"Even if you never loved me, I still wanted to save you."
Lunia, the daughter of Count Persephone, lived a lonely life-rejected by her father and treated as a mere tool by her half-brother. When a priest selected her as the bride of Duke Hades, master of the cursed Khronoa family, she seized her only chance to escape by marrying into the duke's household.
The Khronoa family, feared as the "Dark King" for handling the empire's darkest affairs-affairs that could kill anyone who became involved-was bound by a curse: unless the duke married the bride chosen by the emperor, his life would be cut short. Unlike the rumors, Hades's presence captivated Lunia at once. Yet he made it clear he had no intention of loving love her.
Confused by his rejection when her very existence was meant to save him from the curse, Lunia deceived him to keep him alive, sharing one fateful night with him before disappearing, unaware that she was now carrying his child...
Seven years later, Hades finds Lunia-and this time, he is determined to bring her and their child back home...
"Just when I was finally resigned to my fate... romance suddenly blooms in my eighth life?!" In order to broker a peace with an enemy nation, Princess Fiona is sent off to be the concubine of their crown prince, Othniel. Her new husband treats her as little more than a political hostage, and she is soon executed on false charges, or poisoned, or worse... Yet no matter how she meets her end, she always goes back to the same day and restarts her life from there. Determined to survive her eighth life no matter what, Fiona vows to give up her hopes of love and be content with life as an ornamental bride, but now, after seven straight lives of hating her on sight, Othniel seems to be madly in love... "What's going on?! I was supposed to just be here for decoration!"
When Ao(26), has her boyfriend stolen by a coworker, she goes to the bar run by her best friend to drown her sorrows. It's here that she meets a beautiful younger guy with the same name as her who she ends up spending the night with. She thinks it was just a one night stand until she runs into him again and learns that he currently doesn`t have a place to live. "Will you take me in?" These words are the start of a whirlwind romance like no other...
After losing her parents at a young age, Yae Sachiyama was taken in by her uncle. Since then, she's been living under his roof while he and his wife drain her of both freedom and money. The only place she can truly relax is at her workplace, Kuga Industries. There, she quietly harbors feelings for the CEO, Tomomitsu. Because of her difficult home life, however, she can't bring herself to tell him. Her feelings for Tomomitsu only grow stronger with each small act of kindness he shows her.
But one day, when Yae returns home from work, her cousin's attitude suddenly takes a strange turn and she finds herself pushed further into a corner...
The story of a sweet but complicated marriage, born from a life of mistreatment.
"Your lips are so sweet... I could melt with a single kiss..." Michi is a beautiful and chipper receptionist at a major company, working hard every day at her job. She seems perfect at first glance, but she actually loves to eat, and her insatiable appetite has lost her boyfriend after boyfriend. There's no way she could confess her feelings to Taichi, the heir to one of her company's clients. But then one day, Taichi spots her while she's secretly scarfing down some sweets during her break. And as if that weren't enough, Taichi's got his sights set on her...?! It's the Cinderella story of a receptionist who's hungry for true love!
Momoka is an ugly sex worker that has clients rushing in with big wads of cash. But she doesn't flirt with the men; it's quite the opposite. Men want her, so they come and flirt with her! One day Momoka visits a brothel as a special instructor for newbies. That's when she meets and saves a woman who was tricked into joining the brothel by her boyfriend...
Is he... in heat?! In a world where humans and beasts live side by side, Sakuya enjoys life as a newlywed - until her human husband tragically dies of illness. Bullied by her mother-in-law and with nowhere to go, she finds herself contemplating a desperate act... until she catches sight of a dragon flying overhead. Shizuomi, a half-dragon priest from a nearby shrine, comes to her aid, soothing her wounded heart. But one night, her gentle guardian pulls her into his embrace...! A heartfelt love story between a grieving widow and her dashing, beastly protector!
Lala Pradley, a national mage is tasked with the elimination of a low level demon that has appeared. She heads out on the mission with her student, a young boy by the name of Alistea who hopes to marry her. However, the "demon" turns out to be a dragon, one of the most dangerous creatures to exist! While helping to ensure her student can escape, Lala realizes she herself cannot get away. Cornered by a dragon, she uses a special spell to ensure her safety... but at what cost?! "You are mine now, and I will never let you get away."A time slip leaves the two in a new, exciting situation!
