The soft morning sunlight and the feel of dry sheets enveloped her entire body pleasantly.
Kasallin opened her eyes wide like someone who had awakened from fainting, unable to understand why she was sleeping in bed, even covered cozily with blankets.
She surely would have slept curled up in front of the fireplace.
Finding it strange, she casually turned her eyes to the clock and froze like a statue when she saw the hand pointing to the number ’11’.
11 AM.
It was a time Kasallin had never once woken up at in her entire life.
“That’s impossible. Why didn’t anyone wake me up?”
No sooner had she said this than several maids entered, having heard the commotion.
“Did you call?”
“Yes. I have much to do, it would have been good if you had woken me early.”
“Actually, it was His Majesty the Emperor’s command. He threatened us not to disturb you until you woke up, saying you might have caught a cold.”
The maids spoke with somewhat meaningful tones, exchanging pleased glances among themselves.
Kasallin looked into the mirror hanging above the fireplace, examining her disheveled face, then tilted her head in puzzlement.
“His Majesty?”
“Yes. And he said to tell you that soldiers have been deployed all night to find the ring, so don’t go chasing around frantically, just rest quietly in your room.”
“Oh my… I’ve caused trouble for His Majesty.”
What on earth had happened while she was sleeping?
Normally, Shallen and Rose would have made a fuss if she were even a minute late, so why were they being so quiet today without looking for her? She couldn’t understand it at all.
“Causing trouble? Not at all.”
“That’s right. His Majesty the Emperor is endlessly generous toward Miss Kasallin.”
More than anything, was it just her imagination that the maids seemed unusually kind today?
She couldn’t understand why they kept offering burdensome flattery as if she were some precious guest of the Lunel Imperial Family.
“It’s not that he’s only generous to me, His Majesty is originally someone with a caring heart.”
When Kasallin said this, the maids all showed undisguised bewilderment.
“His Majesty is caring?”
“Of course, he may not seem like he’d shed a drop of blood on the surface, but if you look closely, that’s not the case. In fact, he’s someone with a deeper heart than anyone, and you’ll come to feel that someday too.”
The maids exchanged puzzled glances as if Kasallin’s words sounded like an incomprehensible foreign language.
Just as they were tilting their heads, pondering something deeply and about to speak…
“Miss Kasallin Robepon. His Majesty the Emperor has arrived.”
As soon as a servant announced this from outside, not only the maids but even Kasallin stood up in surprise.
She hastily combed down her disheveled hair with her fingers and said to let him in.
Parnes entered with his usual emotionless face, then seeing Kasallin still in her chemise dress, he averted his gaze with a slightly flustered expression.
“Really, you… for a lady to have no sense.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“If you were changing clothes, you should have said so.”
Parnes, who had turned his head completely away, strongly indicated his determination not to look in Kasallin’s direction no matter what happened.
Only then did Kasallin realize she had received him in too light an outfit. She stepped back belatedly, apologizing.
Upon hearing the servant’s announcement that the Emperor had come, she had been so startled and thought she couldn’t keep him waiting that she had no time to consider anything else.
“Never mind, just put something on quickly to cover yourself.”
“Yes. Please excuse me for a moment.”
As Kasallin went into the inner space screened by tall partitions with the maids, she glanced toward where Parnes was.
It seemed his neck was somewhat flushed red, but she attributed it to the increasingly sultry weather.
Kasallin arranged her outfit properly and appeared before him.
“I heard the story. You had soldiers search for the ring all night.”
“To be precise, my soldiers found it.”
“I’m sorry for causing unnecessary worry. I should have found it myself. This won’t happen again.”
Parnes’s eyes, which had been looking at distant mountains, slowly moved to Kasallin’s face.
Looking at her face, which still bore faint traces of sleepiness from having just woken up, Parnes stared intently for a long while as if she were something very interesting.
Kasallin continued speaking.
“In that sense, I’d like to give you some kind of return gift.”
“You have terrible sleeping habits.”
“What?”
Parnes crossed his arms obliquely and smiled crookedly.
“It looks like you’re raising a bird in your hair.”
“…No, I’m not raising one.”
Understanding his meaning, Kasallin buried her reddened face and hurriedly smoothed down her sticking-up hair.
Here she was speaking seriously and he was just teasing her frivolously.
But who could she blame?
She should scold her own lax mind for showing such an improper appearance before a neighboring country’s emperor.
“If you want to repay me so much, follow me.”
“Follow you, where?”
“Insolent girl. Have you already forgotten your promise with the Emperor?”
We agreed to have a meal together.
Though he was as blunt as always, he seemed somewhat embarrassed too. Unable to say outright that they should eat together, he spoke brusquely and left the room.
Kasallin followed him carefully, carrying a heart that was somehow warm yet ticklishly swelling.
[This is the timeline separator]The afternoon garden, swept by a sudden shower, was still wet and full of clear, fresh energy.
After walking for quite a while, Parnes led Kasallin to a forest surrounding a wide lake.
A feast was laid out in that place, so lush with various plants and flowers that it was hard to believe it was inside the imperial palace.
“What… is all this?”
Unlike her expectation of simply having one meal, it was prepared quite seriously, so Kasallin couldn’t help but be flustered.
She wondered if other guests were supposed to come besides herself, but there were only two chairs placed across from each other at the table.
“What do you think it is? Sit down.”
As Parnes passed by the edge of the table, he pulled out a chair with one hand.
Though Kasallin was about to politely reply that she was grateful but would do it herself, she had no choice but to sit when he waited steadfastly.
