The long-postponed grand festival ball was now just around the corner.The upper-class figures gathered in the Renel Empire were busy, regardless of gender, adorning themselves splendidly.
Of course, among them, the person who put in the most money and effort to look beautiful was undoubtedly Rose Robepon.
Although things had been strained between Rose and Kasallin lately due to various incidents, as a lady-in-waiting, Kasallin went to her to fulfill her duties.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
It was when she greeted her in a natural tone, as if nothing had happened, and picked up a comb.
Rose, fixing her gaze on her reflection in the mirror, raised one hand abruptly.
“You don’t need to help. Wait over there.”
It seemed that being publicly humiliated in front of distinguished guests at the reading event had been quite a blow to Rose.
Perhaps still not over it, Rose had been pettily venting her frustration in this way for days.
Kasallin nodded nonchalantly and set the comb down.
“Call me if you need me.”
Kasallin stepped aside and stood there.
For the two hours Rose was being dressed, she treated Kasallin like a decoration, neither calling her nor dismissing her.
Then, as if it had just occurred to her, Rose spoke up toward Kasallin.
“I’ve taken on a new lady-in-waiting.”
Rose said this abruptly, quietly glancing at Kasallin to gauge her reaction.
Kasallin nodded without much thought.
Perhaps not expecting this reaction, Rose looked slightly flustered but tried to compose herself, speaking calmly.
“Oh, here she comes now.”
Kasallin turned her head to where Rose’s fingertip pointed.
A woman with dark auburn hair, styled in a braid that was slightly out of fashion, and a cautious expression with faint freckles across her face, was entering.
She looked perhaps a year or two younger than Kasallin, with an overall delicate impression that seemed out of place in the strict court life.
“Oh, hello. I’m Loren Logia from the Logia viscount family.”
The Logia family, as Kasallin had heard, was originally a dairy farming family from the provinces that unexpectedly succeeded in the milk business and bought a title.
Unlike the Renel Empire, which maintained a strict and traditional class structure, the Khan Kingdom allowed one to become a lower noble with enough money.
Of course, those who entered noble society this way were openly shunned in social circles.
Why, out of all the noble ladies, did Rose choose the daughter of Viscount Logia as her lady-in-waiting? Kasallin couldn’t help but wonder.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kasallin Robepon. Let’s work well together.”
Kasallin responded with a cheerful greeting.
At this, Loren Logia couldn’t hide her surprised expression and glanced at Kasallin.
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
“If I offended you, I’m sorry. I’ve always wanted to meet you.”
“Me?”
“Well, I can’t exactly enter high society, so I’d only heard rumors of a lady with great refinement. Meeting you like this… I feel truly honored…”
It was clear that Loren Logia lacked eloquence as she rambled on with her explanations.
Then, Rose’s sharp, irritated voice echoed through the room.
“Hey, Logia! Come here!”
“Y-Yes!”
“When an elder is sitting here, it’s rude to go greet someone else first. You know that acting like that in high society can get you in big trouble, right?”
“I-I’m sorry. I was thoughtless. Please forgive me.”
“Alright. Since you acknowledge your mistake, it’s fine. Since you seem unfamiliar with noble etiquette, I, as queen, will teach you step by step.”
Rose was making a mistake now.
In Shallen’s absence, she didn’t even bother hiding her arrogance and condescension, treating maids and ladies-in-waiting as beneath her.
If she kept acting this way, she’d never make true allies.
Kasallin considered offering polite advice but ultimately held her tongue.
The consequences of treating others poorly would eventually come back to Rose, and she’d have to bear them herself.
[This is the timeline separator]‘There’s still some time before the ball, but just in case, it’s better to prepare early.’
After finishing her duties as a lady-in-waiting, Kasallin left the room and headed to her wardrobe to change into an evening dress.
Planning to dress simply but elegantly, Kasallin opened the door and stood stunned for a moment at the unbelievable sight before her.
The dresses she had carefully organized for the social season were all torn to shreds, scattered in ruins.
“What in the world…!”
