“Riena has sent a letter! His Grace will go down to the fief in the summer, and he himself will also visit there!”
Riena was as often by the Duke’s side as Elize was.
More precisely, she was a woman more actively aiming for the Duchess’s position than Elize.
If it were any other matter, Elize would not have paid much attention to Riena. After all, she was more beautiful than Riena, no matter what anyone said.
But it was different when it came to the Duchess’s position.
“I can’t ignore my family.”
Though she was the daughter of a fallen noble, Riena was the daughter of a count.
Moreover, Riena’s family owned vast lands not only in Denerthum’s crooked region but also near the royal palace in the capital, making them one of the wealthiest families among the nobles.
So Riena always wore the best things and bought new ones without sparing, showing off proudly in front of Elize.
As if saying, how dare the daughter of a fallen noble compare to me.
The Duke did not seem to pay much attention to Riena. He just treated her like he treated the other women in society and did not keep her by his side like Elize.
“His Grace likes me.”
Who else always holds his hand and beckons him away from people’s eyes if not me?
“But when it comes to conditions, Riena has a significant advantage.”
She had to try harder to beat Riena.
She had to pay more attention to her correspondence with the Duke, filling it with more love than usual.
At the same time, she had to confirm, as Riena said, whether he was really going down to the fief, and if he was, whether she was going with him.
At such an important time…
“This stupid one hasn’t come back all day?”
Her anger toward Riena changed direction in an instant.
She couldn’t grab the daughter of a count by the hair, so she wanted to vent her anxiety on someone she could treat that way.
But she didn’t expect Aelfrie to come back with someone else.
Elize belatedly remembered her dignity and looked at the carriage Aelfrie was riding. The emblem attached to the carriage’s side was not that of a noble family but of Ash’s company.
“The carriage is different.”
Not a flashy Denerthumstyle full of decorations but a neat design that emphasized practicality.
But what was undeniable was that anyone could see that the carriage was made of highquality wood, hardened with countless layers of paint.
Its shape might be simple, but anyone with eyes could only recognize that it was valuable.
So, the man who came with Aelfrie in this carriage must be someone of a certain standing in Ash’s company.
“He’s not a noble.”
But she couldn’t openly ignore Ash’s company.
Recently, hadn’t even the Duke been making efforts to woo them?
Elize quickly collected herself. Commoners were not my concern, but there was no need to deliberately tarnish my reputation if he was an important person in Ash’s company.
After all, didn’t they say that company people share everything they see and hear with each other?
If I continued to bully Aelfrie, an unpleasant rumor might start circulating.
“You stupid thing. You should have told me that someone was coming with you.”
Elize swallowed her disappointment. The one who should have been the recipient of my anger was lucky to escape it.
Elize quickly returned to her usual face when dealing with people.
A dazzling smile that anyone could not help but fall for spread across her face.
She knew the power of her smile well. Now that man, like others, would no longer pay attention to Aelfrie and only look at her.
I’ll send him back when the time is right.
“Thank you for bringing Rida. Then, this is…”
“Are you not hurt?”
But the man, contrary to Elize’s thoughts, did not even glance at Elize and was only concerned with Aelfrie.
Elize couldn’t help but be momentarily flustered by this.
It was the first time a man had ignored her and paid attention to someone else.
Aelfrie, supported by him, was merely embarrassed.
‘Why did I just ask to be dropped off nearby…….’
It was Kyle who had treated me kindly and courteously all day today.
Even though he had introduced himself as a commoner without revealing his family name, his attitude had not changed.
Aelfrie had felt as if she was dreaming all day, experiencing the politeness and kindness of a stranger for the first time in a long time. He even refrained from telling me the meaning of the term I so desperately wanted to know.
Though she had failed to complete her errands and injured her leg, Aelfrie thought today was like a gift.
So when he said he would take me home, she initially asked to be dropped off nearby.
That way, I could end in his memory as Aelfrie, a mere servant of a nearby noble house.
But in the end, I ended up like this.
“Who are you!”
Aradis, who had come late, shouted at Calon.
“My name is Kyle, and I am a part of Ash Trading. I would like to thank you for the great assistance Miss Aelfrie provided our trading company today, and I sincerely apologize for returning home so late.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
