‘There’s no way.’
Recently, having gone through so many unusual events, her caution had become excessive. With a nod of her head, she closed the wardrobe door.
Nelia gave the room a further scan and then heavily sat down on the bed.
The bed’s springs bounced softly. Indeed, nothing was in any way unsatisfactory.
The overwhelming wealth on display was due to the long tradition of the Hart dukedom, an ancient family lineage.
From generation to generation, brilliant and outstanding talents led the family, and their achievements in the empire were beyond what words could describe.
But the peculiar thing was, even though they were such an important and great family, they didn’t have a single branch family.
As far as she knew, the current person managing the dukedom was just Duke Hart’s mother.
It was only yesterday that Nelia had finally discovered that all these things were due to the curse of the Hart dukedom.
Knowing the secret had made her heart heavy.
With her mind heavy, Nelia laid down on the bed.
‘How did the Hart family fall under a curse?’
Such a great family, the Hart dukedom. What wrong could they have possibly done?
Even though they were villains, it was a rather tragic fate.
The father had died by the hand of the current emperor, and was also burdened with the curse of turning into a snake.
And although not as much as the main villain, there was another pitiful person here.
‘It’s me.’
Why had a mere supporting character like her got entwined with the main villain?
From a human perspective, she would want to help him lift the curse, but honestly, she felt burdened, thinking that Duke Hart was holding onto false hopes.
She didn’t know why he had become human this time, but it must have been a coincidence.
She didn’t possess such a power.
‘All I need is for my foot to heal quickly.’
When on earth would her darn foot heal?
The Duke had said that his injured foot was healing faster than he had thought, and that he would meet with the doctor soon. So, he would probably visit the doctor today or tomorrow.
The doctor would surely say that it’s okay to remove the bandage now. The Duke had been walking well on his own recently.
Going by what she saw yesterday, the Duke’s body was overly robust… it was.
While staying at the Duke’s place, she had said that they would find out together why he had turned back into a human, so she wasn’t planning to go back home just because her foot was healed. But if her foot were completely healed, she would feel much more at ease.
There would also be less unnecessary skin contact with him.
‘But… this pillow is really soft.’
As she laid her head on the soft pillow, her eyes began to droop. It was an unfortunate side effect of the toocomfortable bed.
It felt like her body was slowly sinking into a cozy swamp.
‘I shouldn’t sleep…’
Yet, her eyelids kept closing despite her thought.
Eventually, Nelia was led by sleep into a deep slumber.
[This is the time separator]Nelia had a dream.
Upon opening her eyes, she found herself standing in a wide open field.
In front of her was a snake. It was a giant snake, several times larger than a person.
Like Duke Hart, the snake had a strange appearance with silver scales and silver pupils.
Nelia felt it at once.
The snake was a divine beast. It exuded an intimidating aura and a sense of reverence.
She had heard that there were monsters in this world, but she never knew that divine beasts existed.
‘Even though it’s a world where dragons exist…’
A divine beast gave off a completely different vibe.
The snake gracefully raised its upper body and looked down at her.
Even though she knew that if the snake decided to attack, it could swallow her whole in an instant, she strangely wasn’t scared.
[Nelia.]The snake called her name.
The voice was familiar.
“Duke Hart…?”
The snake, being an animal, did not have readable expressions, but it seemed to be gently smiling.
Nelia opened her mouth in shock.
‘This divine creature is Duke Hart?’
Duke Hart was indeed a small, clumsy snake…!
[You’ve noticed.]Duke Hart slithered over and coiled around Nelia.
[Somehow, I feel peaceful in front of you.]Nelia reached out and stroked Duke Hart.
“Your Grace…”
Why? This moment felt so comforting and yet, so regrettable. She could not understand the source of these conflicting emotions welling up within her.
Could it be because of the sadness reflected in the duke’s tranquil eyes?
Then it happened.
Boom!
The clear sky lit up with a loud thunderous sound.
‘Lightning?’
Nelia withdrew her hand and looked around. Dark clouds were gathering in the sky that had been clear.
The sky turned dark in an instant. It seemed like it was about to rain along with the thunder.
‘Duke Hart doesn’t like the rain.’
In response to the unusual aura, she looked at Duke Hart. Duke Hart looked dazed.
“Your Grace…?”
When she called quietly, the still snake suddenly let out a loud cry.
As if it were in pain.
The snake’s body writhed this way and that. As the giant snake moved violently, it was very threatening.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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