Many men had harbored feelings for Adelia. Wherever she was, her stunning beauty was immediately noticeable. It was, therefore, quite natural for her to attract many admirers. Among these many men, Lucas Aiker stood out in my memory because of the confession incident he orchestrated.
Two years ago, on Adelia’s eighteenth birthday, Lucas Aiker had planned a grand-scale event to confess his feelings to her. However, his ardent confession was met with a cold response from Adelia, resulting in a humiliating failure. It was doomed from the start because Adelia had already fallen for Calix at first sight. To her, every other man paled in comparison to Calix, and she had no emotional space for anyone else.
‘Still, life went on after that.’
Back then, even being aware of the entire situation in the novel, I secretly wished Lucas Aiker’s confession would lead to a happy outcome with Adelia. The Aiker family was comparable to the Ravelion family, and a successful relationship would have meant Adelia wouldn’t have to choose a difficult path.
So, I didn’t directly help but made efforts to engage Adelia in conversation at the academy, making it easier for her and Lucas to interact. Alas, Lucas Aiker’s confession ended in abject failure. Watching the entire event unfold, I felt sorry for him and comforted him on a few occasions. Fortunately, being a positive person, Lucas quickly recovered from the setback.
After his confession, he completely relinquished his romantic feelings for Adelia and continued to treat her as a friend.
‘Kaern knew about it too, then.’
I remember Adelia instructing the servants not to mention it to Kaern. When the incident happened, he wasn’t in the capital. He tried to make it for his only sister’s birthday but couldn’t because of some urgent matters. Adelia understood why Kaern couldn’t be there, but she was deeply saddened by her only family member’s absence.
‘It makes sense, an older brother wouldn’t look kindly on any man who fancied his sister.’
I nodded internally, understanding Kaern’s perspective, but was shocked by his next words.
“Lucas Aiker had feelings for Adelia?”
“…Yes?”
Confused, I looked up at him with an alarmed expression.
“So… you didn’t know?”
Kaern slowly nodded.
‘Ah…’
So why was his expression so grave? I had thought he knew about the confession incident. But he didn’t…
No, wait. That’s not the issue here.
The most serious matter was that I had blurted out something Adelia wanted kept secret.
A wave of guilt towards Adelia and self-reproach for my impulsive action surged through me.
“Then why…”
No. I shouldn’t say this to him, nor should I blame him. This situation was entirely of my own making.
His expression was misinterpreted by my hasty assumptions.
“Your Grace.”
It all happened because I rashly guessed and assumed his expressions.
“Your Grace.”
After pulling myself together, I called him with a somewhat solemn tone.
“Could you please forget what I just said? Adelia doesn’t really like this topic being discussed.”
I knew asking someone to forget something they’ve already heard doesn’t erase it, but it was the only thing I could do.
Overwhelmed by self-reproach and emotional turmoil, I was about to despairingly hit my head when Kaern, who had appeared before me at some point, grabbed my wrist.
“I’m not reacting this way because Adelia received a confession.”
“What?”
His words confused me, and I asked back blankly.
“You are…”
With a puzzled look, I gazed at Kaern, waiting for him to continue speaking. But no words came from him even after a long wait.
He just sighed shallowly and carefully released my wrist.
Perhaps due to the lingering warmth from his touch, my wrist still felt hot and tingly.
Caught up in this unfamiliar sensation, I didn’t even realize he had boarded the carriage until I heard his voice.
“I’ll come to pick you up before going to the royal palace.”
Kaern, now inside the carriage, repeated the same words as before.
“Just wait comfortably.”
And with those words, the carriage carrying him quickly departed from the estate.
I stood there, dazed, watching the carriage disappear for quite some time.
In the year following my graduation from the academy, my daily routine had been largely the same.
In the mornings, I tended to the garden surrounded by flowers I loved, and then attended to the matters of my family.
In t
Anyway, by utilizing my skills and talents in this way, I was able to repay the debt to Kaern and barely keep my family’s estate going.
The business I initially started involved visiting the mansions of nobles, selecting appropriate plants and flowers for each of their gardens, and providing detailed guidance on their arrangement and maintenance.
However, while it was manageable during the holidays, it was challenging to make visits personally while attending the academy, so I couldn’t earn much money from it.
Therefore, as an additional business venture, I planned to sell tea and scent bags made from the flowers and plants grown in the gardens. This was a business where I only had to instruct the servants on how to make them, allowing me to work on it even while at the academy.
This venture not only provided me with financial benefits but also unexpectedly aided me in a different direction – my botanical research and thesis preparation. As I researched and grew the plants and fragrances preferred by the people in the capital, my research data and cultivation methods naturally accumulated.
Moreover, by selling these products and receiving customer reviews, similar to modern society before my reincarnation, I didn’t have to wait for the results of growing each plant individually like other researchers.
Anyway, today, after finishing my morning routine and having lunch, I returned from managing the garden at the Heiyan Count’s estate.
Looking outside through the carriage window, I was just passing through the bustling area.
The bustling streets were filled with memories of Adelia.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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