In a forgotten corner of a massive castle, a starving child teeters on the edge of and death...until she suddenly awakens with the memories of Chihiro Sagami, an office worker from modern Japan?! Determined to survive at all costs, she stumbles upon a kindhearted chef and strikes a deal: food in exchange for work. Though small in stature, her nimble hands and capable skills quickly earn her the fond nickname "Little Helper" among the castle staff. But behind her infectious eagerness and penchant for delicious food, her mysterious golden eyes hold a great secret that could determine the fate of the world! (C)Kazuhito Minagi/SQUARE ENIX (C)PenekoR/SQUARE ENIX (C)Kazumi Kurihara/SQUARE ENIX
Marriage can change a person. But those changes can also mean new arguments, a loss of respect for your partner, and sometimes, the ultimate betrayal -- an extramarital affair. Introducing a collection of tales depicting marriages on the brink of crumbling and women seeking revenge on their cheating, good-for-nothing husbands.
I'm the only one who knows his secret. What is the sweet personality he's hiding behind ugly glasses?
Tadashi transfers to the company where Kasumi works. He has thick glasses, long bangs, a hunched back, and he speaks quietly. He's a dull man who is not typical of someone in Sales. But for some reason, Kasumi is intrigued by him. One day, Tadashi saves Kasumi from her sexually harassing manager. His suddenly sharp, wolf-like gaze is so charming that he seems like a completely different person from his usual, unreliable self!
"Hey Keisuke. I'm really looking forward to the wedding." Miyagi Prefecture, Sendai City. This is where our protagonists, Chiaki and Keisuke met and vowed to marry each other. After graduating college, Keisuke starts working at a big-name trading company in Tokyo. Doing LDR is a bit lonely, but Chiaki believes in the love they have. However... Keisuke changes after moving to Tokyo. Every weekend, Keisuke has vulgar affairs, and does nothing but lie to Chiaki, and the two stop talking. Things are miserable. But Chiaki put up with it. She knows about everything and stays with Keisuke for 5 years. And there are only three months until their wedding...
Akari is good at her job, beautiful, and her sense of style is beyond compare... but she has a secret. She's almost 30 and she's still a virgin! One fateful day, a new department chief takes over -- the handsome Shinomiya. "You're my subordinate now, which means from today, you have to do what I say." Shinomiya is a condescending bully and he and Akari clash from day one. Akari finds herself drinking her worries away at his welcome party and before she knows what hit her she's completely smashed. She wakes up the next day to find -- Shinomiya emerging from her bathroom half naked?!?! Thus begins Akari's comedic office romance with her callous new boss!
"Didn't they teach you in school? If you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all." Aya Sakurai is your average office worker who likes to mind her own business, but she can never get across the things she wants to say... until Shun Serizawa comes along. After transferring to her department, he's got a lot to say regarding a mean boyfriend, workplace bothers, and all the other things she can't manage to confront!
Tomoko is 37 years old and works in the general affairs department. In the same department is a woman known for her eccentricity, Haru Hatsuse. She doesn't care at all about how others see her, wearing flashy clothes and saying whatever she feels like without reading the room. Tomoko's friends mock Hatsuse and call her "a quirky and strong willed elderly single woman." One day, Tomoko's friends start to see Tomoko in the same way and make fun of her... Do all women have to worry about having an "aging look"? Or aim for marriage? Hatsuse, who has always lived being true to herself, somehow makes other women's lives burdened with various problems, a little easier to live!
"Your body's too sensitive. It was like porn sex..." Kasumi Sugisaki became deeply traumatized by sex after being told this by the first man she's ever slept with. After accidentally drinking too much, her secret was found out by her co-worker, Kurokawa. However, Kurokawa also has a trauma of his own...! The two decide to work together to "break the curse" and begin a relationship therapy!
He's a dad. Why would he do that? Daycare worker Yukari was too busy with the children for love. In fact, she didn't have any opportunities to meet people in the first place... But, just when she was thinking that, she found herself having drinks with her friend Manami's boss, Koji. The man Manami said was "good-looking, but strange," was a gentleman and escorted Yukari back home. However, having had a few too many drinks, the two of them fell on to the bed, and... wound up kissing. The following morning, Koji was gone. Yukari was in agony recalling the previous night!! With those memories in tow, she did her work, but the "handsome dad" there to pick up one of the children was... the same man she had just shared her bed with!?
"You're already 30 years old! Women are only appaealing when they're still young!" were the cruel words my husband spoke. Masumi and Shinichiro have been maried for seven years. With their five year old daughter, the three of them make up a happy family... Or so it seemed. The last time Shinichiro and Masumi had sex was three years ago. From wife to mother to 30 years old in the blink of an eye. Will Masumi spend the rest of her life simply aging and losing sex appeal? "... I won't stand for this!" Masumi's ready to polish up her charm and salvage her relationship with her husband... But then this...
"He's already crazy for me. " Someone's hot CEO boyfriend was stolen by a plump, ugly woman?! Even though Kaori Ichijo is plump and ugly, she constantly has men wrapped around her finger. At first glance, men think Kaori's unattractive; and yet, her amazing skills have them at her mercy, bewitched and sucked bone dry... Just who is this Kaori, and what in the world is her motive?!
