“Didn’t you sleep?”
In response to Hershis’s sudden voice, Liz finally snapped out of her daze.
“…You came?”
Liz hastily got up from the comfortable chair to greet him. Every step she took made the rose-pink silk robe flutter around her legs.
“What have you been doing without sleeping? Weren’t you someone who went to bed around ten?”
“Ah…”
Only then did Liz check the time.
“When did it get this late?”
She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t realize how time had passed.
‘Run away now. I will help you, even if it means risking my life.’
To Liz, who was already heavily oppressed, Ishar’s proposal was like a refreshing rain in a drought. It felt even more tempting since it came from a capable and trustworthy man.
‘I’ll tell you by tomorrow morning.’
She needed time to think.
‘If I don’t receive any messages from you until tomorrow morning, please take it as a rejection.’
‘Okay.’
Ishar lightly agreed and left. Liz spent a whole day locked in the consciousness that he had carelessly left behind.
“Have you been waiting for me and not sleeping?”
Hershis’s abrupt question completely pulled Liz’s consciousness out of sleep.
“Haha…”
She thought responding with a composed laugh would be the best, but that turned out to be a foolish choice.
“That…?”
“……?”
“Can I take it as a sign that you’re ready?”
His long and delicate fingers firmly lifted Liz’s chin.
The golden hue in the deep eyes, accentuated by the long eyelashes, shimmered gently.
His gaze, expression, the clothes he wore, the atmosphere in the room, and the nearly burnt-out wax candle—all whispered to Liz.
‘Accept him. Be true to your instincts.’
If she had been a bit less stubborn, she too might have succumbed to that whisper.
“No!”
“……”
“I didn’t mean it that way… In fact, I didn’t stay up waiting for Your Majesty.”
Hershis’s eyebrows stiffened. His delicate fingers slowly withdrew from Liz’s chin.
“Then, what kept you from sleeping?”
He passed by Liz with a somewhat disappointed look and sat on one of the two comfortable chairs.
Liz sat across from him and said, “Just… thinking.”
“What are you thinking about?”
He asked persistently, poking at her philtrum with his fingertip.
“Well…”
There was nothing good about leaving a long pause between words.
“To… become a good empress, I thought about what I should do.”
“……”
“At first… I thought I should gather information about the nobles. It’s crucial to know who is definitively on our side and who has the potential to be on our side.”
It was a reasonably plausible excuse. At that moment, I even admired my improvisational skills.
“Liz.”
Hershis spoke with an affectionate tone.
“You don’t need to do that.”
“……”
“I didn’t bring you here to give you tasks. You just need to be by my side.”
“Isn’t that basically the same as governing the country?”
“…….”
“Perhaps, I made you uncomfortable. Am I lacking as a person to be the Empress?”
It was a remark that came out unexpectedly. However, it was a question I wanted to ask, as I wondered if he felt what I felt.
After a brief silence, Hershis replied, “Really… do you think that way?”
“…….”
“Do you think I brought you here with just that level of intention?”
His low voice sounded somehow unfamiliar. His tone was so oppressive that it would be better if he got angry.
Taking a moment to carefully choose her words, Liz hesitated for a while, then he asked, “Is that really… how you see it?”
“I haven’t thought of you like that; it’s a bit sad.”
He sighed deeply and stood up from his seat.
“I think it’s better if I just go back today. I need some time to reflect on why I acted in a way that led you to think that.”
“…….”
“Then, rest for now.”
Hershis moved toward the door. Seeing the empty space in front of me, Liz finally came to her senses.
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
Hershis stopped but remained facing away.
Liz continued, “What I want to say is… well…”
Liz didn’t actually know what she wanted to say. But she felt like she knew what needed to be said.
When he followed me here, didn’t he already know? Wasn’t this the new destiny given to me in exchange for defying the original work?
So now, I have to accept it. There is no other choice.
‘Run away now. I will help you.’
“I’m not running away!”
“…….”
“And… I’ll do all the duties as the Empress.”
Even though it was something to be said to Ishar, it might seem a bit out of place for Hershis, but it didn’t matter. Liz, determined, finally felt relieved.
He slowly turned around. His eyebrows subtly twitched, and a heavily suppressed voice flowed out.
“Say it again.”
“…….”
“Say what you said a while ago.”
Liz flinched at the beastly growl-like voice, but soon gathered the courage to speak.
“I won’t run away, and I’ll fulfill my duties as the Empress. So, please give me the chance… ugh!”
Before she could finish her sentence, Hershis approached and embraced Liz.
By the time she regained her senses, she was already trapped between his two arms.
“You… be prepared if you’re lying.”
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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