As Laila mulled over the name unconsciously, the man smiled gently, as if he understood what she was thinking.

“Ah, you’re surprised because my name is the same as the Crown Prince of the Empire.”

“It’s… just a coincidence.”

As she responded, Laila felt her heart pounding. She stuttered, unable to hide her flustered state, but it was unavoidable.

Adrian Pinter Rains, the Crown Prince of the Hankin Empire.

He was the second in command of the Hankin Empire, a country that had maintained its deep history for nearly 500 years and established itself as the victor of the Damburnt Continent. He was a psychokinetic, inheriting the imperial bloodline’s abilities.

And once, the Duke of Wessex, who had been serving the Empire, broke away to establish the current Kingdom of Wessex.

Thus, to the Hankin Empire, Wessex was essentially a traitor’s country, though on the surface, they maintained a semblance of peace.

This was because Wessex’s ‘Tuning’ ability was indispensably needed by them.

Of course, Laila’s father, the King of Wessex, managed a delicate balance, marrying off his daughters to other countries but not to the Hankin Empire.

It was the only bargaining chip for the small kingdom in negotiations with the vast empire.

Whether it was the right decision was something Laila couldn’t be sure of.

She had never voiced her opinion to her father, fearing he would dismiss it as overly negative…

“Always so pessimistic…”

Was it fortunate that the Hankin Empire behaved gentlemanly?

Laila was puzzled why such a powerful empire would tolerate this situation, making the kingdom’s position always seem precarious.

The Kingdom of Wessex was just over a decade old.

Compared to its neighbors, Wessex, with nothing but its rare royal bloodline to boast, was too small and fragile.

A kingdom whose fate was uncertain.

She often wondered if it would become an unfortunate kingdom that ends with its first ruler.

Living with trepidation is the fate of a traitor.

And among the people of Wessex, Laila felt this most acutely.

Adrian.

She was the one who had betrayed the Crown Prince of the Empire.

Laila clasped her hands together, fidgeting continuously.
Laila wanted to thank the man before her for his help last time, to say that even though he might not have intended it, his intervention had safely helped her navigate the situation. However, she was so distracted by the current discomfort that she almost forgot to do so.

Noticing her unease, Lord Millei gently called out to her.

“Princess?”

Laila gasped, swallowing her breath.

Being completely lost in thought in front of someone else was undoubtedly very rude.

Quickly gathering her wits, Laila faintly smiled.

“I’m sorry, Lord Millei. I should return now…”

As she spoke, she adjusted her dress, preparing to take her leave. But Lord Millei interrupted her mid-sentence.

“Princess, I hope you won’t take offense at what I’m about to say, but please hear me out.”

Laila looked puzzled by his cautious tone.

“Do you have something you wish to tell me?”

“It’s just that I’ve been troubled by what happened last time. To be honest, you’ve been on my mind ever since.”

“Ah…”

“Wessex originally has roots in the Hankin Empire, and I, being originally from the Empire and temporarily staying here… in a way, we’re from the same region, aren’t we?”

“That’s true.”

She didn’t understand why he suddenly brought up their origins. Was he seeking some common ground?

Laila replied hastily, hoping to quickly end the conversation. However, Lord Millei’s next words made that impossible.

“I’m sure you haven’t remained unaware of the rumors about Reynard, the 7th Prince of Filmer. And judging by what just happened, it seems this royal family has more than one troublemaker.”

While speaking, Lord Millei slightly lifted the corner of his mouth in an unmistakable sneer. Even his blue eyes seemed to take on a colder hue.

Laila quickly looked around and then lowered her voice.

“Lord Millei, such talk about…”

Shouldn’t it be restrained?

Especially in front of her, the fiancée of the person in question.

But Lord Millei was quite unrestrained in his speech.

“Are you really going to marry such trash?”

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.

_____

Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.

If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.

[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]