Outside the greenhouse garden, it was cold late autumn, but inside it was a warm spring day.

It’s hot. Irene took off her thick cashmere shawl and looked around the greenhouse garden.

Flowers in full bloom regardless of the season, an indoor garden, and the sound of birds chirping in clear tones somewhere; the greenhouse garden, which she was visiting for the first time in her life, was filled with beautiful and entirely wondrous things.

“You seem to like this place.”

Irene couldn’t take her eyes off the greenhouse garden and nodded.

“Yes. It’s such a beautiful place.”

“That’s good. Don’t just stand there; go in and take a look.”

Only then did Irene turn to look at Carlos.

“Is it okay?”

“You think I’d tell you to do something that isn’t?”

Carlos said so, taking the shawl Irene was holding.

Her small, white hand swatted at the air in surprise.

“I’ll hold it.”

“No need.”

Carlos firmly refused, then pointed with his chin to a table in one corner of the greenhouse garden.

“I’ll be sitting there, so go look around and come back.”

“Really…… I can go look around alone?”

Wouldn’t it be appropriate to stick together, considering the priests might be watching from somewhere? After all, coming to the greenhouse garden with him was because of that.

When Irene asked, puzzled, Carlos’s head tilted slightly.

“Do you want to look around with me?”

“Yes, yes?!”

Taken aback by the returned question, Irene retreated, startled as if she’d been hit by a splash of water while sleeping.

I asked in jest, but she’s so shocked, it’s a bit upsetting. Carlos furrowed his brows.

“You seem to dislike me that much.”

“No!”

Irene shook her head in dismay.

“I’m not shocked because I dislike you; I’m just surprised that you’d say something like that.”

It was true. Irene had thought Carlos was frightening and intimidating from the moment she met him, but she never disliked him.

After all, dislike is an emotion that stems from affection.

“Then we can go together.”

The response seemed somewhat relieved.

Irene blinked slowly and questioned.

“Weren’t we supposed to go together in the first place?”

“What?”

“The priests might be watching from somewhere, so it might be good to show them a scene of us properly dating…….”

……Come to think of it, he did say that.

Carlos finally understood Irene’s reaction, but part of him was still displeased, and he scowled.

He turned and sat in the chair, placing his arm on the table and leaning his chin on it in a slanted posture that looked dissatisfied to anyone.

‘What did I do wrong?’

It seemed that way from Carlos’s reaction, but the problem was that she didn’t know what she did wrong.

So Irene fidgeted, looking for signs from Carlos.

He, who had been silently watching her, finally spoke.

“The priests can’t spy here, so go look around comfortably.”

Irene’s golden eyes, trembling with anxiety, stared at Carlos. He nodded to her gaze, asking if it was really okay to go alone.

Only then did Irene smile faintly and bow her head lightly.

“I’ll be back.”

Carlos watched Irene disappear into the depths of the greenhouse garden, then flicked his finger.

Suddenly, his longstretched shadow on the ground gained dimension and shot up like a thin puppet.

“Guard her.”

If they were sane, they wouldn’t dare touch what was his on his land.

But the priests were exceptions.

He couldn’t let his guard down until the moment they left Esper’s territory.

Ordinary nobles would offer guest rooms and lavish feasts to priests visiting their territories, but the Esper family was different.

Driven from the castle, the priests cursed at Carlos, muttering to themselves.

“No matter how much you despise the temple, this is not acceptable.”
“You’re right. To neglect us, the faithful servants of the Lord, like this. Hence the rumor that we have mingled with the blood of a demon!”

“It might not be a rumor; it could be real. Think about those eerie purple eyes. How could human eyes be purple?”

“……Enough, brethren.”

Trope glanced down the alleyway and halted the priests.

“We must not forget that this is Duke Esper’s territory.”

He was warning them that their words might reach Carlos’s ears.

The priests, who immediately grasped the hidden meaning, closed their mouths one by one, glancing around.

One of them asked Trope cautiously.

“What will you do now? It seems that Duke Esper has absolutely no intention of handing over that witch.”

Another priest interrupted the conversation.

“In my view, he’s already enchanted by the witch. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be hovering around her like that.”

“You’re right. We must deal with that witch before she turns not only Duke Esper but others into puppets.”

“Meet Duke Esper again and warn him of the witch’s danger and…….”

“Enough, enough.”

As the priests were about to raise their voices again, Trope raised his hand and cut them off.

“I understand your feelings, brethren, but as long as Duke Esper is so stubborn, it’s impossible to handle the witch.”

“So you intend to give up?”

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.

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