Ricardo’s scoffing made me bristle with anger. What did he expect me to do?
Was I supposed to look him in the eye and swear my love passionately? Cling to his ankles and beg? I could do that if he wanted.
But he has a woman chosen by a deity for him, and I would never pledge my love to a man who already has someone. I won’t feel guilty for harboring feelings for him; it’s not a fault of mine.
Yet, somehow, I felt that wasn’t what he wanted.
Though I hadn’t clung to his ankles, I was indeed clinging to Ricardo in a way.
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
I had no intention of hiding my feelings from him now.
I wanted to tell him that I was not just enduring him, that looking into his eyes stirred up desires that I had to freeze and shatter into pieces, leaving my heart tattered – out of pity for me, at least keep us safe for a while. Just as I was about to speak, the butler approached hastily.
Freddie singled me out and whispered to Ricardo.
“The Crown Princess has arrived.”
Startled, I looked at Freddie, but he quickly delivered his message and retreated. Sensing my anxiety, Ricardo let out a small sigh.
“Don’t worry. The Crown Prince isn’t on good terms with the Emperor, so it’s unlikely that the royal family will know you’re here.”
“Ah…”
Before I could ask more, the area became noisy.
Soon, a noblewoman, evidently highborn at first glance, approached our pavilion. Her dress’s hem sparkled with jewels, reminiscent of a glittering sea as she moved.
I instinctively stood up.
“You may leave now.”
Ricardo dismissed me, but my feet wouldn’t move. Was it alright not to show respect even to royalty? As I hesitated, the Crown Princess closed the distance.
“Oh, who is this? You must be Miss Penel.”
She approached eagerly, but Ricardo stood as if to block her from me.
“Don’t speak needlessly.”
Despite his sharp words, the Crown Princess craned her neck to see me.
Her behavior was somewhat unroyal, but she was indeed a beautiful woman worthy of exuberant praise. Her intelligent green eyes, fiery red hair, and the way her chin lifted, her smile cold despite being friendly, all unmistakably marked her as a noblewoman.
She tried to make eye contact and greet me, but Ricardo’s broad shoulders blocked my view.
Peeking around him, I saw that the Crown Princess seemed to give up on seeing me. She smiled broadly and nodded.
“There’s no doubt about it. I’ll have to greet you properly another time. Miss Penel, we’ll meet again soon.”
I bowed reflexively, replying “Yes, yes,” and hastily left the scene.
After Lienne left, the Duchess’s attendants quickly gathered around as the Crown Princess stood opposite Ricardo. The attendants of the Ducal House existed solely for their mistress.
However, they also serve the royalty when they visit. It seemed the Crown Princess had arrived unannounced and without guidance, causing the attendants to be visibly flustered.
“Ah, no need for tea. Why serve tea to a ruffian who barges in, disregarding all etiquette?”
While the Duchess’s attendants were visibly upset, the Crown Princess’s attendants from the royal palace remained calm. There were eight attendants surrounding the Crown Princess.
Ricardo winced, squeezing one eye as a sharp headache passed through his temples. He waved his hand dismissively with a menacing air, shooing away the women. The maids looked troubled, but once the Crown Princess acquiesced, they all stepped away.
“Even if you’re a war hero and called the Empire’s absolute beauty, treating women like that won’t make you popular. Especially these days.”
“…”
“Anyway, I did well to hurry Freddie and barge into your presence. I got to see your prospective fiancée.”
Before the Crown Princess could sit, Ricardo slumped down in his chair first.
“Behaving like a barbarian won’t make you popular either.”
The Crown Princess, familiar with Ricardo’s attitude, simply sat down after him.
“It took you long enough to see Miss Penel.”
Ricardo propped his elbows on the table, stretching his fingers long and pressing them against his forehead, his headache worsening from the Crown Princess’s heavy perfume.
“She seemed more innocent than I thought. Of course, that’s just from a glance. Why do you insist on hiding a woman you’re reluctant to even let people see…”
Ricardo rubbed his neck as if it were constricted and frowned, but the Crown Princess seemed unconcerned.
She had always been like this since childhood. The Crown Princess was a close friend of Ricardo’s from the same royal academy.
His time at the academy was only a year, but Mariette approached him without reservation and quickly claimed the title of his friend.
She was born noble and knew little of failure. Like most such people, she was unrestrained in her actions and words.
“Is the engagement preparation going well?”
Despite Ricardo’s silence, Mariette kept talking. The more she talked, the tighter he sealed his lips.
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
