Standing Next To You - Chapter 36: Cold and Unfeeling

Bob was a good guy. He had done everything you were supposed to do. He exercised, he kept to a healthy diet, he'd studied hard, gotten excellent grades, and was working towards his masters. Somehow, things just weren't working out for him like he'd been told they would. He was stuck in a thankless position, constantly passed over, and it seemed that the only being on earth that cared about him was his cat.

Then things got worse.

Never back a man into a corner unless you want to find out just how hard he can fight.

Mizuno Eiji, a siscon high school student, receives the worst news from his older sister: “I have a boyfriend now.”In order to identify the man who stole his sister, he follows her on a date and… sees a suspicious figure watching the two of them as well.That person is Hasegawa Aoi, his classmate who is famous for hating men despite being a beautiful girl!“I can’t believe you are actually a brocon.”“I never thought you are a siscon.”In order to make their beloved sister and brother to break up, the two of them formed a mutual relationship and went on a date as fake lovers while following the brother-sister couple… Aoi kissed Eiji on the cheek.“You’re the only one who is… special.”Brocon x Siscon, two people who shouldn’t be able to get along is actually a perfect match…!?

A princess's duty is to be beautiful, quiet, not loud, to be seen and not to be heard, which was how Dahlia lived most of her life. Bound by the expectations of her title, she spent years trying to prove to her father that she was more than just a princess and capable of being more than an ornament in his court but each time she never got the chance. Instead, she was forced into a marriage of convenience with the bravest knight in all the kingdom, Reagan Hawthorne.Dahlia thought she would use this marriage to escape the brutal crutches of her father and glide out of her cage but Reagan’s cold disdain was an unexpected prison of its own. While he waged wars on distant lands, she stayed behind, holding his household together and protecting the people he seemed to ignore. But Dahlia carried a dangerous secret. By day, she was the perfect wife. By night, she became the “Black Knight,” a masked vigilante fighting for justice in the shadows.Reagan returned, ready to focus on his personal mission: avenging his father’s death. To him, Dahlia was just another pawn in his plans—a spoiled princess he needed to tolerate. But as cracks began to form in her perfect façade, Reagan couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to his wife than met the eye.Now, with enemies circling closer and their secrets threatening to collide, Dahlia and Reagan must confront the lies they’ve told themselves and each other. But when masks fall and truths are revealed, will their fragile bond withstand the storm—or will it shatter beyond repair?One wound. One secret. One night that changes everything.

[1V1 easy read, a pampered romance] Time-traveled straight into a wedding, does it have to be this intense?“Hey, hold on, groom, I'm not your bride!”Su Pan'er fiercely resisted.Someone chuckled craftily, “Quit messing around, my dear wife!”This story is fantasy, don't compare it with actual historical context. Recommended another novel by Dou Dou: “Joy of Being a Mother in a Farmhouse”.