You Can't Catch the Wind - Chapter 7
Only after the host of the banquet came and pleaded with the old nobleman did he finally leave the banquet hall. Still, seemingly unabated in his anger, he shouted for all to hear:
“It’s unpleasant to be in the same place as such an arrogant and rude person!”
Those words meant that he did not want to see Ael at any banquet he attended.
Upon learning of the commotion, the Viscount couple naturally blamed Ael.
“All you had to do was smile nicely and stand quietly among people like a proper lady, but you dared to interrupt men’s important conversations and ruin the banquet? Do you even know who that old nobleman is? Just how arrogant were your actions? People are all pointing fingers, saying we failed to properly educate our daughter!”
After that day, there were no more invitations coming for Ael.
The following year, the old nobleman who had been angered passed away, but Ael still couldn’t attend banquets. It was because Elize made her debut in society that year.
The Viscount couple put their heart and soul into Elize’s debut. This was because even before Elize’s debut, marriage proposals were already pouring in for her.
Not a single thing was spared effort in Elize’s debut.
From clothes, accessories, and shoes to the carriage she would ride in and the footmen who would attend to her.
It was as splendid and beautiful as any great noble family’s. Though everything was procured through debt.
As much money as was spent on Elize, they had to save money in other areas.
Half of the household servants were dismissed, and Ael couldn’t attend any banquets. After all, even just attending costs money.
Moreover, the Viscount couple had no intention of investing further in Ael, whose reputation had already hit rock bottom.
Ael rejoiced greatly in her heart at their decision. The social circle was never a place that suited her from the beginning. She preferred staying at home, doing household chores with the servants, and quietly reading books.
Meanwhile, Elize received countless marriage proposals. But she still couldn’t get married.
“For our Elize, we should send her to someone who can easily afford 300,000 gilders. Also, it should be someone who will frequently interact with us even after marrying Elize.”
In other words, they were looking for someone who would not only pay the 300,000 gilders in gratitude money but also pay off all the debts the Viscount’s family had accumulated so far.
Elize, too, with her great self-esteem, thought that amount was only natural. However, no matter how beautiful Elize was, people willing to readily offer such a large sum in proposal were rare.
If there were no suitors at all, the Viscount couple might have reconsidered the gratitude money even a little, but because it had been frustrated several times just before completion, they still couldn’t let go of their attachment to the gratitude money.
Four years passed like that.
Now Elize is 24 years old this year. In Denertum, noble women usually marry before the age of 25 at the latest. So Elize also intended to decide on a marriage this year. It was then that she became acquainted with the Grand Duke.
Elize said as she opened a new invitation sent by the Grand Duke:
“His Grace the Grand Duke paid 300,000 gilders for purchasing guns to use this hunting season.”
When that story came up at last night’s banquet, the Viscount couple, who were standing nearby, mentioned Elize’s gratitude money and implied that they were hoping for that amount.
Hearing those words, the Grand Duke showed a smile as if it were nothing. While doing so, he discreetly took Elize’s hand, avoiding others’ gazes.
Elize did not reject that touch with a joyful heart.
‘If he spends that much money on buying guns, he’ll surely send an even larger amount for the gratitude money.’
It’s not just about the money. If she becomes the Grand Duchess, she could spend her entire life at the pinnacle of society.
Satisfied with her rising value, Elize said to Ael, who was standing with a pale face:
“Oh, and Mother and Father said that for your gratitude money this year, Lida…”
A smile spread across Elize’s face.
“They’re thinking of 1,000 gilders.”
1,000 gilders.
“Miss! Your apron! Your apron is on fire!”
“…!”
Startled by Jena’s surprised voice, Ael snapped back to her senses. Indeed, sparks that had flown out from the fireplace had caught on the edge of the apron she was wearing, and smoke was rising.
Ael hurriedly looked for water. Fortunately, there was a water bucket nearby. Without a moment to think, Ael grabbed it and poured the water over her clothes.
