The physician who brought medicine to replenish Irene’s energy recommended that she take walks.
“If you stay indoors just because it’s cold outside, you’ll become sluggish and lose energy. The reason you’re feeling unusually sleepy might be because of that, so I recommend you dress warmly and go for walks.”
“I’ll do that.”
Feeling cooped up from staying in her bedroom anyway, Irene went out for a walk after lunch.
Originally, Esper Castle was so quiet that one might wonder if people lived there at all, with hardly any signs of life.
“Check over there too.”
“How about putting a painting here?”
But today, it was unusually noisy.
The servants were bustling about, cleaning or placing new decorations.
It was the first time Irene had seen so many servants since coming to Esper Castle.
Was something happening?
As Irene looked at the servants in confusion, Jessie asked,
“What’s wrong, miss?”
“Oh, I was just wondering if something was going on since there seem to be a lot more people around today.”
“Ah.”
Jessie replied with a smile as if it were nothing unusual.
“Nothing special is happening, but an important guest will be arriving soon.”
“An important guest?”
“Yes. A friend of the master is coming.”
The master must be referring to Kalos…
“…That man has a friend?”
“Pardon?”
Oh no.
Irene had meant to keep that thought to herself, but she accidentally blurted it out. Realizing her mistake, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Then she glanced at Jessie nervously.
She thought Jessie would surely get angry or sternly warn her not to say such things that seemed to insult her master.
“Pfft.”
Unexpectedly, Jessie was laughing as if she had heard something very amusing.
Irene was dumbfounded by Jessie’s completely unexpected reaction.
“You’re not… angry?”
Instead, Jessie asked in confusion,
“Why did you think I would be angry?”
“Well, because I spoke as if it was surprising that the Grand Duke has a friend…”
“Oh, that. It’s fine since you didn’t say anything wrong, and the master didn’t hear it directly.”
Jessie glanced around cautiously, then spoke in a low voice that only Irene could hear.
“To be honest, I was also shocked when I heard that the master has a friend.”
“…”
So Jessie had the same thought as me.
Irene sighed in relief.
“Well, the reason the master doesn’t have friends isn’t simply because he has a bad personality.”
Does that mean there are other reasons why Kalos doesn’t have friends?
No, should we even be talking about this in the first place?
Irene shifted her eyes nervously.
On the other hand, Jessie continued speaking nonchalantly with a shrug.
“Anyway, the master’s friend will be coming soon, so everyone is busy preparing. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Wait a minute. If it’s Abel, who is more than just curious, he will surely take an interest in Irene. Should she be concerned?
Given Irene’s timid personality, she would likely be greatly flustered if she were to encounter Abel without mental preparation.
“What’s wrong, Jessie?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
After a moment of contemplation, Jessie chose not to say anything.
“Let’s go for a walk, miss.”
Kalos must have known Abel’s personality, but since he didn’t say anything about it, he must have judged that there wouldn’t be anything to worry about.
*
There were four main gardens in Esper Castle, and among them, the garden Irene frequently visited was the east garden.
The garden wasn’t too large, making it good for a complete circuit, and since it was visible from her bedroom, it felt familiar, leading her to visit often.
“Wait a moment, miss.”
As Irene was about to take a walk in the east garden today as well, Jessie stopped her.
“The magical beasts from the training grounds are staying in the east garden now, so it’s better not to go there.”
“Magical… beasts?”
Irene’s face turned slightly pale as she recalled the spider monster that had attacked her. Jessie hurriedly waved her hands.
“Oh my, there’s absolutely no chance of the magical beasts going berserk here in Esper Castle, so don’t worry.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Well, this is Esper Castle, after all.”
That makes even less sense. Irene looked at Jessie with a puzzled expression.
Jessie, meeting her eyes, smiled and added,
“Still, it’s better not to go to the east garden just in case. Not only are there many magical beasts, but everyone from the guides on down is busy taking care of them.”
“I understand.”
Irene nodded obediently. It wasn’t as if she had to go to the east garden, and she had no intention of going to a potentially dangerous place unnecessarily.
So where should I go?
As she stood in front of the large door pondering, Jessie suggested,
“How about the north greenhouse garden? It’s indoors so it’s warm, which should be good for a walk.”
“Sounds good.”
Thinking it was a good idea, Irene headed towards the north greenhouse garden with Jessie.
‘It’s cold.’
She hadn’t noticed how cold the weather was while inside the castle, but it became apparent once she stepped outside.
Although her body was well-protected by a thick coat, her exposed face felt the chill acutely.
When she exhaled, a puff of white breath appeared.
“Winter seems to have arrived already.”
“This is just the beginning. It will get even colder from now on.”
“…”
To think it would get even colder than this. The northern winter really is different.
The winter in Silas territory where I used to live was just about this cold.
The biting chill made her want to go back into the castle, but she persevered and kept walking since the physician had said walking would be good.
