The magic stones were secretly purchased half a year ago, just before I left the capital, from a night market in Hoshi Square.

Although there were many magic stones in the treasure vault inside the mansion, they were all stored under the strict supervision of the head butler. Even as the owner of the mansion, I had to document the purpose for taking any magic stones.

I asked why such strict measures were necessary and was told that the imperial family had started to crack down on everything related to magic in recent years.

Anyway, there was no benefit in leaving a record for stones I intended to take while fleeing under the pretense of recuperation. The magic stones from the night market, though more like knockoffs than genuine and expensive, seemed better than nothing.

“This stone will bind the feet of the people you want when you recite the right spell.”

The explanation from the cloaked old woman selling the stones was clear and concise. If I recited the spell, the magic would activate and bind the feet of people within 10 yards of the stone.

The effect lasted at most 10 minutes, but that was enough to escape in an emergency situation. I decided to buy it without hesitation.

But what was that spell?

I remembered the old woman’s explanation, but strangely, I couldn’t recall the spell. It was a short word. What was it? It was clear in my memory until yesterday…

“……Count. Countess?”

“Yes?”

“What are you so deep in thought about? You didn’t even hear me calling you.”

“Why did you call me?”

I was so engrossed in trying to remember that I hadn’t even noticed my name being called.

“We need your blood as well.”

“Ah…”

That’s why they put Valery’s blood in two different places. I obediently extended my arm to the approaching knight. It didn’t seem like resisting would be of any use.

“Ah.”

I remembered. The spell the old woman told me for activating the magic stone.

“Prolabor.”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing. Nothing.”

I didn’t know the meaning, but it was probably a sequence of meaningless sounds, like many spells. Like “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo.”

Prolabor. Now that I remembered, I felt a bit more reassured. I just decided to activate the magic stone and escape with Hannah and Valery if necessary. While I was discreetly observing the situation.

“Ow.”

The knight’s blade lightly grazed my fingertip. At least it wasn’t as bad as what they did to the detective.

“Uh…”

That’s when it happened.

The bottle on the table wobbled and then tipped over. No one had touched it.

“Right now…”

“Is it an earthquake?”

“An earthquake?”

Upon closer inspection, the table was also shaking. The overturned bottle rolled off the table, and the pocket watch Carl had set up also fell forward.

“An earthquake?”

So sudden? Out of the blue? Of course, natural disasters don’t announce themselves before occurring, but this was too abrupt. Carl quickly unfolded his arms and moved swiftly.

“It’s the smell of gunpowder.”

The vibration was now felt underfoot as well. The knights, as if by agreement, quickly formed a protective circle around Carl.

All I could do was hold the child in my arms tightly to prevent any harm.

Fortunately or unfortunately, with the floor shaking and dust and dirt falling from the ceiling, no one paid attention to the potion bottles on the floor.

One of the three potions was still unused. I thought it might be useful someday. While everyone was distracted, I planned to secretly take one of the bottles.

Thud.

“Oh, my God!”

Just as a big shock seemed to hit the entire cabin, a bright light flashed from the back of the kitchen, followed by an enormous bang.
Boom. Bang!

“It’s explosives! Take cover!”

The knight with the red medal, seemingly trying to protect Carl, hurled himself towards him while shouting.

His yell was drowned out by the subsequent explosion, and the room, which had been so quiet that the ticking of a clock could be heard, descended into chaos.

I was choking on the acrid smoke. In the moment when everything started to blur, I instinctively wrapped my whole body around the child to protect their face and body from the dust and explosive smoke.

Bang. Boom.

“Your Grace, the Duke!”

An impact far greater than the previous two explosions shook the area.

The noxious fumes from the explosion made it impossible to open my eyes. Each breath I took was accompanied by coughs and choking.

It seemed like someone was shouting beside me, but after the last explosion, my ears were ringing so much that their voice sounded distant and muffled.

“……st.”

Then another explosion.

This last impact did not just assault the senses of sight, smell, and hearing. The ground beneath me gave way, plunging me into darkness.

It felt like the floor had collapsed under the bombardment. I braced for the imminent impact, huddling as much as I could.

“Celeste!”

Someone seemed to pull on my shoulder, but I couldn’t tell if I was being grabbed by a person or hit by falling debris.

Am I going to die like this?

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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