The Scarlet Paladin - Chapter 23: Their Local Alchemist

“You are offering me a marriage of convenience, but princess… there's nothing convenient about me.”

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Izabelle had underestimated the fire she thought she was going to play with tonight. But how could she ever have foreseen that the man she had happened to come across with does not play with just a small fire, but a whole inferno?

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Excerpt:

“You going through this marriage with me might as well be like you digging your own grave. Because the moment you start to want more from me, I will divorce you. And the moment you break your promise and try to fight me… I will ruin you and break you apart completely. Mercilessly. You will regret ever meeting this devil tonight.” His threat was given in the same soft but cold voice.

But Elle did not even flinch. Her gaze never faltered either. This man was ruthless, and she knew that clearly. His eyes that moment promised nightmares and darkness without any promise of respite.

But no matter what he says now, it would still not change her decision. She truly had no other choice.

“I understand now…” she said quietly, steeling herself. “Since you don't trust that I will keep my word, how about we do this? You prepare the divorce documents beforehand now and I'll sign it. That way, once you decide to divorce me in the future, the papers would already have been signed and there would be no way I can trouble you about it. You would just need to send it to the lawyers and have it notarized.”

A heavy silence reigned before his quiet disbelieving laugh broke the silence.

“I'm at a loss for words, Princess Izabelle.” He looked wickedly amused. But then he started nodding in approval. “Fine, princess. I will marry you.”

The land of Aleisterre is a world of might and magic, sword and sorcery, where wandering knights and mysterious gods shape the fate of kingdoms. Wang Yu, a resourceful and unorthodox protagonist, finds himself inexplicably pulled into Aleisterre, a place steeped in ancient powers and political intrigue. With little understanding of the magic and faith that underpin this realm, Wang Yu is thrust into conflicts he never sought out—yet must navigate carefully if he’s to survive.Official blurb:Dragons' wings cut through the sky. Knights charge forward, magic tearing apart everything before them. Wizardry distorts the fabric of reality itself. The steam revolution stirs in one kingdom; the endless seas echo with ancient, distorted calls. Gods rule from high above, and the dark abyss leads deep underground.Wang Yu, from Earth, arrives in this unfamiliar world of fantasy.Straightforward and practical to the extreme, Wang Yu hates politics, despises intrigue, and prefers to approach everything head-on. In his own way, he leaves his mark in this mad, chaotic world.“I don’t care to listen to or understand my enemy’s story.”“I'm the tank, and you're the carry. Together, we'll be invincible.”“A man’s got to have a sense of himself, more than anything else.”Armed with an iron hammer and unbreakable will, he smashes through every obstacle in his path.

Once upon a time-travel leap, Mu Caiwei, the gold-medal bodyguard, turned into a poor peasant girl, Mu Caiwei, who starved to death.With nothing to their name, and an empty rice vat, facing a skinny, malnourished mother and a bunch of hungry younger siblings, Mu Caiwei rolled up her sleeves and shouted, “Sister's going to get rich!”Although she had followed a proud and aloof path in her past life, times were now different.At the small stall, Mu Caiwei donned an apron, zealously crying out, “Fried skewers, fried skewers, all kinds of fried skewers…”In the fabric store, Mu Caiwei expertly worked the abacus, “This Q version of damask should be sold for fifty taels of silver a piece…”……Soon, the people of the Great Jin Nation knew that the richest person in the Great Jin was not only a stunning, young girl, but also a generous and philanthropic individual!Mu Caiwei couldn't dream that she received a miracle — a magical space, by simply carrying out a few random acts of charity!She also received an extremely “embarrassing” — predestined marriage!In a nutshell: The stunning transition from poverty-stricken peasant girl to Empress!I'm not good with summaries, so please move on to the main text.

He called me his ruin. Then he made me one.Alpha Shiloh's rejection wasn’t just a scar—it was a betrayal. He left me shattered. Broken. And I had to rebuild myself in silence.I almost forgot the way his touch once burned like salvation.Now he’s back.Not to beg forgiveness. To bargain. A deadly mission, he says. He promises freedom.But then presence ignites my wolf into a frenzy. She thrashes, desperate to claim him again. But I remember the coldness in his eyes when he exiled me. The way the pack turned their backs as I crawled into the wilderness, half-dead and wholly broken. Hate simmers hotter than desire.Yet here I am, bargaining with the devil who shattered me. Every moment we share is a lie. He doesn’t know about the shadows I’ve fed, the truth I’ve buried.Or the child.One whisper of its existence, and the pack will paint the forest with my blood.But the closer we get to completing his mission, the harder it is to hide… from him, or from the part of me that still craves him.Freedom has a price.So does vengeance.And I’m not sure which will destroy me first.