Hannah moved to open the door, but was stopped by two of Carl’s knights who went outside instead. From beyond the door, there was a commotion, sounds of things crashing and clattering – bangs, cracks, thuds, and the like.
After a few seconds, the door slowly opened. Staring intently at the opening door, it was indeed Detective Alfonso who appeared.
“Identify yourself.”
“Wh-who are you to do this?”
The detective, dragged in and forced to kneel in front of Carl, asked in bewilderment.
“Who are you…”
Then, a knight beside him drew his gun and pointed it at the detective. The sudden threat startled not only the detective.
Yikes, why draw a gun now?
“State your name and identity.”
“Why, why are you doing this? Isn’t this Madame Rebecca’s house?”
“Madame Rebecca.”
Madame Rebecca was a pseudonym I had been using since I hid in Urentum. But more importantly, the knight’s gun was too close to Valery. Holding Valery, I slowly stood up to move away from the knight.
“Lower the gun.”
Carl raised his hand to stop the knight. With just one command from Carl, the knight immediately lowered his hand and hid the gun behind his back.
“Is this Madame Rebecca whom this man is looking for?”
“What? Uh, um…”
As I hesitated to respond, the detective, recognizing me, interjected.
“Yes, it’s Madame Rebecca. I’m just here to report on the job she requested.”
This detective… What kind of detective spills details so easily? Isn’t it the duty of a detective to remain silent about their clients and assignments, no matter what?
His readiness to divulge information under a slight threat completely eradicated the little credibility he had left.
“Buabya, bababa.”
Valery’s babbling resumed, oblivious to the seriousness of the situation, giggling as he grabbed and pulled at my hair, even starting to suck on it.
“Daddy, daddy.”
Then he reached out towards Carl, calling him ‘daddy’, just like yesterday.
The stoic facade of the large man who seemed to be Carl’s chief aide finally crumbled. His deeply furrowed brow reflected the confusion of the situation.
The knights’ gazes shifted from Valery to Carl, and finally to me.
The way they alternated their looks between Carl and me felt unpleasant… No, whatever they’re thinking, it’s not that…! I’m innocent!
The atmosphere grew strange. No one verbally questioned what was happening, but it felt all the more unjust.
My silent cries of injustice were drowned in the quiet. One of the knights hurried to close the door that had been left open.
After a period of confusion, it was Carl who first broke the silence.
“……Someone left this child at your doorstep?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Carl let out a disbelieving laugh, almost a snort.
“So you hired a detective to find out the child’s identity and parents?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Wouldn’t it have been more logical to go straight to the police?”
“I didn’t go to the police because I couldn’t, not because I didn’t want to. Why do you think I’m hiding in this countryside under a fake name?”
“Right. Why did you run away and hide here?”
I was at a loss for words. The more I spoke, the deeper I seemed to be digging my own grave.
Hannah quickly nudged my thigh under the table, a clear signal to keep quiet.
“So, is this child really unknown to you? This… baby?”
“That is…”
“That child is Madame Valery’s child!”
The detective, lacking tact, interjected again!
Hannah was about to explain or maybe make excuses, but she was interrupted by the tactless outcry of the detective. I glared at him with sidelong glances, but his attention was solely fixed on Carl and the knights.
He seemed to have realized that the real power in this room wasn’t with me, but with these men. I thought he was clueless, but it turned out to be the opposite…
“On the day Madame Rebecca first came to me with the child, I confirmed the child’s relation to her. The child is indeed Madame Rebecca’s biological child.”
Ultimately, everyone found out that this baby was Celeste’s daughter. Once again, the knights’ eyes moved from the detective to me.
Ah, this is driving me crazy. I couldn’t help but sigh heavily.
Since Valery called Carl ‘daddy’, the atmosphere in the room had become unsettled.
Although Carl didn’t comment and started interrogating the detective, I could feel the knights’ focus shifting entirely to me.
Carl’s expression crumbled. He seemed angry, maybe surprised. A slight discomfort appeared on his face but was quickly masked by his poker face.
“How did you confirm it?”
“Actually, I have…”
The detective wriggled, as if asking for his hands to be freed. What is he going to say now?
At Carl’s nod, a brown-haired knight stepped forward and untied the detective. The detective grimaced, rubbing his arms that had been briefly bound, and then reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a long glass bottle. It was identical to the one he had used a week earlier to conduct a paternity test between Valery and me.
“What is that?”
“It’s a potion that identifies blood relations. By dropping a single drop of blood into it, the color change indicates whether there is a blood relation.”
“……Magical potions are prohibited from personal possession. You’re not with the police, so how do you have it?”
“Well, actually, in these rural areas, it’s hard to enforce the prohibition on personal items…”
Is he really a detective? Doesn’t he realize that saying such things will only incriminate him?
As the detective spoke, his credibility plummeted, and Hannah shook her head in disbelief. A sigh of disbelief escaped from Carl’s mouth.
“Boasting about committing illegal acts by exploiting the lax security here. How dare you speak so boldly of defying imperial orders in front of the imperial knights.”
“Imperial knights?”
His eyes widened, almost doubling in size. After scrutinizing Carl and the large knight, the detective finally noticed the gold epaulettes on their shoulders and the golden badges on their chests, and hurriedly bowed down deeply.
“No, no! This potion was in my family long before it was prohibited by imperial law, so I’m not blatantly defying the imperial order or committing a crime!”
At Carl’s mention of ‘imperial knights’, the detective paled and practically buried his head in the floor.
How can he be a detective when he’s so easily intimidated by Carl’s words, trembling and shaking. Just watching him shake made me feel exasperated.
“Now, we need to hear directly from Countess Louisette.”
“Me? Why me?”
Suddenly the focus shifted to me. While I was internally criticizing the detective, I was caught off guard by the sudden attention.
“What explanation…”
“The real reason you suddenly left the capital and hid in Urentum. And if, as you say, you’ve been here for over half a year, how can you prove that you didn’t murder the Duke of Swabia? And…”
I didn’t need to hear the rest to know what was coming. Carl’s gaze was pointedly on Valery.
“About this child as well.”
As expected. The first two questions felt like a smokescreen. It seemed what he was really curious about was the last question. But what should I say? Overwhelmed, I bit my lip tightly.
I’m not from this place. In fact, I just entered into the world of a novel I was reading, and I fled here fearing execution after the duke’s death. Why Celeste had a child, when, where, and with whom wasn’t mentioned in the book, so I don’t know. Should I tell the truth like that?
…But then, I’d probably be treated as insane.
“I don’t really know. That’s all I have to say.”
One of Carl’s eyebrows raised. His expression seemed to say, “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
“I, um. That is, I mean… I…”
I need to think. I have to come up with something, any plausible excuse to get through this situation!
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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