If Claire continued to think of her as a stupid pawn, it was welcome on this side.
It would take a long time, but eventually, Riley was determined to get rid of her step-parents and Claire from her life completely. Pity for them was a luxury.
“Riley!”
Smoothing out her discomfort with Claire, Riley smiled at Hila. Hila hugged Riley tightly and whispered.
“Congratulations, you’ve officially become the fiancée of the Marquis.”
“…Thank you.”
“Did you see the faces of those who used to torment you? I thought I was going to die laughing.”
“Yeah, they seemed pretty shocked.”
“Will they bother you anymore? I’m curious about how everyone will react when you go to the academy tomorrow.”
Rivne, who was listening to the conversation with crossed arms, asked, “Torment? Who tormented whom? Do you mean you were tormented by them?”
Looking at Riley as if she was the main culprit who caught Josephine Lucan’s attention, Rivne asked. Riley awkwardly smiled in response.
“Why? Did I do something to deserve their scorn?”
“No, it’s not that… They just seem to look down on outsiders.”
Rivne seemed to know nothing about the incident involving Josephine. She thought it was unnecessary to inform her, and that remained true to this day.
Even if Rivne were to learn the full story of the incident, she probably wouldn’t intervene or offer any help.
So Riley deliberately made up a suitable excuse. In reality, being an ‘outsider’ was indeed a universal shield. Within the Horizon Academy, being an ‘outsider’ was tantamount to being an outcast.
“Instead of focusing on academics, if you keep behaving like that, I wonder if you’ll be able to graduate properly. Maybe it’s because you’re still so young. You still lack the maturity for it, tsk.”
Glancing at Josephine Lucan’s group, Rivne stuck out her tongue, then suggested they move to a place where they couldn’t see them at all.
Riley and Hila followed the leader’s command without any complaints. Finally, they could enjoy the party comfortably, but not Rivne.
Rivne was as popular as Gimnen. Perhaps because she was from the Lianster family, people frequently came up to her to greet her.
However, Rivne did not welcome them as warmly as Gimnen did. She observed her surroundings with a dignified expression, maintaining the demeanor of a seasoned warrior who would go to war at any moment.
Perhaps due to her aversion to unnecessary small talk, her interactions with people here were not lengthy.
Thanks to that, Riley and Hila were able to enjoy the prepared desserts and champagne with a bit of ease.
“By the way, why isn’t anyone coming to greet you? They just glance at you from a distance.”
“I actually like it that way.”
“Even so, that’s… How come no one is coming?”
Responding to Hila’s complaint, Rivne, who was standing with crossed arms, answered, “Sister hasn’t officially debuted in the social circle here. Moreover, without any known information, she can only explore and can’t easily approach others.”
At that moment, someone seemed to be approaching Riley but stopped abruptly. It was due to Rivne’s stern gaze. Witnessing this, Hila quickly understood the situation. Hila whispered softly into Riley’s ear.
‘It seems like everyone is scared not of you but of your sister.’
Riley looked at Rivne.
Upon closer inspection, she stood with a serious expression, guarding the position like a knight. Instinctively, she stood firm, preventing strangers from approaching. As a result, most people either couldn’t approach or merely greeted Rivne briefly.
Being the owner of an already cold demeanor, it looked even colder as she squinted her eyes and even furrowed her brows. Considering her previous advice not to mingle with people at the party until now, it seemed like she might be completely blocking the conversation itself.
‘Solid.’
Rivne’s presence was truly fortunate. The situation of engaging in a conversation with people she just met was burdensome and stressful. Although she hastily received etiquette training, it was at a cramming level, and there was a risk of being caught if she made the slightest mistake. Fortunately, Rivne took the initiative to block any potential issues.
Riley sipped champagne while looking around. Furtively, she still felt the gaze of an unspecified number of people. Whenever their eyes met, she subtly avoided eye contact, and the cycle repeated.
Amidst this, she caught sight of Ryan.
‘…Uncle?’
He was alone, looking very uneasy. Was he monitoring the situation, unable to mix with the people here? At that moment, someone approached him. It was a knight in armor. Ryan glanced around and quietly followed him.
‘Why is Uncle meeting a royal knight…?’
As Ryan and the knight disappeared from the party venue, Riley was perplexed. She knew that he had interactions with Count Ehrmains. However, this place was where Count Ehrmains was absent, and there was no one to look after him.
Certainly, he could mingle with the people here by selling the name of Gimnen’s father-in-law. Still, if that were the case, was it necessary to leave the party venue secretly?
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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