It was a moment when she newly realized that no matter how much he was His Majesty the Emperor, he was still a gentleman after all.
Seated, Kasallin couldn’t hide her excited expression at the already appetite-stimulating savory food aromas as she surveyed the table.
From fish dishes with saffron sauce and pumpkin to mussels, veal, crab meat, and seasonal vegetables.
It would be faster to find dishes that weren’t there.
“Since I didn’t know what you liked, I ordered them to prepare as much variety as possible, but eat it all without leaving anything.”
“I’m truly grateful, but if I eat all this, I might not be able to walk back.”
“It would be much better if you gained some weight and became plump rather than being just skin and bones like now. That way you might even grow taller.”
“What did you say?”
Just when she thought he was speaking kindly, he was treating her like such a child.
Kasallin carefully filleted white fish flesh and ate it with vegetables in one bite.
The taste was so amazing that even Kasallin, who had lived as a wealthy young lady lacking nothing her whole life, let out a bewildered moan.
“…Wow.”
When Kasallin exclaimed in admiration with sparkling eyes, a chuckle escaped from between Parnes’s lips as he sat across from her.
Despite the feast before him, he was leaning on his chin obliquely, just watching her eat.
“Is it delicious?”
“I feel like giving applause to the court chefs. But why aren’t you eating, Your Majesty?”
“I’m fine.”
He slowly closed and opened his eyes, taking only a sip of white wine.
Watching him like that, Kasallin said she would be a bit rude for a moment, then picked up his fork and knife, cut a piece of meat into bite-sized pieces and offered it to him.
At the rich sauce aroma wafting over, Parnes slightly frowned.
“What?”
“I know it’s rude, but it’s so delicious. Please try just one bite.”
“…I said I’m fine.”
“You really won’t eat? It’s delicious though.”
Don’t interfere unnecessarily and focus on filling your own stomach.
The habitual blunt words rose to his throat regardless of his will, but this time he managed to maintain silence.
Was it because of her small fist gripping the fork earnestly?
Was it because of her heart that wanted to share delicious things somehow?
Or perhaps because of ‘that man’ who had been glaring menacingly from far away in the garden?
Parnes glanced at ‘him’ who was only visible from his side, then lightly grasped Kasallin’s wrist and obediently accepted the food she offered.
When he accepted with his mouth what she had offered meaning for him to take the fork, Kasallin was momentarily flustered.
But before long, her pink lips bloomed prettily like summer roses in full bloom.
“How is it? Really delicious, isn’t it?”
“Mm.”
She was a woman who could be delighted like a child over such trivial things.
After swallowing the meat, Parnes lightly rinsed his mouth with the remaining wine in his glass and stood up.
Kasallin’s eyes naturally followed.
“I’ll be right back. Keep eating.”
“Yes. Take care.”
Naturally thinking he meant he was going to the restroom, Kasallin focused on drinking sweet beverages.
Leaving her behind for a moment, Parnes walked somewhere and stopped in front of a man.
It was Shallen.
[This is the timeline separator]“Your business.”
After acting like some benevolent sage in front of Kasallin with all sorts of pretenses. When informal speech naturally came out of Parnes’s mouth, Shallen was astounded.
Did Kasallin know?
Parnes’s true nature of invariably transforming into an arrogant cold-blood in private places where there were no listening ears.
“Even if this is a private setting, your words are rather short.”
“In a private setting where no one would know even if one of us died, there’s no need to maintain pretenses.”
Parnes spoke bleakly.
“Kasallin would faint from shock if she knew. That the Emperor she believes without doubt to be a good person had actually twisted off the neck of the gatekeeper of the palace where she’s staying.”
“Well. Wouldn’t a foolish gatekeeper who opened the palace gates wide to suspicious intruders in the dead of night deserve to die?”
A few words that others couldn’t understand passed quietly between them.
After a moment of deadly silence between the two men.
“As royalty who values protocol, I will ask politely. Please stop paying unnecessarily excessive attention to her.”
If you keep doing that, wouldn’t I feel too sorry?
When Shallen spoke, Parnes showed a faint sneer.
“There’s absolutely no reason to feel sorry. I was merely looking after the head maid’s health so that the beloved Khan Kingdom’s king and queen could comfortably enjoy the festival period.”
“Kasallin doesn’t need anyone’s care.”
“I don’t think someone who invaded her room to steal a ring, then manipulated the situation to make it seem like the ring disappeared due to her mistake, deliberately causing her suffering, should speak so boldly.”
The area under Shallen’s eyes twitched slightly.
“…I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you wouldn’t know. Khan’s king surely wouldn’t be someone who would do such things. If he’s the type to push that frail, tender-hearted woman into cold rain and make her search for something that wasn’t even lost, it would mean he has quite a low-class way of thinking, but our gentlemanly Khan king naturally wouldn’t be like that.”
Shallen was astounded that Parnes wasn’t getting excited but was leisurely moving between mockery and criticism.
Moreover, calling Kasallin a frail, tender-hearted woman.
Parnes didn’t know that she, who had been pampered since childhood and lived in her own conceit, constantly trying to outdo men, needed sharp education.
“What I want to say is that Kasallin is ultimately my person. It’s merely part of maid education, so please refrain from further interference.”
“What if she suddenly decides one day that she doesn’t want to be your person?”
Shallen’s feet, which had been about to turn around, stopped abruptly as if tied by a snare.
He replied with a relaxed smile.
“I guarantee that Kasallin will never leave me, even if she dies. Not now, not for her entire life.”
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
