Nothing was readable.
Even though I wasn’t wearing gloves, and my skin was directly touching his face, which was undoubtedly real, no memories were read.
‘How can this be?’
I was utterly perplexed by this unprecedented situation.
Could it be that I barely touched him, and that’s why I couldn’t read any memories?
I pressed my palm firmly against his cold cheek, but nothing changed.
‘Why? Why isn’t it working!’
This ability of mine was a curse.
It prevented me from comfortably touching those I love, from even shaking hands with close acquaintances.
There were many times I wished it would just disappear.
But not now, not like this!
‘Read! Just read the memories, please!’
It was despair.
In desperation, I kneaded the skin in front of me like dough, forgetting that it was someone’s face.
“Your face is starting to hurt.”
“Ah!”
Startled by the sudden voice from the once pliable dough, I pushed the face away. In the recoil, my body tilted backward.
Thud.
“Be careful.”
Laches caught me, one hand supporting my waist, the other grabbing my hand.
Had he not caught me, I would have fallen headfirst onto the stone floor.
“This is a bit too classic for seduction.”
“……!”
Laches leaned in and whispered in my ear with a hot breath, causing an unfamiliar tickle. I soon forgot about the cold, feeling my entire body heat up.
“It’s not on purpose. Thank you.”
I put strength into my hand and stood up straight. Still, even holding hands, no memories were read.
‘Has my ability disappeared?’
Or does it just not work on this man in front of me?
Or have I overused it recently on too many people, causing it to fail?
I never used it much before as I was too busy trying to hide it.
“Did you manage to remove whatever was on my face?”
“Yes?”
“You were vigorously touching my face because there was something on it, right?”
Laches pointed at his face, prompting me to look at it again.
The distinct eyebrows, deep eyes, and the prominent nose became clear.
How could I have thought these sharp features were like pliable dough, even for a moment?
“Sorry, I’m really sorry.”
“Nobody has dared to touch my face like that since I was a child.”
“……I’m really sorry.”
“If you want to touch my face, just say you want to. Don’t knead it like laundry. It hurts.”
Laches chuckled lightly, his breath fogging faintly in the cold.
Was there anyone else who suited the cold north as well as this man?
Lost in thought, I stared at Laches until he tilted his head, smiling.
“You’re not denying it. Did you really want to touch my face?”
“……No, it’s not like that.”
I hastily averted my gaze.
Laches’ memories are unreadable.
That means I can’t find out if he’s the one who will kill me.
‘Did I make a mistake coming to the north?’
Should I have fled at the first sign of suspicion? Should I hide now, out of his sight?
Would I survive this time?
No. I wouldn’t. I’ve tried fleeing without telling anyone, waking up and running without a destination.
But even then, I didn’t survive. Hiding out of his sight would lead to the same result.
“Apparently, there’s chaos in the capital. It seems Count Deverti and Lady Palo have been caught in an affair.”
Laches lightly shifted the conversation, breaking my train of thoughts.
‘So it’s finally come out.’
I’ve been so busy with work lately that I haven’t had time to pay attention to the news from the capital. I almost missed such an important matter.
I concealed my joy and nodded nonchalantly as if it were someone else’s affair.
“Lady Nirielle was ridiculed and cheated on, I’ve heard. Do you know anything about it?”
“Me? What would I, a mere maid, know about that?”
“You came here with a letter of recommendation from the Nirielle family’s physician. Since he was the Nirielle family’s physician, he must have witnessed Lady Nirielle’s last moments. I thought maybe there was some connection.”
Laches continued his conversation, seemingly not waiting for my reply.
“Lady Palo has been confined by her family head, and Count Deverti is facing trouble as all the investments for his upcoming business have been withdrawn.”
“I see.”
Right now, I’m not Lepherentia Nirielle, just the maid, Lea.
There’s no reason for me to openly rejoice in front of Laches.
Anyway, after my death, those two faced their consequences, even if it wasn’t the full extent of their crimes.
I struggled to manage my expression, trying to suppress my trembling lips.
“Count Nirielle plans to formally address this issue. He intends to inform His Majesty of his daughter’s unjust treatment and has requested an investigation…”
“What?”
My emotions, which had remained stable at the mention of Deter and Delia, surged suddenly at the mention of my father.
Laches stopped talking and narrowed his eyes at me.
“Why? Do you know something?”
“No… It’s just that Count Nirielle you mentioned seems different from what I know. He didn’t seem like someone who cared for his deceased daughter.”
“Is that so?”
Laches casually responded and then grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards him without any warning.
“Suddenly…”
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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