Already Yoshiko Kawai's life was not going the way she had planned it, but when her boyfriend breaks up with her a few days before her 29th birthday she is at an all time low. She bumps into her handsome coworker Yuki and confides in him that she's worried about not being able to get married before she turns 30. "In that case, if you don't find a partner in the next year, how about we get married?" Initially Yoshiko brushes his proposal off as a joke, but could it be that he is actually being serious?
Flair is the youngest magical artisan to ever be appointed to the royal court... and she's under constant harassment from her superior who leaves her with so much work that she almost never gets to go home. The one person who has been there for her, her fiance, also suddenly decides to call off their engagement, leaving her at rock bottom. However, after coming across the second prince of the kingdom caught in a terrible curse, everything changes. Flair helps him fight off this curse, but the only way to remove it is by finding who exactly casted it...
Falling for the man with an obsessive love will... Kasumi Kirishima is constantly asked by her coworkers to help them with their tasks and works overtime every day. She's too put together, which creates a rift between her and her boyfriend, Sota. One day, Kasumi finishes her work early, but when she gets home, she discovers Sota is cheating on her with her coworker, Ota!
After having her world turned upside down, Kasumi pretends to be unaffected and runs out of their apartment. In the middle of her breakdown, the office heartthrob, Jun Kayanuma, comes to her rescue. At first, she doesn't know what to make of his frankness with her, but she gradually falls for him. However, there's more to Jun than meets the eye...
My father passed away with a debt of 10 million yen and now I'm the one who has to pay it all back to this Yakuza called Hebizuka...?! "You're the only person I'm nice to, Miyako..." I'm left on edge with this young Yakuza clinging to me, but I'll keep the bathhouse running today and onward!
"Back then, we were young. We merely wandered the planet, not knowing what it meant to love, to be." Wait? Is this one of those "second chance love letters" that everyone's talking about?
Just three months into Sayuki's marriage, tragedy struck. When she comes home early one day, she hears her husband and another woman speaking sweet nothings to each other in their bedroom. Without a moment's hesitation, Sayuki files for divorce and decides to have a fresh start, giving up on love and marriage. A few years pass and a guy at work starts talking her up. But before she has time to worry about him, she begins receiving love poems from her ex-husband! What happened, and why is he suddenly trying to act all romantic?!
A detested villainess and a proper prince are instinctually drawn to each other's bodies before they have a chance to develop feelings. What will their destiny be?!
"Hikaru" and Yoshiki begin their investigation into the true nature of the false "Hikaru." On a visit to the library, they make an ominous discovery...
As the middle of three imperial princesses of the Fatenam Empire, Claire has always been seen as royal dead weight. So when Vallatenear emerges victorious in war, she's quickly offered up as a bride as part of the peace terms. Prepared for harsh conditions, t*rture, and even death, Claire is flabbergasted when she receives a warm welcome, and news that she's been betrothed to none other than the crown prince! It turns out her extraordinary intelligence is exactly what the kingdom has been longing for...a "Living Fount of Knowledge!"
Suddenly, her life was turned upside-down.... Kinaho lived alone until one day, her boyfriend Akito brought with him two young relatives: a pair of brothers who had just lost their parents. All at once, Kinaho finds herself living under one roof with not just Akito, but serious-to-a-fault eighth grader Toma and innocent five-year-old Haruhi. As the days pass in confusion, this group starts to forge a new relationship: a family... or something like it.
"I want this man for myself." Nails, makeup, hair... Remi, an office worker, doesn't slack off when it comes to investing in herself. The reason she's willing to go this far? To snag a man who's worthy of her, of course. One day, her childhood friend, Yumi, asks Remi to check out a man that she is interested in and introduces them. Much to her surprise, Takashi is ideal husband material, and the perfect high-caliber man that Remi has been looking for! She immediately decides that she'll make him hers, no matter what. And Takashi doesn't seem too put off by Remi flaunting her good looks his way... What will come of this greedy love affair?! A collection of stories about girls and their lives now that they're all grown up.
"You, who feel more distant from me than anyone else, are the only person I want to understand better." Kasumi and Kei have been friends since they were just little kids. Kei always watched over Kasumi as she would innocently run into any situation with a smile. In their last year of high school, on Kasumi's 18th birthday, she declares that she wants to go with Kei to the love hotel in their town as a birthday gift?! Ever since her confusion on what happens there was settled, the two haven't been able to talk to each other. However, that begins to change after the two find their way to the same university.
