He couldn’t say that he had been waiting for Etienne to leave the Duke’s residence and followed her.
Currently, he was only showing his gratitude towards Etienne. Even that much had made her wonder why. So, he needed to be more careful.
If she started to guard against him, it would become even harder to approach her. Moreover, now that the crown prince seemed interested in Etienne, he had to be extra cautious.
“Etienne.”
Fernando called her, lost in thought, with a smile on his face.
“If you’re not busy, would you like to have another cup of tea?”
“Now?”
“I have something to tell you.”
There wasn’t really anything urgent to say, but… that could be arranged. Being with Etienne was all that mattered.
As Etienne hesitated to respond, Fernando began to grow anxious. Then,
“If it’s just for a moment…”
Etienne replied in a soft voice.
‘This isn’t so bad.’
The flower tea she had with the crown prince had a subtle sweetness, but the tea she was now having with Fernando was refreshing. The clean aftertaste made Etienne feel clear-headed.
Right after Fernando suggested having tea, they changed direction and entered the city. They found a neat restaurant with a large terrace.
‘I’m glad I didn’t refuse Fernando’s invitation.’
She had hesitated to accept his invitation to have tea because she wanted to part ways with him quickly, but soon changed her mind.
She couldn’t avoid seeing him for the rest of her life. As the families supporting the crown prince increased their interactions, it would be better to get accustomed to seeing Fernando without being affected.
‘By then, I’ll be able to treat Fernando more comfortably.’
And the hurt from forcibly cutting him off would have healed. Fortunately, the day was sunny, making tea time pleasant.
“How did you end up meeting the crown prince earlier?”
Faced with Fernando’s question, Etienne chose her words carefully, maintaining a moment of silence. She couldn’t reveal her secret now. To keep the secret of her regression safe, it was best not to arouse anyone’s suspicion.
“I met him by chance.”
Noticing Fernando’s narrowing eyes, Etienne pretended to drink her tea to avoid his gaze.
Fernando finding her was a coincidence, but her going to meet the crown prince was a calculated move. However, actually meeting him was indeed a coincidence.
“If such an occasion arises again, call me.”
“You?”
“Yes, it’s better if I’m there, rather than you meeting the crown prince alone.”
Etienne didn’t immediately respond to Fernando’s concerned remark. She was curious about his intentions.
“The more you get involved with the royal family, the more invisible shackles grow around you.”
“Ah….”
“The fact that you had tea alone with the crown prince could spark rumors. And if people knew about the ‘secret’ relationship we created, it wouldn’t bode well.”
His logic made sense, so Etienne nodded. She had been so focused on meeting the crown prince that she hadn’t considered anything else.
‘Before, I met him with my parents, so there were no issues, but this time I acted alone.’
And she did meet the crown prince and walked with him through the outer city before having tea, so without Fernando, any sort of rumors could have arisen.
“I was short-sighted. Thank you. Next time I’ll…”
“Lord Fernando.”
Suddenly, someone interrupted, cutting off Etienne’s words. Fernando frowned.
It was supposed to be a rare moment alone with Etienne after not being able to leave the Duke’s residence for days. At this moment, anyone who appeared was an intruder.
Simultaneously, Etienne let out a soft sigh. Like when she met the crown prince, she didn’t seek out this person, but another individual from her complicated past had appeared. In her mind, Etienne called out the name of the woman.
‘Hana.’
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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