Luckily, the fire only burned the apron and didn’t injure her body. Instead, muddy water stains from washing vegetables earlier were clearly left on her clothes.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes.”
“Have you not been feeling well lately?”
“Huh? No.”
“Then why have you been so absent-minded all day?”
Jena’s voice was full of concern, as if her older sister might be ill. Ael smiled weakly at Jena’s words.
“I wonder. Maybe it’s because the weather suddenly got warm. I’ll go change my clothes for now.”
Ael left the kitchen, holding the removed apron.
“Hah…”
Her steps towards the upper floor were heavy. She had been in this state ever since hearing about her gratitude money from Elize.
‘1,000 gilders, they say.’
Compared to the 100,000 gilders they had asked for in the past, it was indeed a greatly reduced amount.
Ael was reminded of the wilted vegetables that merchants sell at clearance prices just before the market closes. She wondered how she was any different from those vegetables.
It was common for women like her to be married off, almost as if being sold, to low-ranking nobles in rural territories who had the outdated notion of not wanting to marry commoners.
Ael knew what happened to women who disappeared from society like this from people’s stories.
Most of them go down to the countryside where it’s difficult to even send a letter, and continue to live there repeating pregnancies and childbirths.
If they can endure and live like that, it’s honestly better.
Very rarely, women who were married off in such a way would appear in the capital with their bodies bruised and broken all over.
They would go to their family and beg to be allowed to divorce, saying they would die if things continued as they were.
In Denertum, getting a divorce requires going through several complicated procedures. But there’s something even more important than those procedures.
It’s that the gratitude money sent by the man’s side at the time of marriage must be returned.
In the first place, women who were married off in such a way were considered a disgrace by their families. If not that, then they were sold for money. So there was no way they would return the money or allow a divorce.
‘So most of them returned to their husbands…’
She doesn’t know what happened to them after that. Whether they lived or died. That’s why ever since Elize told her that their parents had lowered her gratitude money to 1,000 gilders, Ael had been constantly plagued by anxiety.
Feeling as if she might face such a future herself.
‘Still, it’s fortunate that not a single marriage proposal has come yet.’
It seems her reputation was even worse than her parents’ expectations.
But she couldn’t keep feeling relieved. At the end of summer, there’s the Summer Banquet hosted by the royal family.
It’s the largest banquet among Denertum’s events, and everyone listed in the noble registry is invited.
At that time, nobles living far away all come up to the capital. Naturally, many marriage talks take place during that banquet period.
Some people even call that banquet Denertum’s best bride market. After all, it’s a place where you can find all kinds of brides, from expensive ones to very cheap ones.
“Hah…”
A sigh escaped her lips, now almost out of habit. Would she really be sold off somewhere after the Summer Banquet ends?
After changing her clothes completely, Ael lifted up the bed. There, books borrowed from the library were neatly placed on a cloth.
“I should return these soon.”
You never know when a marriage proposal might come in.
Of course, it wouldn’t come easily, but if her parents lower the gratitude money even further to get rid of her before Elize’s marriage, someone might submit a proposal.
In fact, out of the ten books she had borrowed, she had already finished reading nine. Since she could hardly fall asleep, reading was the only thing she could do.
But the last book was a problem.
‘I thought it would be difficult, but I didn’t expect there to be so many words I couldn’t understand.’
The book was more difficult than Ael had imagined. More precisely, the problem wasn’t that the content was difficult, but that she didn’t know the meanings of terms that were constantly mentioned in the book.
‘They all seem to be newly announced economic laws from the Empire, so there weren’t any related books in the library either.’
If only someone could explain it once, she could quickly understand and read it, but it seemed like related explanations could only be heard in Academy classes. Of course, Ael couldn’t attend those.
It was when Ael was coming down the stairs to return to the kitchen.
“Is this what you bought to send to His Grace the Grand Duke now!”
Elize’s sharp voice could be heard.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
