The weather in the north is a little colder than in the capital. Although blizzards don’t rage all year round, winters are long and summers are short.
Even the summers that do exist were closer to moderately cool than hot.
Summer.
The deep blue sky feels endlessly high, and sunlight shines through the occasional white clouds.
Under that clear and bright sky, there were a man and a woman.
“… What should I do? My eyes keep wandering.”
“Keep your eyeballs in check. You might end up making eye contact with the Duke.”
The maids passing through the garden conversed in hushed ventriloquism.
They had to try hard to resist the urge to keep looking towards the couple.
But even so, they couldn’t help stealing glances now and then.
Towards the Duke and Madam who were tilling the soil, wearing colorful, eye-catching pants.
It was truly a sight to behold.
When the reclusive Madam suddenly said she wanted to cultivate a field, they were shocked beyond words, and when even the Duke joined in the gardening work, they felt like fainting from surprise.
But now, seeing them work in earnest wearing such outrageous pants…
“I feel like I’m getting a bit numb to the shock after being surprised so many times.”
“Yeah… I guess. They both look so lovely and nice together.”
The people of the Richter mansion chose quick adaptation instead of shock and horror.
They felt like they could handle anything that might happen now with relative ease.
Another peaceful day at the Duke’s mansion.
[This is the timeline separator]
“I’m glad I’ve lived long enough. I never imagined I’d see the Duke wearing such clothes in my lifetime. Haha.”
“Unnecessary chatter.”
After Dante’s curt reply, Barhan let out a hearty laugh at the Duke’s retreating back as he headed to the bathroom.
Who would have thought the Duke would wear those clothes?
It was fascinating and joyful to see a side of him as a grown Duke that he hadn’t even shown as a child.
Curse and early death.
Beast hunter.
A bloodline born with misfortune.
The child born surrounded by negative modifiers was nothing like his age.
Most people in the Richter family were like that. As if their temperament was hereditary.
At least when Oscar, the previous Duke, was alive, one could occasionally see age-appropriate behavior, but after Oscar died and he ascended to the Duke’s position at a young age…
“Poor soul.”
Barhan liked the current Dante.
He liked seeing him wear the ridiculous pants his wife had gifted without complaint, and spending his energy on things other than being cooped up in his office all day.
So, he hoped the Madam would surely regain her health.
Deep wrinkles formed between his brows.
But this was only for a moment. Hearing the bathroom door open, Barhan quickly composed his expression.
“You’re still standing there?”
“Sitting for too long makes my bones ache. I need to stand up occasionally.”
“If something hurts, call a doctor. Don’t just endure it.”
His gruff concern was endearing.
Barhan smiled warmly again. However, the smile didn’t last long.
“… What’s this?”
Dante, shaking his wet hair, noticed the letter on the desk as he headed to his seat.
Barhan, who had placed the letter there, could only stiffen his expression.
Dante’s face was fierce as well.
Although his expression didn’t change much, the anger in his eyes was ominous.
Dante reached out and picked up the letter.
The imperial seal was clearly visible on the neatly sealed envelope.
“Did this arrive today?”
“Yes, it did.”
Blue eyes glanced briefly at the calendar.
I see.
So that time has come already.
His long index finger slowly rubbed his brow bone. Still, he couldn’t prevent his brows from furrowing.
They’re really pushing it.
His mood, which hadn’t been bad, plummeted to rock bottom in an instant.
Seeing Dante put down the letter irritably, Barhan asked,
“Aren’t you going to open it?”
“No need. It’s obvious what it says.”
Yes. Even without checking, the contents were predictable.
Almost half a year had passed since the marriage.
If the imperial family contacted them around this time, there could only be one reason.
“They want to check if their breeding dog is likely to reproduce well, don’t they?”
Barhan just squeezed his eyes shut, not adding anything.
Although the words were sharp, they weren’t wrong.
As he said, that letter was probably a notification that someone from the imperial family would be visiting.
The imperial family, who were not just interested but obsessively fixated on the Richters, were greatly concerned that the Dukes of Richter, followed by all sorts of negative modifiers, might not be able to marry.
