I had practiced until late last night for the coronation, but as soon as the morning of the coronation arrived, tension surged within me.
“Don’t be nervous.”
“I don’t want to be nervous either… Hoo. There’ll be so many people at the coronation, right?”
“Don’t take your medicine today. Just go as you are.”
“Ah, no. You know I have… agoraphobia.”
“Remember when you went all the way to Pasium’s hideout to smash his cage? If you had even half that courage now, you wouldn’t tremble in front of people.”
“Back then, I had the will to protect Kian Blake no matter what. But now…”
“No, it wasn’t just a simple motive like that. It was maternal love. Since you’ve developed maternal love, you’re stronger than anyone else. Raising Kian Blake has changed you greatly from who you used to be.”
“That’s…”
Come to think of it, both Sikar Blake and I had changed so much while raising Kian Blake. After all, we both risked our lives to save him.
“Can I really do this well?”
“Of course. You can. You have a reason to succeed, and I’ll keep cheering you on.”
Whether I could truly pull it off without medication was uncertain. I couldn’t be sure.
But, as Sikar Blake said, I had Kian Blake to protect, and as long as Sikar Blake believed in me, I had more than enough motivation to succeed.
Sikar Blake looked at me as if asking if I was ready, and I nodded and climbed into the carriage.
After boarding the carriage, I took a deep breath—“Huu”—and Sikar Blake firmly held my hand.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not holding your hand to peek into your memories. I’m holding it so you can lean on me.”
I knew that already. Since we’re always together anyway, there’s no memory left to peek into—no point worrying about it now.
“By the way, you.”
“Hmm?”
“You cried saying you missed me.”
Ah… seriously. You said you wouldn’t peek, yet now you go and look anyway, then bring it up afterward.
I should blame my own naivety for believing Sikar Blake’s words so literally.
“You said you wouldn’t look!”
“I didn’t look on purpose. Something just brushed past, so I peeked a little.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“It’s ingrained in me—I can’t help it. But you… you adore me uncontrollably. Seeing again the me you cried for, longing so desperately—do you feel better now?”
I should’ve known this would happen. I’m the one at fault for crying that I missed him, even though I knew exactly how he’d react.
“I’m mortified.”
Even at my saying “I’m mortified,” Sikar Blake smiled, clearly pleased.
“Feeling mortified means it’s good—that’s not bad at all.”
I pretended not to hear and closed my eyes. Then, Sikar Blake pulled me into his chest.
“Of course, I missed you too.”
For some reason, my heart fluttered strangely—as if I’d been waiting to hear those words.
I wanted to say I’d truly missed him so much, but the words wouldn’t come out.
His embrace was so warm that I simply closed my eyes quietly.
If there were the warmest embrace in the world, surely this was it.
I met Kian Blake in the royal audience chamber.
Though still young, Kian Blake looked handsome and dignified in his royal uniform, exuding the full majesty of a king, just as Sikar Blake had said.
The moment we entered, Kian Blake rose from his throne and rushed toward us. Just like before, he ran straight to me and hugged me tightly.
“Mother! I missed you!”
“Your Majesty! Are you well?!”
“Your Majesty? Mother, Princess Veronia recognized you as my royal mother—why call me ‘Your Majesty’?”
It was only right to address me that way from the start. Even if we became the king’s royal father and mother, we weren’t royalty ourselves, so this title was appropriate.
“I came wearing the clothes Your Majesty sent me. Thank you so much. Our Majesty.”
Kian Blake grinned happily at me, chuckling softly.
“Seeing Mother happy makes me even happier.”
“Does the palace food suit your taste?”
“No. Not at all. I prefer the meals cooked by the Duke’s mansion chef.”
“Then I’ll tell the chef to prepare dishes Your Majesty likes and send them over.”
“No. I’d rather have Mother visit me often.”
Sikar Blake had said he saw a mature monarch in Kian Blake, but perhaps because he was with me, Kian Blake was no different from the boy I’d always known.
It was a relief—he hadn’t changed into someone unrecognizably mature, as I’d worried he might. At least with me, he still showed the face of a little boy wanting affection.
Though he became king at a young age and might have been looked down upon by nobles, no one dared disrespect a king supported by House Blake, no matter how young.
Veronia must have known that too, which is why she left with peace of mind.
“By the way, Mother. Father said you brought my things?”
“Yes. From Your Majesty’s room, your belongings…”
Wait a moment. What did Kian Blake just say? Father?
“Your Majesty, what did you just…?”
Kian Blake looked utterly confused.
“Yes? Mother?”
“You just said ‘Father’…”
Now that I thought about it, Sikar Blake’s reaction to those words had been strangely calm.
I looked at Sikar Blake with a puzzled expression.
“Duke? The person His Majesty just called ‘Father’…?”
Sikar Blake looked at me nonchalantly and replied.
“It’s me.”
Seriously, who doesn’t know that? Why would I ask otherwise?
“So… since when has Your Majesty been calling you ‘Father,’ Duke…?”
Kian Blake wore the same nonchalant expression.
“Since the day I left home.”