How long had they walked like that? A glass dome surrounded by lush trees came into view.
Just a little further. Her steps naturally quickened.
Just as Irene was almost running towards the greenhouse garden.
Rustle, whoosh−.
The bushes shook violently, and something suddenly leapt out.
Spotting a shadow as big as herself, Irene stopped in her tracks, startled.
“Miss!”
Jessie jumped in front of Irene to protect her, glaring fiercely at the intruder.
“…What is it.”
But only for a moment, Jessie’s voice deflated as she recognized the intruder’s identity.
Irene, who had been on high alert, also loosened her tense posture.
Jet black fur with long, slender legs. Bright, alert eyes and a cute little nose. A long snout and perky ears.
“That’s… a yomi, isn’t it?”
The intruder’s identity was none other than a yomi, a magical beast resembling a deer.
Irene recognized it immediately, having encountered one before while walking around Esper Castle.
“No, yomi.”
As the yomi approached, Jessie looked around.
Soon spotting a man running over in a fluster, she clicked her tongue in annoyance.
“This is why you don’t even notice when several magical beasts escape.”
The subject of this brief criticism bowed his head hurriedly, surprised first at seeing Jessie and then again at seeing Irene.
“Ah, hello.”
“It’s not a good hello.”
Jessie narrowed her eyes and glared at the man.
“From the looks of it, you seem to be the guide in charge of this yomi. How did you manage things that a yomi that should be in the east is now in the north?”
“I’m, I’m sorry. As you know, yomi are quite mischievous, and we’re short-handed, so…”
“You still need to manage them properly. Surely you’re not unaware of what happened because of your carelessness? If you don’t want to repeat the same mistake, if you don’t want to turn Esper Castle into a wasteland like the territory, manage them properly.”
Under the barrage of harsh criticism, the man could only hang his head low without saying a word.
It was certainly the man’s fault for not managing the magical beasts properly, but was it really necessary to berate him like this?
It’s not like he did it on purpose, and he said they were short-handed…
Irene looked at the man with sympathetic eyes, then turned to the yomi.
Seeming pleased that Irene was looking at it, the yomi wagged its tail, its innocent eyes twinkling.
Maybe… I could help.
“It’s fortunate that it was a yomi that escaped, but what if it had been a hideous magical beast like an arachne? Of course, magical beasts can’t rampage freely here, but still…”
“Jessie.”
As soon as Irene called, Jessie turned to her immediately.
Her face, which had been scowling fiercely, relaxed as if by magic.
“Did you call me, miss?”
“Are you really short-handed in taking care of the magical beasts right now?”
“Pardon?”
Jessie made a dumbfounded expression at the sudden question.
Thinking this might be a good opportunity to cover up his mistake, the man quickly answered.
“We are very short-handed. Originally, the principle is one guide per magical beast, but when the magical beasts rioted, many guides were seriously injured or killed, so now each guide is in charge of two magical beasts.”
One might think that just one more beast isn’t much, but for guides who need to closely manage magical beasts that could dart off somewhere at any moment, it was a very big problem.
“Moreover, besides managing the magical beasts, we have to do other additional tasks like preparing their food, so the situation is even more difficult. If possible, we’d like to borrow even a cat’s paw for help.”
“Then shall I help?”
“Pardon?”
“I can’t fully take charge of a magical beast, but I can do simple chores.”
“That’s out of the question!”
Jessie cried out in surprise at the unexpected suggestion.
“The idea of you doing chores, miss. It’s absolutely not allowed! It’s unthinkable!”
“But how can I just stand by when you’re short-handed?”
Irene placed her hand on her chest and spoke resolutely.
“I’ve been feeling like a freeloader, just eating without anything to do. If there’s something I can do, I’d like to help.”
“But it’s not just any job, it’s related to magical beasts. Aren’t you scared?”
“I think I’ll be fine with cute magical beasts like the yomi.”
“Ugh.”
Seeing that Irene’s resolve was stronger than expected, Jessie groaned and held her head.
“I won’t do anything dangerous. I’ll just do simple chores like cleaning beside them, so please allow me.”
“…”
Faced with the earnest plea, Jessie closed her mouth without saying anything.
It wasn’t just that she was reluctant; from the beginning, this wasn’t a matter for her to allow or disallow.
Everything Irene did was under Kalos’s permission, after all.
“Come to think of it, I should get permission from the Grand Duke, not Jessie.”
Having realized this on her own, Irene adjusted her slightly slipped coat and turned around.
“Let’s go ask for the Grand Duke’s permission right now.”
Ah, I should stop her.
Seeing Irene so enthusiastic for once, Jessie just couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
Moreover, the fact that Irene was willingly going to meet Kalos meant that she had opened her heart that much, so Jessie followed her without saying a word.
The Male Lead’s Obsessive (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Synopsis:
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Summary:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition