Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 243: Difficulties at the Ranch

[Main Plot Completed]A love doomed from the start, a lost cause, a losing battle—and yet, neither hearts are willing to let go until the very end.-----Arlan Cromwell, the epitome of the perfect Crown Prince. All he wants is to live a normal life of a human but the life of a dragon is anything but normal. He has but one goal—to find his runaway betrothed and behead her. What happens when he discovers that the woman who has snagged his heart is the one he vowed to kill?Oriana, a Black Witch, disguising herself as a man, has spent her entire life on the run without knowing what she is running away from. When the mysteries of her past slowly catch up to her, she has no one to turn to…except Arlan. But when she learns that the man she has given her heart to is the same man who wants to kill her, how can she accept the cruel card life dealt her?Two people with secrets to keep, identities to hide, and answers to find. When the certain darkness threatens to take Oriana away, will the Dragon be able to protect his mate?-----Excerpt-“If I knew you were my betrothed, I would have killed you the very first moment we met.” Arlan's gaze darkened with hatred.“If I knew I was betrothed to you, I would have killed myself before you even killed me!” Oriana mirrored the same emotions as him.He pulled out a dagger and offered it to her. “It’s not too late. Just slit your throat with this and you'll bleed out painlessly.”She accepted the knife, her fingers clutching its handle tightly. The next moment, he was pressed against the wall and the knife was on the right side of his neck. “How about I try it on you first, my betrothed?”“Feel free to try. But when you fail, this knife will first taste your grandpa's blood, then yours.”Anger rose in her eyes, and the next moment, blood was flowing through the right side of his neck. She cut deep enough to severe an important blood vessel.“You should not have challenged me,” she sneered and stepped back, waiting for him to collapse.He simply smirked and brushed his finger along the deep wound on his neck. “Seems like you failed.”She watched the wound on his neck heal on its own and felt shocked to her bones. “You.. what are you?”“Guess?”

Betrayed by his closest ally, Caleb Ellise was forced to settle for third place in the world’s most prestigious RTS gaming tournament, Lord of Empires.Disheartened but resigned, he accepts his prize, delivered via email. But just as Caleb thought his journey had ended, fate had other plans.BLAST!A sudden explosion leaves him critically injured. When he regains consciousness, Caleb finds himself not in a hospital bed—but in an entirely different world.[DING! Welcome to Izoya Continent, Earth #212][Welcome to the Grand Tournament: Season King Lord of Empires][Host has been designated as Lord of Kingdom #9845007]Caleb quickly realizes the impossible: he has been transported into the very game he spent years mastering. Now, the stakes are higher than ever.[Main Mission: Build your kingdom, dominate the economy, forge alliances, and conquer the world][Congratulations, Host! You’ve unlocked the Lord Talent: Vision Fog (Rank: S)]Fueled by his expertise, a newfound determination ignites within Caleb. No longer just a player, he is now a lord destined to rise.As he navigates treacherous alliances and strategic battles, Caleb vows to reclaim his crown—not as a gamer, but as the true King of Kings.The game isn’t over. It has only just begun.

Adeline Smith's life took a sudden and dangerous turn when her grandmother’s will named her as the sole heir to her massive fortune, leaving her uncle with nothing. But the rules that came with the inheritance only made her a target, as her uncles would stop at nothing to claim what they believed should have been theirs.When one of her uncle’s murderous schemes left her gravely wounded and on the edge of death, she was found by Enzo Laureati, an annoying, yet breathtakingly handsome man. What she did not know was that Enzo was no ordinary man—he was a vampire prince who had abandoned his world and royal duties to live among humans just for fun.The moment he saw Adeline, he knew she was his mate, as his heart that had remained dormant for hundreds of years suddenly began beating. But despite knowing what she meant to him, he felt no love or attachment toward her.Out of curiosity, Enzo saved Adeline’s life and proposed an unusual deal: he would become her fake fiancé, help her expose her uncles for trying to murder her, and secure her inheritance. But he didn't propose this deal because he wanted to help her, but because he was simply bored. Adeline agreed, unaware of the chaos that was about to come her way.At first, their partnership was nothing more than a random deal. Living with Enzo wasn’t easy, as he was infuriatingly confident, annoyingly flirty, and had a knack for driving her crazy with his nonchalant attitude.When Adeline finally discovers who Enzo truly is, will she see him as a monster or the man who had always protected her from her uncles? And will Enzo be able to embrace their mate bond, or will secrets tear them apart?(PS: I'm not sure if one would consider this novel slow burn, but the REAL romance between my MC and ML begins at chapter 74.) Thank you so much for supporting my book!

On their wedding night, she gnashed her teeth, yelling, “Your Highness, that’s shameless!”

Set off by the flickering light of red candles, he curved the corner of his mouth into a wicked grin, “Actually, I can be more shameless…”

…

When they met for the first time, he was the young prince who lived in his day of brilliance, while she was the pampered princess of the adjacent state.

When they met again, he became the crippled underdog suffering from frustration, while she became the lackluster hostage stranded in an alien land.

In his mid-life, he was defeated in the fight and had his legs broken; his wife passed away and he didn’t have anything left except his father’s detestation… After constant blows took the edge off his spirit, all he wanted was nothing but serenity.

In her teen-age, her state perished and her home lost; she lapsed into an awkward situation after being abandoned and having her marriage annulled… As endless hardships isolated her from happiness, everything she wished for was no more than peace.

…

“Lu Zhishan, when I first met you, I didn’t think I’d marry you…too old,” after years passed by, one day, she lay on his laps mumbling, with a kind of hazy beauty on her boozy face, “and lame.”

“Mu Nanzhi, you have the wrong memory. At our first meeting, I’m neither old nor limp.”

“…When was that?”

“When people were celebrating your first birthday,” that man assumed all gentleness and joy crept on his eyes and brows, “On that day, you were ‘drawing lots’ in the rear hall. I also sneaked there to have a look. But, out of my expectation, you directly grabbed my true-love knot.”

…

How vivid the red love pea is embedded in the exquisitely carved dice,

Just as my feelings for you deep in my bones.

- Description from Novelupdates