This Japanese Monogatari Isn't Lame - Chapter 586 - 369. I want to listen, I want to listen! (8000-word goal achieved!)

“An illegitimate child will always be an outsider.”For Yu Lixue, life in the Yu family was one of endless humiliation. As the unwanted daughter with no mother to defend her, she was treated like a pawn, used, ignored, and discarded. Her talents—her paintings, her songs—were stolen by her stepmother and conniving half-sister, who claimed them as their own. Her life was a series of shadows and silence, living under their lies.But when her half-sister fled an arranged marriage with Mo Ran, a powerful but reclusive man, the family forced Lixue to take her place. Once again, her wishes were disregarded. Her marriage to Mo Ran was cold, distant—another prison she had no choice but to endure.Until the night she died in a mysterious accident, her pleas for justice buried along with her.Yet fate gave her a second chance.Reborn into the same world that betrayed her, Lixue returns with a vow: she will take back everything they stole—her art, her voice, her freedom. And when she reenters her marriage with Mo Ran, he surprises her with a proposition: he will help her get revenge against those who wronged her. But Lixue is wary. Why is this man, who barely showed her any warmth before, now offering to stand by her side?As they plot against the Yu family, Lixue realizes that Mo Ran has his own reasons for revenge. Their alliance begins to blur the line between ally and enemy, and she questions whether he’s truly on her side or if he has his own hidden agenda.In a world filled with deceit and betrayal, Yu Lixue must decide: will she risk trusting her husband, or will she forge her own path to reclaim what’s hers, no matter the cost?Excerpt:Lixue stared down at the steaming bowl of soup on the table, blinking in surprise. Mo Ran placed it before her with a steady hand, his usual calm expression softened just slightly by a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. She tried to catch his gaze, but he’d already turned away, busying himself with the teapot.“Why are you…?” she murmured, glancing between the bowl and him, her voice trailing off.He looked up, meeting her eyes with a hint of amusement. “Why am I what?”She fumbled for words, her cheeks warming. “Why are you…being so nice to me?”A small smile played on his lips, barely there but just enough to leave her heart fluttering. “Is it so strange for a husband to be kind to his wife?”She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. The Mo Ran she remembered from her past life had been as cold as winter, never sparing her a second glance. This new version of him, warm and considerate, left her feeling…confused.“Eat,” he said, his voice soft. “You didn’t eat much at breakfast.”She nodded, taking the spoon with a slight tremor in her fingers. The soup was rich, comforting—something she would have loved as a child. The warmth of it melted away a part of her guardedness, leaving her strangely vulnerable.As she set down her spoon, she glanced at him again, still puzzled. “What’s gotten into you, Mo Ran?”“…”“Let’s just say I want to spoil you my darling..”Extra tags: #Rebirth#FaceSlapping #SchemingSister #ColdHusbandTurnedSweet#EnemiesToLovers#IllegitimateDaughter

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

Eighteen years ago, blood stained the halls of the Full Moon Gala.The Vampires came slaughtering nearly every wolf shifter at the gala, including the visiting royal family. Blood drenched the earth, and when the carnage ended. Prince Ambrose, soaked in the screams of his people, he rose from the ashes with a single vow:Blood for blood.Eighteen years later, Ambrose is now Alpha King, ruthless, unyielding, and revered by his pack. But his thirst for vengeance never dulled. His target? Princess Odette.Odette isn’t a delicate doll. She’s fire wrapped in silk. Born of power, and unafraid to destroy. Raised by the very monsters that broke him.Ambrose wants to break her. But this princess doesn't break easily.Captured. Kidnapped. Claimed.The girl he wanted to destroy becomes the woman he can’t stop watching. Touching. Needing.Their bond is dangerous. Twisted. Forbidden.Can love be born of vengeance?What if a terrifying and dangerous threat rises from the shadows? Can a millennia long blood feud be overcome or will they destroy themselves before the enemy even has a chance?Ex:I started the shower and then looked to her and ordered her “Take off your clothes.”She almost snapped her neck with how quickly she turned her head to face me. “Excuse me?”“You heard me, Take. Off. Your. Clothes. Princess.”She looked at me dumbfounded, she couldn’t believe I was asking her to do this. The sheer audacity of me.She’s rich. Ha.“No, absolutely not.” She narrowed her eyes at me and lifted her lip a little, showing part of her fang. It was a warning glare.“I’m not a patient man. Strip or I will strip you of your clothes.” As I spoke those words, a sense of thrill shot through me. I've seen plenty of women naked. But my enemy’s daughter. Stripping her of her dignity, forcing her to humiliate herself.My wolf purred inside.“I will not.” Odette stood firm in her stance.“I will only tolerate so much disobedience.” I growled at her, I moved quickly, closing the distance between us in an instance.I grabbed her sleeve and tore it off her. She jerked back covering her arm with her hand. I moved closer to her. Ripping off another shred of her dress.She screamed “Stop it. Don’t touch me. Dog.” She napped.I snarled “Call me a dog one more time princess and see how I punish you.”“D.O.G. DOG” She said firm and slow.“I’m not actually, I am the Alpha King, the strongest and most powerful Alpha there’s ever been.” I was getting tired of the disrespect.“Keep feeding that ego of yours, maybe one day it’ll be a reality.” She hissed back.I grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. She thrashed and squirmed in my grip. But I held firm.Getting in close I whisper in her ear “Watch your little wh*re mouth. Before I shove something in it to keep it busy.”