"...I… have a boyfriend I promised to marry in the world I used to live in."... more>>

"..."

“So... in this country’s language, I have a betrothed I promised to marry... I just can’t bring myself to leave him behind...”

The man, whose name or age I didn’t even know — only that he was a king — looked at me with a gaze that made it hard to read his thoughts.

I could’ve easily pulled my hand away, but instead met his eyes with an earnest gaze. His voice, though quiet, rang out clearly, letting me realise just how close he was.

“Has your body already been embraced by him?”

I wanted to understand what the king meant by that question. If I said yes, would he stop, believing he couldn’t hold someone touched by another? Or would he cling even more tightly, knowing I’d been embraced before?

I hesitated briefly, but afraid he’d accuse me of lying again in that cold, metallic voice, I shook my head.

"...No."

“You’ve kept yourself until marriage?”

“...Yes.”

"You’re foolishly devoted to the point of pure innocence.”

“...”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of virtue.” <<less

“…Actually, there is something I wish for from you, Raven.” ... more>>

“What is it?”

“For you to stay by my side.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s something I’ve longed for, for a very long time. So, please allow me to remain by your side.”

Raven, who had lived as an assassin—one of the shadows of the Emperor of the Esteban Empire—receives a secret order to assassinate Grand Duke Eustace. However, instead of succeeding, she ends up captured by the Duke.

Expecting torture or death, Raven is surprised to find the Grand Duke full of affection toward her. Will the raven, freed from its cage, finally find a place to nest? <<less

“Isn’t the compensation more than enough for just offering your body?” ... more>>

Hae-in, who has been taking care of her sick younger sibling, receives an offer to become the daughter-in-law of the Taesung Group.

The only requirement for this position, which disregards one’s background or origins, is to marry Park Joo-hyun, the eldest grandson of Taesung Group’s Chairman Park, and conceive a child.

This obsession with descendants stems from Chairman Park having lost several close family members.

Cornered by her circumstances, Hae-in reluctantly accepts the proposal but faces fierce opposition from Joo-hyun, her future husband and senior at the same university.

“Do you even know how many people have died in this house?”

Joo-hyun’s hazel eyes darkened. They now gazed at Hae-in with an expression far more precarious than before.

People say that time dulls the pain, but it was clear that whatever he had buried deep within his heart hadn’t healed in the slightest.

“…Whether you want it or not, we’re… going to be married now… so as fellow sufferers…”

Before Hae-in could finish her trembling words, Joo-hyun tightened his grip on her chin, making it hard for her to breathe.

“…You’ve made up your mind, haven’t you?”

Joo-hyun spoke as he stared into Hae-in’s calm, sunken eyes.

“In that case, let’s see how long you can last.”

As his rough hand grabbed hold of her, Hae-in bit down on her lip. <<less

※ This novel contains themes of violence and s*xual content. Please be aware before reading!... more>>

*

“You’re really…”

Seung-jae took a step back, crossed his arms and looked at Chae-won’s naked body.

“You haven’t changed at all. Why are you so confident every time?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… Ugh…”

The man’s hand tightly squeezed one side of Chae-won’s swollen breast.

“If you want to make a request, at least put on a greedy expression.”

“Kang Seung-jae, it hurts…”

“What? Say it again.”

Her lush hair was pulled back with a strong grip.

“Say it again.”

When Chae-won’s gaze met the man’s indifferent eyes, a shiver ran down her spine.

“S-Seung-jae, please…”

Chae-won struggled to speak, her lips trembling. It was the first time she felt fear in front of Kang Seung-jae.

“After 9 years, you suddenly felt lonely, wanted a man, and came to find me? Ah, what else did you say? You wanted to apologize for what happened? F*ck, what do you think I am, a fool?”

“I was sincere. I really was. I wanted to apologize earlier, but the timing… it just didn’t work out.”

“Shut up.”

Seung-jae’s right hand forcefully pressed down on Chae-won’s throat.

“Don’t ever apologize to me again. Don’t utter any similar words.”

*

Even after the silk necktie was loosened, Chae-won’s slender wrists remained firmly held in the same way Seung-jae had tightly bound them.

To completely let go of her weary heart, she needed a sturdy fence.

If that meant being confined within cramped iron bars or being bound by chains digging into her flesh, she was willing to endure it as long as she had Kang Seung-jae by her side. <<less

Heju is a successful chief manager working at an entertainment agency. She began working in this industry as a manager for Gunwoo, who was a newly-discovered child actor. Years later, Gunwoo is now a young man who has become a very popular actor and model in Korea. ... more>>

Heju has always seen Gunwoo only as her client, but one day, Gunwoo confesses his feelings for her… <<less

Bianca de Blanchefort. ... more>>

The wife of Zachary de Arno, thrown out of Arno family after his death due to her self-indulgent, frivolous, and immoral behavior. She had nowhere to go, the Blanchefort family having already fallen to ruin, and was more or less kicked to a convent out in the border. A woman who ultimately met her end on a cold stone floor.

A villainess with no honor.

That was Bianca’s life before she went back in time.

***

“Is this truly reality? Did I really travel back to the past?”

This was neither a dream nor a hallucination. This feeling of hunger, fatigue, the vivid sense of everything around her…

This was all real.

If this was indeed reality… If God truly gave her one more precious chance…!

‘I’m going to carry out a business. A marriage is a business in the end. Zachary’s child will be the perfect source of financial support. I’m sure my dowry will remain safe too. I won’t have to lose the Blanchefort or Arno territories to that damned viscount either.’

Then whether it be through seduction or persuasion, she needed to give birth to her husband, Zachary’s child.

“How much was my dowry exactly?”

“400 calves, 900 pigs, 100 units of silverware, 300 rolls of silk, 2 crates of jewels, and a portion of a territory… Equivalent to a two-year budget for the Arno county.”

“Don’t you think you should compensate for that?” <<less

The child that my friend gave birth to was the main character of a fantasy novel that I read in my previous life. Not long after his birth, this poor child grew up with an indifferent father and suffered from ab*se at the hands of his stepmother. He left home only to proudly return when he became an adult and convict the wicked stepmother.... more>>

“He’s such a pretty child, and I feel sorry for him. If it weren’t for Amanda.”

[What?]
My foot steps while holding the child stopped.

[Amanda… Amanda…]
Amanda, that was the main character's mother’s childhood friend, a native of a Korean-American family. That was my name.

“I’ll be the Duchess for Marilyn, at least for her sake.”

And, maybe, she can be a step mother who doesn’t pick on this child? How to not be the evil stepmother, Amanda, ab*se this child even if she dies. Can Amanda be a good stepmother? Can the Duke, a cold northern man who blows a cold wind, and Amanda be good parents? <<less