Who could have done something so cruel?
Could it be Rose?
Was this her way of venting or retaliating for past events?
Even the spare outfits stored in bags had been meticulously ruined, so whoever did this was clearly deliberate.
‘Alright, stay calm and think.’
As she gathered the tattered fabric pieces in despair, all sorts of thoughts raced through her mind.
Then, a single strand of auburn hair caught Kasallin’s sharp eye with striking clarity.
She picked up the hair and walked to the window where sunlight streamed in brightly.
‘Wait a moment, this hair color…’
A chill ran down her spine.
To Kasallin’s keen eye, it was painfully obvious whose hair this was. Holding the auburn strand, she tried to steady her breathing.
About an hour earlier, a conversation with Loren Logia in the dress room flashed through her mind.
“Miss Kasallin, may I step out for a moment?”
“That’s fine, but is something up?”
“His Majesty the King called for me. It seems he has an errand for me. I’ll be back shortly.”
.
.
.
Leaving the wardrobe, Kasallin crossed the hallway with a calmness that belied the injustice she’d suffered.
She approached the room where Shallen was staying and asked a servant to inform him that Kasallin requested an audience. Moments later, the servant returned, shaking their head apologetically.
“He says he’s busy now, so come back later.”
As expected.
No matter how busy Shallen was, he always granted her audience requests without fail.
For him, likely sitting in front of a mirror getting his hair styled, to refuse her without reason was blatantly suspicious.
“Then please tell him this: I have something urgent to discuss regarding the dress room.”
“The dress room…? What does that mean…?”
“You don’t need to know the details. Just pass on exactly what I said.”
The servant tilted their head but went back inside as if understanding.
Counting exactly five seconds in her mind.
Shallen appeared at the door, barefoot, looking like someone caught with a guilty conscience.
He might have thought his plan was perfect, but Kasallin had known him for ten tiresome years.
There was no way she wouldn’t notice his behavior, the subtle expressions on his face, or the fragments of emotion he let slip.
“What do you want, coming here so suddenly?”
“Why did you give such an improper order to Miss Logia?”
As Kasallin confronted him directly, a strange glint flickered across Shallen’s face, one he couldn’t hide.
But who was he?
A man born without a conscience, who’d cover the sky with a parasol if he couldn’t use his hands.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, really? Perhaps I, in my inadequacy, misunderstood. In that case, I’ll have to leave this to the Imperial Security Bureau. They’re renowned for not missing even the smallest trace, aren’t they?”
Kasallin let the auburn hair fall pointedly in the air as she spoke.
Only then did Shallen realize his lies wouldn’t hold, and he dropped his false expression.
“So what.”
“So what? Isn’t there something you’re forgetting? At least explain why you did it.”
“Think about it logically. Would I have resorted to this if I weren’t desperate? If I let you attend the ball, you’d just run to Emperor Parnes and fawn over him, wouldn’t you?”
“When have I ever fawned over His Majesty the Emperor?”
He let out a mocking chuckle.
“Don’t play innocent. A servant saw you, the day you left me alone in the room, slipping into a secluded bedroom with the Emperor.”
“His Majesty merely offered me a new guest room, and I thanked him for it. And even if I met with him briefly, is that somehow wrong?”
“You are the queen’s chief lady-in-waiting, her very face! You’re not in a position to act like some vulgar mistress!”
Vulgar mistress.
The moment she heard those words, Kasallin felt all the patience and composure she’d built up crumble. It was as if a needle had pierced the tightly bound wound in her chest, and all her emotions burst forth.
When she came to her senses, her hand was striking Shallen’s cheek.
Despite knowing she should act rationally, this time she couldn’t hold back.
Shallen, having been slapped by Kasallin, touched his face in disbelief before glaring at her with wild eyes.
“You dare lay a hand on the face of a king?”
Breathing heavily like an enraged beast, he raised his hand threateningly.
“Your Majesty, no! You must restrain yourself!”
If Loren Logia hadn’t rushed in to intervene, Kasallin was certain he would have struck her.
