The Return of the Namgoong Clan's Granddaughter - Chapter 7

There are a lot of things wrong with Liv Brodbeck. She’s too small, for one thing. When she works in the castle kitchens with her mother, she can’t carry a sack of flour or roll a keg of ale. Baron Summerset’s chirurgeon says that she has brittle bones, so she isn’t allowed to wrestle or sword fight with the other children. Even sledding downhill in the winter brings the risk of breaking an arm or a leg if she falls. Everyone says that she ruined her mother’s life when she was born. Not when they think Liv is in the room, of course, but she overhears all the same. In the kitchen of a less kind lord, a cook bearing a bastard child would have been more than cause enough for both of them to be out on the street. No, a child like Liv doesn’t have much hope. But when she accidentally unleashes a surge of wild magic, she takes her first step on a journey which will lead her from the kitchens of Castle Whitehill, to the cold palaces of the Eld, and beyond, to the graves of gods... What to Expect: - MC starts off very weak, with a lot disadvantages - not just physically weak, but also vulnerable in a socio-economic sense. She has talents, but it is going to take time to develop them. I want to give this process room to breathe, so I hope you enjoy long-term progression. - The MC begins the story as a child. As she grows up, she will have relationships that I intend to be appropriate for her stages of life, BUT THERE WILL BE NO SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS UNTIL SHE IS AN ADULT. Expect eventual teenage drama progressing into more adult relationships. - There is action, but it is not constant action, and it will again be appropriate for the MCs development. As a child, she will be challenged by child things, and as she grows into power the scale of threats will increase.

“Chief, it’s bad; our people are injured! Hurry, take them to the Divine Tree!”“Chief, it’s bad; our people are on the brink of death, about to perish! Quick, to the Divine Tree!”“Chief, it’s bad; our people have just passed away! Quickly, to the Divine Tree, and do not let the body grow cold on the way!”Reincarnated as a frail locust tree, Ji Yang merely wished to bask in the sun each day, gaze upon the moon, and live a leisurely life.Yet, years later, as Ji Yang looked down upon all beings, he suddenly realized that this world lay upon his roots and within his shade.And that initial small clan, unbeknownst to him, had its name resound through the heavens!

Theodora is the Queen of Polis, a city-state that lost the war against the most powerful empire in the continent.

She is sure that they'll execute her immediately but, somehow, she survives the meeting with the Emperor, and she finds herself... Married?

Tossed in a new world without connections and allies, she has to either accept her fate or lose the chance to help her people once again.

She soon finds out that her new husband knows more about her than she does herself, and that his purposes are often far from what she expects.

A fallen queen that doesn't know how to be anything else. A handsome Duke who's the cause of her ruin. And their efforts to find some happiness in a marriage that's been forced on them.

WARNING: there are contents not suitable for a sensitive audience.

The smut scenes are half-censored at the beginning, but the amount and details will increase after a few dozen chapters (according to the Queen's mood .-. )

***

«I'm sorry for lying to you, your grace...»

«You're a Duchess. No one will dare to consider your words a lie: if you say that you were painting souls, then it's the truth.»

«I will remember it.»

«No, you have to understand it, Theodora. You're not a prisoner, but my wife. I'll protect you when you need it, and I'll help you with any issue you have. You're not just a Duchess in the name. You're my Duchess.»

«It's hard to believe in such a short amount of time.»

«For now, stop shaking like a chicken. I won't hurt you.»

***

The village girl who was close to death from illness was about to marry, and her suitor was a strong and hearty hunter.Having time-traveled to a poor and backward mountain village, she had resigned herself to the lack of three square meals a day, but was her new body already halfway into the grave? What's more curious was that someone still wanted to marry her despite being on her deathbed?Driven by curiosity, she went ahead with the marriage, eager to see who the unlucky sap was who'd lose his betrothal gifts and even the coffin money.Cradled in his arms, her body was thin as a rake, and she really wanted to ask him, “Husband, does holding me hurt your hands?”