So, they not only found partners and matched them up, but even went so far as to monitor their married life.
What they monitored wasn’t whether the couple got along well or not.
It was ‘whether there were signs of safely conceiving a child.’
Of course, outwardly they pretended to be offering congratulations, but it was impossible not to know that this was surveillance and intimidation.
“… Still, you need to check the contents. You should be prepared for any situation.”
Although Barhan knew this as well, as a butler and loyal servant, he couldn’t help but advise.
Dante glared at the letter and Barhan for a moment, then picked up the letter, not hiding his displeasure.
The envelope tore apart in his grip.
The letter itself was split in half.
Dante casually held the torn letter together and skimmed the contents.
“It seems my expectations are never off. They say they must visit to congratulate us, even though we didn’t invite them. They’ve even kindly set the date for us, so we can’t avoid it.”
His voice was calm, but he couldn’t hide his anger.
To offer congratulations on the marriage six months after the fact.
Moreover, they arbitrarily set the date. It was an attitude that didn’t consider their situation at all.
Well.
From their perspective, he was just a hunting dog on a leash.
Just as his brother, his father, his grandfather, and counting back, numerous ancestors had been.
Only the dogs on the leash changed slightly.
“Should I inform the Madam first?”
“… Inform my wife?”
“Yes. Traditionally, receiving guests is the role of the lady of the house.”
How could such a dreadful entity exist?
The imperial family was already irritating enough, but now they were even thinking of troubling a sick person, making them even more despicable.
“Is there really a need for that? It seems like we could just prepare roughly.”
“That would be fine too. If that’s what the Madam wishes. However, if you’re trying to skip informing the Madam altogether, I’d have to object. That would be tantamount to disrespecting the Madam.”
Although his tone was gentle, his words had a sharp edge.
After pondering, Dante nodded with a sigh.
“… Then I’ll tell her myself.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
With a respectful reply, Barhan left the room.
Left alone, Dante crumpled the letter in his hand with all his might.
Feeling somewhat dizzy, he leaned back against the backrest and tilted his head back.
The face of the old emperor, who was still resolutely holding his position even after the head of the Richter family had changed three times, came to mind.
Excellent heir.
Great reputation.
Blood of heroes.
Glory of heroes.
He knew well that these hollow modifiers were just other names for a hunting dog.
A well-leashed hunting dog.
No, perhaps they were treating him like a breeding horse.
They kept sending spies to monitor, treating the bearing of children and continuing the lineage as a duty.
If one tried to deviate from this duty even slightly, they would threaten with the safety of the North and the Empire, making it impossible to simply throw away the obligation.
He had known since childhood that their threats didn’t actually correspond to the threat from beasts.
If the head of the Richter family turned away from their duty, the imperial family would step in directly, taking people’s lives hostage.
All while pinning the blame on the Richters.
In the end, the Richters had to choose.
To become a hero in name only, or to become a demon who abandoned the safety of the Empire and the North.
As much as he wanted to become a demon, the problem was that too many people’s lives hung on the fingertips of the Richters.
No.
For the sake of protecting the families of those who lost their lives while exterminating beasts with him, he couldn’t abandon this duty.
“Disgusting creatures.”
The years of being dragged along on a leash had now become history.
For the Richters, the imperial family had become masters worse than enemies.
Especially for Dante, the feeling of disgust was even stronger.
There had been a woman who had been close to them for a long time, treating them without prejudice.
Knowing how good a person she was, when his brother and that woman got engaged, he was overjoyed and congratulated them.
He thought his brother, at least, could avoid the shameful marriages that had been arranged like matching breeding horses.
But.
Perhaps that was the real curse.
Seeing how it remained so vivid even after years, deeply embedded in his heart.
The news that the woman had become the lover of the First Prince came less than a month after she had abandoned his brother and him.
His brother took his own life not long after hearing the news.
That weak apology was his brother’s last words.
Having lost his beloved brother and the courage to love and be loved by someone, Dante didn’t know how not to hate the imperial family.
A deep sigh rose and dissipated forlornly.
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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