“Well, I should be going now.”
“Hmm. Be careful as you leave.”
She had given me a farewell, but Ember hesitated for a moment. Then, turning back, she spoke to me.
“Though this marriage may be nothing but a contractual arrangement to you, my lady, after seeing how the Duke’s expression has softened since you arrived, I’ve shamelessly begun to hope that you might stay in this household for a long time.”
“But still, I—”
“I understand. I didn’t mean to burden you. It was merely a selfish wish—that you might remain here a little longer. Then, rest well, my lady.”
Thud. The door closed, and I collapsed heavily onto the bed. It felt as though a storm had just passed through.
‘Now what should I do?’
Holding Bertisha’s letter in my hand, I went over the parts that had felt off. Clearly, in the novel, Yezar did not attend the royal wedding. While things might have been different in the past, it now seemed awkward to assume they were close enough to exchange personal letters.
To Yezar, who had once suffered from unrequited love, Bertisha was now nothing more than someone who made his heart ache. Besides, even if they were close, for the Empress herself to send a personal letter directly to Yezar like this… She could have easily sent it through the male lead, Camileo. Something about it was clearly strange.
I retraced the distant memories from the novel. In the original story, Bertisha regarded Yezar as a dear friend, completely unaware that he had feelings for her.
Despite being as close as childhood friends, she interpreted Yezar’s affection as nothing more than friendly warmth between companions.
When reading the novel, I had simply accepted it. But having interacted with Yezar like this, such a question now arose within me.
‘Could someone truly fail to recognize that such feelings are love?’
The Yezar I had encountered was someone whose emotions showed plainly on his face. He blushed easily, smiled brightly when happy, and even when trying to hide sadness, it was visible just by looking at him.
I fidgeted with the letter I had received from Ember.
“What if Bertisha knows Yezar’s feelings, yet pretends not to and keeps him close anyway…?”
Then, what should I do?
[This is the timeline separator]Tick, tick, tick. As the clock’s second hand moved forward, Yezar concentrated on his work.
The observing aide let out a deep sigh and said,
“Your Grace, you’ve signed the document on the wrong side.”
Only belatedly realizing this, Yezar snapped back to attention.
“Oh. Yes, that’s right.”
Yet, as he did, he signed it incorrectly again. Unable to watch any longer, another aide cautiously suggested,
“Wouldn’t it be better to retire to your bedroom now? You’ve already handled a great deal of paperwork this afternoon, and there’s no need to remain in the office this late.”
It wasn’t an unreasonable point. Thanks to having finished the documents neatly before heading out to greet Julietta, there was no real need for him to stay in the office now.
In truth, the excuse of having more work to do was nothing but a pretense.
“Still, if I finish this now, tomorrow will be easier.”
“Sigh. ‘Tomorrow’—what tomorrow? Your lady is waiting for you. Please wrap things up and go.”
Yet Yezar lingered stubbornly, clutching his pen. Finally, the aides forcibly removed him from the office. By then, even Yezar knew he couldn’t resist any longer. After thoroughly washing up, he stood awkwardly in front of the bedroom door.
Why was it that facing her felt so awkward?
‘Then, may I give you a gift as well?’
‘Next time, if you let me know in advance, I’ll be waiting. Waiting for you to come and pick me up, Yezar.’
Her clear voice tingled in his ears. He hadn’t given the gift expecting anything in return, nor had he waited out of hope for reciprocation.
She was simply someone who smiled so brightly. Suddenly, he wondered—would she be happy if he showed up? It would make him happy to see her greet him with a wide, joyful smile.
Encouraged by her offhand comment about liking flowers, he now felt he might have the courage to give her the rose he had secretly prepared.
But Julietta had been even more delighted than he had imagined. Her voice trembled as she said she hadn’t received such a gift in a long time.
He could see moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. He had heard before that her family was often too busy to properly care for her.
Still, she was from a wealthy marquess’s household. He had assumed she must have received many rare and precious gifts—enough that a simple bouquet of roses might seem laughable.
