Golden irises and cat-like eyes that tilted upwards at the ends.
Lakrahan’s lips slightly parted.
The boy’s face looked almost like a replica of Bercheria.
Both of them had physical features rarely seen in Feriat.
“Huh. They do resemble each other, quite closely at that.”
At Timothy’s words, Lakrahan’s gaze scrutinized the boy even more intently.
Bercheria was looking out through a curtain slightly parted.
‘There should be no particular issue if I stay here. I’ll take care of the rest, so don’t worry.’
Lakrahan, who had escorted her to the room, didn’t seem particularly nervous or concerned, even if the emperor were to arrive.
Nothing was different from usual, except for the constant fidgeting of something in his pocket.
Bercheria took off the veil she had been wearing and placed it on the bed.
When she peeked her head out to look outside, she saw the gate occupying half the height of the castle, slowly lowering to bridge the gap between the cliff and Lakrahan’s castle.
Above it, the emperor’s procession was slowly climbing.
It was the first time Bercheria had seen such a spectacle in her life.
Opulent carriages and dozens of elaborately dressed knights.
And the two white horses leading the procession were no common sight either.
“Emperor Gerard.”
The emperor was completely different from what she had expected.
She had thought of an old, grumpy man, but Gerard was considerably young and handsome.
Of course, compared to Lakrahan, he seemed much less impressive.
Although clearly a handsome man, the aura he emitted seemed light and frail.
The woman riding a white horse beside him was Gerard’s queen, Lione.
Draped in a snow-white dress and matching shawl, she was too beautiful to have been the emperor’s queen for a long time.
And closely following them would be the head of the emperor’s bodyguard, and the one sitting in front of him and guiding them was…
“…?”
Bercheria’s brow furrowed.
Curly hair clinging to his face, a slim face, large eyes, and golden irises within them.
The boy’s face, looking around curiously, resembled his own.
“What is this? My face and…”
It wasn’t that there were no people in Feriat with blonde hair like Bercheria’s.
A very long time ago, people with the same genes as Bercheria came to this land, and their golden hair and golden eyes were proof that they shared the same ancestry.
What was peculiar was that their body odor was incredibly strong and potent, inherently possessing the power to seduce the opposite sex.
The goddess of weather generally considered body odor first when selecting awakened ones.
Therefore, all of Bercheria’s awakened ones had become blonde.
“Do they all look similar?”
Bercheria felt increasingly uncomfortable looking any further and flopped onto the bed.
“Why don’t I feel good?”
As she slid her hand inside her dress, she grasped a small, tightly sealed transparent vial.
It was a gift from Dikper, the god of earth.
‘Throw this on the ground whenever you need it. Then we’ll rush to you upon seeing the smoke. I’ll feel at ease if you have this.’
“Mm.”
Bercheria tightly gripped the small vial.
Dismounting from his horse, Gerard approached Lakrahan and bowed just enough to be polite.
“Lakrahan.”
“Your Majesty, the Emperor.”
Gerard warmly embraced Lakrahan and patted his back, as if meeting an old friend.
On the surface, the two appeared to be very close.
“It’s been a while.”
The Emperor held him tightly before letting go.
Both wiped the smiles off their faces and stared at each other expressionlessly.
‘Is he going to bring up Princess Kelita first?’
That seemed likely. To Emperor Gerard, Kelita would make an excellent bargaining chip.
Days ago, Lakrahan had heard about the state Kelita had passed through the portal in.
It was an unprecedented accident, and everyone who heard about it was shocked.
As a descendant of the family that participated in the creation of the first portal, Lakrahan couldn’t understand it any better.
His ancestors had written detailed diaries about the portal-making process, which were now in Lakrahan’s library.
The portal was so delicate and intricate that if such a mistake had occurred, it should have already collapsed.
“Ah, greet Lione. It’s a face you haven’t seen in quite a while.”
Lakrahan slightly bowed his head towards Rione.
“Nice to meet you, Duke Lakrahan.”
Though they had met only a few times, Rione always wore a seductive gaze when meeting him.
Some women are like that.
Women who instinctively wish all the men in the world would love them, even if they themselves aren’t willing to give their hearts.
Lakrahan had always thought Rione was one of those women.
But today, she seemed to be searching for something behind him.
Covertly, yet not overtly.
Noticing Lakrahan’s gaze, Rione smirked at him as if she had been doing so from the start.
“Duke Lakrahan, you still look impressive.”
“Thank you.”
Lakrahan brushed aside Rione’s words and spoke towards Gerard.
“It’s late, Your Imperial Majesty. Perhaps we should take our rest and continue our discussions tomorrow.”
As Lakrahan tried to lead the way, Dilan, the head of the imperial guards, abruptly stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“How dare you! Blocking the Duke’s way!”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
