“Aunt, I must go again. You don’t look well, so it would be best if you went in and rested.”
“Yes. You must be so busy with just your assigned duties, and now you have to prepare for the wedding too. If you don’t have the time, you can entrust the wedding preparations to this aunt, Carl.”
It didn’t sound like permission, but more like a request to please do so. His aunt must be getting old, because instead of her usual strict demeanor, she occasionally showed a cute side like a child, which Carl liked.
“Yes, Aunt. I don’t know much about it, so it would be great if you could prepare well for Celeste and my wedding.”
“Alright. If my only nephew asks like this, I must agree to it.”
Lady Pulcheria’s eyes sparkled. It was the answer she had hoped for. The tired and dull eyes regained their light and her face flushed with color, looking much better than a moment ago.
“First, I shall contact the archbishop. We may not be able to hold a grand ceremony right away, but we can do the pledge of vows. Once you exchange the pledge of vows, you are effectively husband and wife, so we can immediately move Valerie and the Countess to your residence…”
She began to rattle off the wedding plans without pause. She had already thought it all out before coming.
Carl nodded. He also agreed that they needed to bring Celeste and Valerie as soon as possible.
[This is the timeline separator]The time of liberation from what I didn’t want to learn was just one day. Only one day.
Hannah, who had canceled all bridal lessons yesterday saying it was better to get ample rest since I wasn’t feeling well, resumed all lessons as soon as the next day dawned.
If there was any consolation, it was that my body hadn’t fully recovered yet, so physical training supervised by Kendrick was excluded. Was that fortunate or not?
The first class was etiquette education as always. As a noble, it was necessary because I didn’t know any of the basic etiquette that one should naturally know.
Cecil pretended to wipe away tears, asking where the Miss Celeste who was envied by many for being accomplished in all graces had gone.
I couldn’t tell her who was devastated asking if common sense disappeared when losing memories, that I actually wasn’t Celeste so I didn’t have her common sense…
Up to here, it was boring but bearable. The other classes were the same. The real ordeal was the last class, sex education.
No, wouldn’t an hour or two of lessons be enough? I had no idea why she persistently gave sex education in such detail.
“When you become the Grand Duchess, you must faithfully fulfill those duties, Countess. This is really, really important.”
The face of Mrs. Margaret as she spoke was resolute. She believed the best thing a woman could do to support her husband was to assist him and have many children to form a solid family.
The troubling thing was that this wasn’t just Mrs. Margaret’s personal thoughts but the basic notions accepted in this world view. Her logic that a proper woman should do her utmost to fulfill the roles of wife and mother could not be refuted. Beliefs are scary like this.
“Countess, you don’t seem to understand at all. So I specially prepared some materials today.”
The person who came to teach at Mrs. Margaret’s recommendation was Mrs. Tasha. She was the second or third wife of Viscount Paula, and was quite famous in this area for providing discreet help to many noble ladies with her extensive sexual knowledge.
“Materials? What kind?”
I shouldn’t have asked. To the question I posed without much thought, Mrs. Tasha gave a meaningful smile and pulled something out of the large bag she brought.
“Picture materials.”
Oh my goodness, how obscene. I barely suppressed a scream that threatened to escape.
The large tome Mrs. Tasha took out was a picture book. A picture book that depicted the joys of men and women in detail, that kind of… unspeakably obscene picture book.
Every time Mrs. Tasha flipped a page of the picture book, I closed my eyes and repeated oh Lord.
Seeing that I couldn’t focus on the lesson at all, Mrs. Tasha closed the book and began a lengthy explanation of why I needed to diligently take this class.
Not only will I become the Grand Duchess, but if Grand Duke Albrecht ascends to the throne, then as Countess, I will have the critical role of producing imperial heirs, not just forming a family.
Saying Valerie is already there didn’t work at all. She passionately preached that for imperial power to be solid, it must be accompanied by sturdy succession as its foundation, so two is better than one, three is better than two, and four is better than three…
Anyway, Mrs. Tasha insisted the more children the emperor has the better, getting so worked up her neck veins bulged. She was so passionate I couldn’t rashly refute her.
In the end, pushed by her passion, I meekly accepted the picture book. I planned to listen with one ear and let it go out the other, but Mrs. Tasha’s loud voice completely occupied my eardrums regardless of my will.
Look at the current precarious situation. How unstable has the national government become due to the emperor passing away without an heir?
That wasn’t really the emperor’s fault, but anyway, the sun of the empire not having a successor was a truly serious and dangerous matter, she repeated dozens of times. Would this be the feeling of bleeding from the ears?
With eyes half closed and ears half blocked like that, I barely managed to end the long lesson.
I finished all of today’s schedule. Now it’s free time.
Since it was impossible to go outside through the strict security, I started looking for things I could do as much as possible inside the mansion.
I wandered downstairs and poked around the house maids preparing meals only to get chased away by Liv saying this wasn’t a place for the lady to be, and I was stopped by Kendrick while strolling the garden, telling me to go inside in case of any danger.
“Peek-a-boo, my baby.”
After going around and around, I ended up next to Valerie. They say children’s faces change a dozen times a day, and Valerie had really grown up in the span of a few days.
Cecil, the nanny who had taken care of Celeste since she was a suckling infant, was in charge of Valerie’s childcare. Valerie, who had been playing and laughing with Mrs. Cecil, noticed me and came running while giggling.
No, she tried to run. Her gait looked a bit precarious as she wasn’t fully steady on her feet yet, but the sight of her running with all her might was so cute my heart melted.
“Mama, Mama.”
She ran up to me in no time, grabbed my leg and rubbed her face in my skirt. Could it be that good? I bent down and picked up Valerie.
“Countess. I think Valerie is…”
Cecil approached with a deliberately heavy expression. I got nervous for no reason, wondering what she was trying to say with such a serious face.
“I think she’s a genius.”
But at Cecil’s serious agonizing that followed, I couldn’t help but laugh. There’s no greater hedgehog than this one.
There were more than five hedgehogs just in the Count’s residence. From Cecil who insists Valerie must be a genius no matter what she does, to Margaret who firmly asserts other children her age are definitely not like this.
Hannah preaches that based on her experience raising nine younger sisters, Lady Valerie possesses a mature beauty uncharacteristic of a child, and Kendrick and Liv who say they could willingly lay down their lives for Lady Valerie…
“Calling a baby who’s only 1 a genius?”
“No, she really is a genius. It’s clear.”
Okay. I felt like hearing the basis for thinking that way. Why?
“She definitely recognizes me and distinguishes my name too. I only told her once at first but she remembers it all right away. And that’s not all. If you listen carefully, she calls people apart.”
“No way.”
“It’s true! Young lady. Who am I?”
Cecil asking Valerie in my arms who she was seemed to me, sorry to say, someone with a serious case of hedgehog disease. But then.
“Ceci, Ceci.”
Valerie made a pronunciation roughly similar to Cecil, didn’t she?
__________
My Clingy Little Husband (Female-dominant)
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.