Yet there was a unique, unburdened brightness about her, raised without a care in the world. Usually, she appeared innocent and energetic, as if untouched by loneliness. The rare glimpses of sadness and solitude she showed felt almost dreamlike.
He wanted to know her a little better. He wished she would rely on him a little more. He liked seeing her make efforts to win his heart. This kindness—something he had never imagined he’d ever receive—made him feel shy.
Naturally, he felt embarrassed—especially knowing Julietta must have noticed how foolishly flustered he had been. He liked her promise to kindly wait for next time, yet it made his ears turn red with shame.
Of course, the wife he knew would surely have cheerfully replied, “Why be embarrassed over something like that?” But Yezar, who had stood silently without opening the door, calmed his heart and stepped inside.
He didn’t want to be a husband who kept his wife waiting. And besides, he loved the sound of her voice, rushing out to greet him with cheerful chatter as soon as he opened the bedroom door.
Opening the door, he saw Julietta’s back, sitting on the bed and gazing out the window. She seemed lost in thought, feeling the breeze blowing in through the open window.
He couldn’t look away from her red hair swaying gently in the wind. It was a stunning color, one he couldn’t help but want to touch again and again when she wasn’t looking.
Soon, Julietta turned her head, sensing his presence.
“Oh. Yezar, you’re here?”
Her face was clearly smiling as usual, but her voice lacked energy. Instinctively concerned, Yezar approached her.
“Yes, were you looking out the window, my lady?”
“The breeze feels refreshing. Oh, by the way, I’ve taken the bouquet of roses you gave me and arranged them in this vase here. Look. May prepared this pretty vase for me.”
Indeed, an unfamiliar vase had been placed beside the bed, holding the roses he had given her.
“Yes. It’s a very lovely vase.”
Sitting beside her, Yezar chatted with Julietta as usual. She giggled and chattered, but still, something was different from her usual self.
‘I wish she would tell me what’s troubling her. I want to be someone she can lean on when she’s struggling.’
Yezar quietly listened and nodded along, then finally asked,
“But, my lady.”
“Yes?”
“Is something bothering you? You seem to have less energy than when I saw you this afternoon.”
Julietta looked at him in surprise. Clearly, something was indeed wrong. Yezar waited anxiously for her reply.
‘What if she just says she’s fine? If she changes the subject instead of opening up… It means I’m still not someone she can rely on, but merely a contractual husband.’
Thinking this, a bitter feeling welled up inside him. He knew well how long it could take to open someone’s heart. He had experienced the pain of possibly never reaching it—but still, impatience gripped him.
Even knowing it was selfish, today’s glimpse of her—of a heart returning to him—had deeply touched him.
“Yezar, may I ask you one thing?”
Swallowing hard, Yezar nodded.
“Yes, of course.”
“Well… today, someone who deeply cares for you made a serious request of me.”
“A request?”
“Yes. I don’t know who it was—they asked me to keep it a secret—but they earnestly asked me to help you move on from your past love. I refused, of course.”
Yezar naturally understood the situation. Someone must have seen how troubled he was after receiving Bertisha’s letter and asked his wife to intervene.
He could roughly guess who had made the request. The household staff now believed he had found true love and was living happily. They saw Bertisha as merely a close acquaintance from the past. So the only ones who knew he was still suffering over his old love would be the butler, the housekeeper, and the resident physician—those who had watched over him for years in this estate.
But it was the housekeeper who had carefully delivered Bertisha’s letter to him. It must have been her. Ah. So in the end, the reason his wife seemed down wasn’t due to some other cause—it was because of his own foolish self.
“I understand now, even without the secret being kept. It must have been Ember’s request. I’m sorry… You shouldn’t have had to worry about my problems.”
This was exactly the kind of situation where the lady might reasonably want to end the contract marriage. He had thought he was moving forward while being with her, but now he felt as though he hadn’t advanced at all.
“From now on, I’ll make sure Ember doesn’t say such things again, and I’ll take care not to let you worry—”
Yezar spoke with his head deeply bowed, utterly disappointed in himself. Then, at that moment, Julietta called out to him.
“Yezar, could you look at me for a moment?”
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
