As their two pinkies firmly entwined, Nellia spoke.
“The reason I met Griff today… is because I wondered if he could create medicine to treat Lord Carlos’s stiffening arm.”
Upon Nellia’s confession, Duke Hart’s expression gradually stiffened.
“I’m curious why Nellia is trying to develop a remedy for Lord Carlos.”
“Well… I believe that Lord Carlos has the key to Zigrid’s heart. To access that key, I concluded that I need to present conditions equivalent to those of his lordship.”
As Nellia explained, Duke Hart’s expression relaxed a bit.
“Do you think Lord Carlos has the key to Zigrid’s heart?”
“Yes… that’s my speculation.”
Although it was a fact, she couldn’t tell the Duke like that. There was no evidence here.
‘I can’t say I saw the original story of this world.’
“What is this ‘key’ you’re talking about?”
“Elena’s tears. Actually, when I went to Lord Carlos’s room, I saw it there.”
Duke Hart’s eyes widened slightly.
“Nellia… Elena’s tears have been studied by many people, but it’s just a gem.”
Nellia uttered the excuse she had pondered.
“Duke, do you remember when my brother came to the palace recently to see Elena’s tears…?”
“Yes, I remember.”
How could he forget? He met Layton, who had turned into a snake, that day.
“Layton is convinced that Elena’s tears are related to the heart. In fact, I’ve heard related stories before, and now that I think about it, they seem credible.”
Nellia thought her reason was feeble. Nevertheless, the Duke merely stroked his chin, refraining from hasty responses.
Usually, he would have followed her opinion without much hesitation. However, since it involved someone else, and Carlos was related, the Duke seemed to be in deep thought.
“Duke… my speculation may lack evidence, but this time, I hope you’ll believe me just once.”
She would have never dared to convince the Duke like this in the past.
But now, with trust and confidence accumulated between them, she could confidently utter such absurd words.
Nellia believed in the Duke.
The Duke stared at Nellia in silence. As his face lost its expression, a somewhat chilly feeling emerged.
However, he eventually sighed and replied.
“… Fine.”
With his permission granted, Nellia hugged the Duke’s neck.
“Thank you, Duke!”
After a brief hug, Nellia pulled away. There was a gentle expression on the Duke’s face again.
“Can Griff make medicine to heal Carlos’s arm?”
“Making it fully better is difficult, but he mentioned that it might be possible to alleviate the symptoms.”
Nellia answered while glancing at the Duke.
“So, Your Grace…”
“Yes.”
“I need funds for developing the medicine.”
Phew, finally, she managed to bring up what she wanted to say. The Duke gave a sly smile.
“So, the reason Nellia confessed meeting the apothecary was for this.”
“Well… that’s…”
Nellia hesitated on how to respond, but in the end, an honest word slipped out.
“…Yes.”
Duke Hart lifted Nellia as if she were a child.
“Daring to ask me to pay for the medicine to treat another man.”
As if cradling a child, he embraced Nellia. To prevent herself from falling, Nellia naturally pulled Duke Hart’s nape.
“It’s for finding Zigrid’s heart…!”
In the end, it’s for the Duke… Nellia murmured in a small voice.
“Still, I don’t like it. Nellia asking me to pay for the treatment of another man.”
Silver eyes stared intensely.
“Nellia, I want to make sure.”
In the subtle voice of the Duke, Nellia sensed the end of this conversation.
“That Nellia doesn’t care about any other man…”
Reading the Duke’s mind, Nellia kissed him. Lips met and parted with a soft sound.
Kissing him first was embarrassing no matter how many times.
But knowing the conclusion, there was no need to delay.
Nellia whispered in the Duke’s ear.
“Let’s go to the room…”
After that, time passed quickly. Several months went by, but there was no significant change in their lives.
The Duke still turned into a snake when separated from Nellia, and Carlos did not reveal himself to the public.
What did not change was Nellia herself.
She spent each day collecting and analyzing information about the Duke and Zigrid’s myth whenever she had time.
Though she did not find out much, she tried not to become impatient. The more she was conscious of it, the more anxious she became.
However, Nellia eagerly awaited news from Griff.
At this moment, his role was crucial. A plausible medicine had to be developed to propose a deal to Carlos, showing Elena’s tears.
Finally, Griff sent a parcel with a letter.
‘Finally…!’
Nellia quickly opened the package.
Inside the small box in the parcel were several glass bottles containing green liquid.
‘Oh…!’
Hurriedly, Nellia unfolded the letter.
[I have developed medicine by adding other ingredients to the energy circulation potion to alleviate the symptoms. Please take it for a while and monitor the progress.]Sitting on the bed in her room, Nellia shook the medicine she brought. The green liquid, made of unknown ingredients, swayed inside the bottle.
‘Please, let it be effective.’
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.
Link to read
