The palace’s reception room was splendid and grand. However, Delrina had no mind to look around. The children sitting next to Delrina were also silent.
“Thought it would be me, but never thought you’d be discovered as well.”
The first to break the silence was Noah. Delrina chimed in.
“Right. You originally had your patronage in secret as well…”
“True. Already had a run-in with the duke once.”
“I didn’t know they were so diligent in finding us.”
At Noah’s murmured words, the other children agreed in silence. Among them was Ashud, who was sitting frozen just like Delrina. Delrina silently observed him.
Even if he was the emperor, to be this tense meeting one’s own grandfather was strange. Looking at Ashud, Delrina couldn’t help but wonder. Just as Delrina was about to say something to him, the door opened, and Hyer appeared.
“His Majesty the Emperor.”
At Hyer’s entrance, the children stood up and bowed. Delrina pressed down on Zen’s head, who was still gazing blankly. Hyer briefly looked at the children and then took his seat.
“Sit.”
As Delrina sat back down, she could now observe Hyer more closely. Although his hair had grayed, his golden hair and blue eyes resembled Ashud’s.
“So, you are all…”
But the gaze sweeping over them was different from Ashud’s. Delrina swallowed dryly under Hyer’s scrutinizing gaze.
“Well, you all do resemble each other. Related by blood, I suppose.”
As he said this, Hyer’s gaze landed on Delrina.
“Your name was Delrina Floren, correct?”
“Yes, it was.”
“I see. I’ve not seen the Floren family much, so I don’t recognize the face. You’re living in the ducal house now?”
At the mention of the ducal house, Delrina answered with a tense face.
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard the Duke sponsors talented children. What talent do you possess?”
Hyer found Delrina the most suspicious. It was easy to guess the talents of the other children, but Delrina seemed entirely ordinary. Delrina hesitated.
“Actually, it’s…”
She never dreamed she would mention being a clown in front of the Emperor. As she hesitated, Hyer’s eyes gleamed.
“What’s the matter? Are you hiding something? Or did the Duke tell you not to speak?”
“No! It’s just that my talent is quite unique…”
This piqued Hyer’s interest even more, and he leaned forward.
“Unique, you say? What is it?”
Hyer pressed her incessantly. Finally, Delrina opened her mouth.
“I’m a clown.”
“…”
A brief silence followed. Delrina cautiously looked at Hyer’s reaction. For a moment, Hyer looked like he couldn’t comprehend what he had just heard. Then he cleared his throat.
“What did you just say?”
“…”
“A clown?”
Hyer let out a sarcastic laugh, making a face as if it was absurd.
“So is ‘clown’ some kind of code word? A metaphor?”
“No. It’s exactly as I said.”
The more Delrina answered, the more incredulous Hyer looked. It seemed impossible to link the ducal house with a clown. Slowly, anger began to rise on Hyer’s face.
“If you’re making fun of me, it would be wise to stop now.”
“No, I would never lie, especially not here.”
‘Really, I am a clown…’
Honestly, Delina felt incredibly wronged, but Hyer had no way of knowing. Despite Delina’s response, Hyer spoke without changing his expression.
“Really? So Yeongae is a clown, huh?”
“…….”
“In that case, you must know how to perform.”
“Excuse me?”
Stunned by the mention of a performance, Delina asked, and Hyer’s tone was firm.
“Exactly. There will soon be a ball, and this works out perfectly.”
“…….”
“I’d like for Yeongae to perform at the center of the ballroom as my birthday gift.”
“Excuse me?”
‘A performance? Me?’
At the notion of performing as a clown in the middle of the ballroom attended by the empire’s nobility and dignitaries from other countries, Delina’s eyes quivered uncontrollably.
“Surely you can do it, right? If you truly have the talent of a clown.”
Hyer pressed as if he would make her perform if she didn’t clarify the hidden meaning of being a clown, but Delina truly had nothing to say. Finally, her eyes rolling, she barely managed to answer.
“……Yes, I can. I can do it.”
‘Oh, God….’
And so, Delina swallowed her tears alone.
“Your Majesty!”
If Helium Empire was in the east, the most powerful empire in the west was the Lunen Empire. In the palace of that Lunen Empire, servants were bustling around looking for a man.
“Where are you?”
From the garden’s bushes to fountains and even high walls, servants were checking places difficult to reach. Soon, they found the man on a terrace.
“Huh? You found me?”
The man sitting on the terrace windowsill finally turned his head as the wind blew his blue hair. His silver eyes were on the servants.
“Your Majesty, if you keep doing this……!”
“Ah, I’ll come down.”
Unperturbed by the servants’ astonished words, the man calmly descended from the windowsill. His long hair, reaching down to his waist, was all tangled up.
“Shall I tie up your hair first? Where did you put your uniform?”
“Ah, I left it on the windowsill earlier.”
However, there was no coat to be seen on the windowsill. Ruby, the man’s aide, looked down to see the uniform miserably fallen on the ground.
“……Let’s go back for now.”
After seeing the fallen uniform outside, Ruby sighed shortly and hurried the man. The man walking in front tilted his head.
“Why were you looking for me?”
“Don’t we need to discuss the coronation? Time is running out; you should ascend to the throne soon.”
“Ah.”
“It’s been quite some time since His Majesty passed away suddenly, and now there’s no time. You should ascend quickly.”
The man, unfazed even though significant matters like coronation and becoming the emperor were discussed, was Dekar. The current crown prince of Lunen Empire, soon to be the emperor. Dekar responded lightly to Ruby’s words.
“I won’t.”
“Excuse me?”
Back in the room, as Dekar picked up a letter and muttered, Ruby, who was beside him, asked in surprise.
“You won’t have the coronation?”
“More like, I’ll delay it. I have somewhere to go.”
“Where are you going……?”
Ruby’s eyes soon caught the letter Dekar was holding. Upon seeing the Helium Empire’s emblem clearly stamped on the envelope, Ruby asked,
“……You’re planning to go? To His Majesty of Helium Empire’s birthday?”
“It’ll become difficult to go to such places once I become the emperor. So, I’ll delay the coronation and go.”
“Yes, that’s true but……”
Hesitant, Ruby then asked,
“Is that place worth delaying the coronation for?”
“Yeah. The emperor there wants to meet me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Isn’t it foolish? Asking me for help to deal with his own subjects.”
“Your Majesty!”
Even if it’s another empire, an emperor is an emperor. Ruby suppressed his shout at Dekar’s foolish comment.
“By subjects, you mean, the same ones you mentioned earlier……?”
“Yeah. The Duke of Ulfrim.”
The Ulfrim Duke House was so famous that even the Lunen Empire’s nobility knew of it. Ruby’s face darkened.
“Will you really lend your strength? The opponent is from the Ulphrim Duke family, after all.”
“Well, we’ll see what happens.”
Dekar, who had been silently smiling, put the letter down.
“It’s a chance to see some old faces, and two birds with one stone, really.”
“……Yes, then I will send a response saying we will attend.”
Ruby knew well that she couldn’t overcome her master’s stubbornness. Dekar sat in the chair and chuckled.
“Whatever happens, it would be nice if there’s something interesting at the birthday celebration.”
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