I thought I was the protagonist. I'm the CEO's daughter. I'm the one engaged to him... Plus, I'm still a v-... Ah, sorry for rambling. Let me explain...She's cheerful, honest, and friendly. He's successful at his job, considerate, and handsome to boot. (Extremely handsome. Hehe.) Anyway, sometimes, the more challenging a relationship is, the easier it is burst up in flames... I'm his fiancee, but I'm more like the rival love interest who's just in the way. Someone to create conflict and suspense. In other words, the antagonist they must defeat to get their happy ending.That's right. She's the heroine of this story. Not me.
"Will you marry me?" Don't misconstrue his kind words and expressions... After all, it's fake. When Haruna, who works for a major advertising firm, was cheated on by her coworker, she decided to leave the company. When she went to inform her client, Ayase Real Estate, she came face to face with the scion of the company, Rihito Ayase. Even though she thought he disliked her, she was offered to work for him as a housekeeper. Now, he's even proposing a contract marriage!? He's a bit aggressive, but he's honest and mindful of others. Though she can't quite get a grasp on him... Even though they got married knowing they would divorce, Haruna's heart is gradually beginning to change.
Erika is married to a loving husband and blessed with a child; she should be feeling nothing but happiness. However, things begin to fall apart when she returns to work after her maternity leave... Erika must take care of the irregularities of her child and do all the major housework. She's left to endure parenting all by herself, and she begins to feel dissatisfied with her husband, who's only felt the need to focus on his work up until this point...
Please fulfill your end of our bargain, my Grace! Liscia, ab*sed day and night by her stepmother, wishes for nothing but freedom. One day, she receives a shocking proposal for marriage from none other than a well-known, handsome noble, Duke Lindberd. Upon discussing his intentions, Liscia realizes that he's planning to have a fake wedding with someone who will not interfere with his privacy, just to get people off his back. Liscia agrees to marry him under one condition: Promise her a life with bare necessities, including three meals daily and a nap time! And now, let this be the first page of the duchess' diary of struggles, fighting for a life where she just wants to eat and sleep!
"You're stronger than you look, Tsubaki... But you left yourself wide open," he said, as he pinned me down... Just what is he?! - Our protagonist, Tsugumi Tsubaki, wants a romance straight out of a girls' comic. Her heart is set on her upperclassman and fellow literature club member Yamato Tamai, but just when she is about to ask him out, she overhears him say, "If I'm going to date, I'd rather be the one to ask." So, she decides to make him fall for her instead! To do that, she plans to hide the martial arts skills she's gained in her family's dojo, but then a mysterious group of punks sneaks up on Tamai... When Tsugumi steps up to protect him, what will become of her hopes for love...?!
Matsubara is just one of many ladies in the Planning Division who are feeling rather annoyed. Her fellow coworker, Miwa Iida, is managing to drag the entire office down with every move she makes. And the men surrounding her in the office are only managing to make that worse. "This has to stop... Someone do something!" After finally reaching her limit, Matsubara heads to HR where she meets Asari Kuga, a woman a stern gaze who spits facts like a machine gun... the "Office Detective"!
Out of the blue, Second Prince Maury breaks off his engagement with Ashley, the daughter of Duke Norman. However, this is no surprise to her; in fact, it's the golden opportunity she's been waiting for. Fed up with Maury's terrible behavior and poor character, she has been hoping to split with him for a while now. But even a worthless prince is still royalty; to protect her reputation, she must ensure all the fault for the split lies squarely on Maury's shoulders. She sets out to collect proof of his misdeeds, then lies in wait... and now that he's broken things off, she's ready to expose him for the filth he is. The real surprise comes from Crown Prince Eugene: impressed by Ashley's bold takedown, he pops a certain question out of nowhere...! It's a swift death to evil in this royal romantic comedy where karma takes no prisoners!!
In the prestigious Academy of Magic & Arcana, Sophia stands out as an honor student. Her younger sister, Mia, consumed by jealousy over Sophia's success, has sabotaged three of her marriage proposals. After her latest engagement is ruined, Sophia grows weary of Mia's wrath. Just then, Luke, the crown prince of a neighboring country, reaches out to her. The two quickly bond over their shared love of magic, becoming a hot topic at the academy. Determined to prevent Sophia from finding happiness, Mia prepares to make her move...
Shirai Ran was just your average nurse in her old world, but after her unfortunate demise, she found herself reincarnated into Sekkakoku--a kingdom where imperial courts hold immense influence.
Now living as Byakuran, she decides to use her memories and modern medical knowledge to cure the sick and injured. However, it's not long before rumors of the "great mender" with incredible powers reach the ears of a certain Prince Kuryu.
In a shocking turn of events, the emperor-to-be snatches her away and gives her an order--become his consort, and cure him of his peculiar illness! (C)Ruina (C)Shiki Yamori/SQUARE ENIX (C)Shima/SQUARE ENIX