At Loren’s urging, Shallen barely calmed down and lowered his hand, though his fists were still clenched, trembling with rage.
Looking back, Shallen had always been like this.
Normally, he acted like the world’s most benevolent ruler, but the moment his temper was provoked, he’d easily raise his hand.
To think she once planned to spend her life with such a man.
Kasallin realized just how foolish love could make a person.
“I deeply regret touching Your Majesty’s face. There’s no excuse, so I’ll accept punishment upon returning to the Khan Kingdom. But I believe Your Majesty owes me at least an apology.”
“What did you say?”
“If you so disliked me attending the ball, you should have said so calmly. And calling me a vulgar mistress? That crossed a line, human to human.”
“You’ve gotten awfully bold these past few days, haven’t you? Must feel good to have the ruler of the Western Continent backing you.”
It was truly baffling.
Why did he keep bringing up Emperor Parnes, who had no connection to this, and try to tie them together?
And why did he so vehemently oppose her meeting the Emperor?
“Is it really so hard to admit you were wrong, even just a little…?”
Kasallin’s voice, barely holding on to composure, cracked pitifully as she looked at Shallen, who still didn’t seem to grasp what he’d done wrong.
She wasn’t asking for much.
A single sincere apology.
That’s all she’d ever wanted, then and now, but he showed no hint of remorse, instead arrogantly tilting his chin.
“Why should I apologize when I’ve done nothing wrong? You’re the one who should be kneeling and begging me. You dared to strike my face.”
“…”
“If it were up to me, I’d have you whipped soundly to fix that insolence, but since we once shared affection, I’ll forgive you just this once. But there won’t be a second time.”
If you understand, get out with that maid.
Shallen spat out his words as if granting a favor, while trembling with the humiliation of being seen through so easily, and hurriedly ushered the two women out of the room.
[This is the timeline separator]“Miss Kasallin, this is, um…”
Loren Logia, pale as a ghost, couldn’t meet Kasallin’s eyes and fidgeted helplessly.
Her clasped hands kept twitching, and her eyes darted around, unable to settle, clearly in distress.
Fortunately, she seemed to feel an unexpectedly heavy guilt about this incident.
“There are many listening ears. The weather’s nice, so shall we talk while walking?”
“Yes…?”
Kasallin deliberately linked arms with Loren and stepped outside.
Loren’s face turned comically pale, and she lowered her head like a puppy caught misbehaving, trembling.
The sound of her shoes dragging on the dirt seemed to speak for her state of mind.
‘There’s no guarantee this won’t happen again. I need to make sure she never does something like this again.’
There were two ways to achieve that.
Though it felt a bit inappropriate to use such terms for a person, not an animal, it came down to the whip or the carrot.
And Kasallin was certain that for Loren, the carrot was clearly the better approach.
For someone so fragile, who couldn’t hold herself together after a minor misdeed, wielding the whip recklessly could backfire.
“Why aren’t you angry with me, Miss? Why don’t you scold or reprimand me?”
“Why should I?”
“I did something terrible. Of course, His Majesty ordered me, and I followed out of fear of what he’d do if I refused, but…”
“The reason is simple. It’s not your fault.”
Loren slowly raised her head, trembling as if she couldn’t believe Kasallin’s response.
Her eyes shimmered with tears, looking as though they might spill over at any moment.
“You’re just a powerless maid. When the King of the Khan Kingdom gives you a direct order, how could you possibly refuse?”
“Miss…”
Now, tell me.
What are Rose or Shallen’s next plans?
What childish scheme are they plotting to put me in trouble again? They must have told you in advance.
“We’re here already. Go rest.”
“Wait, Miss!”
It was Loren’s urgent cry that caught Kasallin’s ankle as she turned, pretending to have nothing more to say.
Kasallin flashed a subtle, triumphant smile before turning back with an innocent expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have something to tell you.”
Rose, choosing this girl as your maid was a mistake.
You thought her innocence and obedience would make her blindly compliant, but that also means she can escape bad influences just as easily.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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