The location the royal herald guided me to was the reception room on the first floor of Duke Fiorenza’s main residence, a seat prepared by Duke Fiorenza for today’s meeting.
“Your Majesty, Lady Solzberry has arrived.”
“Let her in.”
Arriving at the reception room and reporting to the king, a dignified voice came from behind the closed door.
Following that, as soon as the royal herald opened the door, I felt my heart tighten as I took a step inside.
‘Keep calm, don’t get nervous…’
The moment I entered the reception room, the sound of the door closing behind me echoed.
Slowly raising my head that was lowered, the familiar yet unfamiliar face came into view.
Somewhere it seemed like I’ve seen this face before, but I couldn’t recall…
Even though Gloria is a spherical character, it’s probably because I am not.
“Lady Solzberry, it’s the first time we’re having a private conversation like this.”
King Elowen, with a smile, took a step back. That expression meant I had seen him a few times before.
My memory is vague, but I might have seen him at the wedding. Royals attended Grayan’s and my wedding.
‘Back then, I was too out of it to care about such things…’
I awkwardly smiled and greeted with courtesy. Perhaps because it was in front of the most powerful person in Elowen, I still felt a bit nervous.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”
Trying to sound as polite and dignified as possible, I suddenly saw King Benoa starting to laugh.
Raising my head halfway, I blinked my eyes in confusion. Why are you laughing…?
“No need to be so tense, you don’t have to act too stiff. Come, sit over here.”
King Benoa gestured to his seat. I remained somewhat bewildered and hesitated before taking a seat.
What can I say… It’s a somewhat, no, very different atmosphere from what I expected…?
“While I am the king of Elowen, I can’t wield absolute power or do everything as I wish. The ‘election method for the king’ in Elowen is quite different from Ainstain. The way the central government operates is also different.”
“…?”
“So, you don’t need to find me difficult. Now, would you like some tea?”
“Yes… yes? No, I…”
King Benoa even poured tea directly into my cup. This king is completely unconventional!
“Hibiscus, rosehip, elderberry flower, blended with apple. Fragrant and light. It should suit your taste.”
“Th-thank you…”
Blinking my eyes rapidly, I raised the teacup with trembling hands. After taking a sip of the light red tea, a sweet and tangy flavor with the scent of apples filled my mouth.
‘…Wow.’
It’s really delicious. I lost my senses for a moment and sipped a few more sips of tea. When I snapped back to my senses, King Benoa was laughing while holding his belly.
‘Ugh.’
Embarrassment flushed across my face. Putting down the teacup lightly, King Benoa continued to speak with a youthful, laughter-filled voice.
“Why? Don’t hold back. Savor it to your heart’s content.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay…”
“Here, have some cookies too.”
King Benoa pushed the plate of cookies on the table towards me. Feeling bewildered, I blinked my eyes rapidly.
Is it really okay to be this casual? I just can’t adapt to it.
King Benoa, with golden hair and eyes, had a kind and gentle demeanor. And he was also a Gold Lion Beastman.
Gold Lion Beastmen are said to have long lifespans, strong vitality, and intelligence. It’s only natural, considering they belong to beings comparable to dragons.
Perhaps due to encountering only strange (…) dragons so far, I had expected King Benoa, a Gold Lion Beastman, to be a somewhat awkward conversational partner…
‘This neighborly kindness is really…’
…Still, let’s not let our guard down. No matter how friendly, he is still a king…!
“Well, did you enjoy the party?”
“Yes, it was nice to meet many people.”
“I heard you became friends with Lady Fiorenza?”
“That… well, it just happened…”
Starting the conversation with a comfortable and mundane topic, it naturally shifted to the main topic as the conversation dwindled.
“I heard you’re interested in the railway business.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, I’ve been working on laying down railways throughout the Elowen Kingdom for a long time. However, I’ve run into several practical issues.”
The ‘practical issues’ King Benoa mentioned were as follows:
The possibility of enemy forces occupying trains during exhibitions.
The cost for maintenance and upkeep is substantial, leading to opposition.
To address the second problem, it’s necessary to open up the tourism industry to Ainstain Kingdom citizens, which may pose a risk of terrorism.
A shortage of magical stones, the fuel used for trains.
There were four issues in total.
“I can solve the magical stone problem…”
“Oh… really? How?”
“As you know, I made a contract with the butterflies of the World Tree. The butterflies have exceptional senses, making them excellent for exploration tasks. You can instruct the butterflies to find magical stone mines.”
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.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
