The Marquis Has Had a Crush for Ten Years

Next up: What Do I Do? The Imperial Princess Loves Me Too Much! A silly, beautiful little princess × a regent who overthinks everything

Synopsis

Gu Yan is renowned in the capital for her beauty, though fortune has never favored her.

Not only is she forced to marry the dying Second Prince as a way to bring him good luck, she is also expected to be buried with him when he dies. Unwilling to meet a pointless end, and with nowhere else to turn, Gu Yan thinks of Xie Chuanliu, the Marquis of Yongxuan.

Rumor has it that Xie Chuanliu murdered his elder brother and father, and is cruel and sinister. But he is also a true royal, with power and influence to spare.

After much thought, she steels herself and goes to see him.

On a stormy night,

Gu Yan kneels before him, drenched from head to toe.

"...I beg you, my lord, take this marriage for yourself." Her bright eyes brim with a faint mist of tears, yet she still manages to finish through her trembling voice. "I'll cure your leg within three years!"

The man's rough palm lifts her delicate chin. His gaze is cold, as if inspecting an object.

"Lady Gu, you asked for this yourself." The man's rough palm lifts her face, and a hidden emotion flashes through his eyes. "Don't regret it later."

That day, the nobles waiting to watch Gu Yan make a fool of herself are stunned when the reclusive Marquis of Yongxuan cripples the Second Prince with a single strike of his sword, then orders his servants to empty half the marquis's estate for her betrothal gifts, all so he can marry the bride he snatched away along the road.

No one knows why, but the dusty bridal trousseau of ten miles seems to have been prepared long ago. In every corner of the jewelry boxes, someone has carved the same small inscription by hand:

"I offer all that I have in this life, and ask for the hand of Gu Yan."

#His long, secret love, known to no one#

#Ten years of waiting, all for you#

A short scene:

One day, Marquis Xie, pretending to be aloof, refuses the pastries his beloved A-Yan made with her own hands. In a fit of anger, the marquis's wife gives the box of treats to a guest at their home.

Marquis Xie watches in silence.

Late that night,

"Yanyan," Xie, sleepwalking, stands outside his wife's room and presses her into a corner with a wounded look. "How could you give my pastries to another man?"

With both hands pinned above her head, Gu Yan gives a huff. "Didn't you say you didn't like them, my lord?"

"Nonsense." The tall man follows his instincts and pulls her into his arms, savoring her as his voice turns husky and each word becomes more tantalizing. "...I like them very much."

#She is his moon, the one wild desire he dares pursue only in dreams.#

Reader's Guide

An early marriage-before-love story, followed later by the hero's long road to winning her back. The romance-to-plot ratio is about three to one. The heroine has a slight sweet-on-the-outside, dark-on-the-inside streak (highlighted). The hero only pretends to be lame at first; with medicine, he can walk normally.

One-on-one, both leads are virgins. Mostly sweet romance. Please add to your reading list!

More completed novels in the same series:

The Nation as Her Hairpin: A career-focused exiled princess × a love-struck rebel leader

After Leaving the Chancellery, I Became My Old Flame's Slave: The governor-general's playboy ex-girlfriend

Theme: Don't regret the moves you make in life. Always keep looking forward.