Helena, wearing the clothes he had bought her, the cape he had tied, and carrying the bag he had retrieved, took her leave. Unknowingly, she was adorned with traces of this man.

“That’s right. Unlike relationships that can’t be easily broken.”

She spoke with emphasis on ‘relationships’, ensuring she shot a meaningful look at Ian as they stepped outside.

Ian, who had propped the tattered door in a corner, adjusted his pace to match hers.

“It might not be easy, but eventually, it might break.”

At his words, the image of a man with black hair briefly crossed Helena’s mind. Another person who had clung on persistently, impossible to shake off.

The regret of time ingrained was indeed bitter. Shaking her head, Helena dispelled the afterimage.

Pausing, Ian, who had been walking beside her, stopped and spoke with an inscrutable expression when she looked up at him.

“Nevertheless, I hope it won’t break just yet.”

He then descended the stairs, his well-textured silver hair becoming tousled in his grasp.

All the way to the restaurant, Helena struggled not to ponder anymore.

Is it him now, or the other person?

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

Clear bell sounds echoed ten times from the clock tower in the square.

10 AM. A bit late for breakfast, slightly early for lunch.

Helena sat across from Ian, with their individual plates of food, in the moderately bustling eatery. Despite the awkward timing, the place was quite crowded, with commotion floating around like dust.

‘What am I doing right now?’

Everything felt strange. The noisy bustle, her hands mechanically mashing potatoes, and the man calmly eating across from her.

Helena cautiously glanced at him. His fingers, well-proportioned and knuckled, moved across the plate.

Looking closely, small scars on the back of his hand were occasionally visible as he handled the knife.

‘I remember seeing some on his forearm too. Maybe there are more elsewhere?’

She wondered what he did for a living to carry such scars but refrained from asking, not wanting to seem too interested.

“Your gaze is quite intense. The potatoes might end up burnt.”

Indeed, just as she expected.

His gaze, however, remained fixed on his plate. Applying more pressure to the fork crushing the potatoes, Helena responded.

“If only I could, I would.”

“I like burnt potatoes, so it’s fine. Feel free to keep looking.”

“I’m not interested.”

He chuckled softly, a sound as pleasant as Eugene’s.
Reluctantly, Helena put the mashed potatoes into her mouth. Chewing, swallowing, chewing again, and then swallowing. Still, the awkward atmosphere lingered.

The table was small, and unless she buried her head in her plate, Ian was always in her line of sight.

She rolled a roasted beanstalk with her fork, sneaking another glance at him. The knife held between his long fingers seemed larger than hers, but his precise movements masked any discrepancy.

‘Where did he learn such manners?’

Judging by his clothes, he appeared to be a well-off commoner, but it was hard to take that at face value.

He was far from ordinary. It was evident at a glance.

In his voice, his walk, every small gesture, there was a rough yet refined dignity. When not smiling, the imposing presence his stature gave off became more pronounced.

He occasionally used the sharp enunciation often heard among high society. It was similar to Eugene’s, but instead of sounding cynical, it had a warmer tone, which surprised Helena internally.

‘I thought that kind of pronunciation could only sound cold.’

“Why do you keep looking if you’re not interested?”

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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