"You're just my tool. Know your place." It's her duty to follow her master's command. Even at the risk of injuring herself or losing her mind. It's his right to make use of her cold-heartedly. Even discarding her when she had become useless. She was a bird trapped inside a gilded cage, slowly losing her mind in the process. He was the heir of the country, regretting things he had lost in the process of power chasing. Could she ever be saved? Could he get back what he had lost? A love story between an antagonist and a side character. Melancholic Sword Apprentice (hidden shape-shifter) × Cunning Cold-hearted Master of Ivory Manor
"How can I help you?"
A weathered middle age woman greeted the two men in front of the door of her house reverently. She knew just from their appearance that they were people of importance. People she dared not offend. The two men held themselves with pride, their clothes were made from the best material. The swords they carried were no doubt crafted by the most skillful master.
Among the two men, the man in gray asked, "Is someone living you, madam?"
The weathered woman quickly shook her head. "No, sir. No one is living with me. My husband was long gone. Lost his life fighting in some scramble."
"You're living alone in such a large place yourself?" the man in gray asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
It was indeed a large place to live in. There were at least two courtyards inside the bricked wall. It was a living place for families with some money. It was not a surprise the gentlemen grew suspicious, the woman in front of them wore an old, weathered cotton dress. Not a single piece of jewelry adorned her hair.
The weathered woman must have realized that and she quickly added, "My husband left this to me. He came from a modest family. I can't bear to leave the only thing my husband left me." She added in a sob for good measure.
This seemed to clear the confusion the man in gray had. He nodded sympathetically at the old woman. This place was situated in a farming village, it must be hard to find a job not related to farming at this place. No wonder she seemed so poor.
"Madam, is there a young woman who has recently moved to this village? Around this tall." His hand moved to around his shoulder.
"A young woman? Not that I know of."
"I see. Thank you for your help, Madam." The man in gray eyed the man next to him carefully. The man in gray hung down his head dutifully and stood silently.
The woman understood instantly. The man in gray was working under the man in blue. The man in blue was the master. The master, however, was not looking at either his servant nor the middle age woman. He was admiring the courtyard in front of him. He looked like a nobleman on a field trip to the countryside.
Finally the master's attention returned to the woman standing reverently in front of him.
"Madam, you have a beautiful home." The man in blue smiled. "Especially that peach tree." The top of the tree he was referring to peeked above the walls. The tree's blossoms flutter around in a magnificent way.
"Oh yes, that tree has been around forever, " the woman replied in pride. "It's the best in this village. No, around this area."
"Do you mind letting me take a closer look? It has been awhile since I saw peach blossoms this beautiful." The man in blue smiled innocently.
Liar, the man in gray thought. Master had a huge peach tree in his courtyard.
"Well..." the woman in front of them stuttered for the first time since they met her. She avoided their glances for a moment, but that was enough. She looked as if she had something to hide. "Well, that's not very convenient, sir. See I'm just a woman living alone. That's not good for my reputation, letting random people inside my house."
"A ribbon, " the man in blue said softly.
"Pardon?"
"A ribbon is floating at the top of your tree. Madam, don't tell me you climbed up there and tied it yourself." The man in blue was still smiling gently, but something sharp hid behind his eyes.
"That's... my nephew. What a naughty boy. It must be that time when my sister over the next village brought my nephew here." She laughed boisterously, but something was off. It sounded fake.
That was then a sound echoed from inside the house. The woman froze.
"Madam, you said you lived alone. Maybe a thief sneaked inside your house. Let Janus here take a look for you."
The man in gray, Janus, nodded once and walked towards the front door.
"No!." The woman placed herself in front of the door.
"Don't worry, Madam. I will explain for you. There might be a thief in your house." The master's smile remained innocent and gentle, but then it changed to something else. "Or are you hiding something? Someone? A fugitive maybe?"
"No, that's not it, sir." She shook her head vigorously.
"Then why are you declining our help, Madam? You're acting very weird. That's quite a huge noise."
"It's just the wind! Must be the wind!" Then the same noise echoed out again. The woman's face turned visibly whiter.
"That didn't sound like the wind. More like someone pulling on a chain." All smile disappeared from his face.
The woman's face turned ashen.
"If you don't move away, Janus will use force."
"Sir, it's... it's just my niece. She... she is not quite right in her head. I'm really not hiding a fugitive."
"You're a retired servant from Ivory Manor. You have no family member left, your husband who worked under Ivory Manor was killed on a mission. You don't have a sister, let alone a niece."
The woman, Joanne, began to shake in fright. "Who... who are you?"
"This is Lord Carlisle of Ivory Manor." Janus showed Joanne a jade plaque with the ensign of Ivory Manor. "So I suggest you to say the truth."
Joanne once worked for Ivory Manor, so she recognized the ensign at an instant. She also knew that the higher the status one was within the Manor, the more precious the plaque was made of.
"Lord?" she widens her eyes in shock. "Lord Carlisle? Please accept my apologies, my lord. I don't mean any offend."
"Who are you hiding?"
Joanne knew she shouldn't say anything, especially the truth of who she was hiding. But, this is Lord Carlisle, the next Duke of Cregan.
