“Valeri?”
Franz’s attention, which had been focused on Karl, shifted to the child upon hearing the name Valeri.
“Did you say Valeri?”
Franz quickly examined Valeri, his eyes meticulously scanning her from head to toe. It took only about 5 seconds for him to scrutinize her thoroughly. After inspecting Valeri, Franz’s gaze returned to me, lingering on my face.
“So, her name is Valeri.”
Then he returned to his usual smile. The smile that spread across his face, which Karl had previously unsettled, somehow sent shivers down my spine.
In the empire, there is a river that plays a very important role in agriculture and transportation. It’s the Manus River, which originates in the east and flows westward.
The Manus River bisects the capital precisely in half and has greatly influenced the lives of the imperial citizens, with a bustling area formed around it.
Crossing the Manus River from the Imperial Palace and heading southeast, one reaches a vast fenced area. The gently sloping land stretches to the Arduus Mountains at the edge of the capital, all of which is the territory of the Louizette family.
Ascending the hill surrounded by an iron fence, a large mansion resembling a fortress appears – the Louizette Earl’s residence. After a long time of silence during Celeste’s absence, the mansion was finally bustling with activity.
Thus, the people of the earl’s residence completed all preparations to welcome their lord, returning after half a year.
Many wished to greet the earl at the train station in person, but not everyone could leave the residence empty. Besides the direct servants who assist in the earl’s daily life, other personnel had to remain at the mansion. One such person was Lady Cecile.
Lady Cecile, who had raised and watched over Celeste since she was a baby, was fifty-six years old this year.
Unable to accompany to the train station due to her bad knees, she waited eagerly for the procession to arrive, her gaze fixed on the road.
“My lady, no, the earl!”
Finally, the long-awaited earl and the procession arrived. Despite her discomfort, Cecile hurried to greet Celeste, who was entering the mansion. To others, her pace might have seemed slower than walking, but her heart was racing as fast as a sprinter’s.
“Oh, my dear earl. After so much time alone, so far away… How hard it must have been for you. Yes.”
She even pretended to wipe her tears with a handkerchief. Really, everyone in the earl’s residence was overly protective of me, or rather, of Celeste.
Wasn’t she supposed to be a villainess? Wouldn’t her household typically dislike and fear her?
Contrary to the common trope of villainesses in many romance novels, those around me reacted and wept with emotion at my every move, even though I was no child. Seeing their behavior, I couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed.
“It’s okay, I’m fine.”
“You’re still speaking so formally, my lord. It seems your head hasn’t fully recovered yet. Oh, dear…”
What kind of life did the original Celeste lead…? Just raising my voice slightly was enough to bring Cecile to tears.
“Cecilia.”
The butler, Müller, calmly called out to Cecilia. Confused, she looked at him, and Müller nodded toward Valeri. A big question mark appeared in Cecilia’s eyes.
“Whose baby is this?”
Blinking rapidly, she looked at me, seeking an explanation.
Throughout the carriage ride back to the mansion, I found myself repeatedly explaining Valeri’s story to the household members.
Whose child is this? I don’t know. I was in Urentum, and suddenly someone left the child there. But she is my daughter. Does that make sense? I have no memory of it. I have absolutely no recollection of anything before six months ago, so I don’t know anything about the child either. But how did you know the child is biologically mine? I hired a private investigator to check.
As if being interrogated, I repeated the questions and answers several times until we passed Kelleber Street and arrived at the mansion. Getting out of the carriage was a relief as it put a stop to Müller and Margaret’s barrage of questions.
“What? The earl’s child?”
Cecile’s eyes widened as if they might pop out. If someone had tapped her forehead, her eyes looked like they might actually fall out.
Handing my coat to Liv, who offered to help, I hoped Cecile didn’t have high blood pressure.
“A child? My goodness!”
Cecile continued repeating the same exclamations for quite some time. It was a cycle of ‘My goodness, unbelievable, how can this be!’
“What’s this about a child, my lord? It’s only been half a year since you left the capital. A child?”
Even though my head couldn’t remember, my body seemed to recognize the mansion. As soon as I entered, fatigue overwhelmed me. Perhaps it was the aftermath of the stomach upset on the train, I thought, following Liv to my bedroom.
Meanwhile, Cecile followed, bombarding me with questions. My ears are going to bleed, Cecile…
“So, you left the mansion for that? A, a romantic escape?”
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
