The Duke's Passion - Chapter 1 - PROLOGUE

After blacking out at a class reunion, Li Yuan awakens in a brutal world reminiscent of ancient China. Famines rage, human life is cheap, and the specter of war looms at every corner. Worse still, the eerie rumors of monsters lurking deep in the forests and things that go bump in the night prove all too real.Now scraping by as a humble hunter in a remote village, Li Yuan must also watch over a woman entrusted to his care. Although he’s blessed with a mysterious status window, he’s still just a leaf on the wind—easily blown astray by the sweeping storms of change. Join him as he struggles to navigate political upheavals and unforeseen perils, striving to forge his own destiny as history unfolds around him.Official: Li Yuan crosses over into a martial world where demons and ghosts lie dormant, becoming an ordinary hunter struggling to survive. It’s only after he takes a wife that he discovers a status window. As the stars shift and ages pass, though seas dry and lands change, he remains steadfast and unchanging.

“You’re my wife in name only, on paper only. My heart and love will never be yours.”

Edward made it clear to Daisy that she was nothing to him. They were both victims of family greed -- the marriage was arranged for them.

Six years passed. She remained quiet, gaining a reputation in the army as a tough-as-nails colonel. When she walked into his life again, Edward fell in love with this woman, unlike any he had known. She surprised and delighted him. But will Daisy take him back? Can their son keep them together? Can the rift between them be healed? Pick this one up and find out!

“Hurry up and take them off!” she demanded with her eyes tightly closed.

His eyebrows lifted up. “No! Only my wife can see me naked!” he replied firmly.

Opening her eyes, she complained, “But you said I could look for the marks?”

She saw a playful smile on his face and she could tell that something cunning was brewing in the man’s mind.

She growled, traces of impatience evident on her beautiful face.

She had been trying to coax him, to seduce him to get her wish, but somehow it all ended up with her naked and him enjoying the view.

“Fine! I will be your wife! Happy? Now just strip out your clothes!”

Her words made his full lips curve into a cunning but alluring smile. He immediately reached into his drawer and grabbed the marriage contract he had prepared in advance and said, “I need to be sure before I let you take advantage of my body. So, if you will just sign here, now!”

Her jaw dropped hearing his conceited words. 'That sly wolf.'

She looked at the paper and her eyes widened. It was really a marriage contract.

“You’ve got to be kidding me?” she unconsciously uttered.

“Well, I told you. I’ve never been more serious in my life. I have been waiting for you to accept my marriage proposal but you are always insisting on seeing me naked. I’m a bit conservative in this matter, you see. I think I already told you numerous times that I will only allow my future wife to see my nude body.”

She picked up the pen and scribbled her name and signature on the contract and then handed it to him.

“What are you waiting for now? Just strip, will you?”

Hearing her command, he smiled viciously, and stepping closer to her he whispered, “Huh! Why don't you do the honors and satisfy yourself? This body and my whole existence are now all yours!”

“.....”

Brione Yu had everything one could ever want. She had always been an over-achiever who was good at everything she did. She was famous in the entertainment industry as a phenomenal model and actress.

She had everything which included a special person on whom she could rely for anything. Her best friend… her first love… Gavin Wu.

But she had lost him before she could confess her true feelings to him, that she was ready to take a chance and turn their friendship into love.

While she was missing him and longing for him, she had an unexpected encounter with a recluse Prince. He was the heir to the throne, in a foreign country. He was a cold and ruthless man who was feared by many. There were rumors that he was cursed and so he rarely came out of his palace which was situated on a secluded island.

But Brione could not explain her attraction for this Prince? Why did he remind her of Gavin every time she set her eyes on him?

The Prince resembled Gavin substantially but their characters were contradictory.

Was fate playing some kind of cruel game with her? Or was she being played by the Prince?

[Fast Wear + Group Pampering + Gentle Female Lead + Crushing Scum]Su Zhiruan had died unexpectedly and was bound to the Childbirth System. Completing tasks would earn her eternal life and inexhaustible wealth.This sounds great!In her last life, she had no children. After binding with the system, she became blessed with many children and was pampered to the heavens by the male lead!All her children were obedient, sensible, and easy to raise, making her a true bringer of fortune![Scenario One]: Five years into the Emperor's reign, the harem had produced no offspring. After a night of passion with Su Zhiruan, the harem became filled with princes and princesses. The Emperor would dote on them even during court sessions, setting aside his imperial deportment to play with the children and personally teach the princes. His gaze towards Su Zhiruan grew increasingly fervent.“My dear, would you like to be my Empress, and together take care of our children, becoming my wife above all others?”[Scenario Two]: The most mysterious gentleman in the Capital City was rumored to be disabled. Approaching middle age without any descendants, his relatives eyed his fortune and wished him dead daily. Su Zhiruan's arrival utterly dispelled their schemes, as she bore this handsome man a brood of children. When she thought to leave, he held onto her, his normally cold and proud eyes filled with pleading. His voice was deep and low.“Wife, please don't leave me and our children. I beg you.”