a flirtatious appearance but actually abstinent VS A cold-looking but actually naive and clingy little jealous male lead
