In the painting, the man was Iphnetes, a human so beautiful he could make gods jealous. I followed the narrative of the fresco, which was based on his story.
It depicted Iphnetes falling in love with a goddess and a jealous god of fire raging with fury at this sight.
The painting, expressed with unique materials and subtle chiaroscuro in a palette of translucent colors, made him feel almost alive.
In the Duchy of Lesothia, Iphnetes was a primary source of inspiration for artists. Although his sculptures were prevalent there, they did not make him feel as alive as the paintings did.
By the time the narrative of the fresco concluded, I found myself standing opposite the first painting I saw.
His love story, unfortunately, did not have a happy ending.
However, it was a beautiful tale of how Iphnetes, a human punished for his beauty that made even gods jealous, was ultimately turned into a god governing time by another god who loved his beauty.
Around the fresco, people lavishly dressed were gathered, laughing and chatting. I had never seen such a large hall, nor had I ever seen so many people gathered in one place outside of a market.
Somehow, I felt these beautiful paintings and the people around didn’t quite match up.
Among them, I felt I was the most out of place.
Realizing this, I quickly gave up hope of finding Ricardo in a short time. It would be fortunate enough if I didn’t get lost in this magnificent hall.
“Sigh…”
I took a deep breath to calm myself and started looking for someone appropriate to ask about Ricardo’s whereabouts. I thought someone of higher status than the servants would likely know where he was, so I looked around.
Was I too distracted? In my carelessness, I bumped shoulders with someone.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
I quickly apologized, but the woman I bumped into did not offer an apology. Instead, a yellow rose fell from her.
“Oh, miss!”
I quickly picked up the flower and called out to the young lady. However, she was already being led away by a man who appeared to be her father, near the exit.
Afraid of missing the Countess of Corhena while following her, I called over a passing servant.
“Excuse me.”
He looked at me and the flower I was holding, then stepped closer.
“Would you like a glass of wine?”
“No, it’s not that… The lady I just bumped into dropped this flower…”
I hesitated, not knowing whether to use formal or informal speech. He scrutinized me from top to bottom, not particularly discreetly.
“Are you perhaps from a count’s family?”
“No.”
“Then just wear that flower. It’s not something to carry around.”
“Me?”
“Yes, of course. You should have been wearing it. If you’re not going to wear a flower, you should leave this banquet hall.”
After saying this, he nodded slightly and passed by me.
I was utterly bewildered by the incomprehensible situation. Why was the social circle of the Dermaier Empire so complicated?
The Countess said I could do anything, but that was only theoretical.
Perhaps, like the handkerchief I was supposed to give to Ricardo, this yellow rose was also part of the banquet’s rules.
I carefully looked around.
As the servant said, most women were wearing yellow roses, but some were not.
It seemed like the servant might be right, but I didn’t feel like wearing it.
The yellow rose, symbolizing jealousy and envy.
If not wearing this rose meant I had to leave, that might not be so bad, I thought, turning around.
That’s when I saw Ricardo.
“Ah…”
He was standing in front of the painting of Iphnetes, the human, looking at me.
Ricardo, impeccably dressed and with his forehead exposed, emanated an even colder aura than usual.
His perfection made me wonder if he, not Iphnetes, should receive a greater punishment for a beauty that could make even the gods jealous.
And then I realized.
Everyone says he’s beautiful, but since I started wearing this extravagantly flamboyant dress, I’ve wanted to see him all the more.
Although Ricardo often tells me he dislikes me, I thought maybe it’s okay to say that I feel reassured when I see him. Maybe he even ran to me from afar.
“Rica.”
I whispered his name. Was I too focused on him? Again, someone bumped into me abruptly.
“Ouch!”
It hurt much more than before. I hunched over, holding my shoulder, and the man who collided with me widened his turquoise eyes in surprise. Even in the chaos, his eyes were so strikingly beautiful, like turquoise, I was instantly captivated.
So, such vivid turquoise eyes must belong to… the Chapelain family…
“I’m sorry, Lady.”
He seemed in a hurry, as if chased by something, but didn’t forget his gentlemanly manners. After apologizing, he immediately picked up the yellow rose I hadn’t realized I’d dropped.
Just as he extended the flower to me, a woman’s voice with a high pitch called from behind, “Duke!” At the same time, I reached out for the rose he was offering.
“Stay right there, just like that!”
I thought I heard Ricardo’s voice shouting clearly, but before I could turn around, darkness enveloped everything around me.
As the surroundings brightened, objects around me came into view.
The first thing I noticed was a bed large enough to fill a small room.
So, I was in an unfamiliar man’s bedroom, holding a yellow rose, presumably his.
The flower, meant to be worn on the chest, had a short stem, so I had to hold his hand tightly to not be pulled away by an irresistible force.
“Who…?”
The man, undoubtedly a Chapelain, tilted his head in confusion.
Given a woman’s loud exclamation of “Duke!” earlier, he must be Walter Shaw Chapelain.
Then, my presence in his bedroom must be due to the Chapelain family’s ability.
The Empire’s three dukes and the royal family each possess unique abilities, which always come with a price.
The Chapelain heirs can move freely through space, but at a cost: their memories are erased.
So, the man holding my hand with startled eyes had no recollection of the current situation. More precisely, his memory from waking up that morning would be gone.
“Could you… let go of my hand?”
Startled, he quickly moved away from me. His troubled gaze fell on the yellow rose on the floor. I slowly bent down to pick up the rose, rolling on the carpet.
“This was not in my plan…”
He rubbed his chin, pacing around the room. Then, he pulled a bell rope beside the bed to summon a servant.
A young servant appeared, but Walter sent him away and called for someone else, likely someone who knew the Chapelain family’s secret.
As I suspected, the servant wasn’t too surprised to see his suddenly-appeared master. His shock was reserved for me, standing awkwardly behind.
“I will send a message to the Paquin family.”
“Yes, do that. Ah, no!”
Walter quickly grabbed the servant, who was hurrying out, and took a moment to catch his breath.
“Today is the day of Count Enehaz’s banquet. The Paquin Duke should be there, so send someone over. Also, find out if anyone saw anything at the Count’s place.”
“Yes, understood.”
The servant, bowing his head, took a quick glance at me and the yellow rose, then hurriedly left to carry out his orders.
Left alone in the room, a wave of fear hit me, but I was confident that despite having firsthand experienced the family’s secret, he wouldn’t immediately kill me.
His calling for Paquin was the reason for my confidence.
The Paquin family, one of the empire’s three great ducal families, possessed the power to erase others’ memories.
As Walter watched the servant leave, he slowly turned to face me with a smile.
“Please, sit over here, Lady…?”
He politely inquired about my name.
“I’m Lienne.”
I knew he was actually asking for my family name, but I couldn’t say it was Pennel.
“Lienne?”
He pondered over my name, tilting his head but quickly masked his expression with a playful smile. Even in such a situation, he maintained impeccable manners.
Walter gave off an overall tidy impression, unnecessarily formal for a woman who would soon lose her memories.
“Yes, Miss Lienne. It doesn’t seem like I have brought you here against your will….”
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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