“Say it again.”
The one who shattered the glass was Valion. Despite the tea dripping from his hands, Valion spoke in a cold tone without showing any concern.
“Where did you come from?”
“…From Emperor Decar…”
Valion abruptly stood up and approached Felix. His eyes were fixed on the letter in Felix’s hand. As if he wanted to clear it away immediately, he stood in front of Felix.
“Wait a moment!”
Delyna stopped him.
“Still, since it’s a letter, let me check the contents.”
Delyna quickly approached Felix, realizing that if she stayed like this, the letter might be torn apart. Without waiting for the letter knife that Valion was waiting for, Delyna tore open the letter with her hands.
“…”
“…Why are you doing this, Miss?”
Delyna, who was reading the letter, fell silent. The atmosphere in the dining room was getting worse. Eventually, Felix asked, and Delyna, with a puzzled voice, asked.
“Did he have a son?”
“Yes?”
“There’s a mention of a prince in the contents.”
When Delyna asked about the engagement with Prince Damian, Felix immediately answered.
“Then… probably not a son but a stepbrother.”
“Stepbrother?”
“Yes. The previous Emperor of the Runan Empire had many concubines, so there were many offspring. There is no story about Emperor Decar having a son. If he had a son, the rumors would have spread already.”
“I see. That means…”
‘Probably because they can’t just take him away, they’re trying to tie him with marriage.’
Remembering the attempted kidnapping at the Imperial Palace banquet, Delyna shivered. It was an incident she didn’t want to experience again.
“So, that Prince… No, is it an engagement with the prince?”
“It seems so. But you don’t have to send a reply. He wants to talk face-to-face.”
Valion quickly spoke.
“Throw it away.”
Valion, who didn’t want any trace related to the Runan Empire in the house, took the engagement letter from Delyna’s hand and crumpled it without mercy.
Even though it was a letter with the imperial seal of the Runan Empire, those inside the restaurant showed no reaction. On the contrary, their expressions seemed natural. Felix bragged.
“Yes. Miss. What could be the reason for not sending a reply? It seems like she wants to reject him, knowing that she would refuse him, she’s trying to block it in advance.”
“…”
“Seeing that she wants to meet and talk, it seems unlikely that the prince will visit the Helium Empire. How dare he aim for the Miss? To stand in front of the Miss, he needs to be more handsome than a messenger, wealthy, and powerful…”
“Yeah, yeah. I got it, so calm down.”
But it wasn’t only Felix who was angry. Although Calix and Zane kept their mouths shut, the forks and knives they held in their hands were limp and bent.
“He mentioned Damian.”
Valion muttered the name of the prince while breathing heavily. Delina, who had a slight sympathy for the existence of Damian, who seemed to be miserably crumpled like the letter, quickly spoke.
“Of course, I have no intention of going to the Runan Empire or marrying that prince. So, please, everyone, don’t do anything strange.”
“…”
“You won’t, right?”
In response to Delina’s words, the men neither affirmed nor denied but avoided Delina’s eyes. When Delina demanded a response until the end, they eventually nodded slightly.
Birthday.
For someone, it was just an ordinary day, but for someone else, it was a special day. In fact, Delina didn’t attach much meaning to the birthday. However, this birthday felt strange, perhaps because it was the day she became an adult.
‘Since then, I’ve certainly grown a lot.’
Delina stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. The girl from the past was nowhere to be found, and a mature woman stood in front of the mirror.
“Are you awake?”
Even Betty, who never showed any facial expressions, seemed somewhat excited today. Delina entrusted her body to Betty’s skillful hands for makeup, as usual.
“After you finish dressing, you can go straight to the dining room.”
“Okay.”
“And happy birthday, Miss.”
“Thank you.”
As always, Betty congratulated her quietly. Delina felt good. It was because the shiny hair and the well-dressed dress seemed to contain Betty’s congratulatory feelings.
“Happy birthday, Miss!”
“Cheers!”
And making a loud celebration was unnecessary since others were doing it enough.
As soon as Delina came out of the room, Felix rushed out noisily to congratulate her. Delina sighed softly when Felix greeted her with a loud noise. Then, she noticed something under her feet. The jewel that had fallen off Felix’s shoulder had naturally settled on Delina’s shoulder.
“…What is this?”
“What is it? It’s a red carpet for congratulating the Miss.”
“…”
“Come on, Miss. Let’s go.”
Dazzled by the splendor of the red carpet laid out in the long corridor, Delina swayed back a step. Felix, with a smile, gestured for her to come quickly.
“Betty, clear away this carpet.”
“Yes.”
However, at Delina’s word, the red carpet was gradually removed by Betty’s hands. Seeing this, Felix shouted.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
