HALF: Dead nor Alive - Chapter 10

[If you enter the deep forest, you will be eaten by the shadows.

The shadows of the forest move when a person is not looking.

There is a shadow that mimics people in the deep forest.

The shadow of the forest speaks.]

Rosaline, of the Knights of the White Night, had gone missing after being attacked by enemy forces during a hunting contest.

However, she was found unconscious, badly injured, and lying beneath the cliff.

Rosaline, who woke up a few days later, seemed to have severe memory loss. It was difficult for her to speak even simple words.

She was found walking barefoot, in her pajamas, talking informally here and there. She would even pick up food off the floor!

She’s a strange girl no matter how you look at her. Is that really Rosaline?

This world has Fox Fairies, River Gods, Water Monsters, Great Demons and Cultivators who seek immortality.

By activating their Dharma Eyes, cultivators can see all kinds of demons and ghosts.

Refining a flying sword, they can kill enemies thousands of miles away.

Their all-seeing eyes and all-hearing ears allow them to observe everything around them…

The second young master of the Qin family, Qin Yun was one such cultivator…

- Description from Novelupdates

It’s been 11 years since I’ve lived for others and not for me.

The moment I cried out wanting to get away from my exhausting life, I opened my eyes in the body of some Count’s 20-year-old daughter.

Since this happened, I decided to live my life freely as a single woman.

But…

“I need a lady to act as my fake wife for a certain period of time.”

“A contract marriage?”

“The term is one year. When the time is up, I’ll give you divorce with no strings attached.”

The Duke of the Empire whom I had happened to meet at a ball was hitting on me.

Turns out he’s no other than the Emperor’s beloved brother, Duke Scade!

Hold on, it’s just going to end in a clean divorce with no strings attached?

“You should also give me alimony. Give me one of the best lands of the Ducal household with 10 years’ worth of profit.”

“…..What?”

“If you don’t want to do that, then we cannot get married.”

This time I’m going to live a life taking care of the things I need first!

***

“I’ll escort you since it’s late.”

Where to? My bedroom is just around the corner.

“Tonight, I’ll do my best.”

No, I don’t need you to do that.

“Did you just look at that man?”

Excuse me, Duke, you said it’s for a limited time only, so why do you keep obsessing over me?

Aliandra Amariel loved magic, dedicating her academic years to the study of runes and spells, pushing the boundaries of mana's infinite possibilities. Like most Fae, her destiny seemed clear until that fateful day of her Class Trial, when the Blind Lich unleashed an undead apocalypse on her home, the fabled underground city of Dal’mohra, and triggered The Breaking – a cataclysm that forever reshaped the world. Saved by her mother’s legendary time-stasis spell, Ali wakes thousands of years into a dark future. Everything she knew and loved is gone, buried under a mountain, transformed into a twisted dungeon by the malevolent will of the Lich. Now, Ali must confront her deepest fears, mastering the arts of battling monsters and braving a town riddled with corruption. As the Lich's grand design shadows her every move, she scrambles to forge new friendships and unearth ancient knowledge in her fight for survival. Why must she struggle? All she had ever wanted was to curl up in a comfy chair with a few thousand good books. But the immortal Lich is drawn to her unique magic, ever hungry for more power to fuel his cold-hearted ambitions. How will she survive the giant target painted on her back as her advancement slowly reveals the horrifying truth of the Class she chose to save herself? Will she falter, forced into the eternal servitude of undeath, or will she rise against all odds and cast him down, ridding the world of his evil?