"I ask you one last time, Joanne." Carlisle smiled coldly. "Who are you hiding?"
Rumors of the brutalities of Lord Carlisle flashed in her mind. She gave in in the end.
"A... a member of Ivory Manor. She really is not right in the head, my lord."
"Her name, " Carlisle demanded through clenched teeth.
"Arina."
Carlisle had already stopped listening. He walked past Joanne and disappeared into the depth of the courtyard.
After searching the whole kingdom for half a year, Lord Carlisle of Ivory Manor finally found who he was searching for.
Four girls found themselves in an unfamiliar world. Four different tales weave together to form one thread of fate... A flutter of the wings of a butterfly, what will they encounter? Story 1: Art college student vs Sickly lord -------------- Plain version: This is a chronicle of four inter-related tales about girls transmigrating to a fantasy world. Adventures and romance ensured.
Sassy university student turned Maid × Saintly Mysterious Royal Sorcerer I am a normal university student. When I opened my eyes from my nap, I became a side character in the novel I read. Ianthe: "Wait didn't this character die in the last chapter? I have to avoid my death no matter what! This silver haired gentleman who rescued me, do you need a maid?" Follow Ianthe's life to avoid her inevitable death while studying to be a top sorceress! *A standalone novel. Set in the same universe as Diary of a Reborn Queen and Gilded Cage.
Introverted Queen vs Ice King. At twenty, I died as I watched my country burned to ashes. When I opened my eyes, I am sixteen again. The first thing I plan to do is breaking off my engagement with Prince Sebastian. "Let's break off our engagement. I don't want to be Queen anymore. You don't like me anyway." This is my life as a reborn queen. Also in the same series 'Reborn as a Sea Nymph', 'Gilded Cage'.
Joelle thought she could change Adrian's heart after three years of marriage, but she realized too late that it already belonged to another woman. "Give me a baby, and I'll set you free." The day Joelle went into labor, Adrian was traveling with his mistress on his private jet. "I don't care whom you love. My debt is paid. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other." Not long after Joelle left, Adrian found himself begging on his knees. "Please come back to me."
As a simple assistant, messaging the CEO in the dead of night to request shares of adult films was a bold move. Bethany, unsurprisingly, didn't receive any films. However, the CEO responded that, while he had no films to share, he could offer a live demonstration. After a night filled with passion, Bethany was certain she'd lose her job. But instead, her boss proposed, "Marry me. Please consider it." "Mr. Bates, you're kidding me, right?"
Rena got into an entanglement with a big shot when she was drunk one night. She needed Waylen's help while he was drawn to her youthful beauty. As such, what was supposed to be a one-night stand progressed into something serious. All was well until Rena discovered that Waylen's heart belonged to another woman. When his first love returned, he stopped coming home, leaving Rena all alone for many nights. She put up with it until she received a check and farewell note one day. Contrary to how Waylen expected her to react, Rena had a smile on her face as she bid him farewell. "It was fun while it lasted, Waylen. May our paths never cross. Have a nice life." But as fate would have it, their paths crossed again. This time, Rena had another man by her side. Waylen's eyes burned with jealousy. He spat, "How the hell did you move on? I thought you loved only me!" "Keyword, loved!" Rena flipped her hair back and retorted, "There are plenty of fish in the sea, Waylen. Besides, you were the one who asked for a breakup. Now, if you want to date me, you have to wait in line." The next day, Rena received a credit alert of billions and a diamond ring. Waylen appeared again, got down on one knee, and uttered, "May I cut in line, Rena? I still want you."
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
Rumors said that Lucas married an unattractive woman with no background. In the three years they were together, he remained cold and distant to Belinda, who endured in silence. Her love for him forced her to sacrifice her self-worth and her dreams. When Lucas' true love reappeared, Belinda realized that their marriage was a sham from the start, a ploy to save another woman's life. She signed the divorce papers and left. Three years later, Belinda returned as a surgical prodigy and a maestro of the piano. Lost in regret, Lucas chased her in the rain and held her tightly. "You are mine, Belinda."
In order to fulfill her grandfather's last wish, Stella entered into a hasty marriage with an ordinary man she had never met before. However, even after becoming husband and wife on paper, they each led separate lives, barely crossing paths. A year later, Stella returned to Seamarsh City, hoping to finally meet her mysterious husband. To her astonishment, he sent her a text message, unexpectedly pleading for a divorce without ever having met her in person. Gritting her teeth, Stella replied, "So be it. Let’s get a divorce!" Following that, Stella made a bold move and joined the Prosperity Group, where she became a public relations officer that worked directly for the company’s CEO, Matthew. The handsome and enigmatic CEO was already bound in matrimony, and was known to be unwaveringly devoted to his wife in private. Unbeknownst to Stella, her mysterious husband was actually her boss, in his alternate identity! Determined to focus on her career, Stella deliberately kept her distance from the CEO, although she couldn't help but notice his deliberate attempts to get close to her. As time went on, her elusive husband had a change of heart. He suddenly refused to proceed with the divorce. When would his alternate identity be uncovered? Amidst a tumultuous blend of deception and profound love, what destiny awaited them?