So he’s been calling him “Father” ever since that day? That’s why Kian Blake calls Sikar Blake “Father” so naturally, and Sikar Blake listens as if it’s nothing unusual.
Kian Blake calling Sikar Blake “Father”…
But what surprised me even more was that I seemed to be the only one bewildered by this.
Why are these two acting like such a natural father and son?!
No, they’re not pretending—they’ve truly become father and son. A father and son who bicker constantly without pause.
“Your Majesty. Did you eat something disagreeable again today? Your face seems a bit swollen.”
“Father. Didn’t you oversleep again today? I told you to come early in the morning—why are you so late? Are you going to blame Mother again?”
“As I told you yesterday, it’s not an excuse. Because my wife sleeps every night in the empty room His Majesty used to occupy, I can’t sleep properly and end up oversleeping. Isn’t that right?”
What does my sleeping in Kian Blake’s room have to do with Sikar Blake?
“Duke? What do you mean? Why can’t you sleep because of me?”
Kian Blake grinned mischievously at me and said,
“Father stayed by Mother’s side while she slept because he was worried about her. He was afraid Mother might have a seizure in her sleep. That’s all. Father loves Mother too much, that’s why.”
Sikar Blake, listening beside us, apparently embarrassed, turned red and glared at Kian Blake.
“Your Majesty. Let’s hurry with coronation preparations. And reduce that facial swelling.”
Kian Blake sighed petulantly and pouted his lips.
“Do I really have to reduce the swelling?”
Sikar Blake, apparently accustomed to such verbal sparring with Kian Blake, pointed at me and said,
“Ask the Lady. See what she says.”
Sikar Blake gave me a look asking me to take his side, while Kian Blake watched me anxiously, waiting to see what I’d say.
The strange tension between these two men… Standing at the center of it felt… very strange.
Kian Blake liked me, but there was always a clear boundary between us. Yet the way Kian Blake treated Sikar Blake was exactly like treating his real father.
Strangely, that sight made me feel a little resentful. Maybe I’d been struggling more than I realized.
Separate from that, regarding the facial swelling, it was best to follow Sikar Blake’s advice.
“You should reduce the swelling. As the Duke said, the nobles shouldn’t see you as just a child.”
Kian Blake, who had been hopeful, looked disappointed and lowered his eyes.
“Yes… Mother…”
Sikar Blake looked at me with satisfaction, then glanced at Kian Blake and smirked as if he’d won.
Kian Blake’s facial swelling successfully subsided, and his jawline became much smoother.
Sikar Blake was very pleased, but Kian Blake looked expressionlessly into the mirror—then, catching my eye, he smiled brightly.
“It’s so good.”
“Huh? Your Majesty?”
“I’m so glad to have Mother.”
Seeing him grin so happily, unable to contain his joy, any lingering resentment I’d felt earlier vanished completely.
“I’m the one who’s so happy to see Your Majesty.”
“Then can’t you visit me often?”
Kian Blake looked at me with a pleading, pitiful expression, acting spoiled.
How cute. Come to think of it, with me, he didn’t just act like a childish brat—he showed this adorable, spoiled side too.
“What about state affairs? To prove Princess Veronia’s decision to abdicate in your favor was correct, you must manage state affairs well from now on. Surely you don’t wish for her to be recorded dishonorably in history?”
I couldn’t argue with Sikar Blake, who had entered political struggles at an even younger age than Kian Blake and led the Duke’s mansion alone.
After all, Sikar Blake had won political battles entirely on his own, without a single advisor. He was a villain even more formidable than the protagonist—it wasn’t surprising.
Kian Blake looked at me pleadingly for help, but since Sikar Blake was right, I shook my head.
“When Your Majesty can manage state affairs alone and confidently face all nobles, then I’ll come visit you often.”
Kian Blake sighed, then suddenly brightened with a sunny smile.
“How about instead, Mother comes to live in the palace?”
Us living in the palace? But we’re not royalty.
Sikar Blake seemed to be thinking the same.
“There’s never been such a precedent.”
“I can create that precedent. Princess Veronia already recognized you both as unprecedented royal father and mother, didn’t she?”
“That’s a different matter. If Your Majesty focuses now on bringing your foster parents into the palace instead of attending to royal and state affairs, public sentiment will turn restless, and nobles will find grounds to criticize you.”
Even I had no room to argue against that. Poor Kian Blake nodded dejectedly, his energy completely drained.
Then Sikar Blake cleared his throat slightly and said,
“But if we establish the justification that we’ll reside in the palace only until Your Majesty comes of age, you can conduct state affairs more safely. However, Princess Veronia’s permission is required—I’ll go speak with Her Highness. Please wait and see. Don’t get your hopes up too much.”
“Really? You promise, Father?”
Sikar Blake seemed to find Kian Blake’s expression adorable—he smirked, then put on a stern face and replied,
“Yes. I promise you.”
How wonderful it would be to live in the palace with Kian Blake. More than being curious about the palace itself, the thought of seeing Kian Blake often made me incredibly happy.
At that moment, Kian Blake’s door burst open, and Reidox entered.
“Coronation preparations are all complete, Your Majesty.”
At last, a new dawn rises.
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.
Link to read
