“Oh, really? I can still strip and dive into the water right now. Eschra, have you been well?”
Hayden smiled and hugged the marines one by one, calling them by name.
The faces of the newly tanned marines sparkled with pride. Even if they were somewhat overshadowed by the nobles due to their small scale, they had an Emperor who rolled in the sand and soaked in seawater.
Since the noble Emperor was their comrade, their shoulders straightened more than usual. Those who shook hands and embraced with Hayden would later become stellar figures in the Perseta Navy.
Lu observed quietly, the dark navy ribbon fluttering on the broad-brimmed white hat she wore. Wearing navy blue pants and a thin coat that elegantly swayed down to her ankles from behind, making it look as if she were wearing a dress.
“Are you leaving right away, Your Majesty?”
After exchanging greetings with the marines, almost all the events were finished. When the shipyard director asked, Hayden shook his head as he walked.
“Flaiche Marquis Yeong-ae wants to see what my helmsman has made.”
“It’s not something I can present to Your Majesty yet.”
“I’m curious too. Monster parts are important materials, and they are also a vital resource for the country.”
After responding to the shipyard director like that, Hayden waited for a moment instead of immediately going down the stairs. While walking with Dragonlord, Lu, who was left alone, came a few steps closer.
“Yeong-ae.”
A gloved hand reached out to her. Lu, without showing excitement or embarrassment, naturally took the hand and descended the stairs.
“Anita Tevied is eagerly awaiting your arrival, Yeong-ae.”
“Even so, I’m looking forward to it because it’s said that sailing is possible, Your Majesty.”
Hayden genuinely smiled at her smooth response.
“Good.”
“What are you saying?”
“That you don’t pay attention to other people’s gaze before me.”
With that statement, Lu, while maintaining her expression, subtly looked away from Hayden.
They walked in silence for a while. Occasionally, Hayden also shook hands with those who reached out to him. There were moments when the ladies screamed. Even though the noblewomen gave them disapproving looks, they, too, couldn’t help but shout or cheer when they saw the Emperor.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hmm.”
He pretended not to hear. Ugh. This was also a way of speaking that considered other people’s gaze first. Lu changed her tone, trusting the screams. If it were Hayden, despite the cheers and applause, Lu believed he would hear her words.
“Sorry.”
“Why would our precious Yeong-ae be sorry?”
Only then did he react. Weaker than a fox, they said. Well, it was a fitting metaphor since he swung around like a fox, smiled gently, and spoke affectionately.
“I’m sorry for making you disappointed.”
You’re making me say it twice. Lu muttered gruffly and purposefully looked away.
The sunny sky had sparse white clouds, and the ships anchored in the harbor were all flying the Emperor’s flag, shimmering in the distance.
The clear sea was blue. The famous Turington Harbor, beloved as a tourist destination, would now be reborn as the main port of the Perseta Navy.
“Sorry for putting you in the second place compared to others…”
When spoken aloud, it wasn’t the time to apologize for such things. Though Hayden didn’t explicitly show it, he must have been quite hurt, judging by the way he brushed it off. Considering what had happened among them so far, it was entirely understandable from his perspective.
“I should apologize again when we’re alone later.”
Lu continued to speak with that thought in mind.
“I’m sorry for ignoring your continuous efforts…”
“It’s over here, Your Majesty. This ship.”
Anita Tevied, waving from a ship in the distance, appeared. Hayden asked Lu, who had shaken hands with her.
“It’s not happening now, is it?”
Before he knew it, Hayden was looking down at her. It would be more accurate to say he approached her and looked down at her. Despite everyone’s gaze, he was unapologetically focused on her. Everyone naturally looked at Lu.
“Yeah.”
Lu nodded. The time when she considered it inappropriate for gazes to gather in an instant had passed. It was fine to nod naturally and even smile briefly. It was an event where Emperor Hayden and Flaiche Marquis Yeong-ae had a short conversation, and that was all.
“Alright, then.”
Whispering quietly, he shook hands with people one last time and then left the venue, heading straight for the ship.
“Behold the sun of the Empire!”
Anita Tevied, who descended below, bowed deeply to greet him.
“Indeed, it’s been a few days. But it’s quite…”
Hayden paused as he looked at the ship Anita had created. Anita, well aware of why, awkwardly laughed. The ship in front of them was covered with monster leather, and even the sail and seams were processed with monster parts, making it look quite extraordinary.
“I just thought of showing it to Flaiche Marquis Yeong-ae temporarily, but I didn’t expect Your Majesty to come.”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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