The day before the reading.
In Kasalyn’s room.
“I had requested this from someone else.”
Parnes’ forehead was visibly strained with tension.
“Why are you suffering in her place? I don’t understand.”
Parnes extended his hand over the desk and picked up the paper filled with Kasalyn’s handwriting.
Genuine admiration flickered in his eyes as he quickly scanned the text. It was a cleverly written piece, intertwining theology and history in a nuanced way. He had heard rumors of her being an unusually intelligent maid, but he had not expected her to possess such depth of knowledge.
However, there was one problem.
[Author, Rose Roben Liche]Her work was to be credited to someone else.
It was evident that the queen, who had feigned distress for attention, had delegated this task to Kasalyn, her sister and maid.
And this naively kind-hearted person could not refuse the queen’s order.
“Why, when your sister is so thoughtless and indifferent, do you…”
Parnes’ hand aimlessly hovered before slowly descending towards Kasalyn’s head. After hesitating as if committing a taboo, he eventually withdrew his hand without touching her.
In the darkness, the tips of his ears reddened, not solely due to the lamp light.
“Ugh…”
Kasalyn moaned in her sleep.
Even as he watched her motionlessly, she never seemed to rest peacefully. Frowning in her sleep, she occasionally called out for her mother, revealing a vulnerability never seen in daylight.
‘I wish she’d smile more.’
This unconscious thought shook his mind.
Parnes stared at himself with self-loathing.
Smile more? Have I lost my mind after these sleepless nights?
‘What does she have to do with me?’
He threw the paper back on the desk and turned away.
As he crossed the room, Parnes muttered to himself, reinforcing the notion that she was none of his concern.
It’s none of my business.
I shouldn’t care about her circumstances or hidden stories.
But I do care.
“Damn it.”
With each step, his irritability seeped through. Reaching the wardrobe, he picked up a blanket and gently covered her, careful not to wake her. His expression was one of annoyance for not understanding why he was doing this.
“Hm.”
Even half-asleep, sensing the warmth on her back, Kasalyn made a sound resembling laughter, looking visibly more relaxed. Parnes inadvertently chuckled.
“Don’t get the wrong idea,” he muttered lowly towards the dreaming Kasalyn.
“I simply can’t tolerate being deceived by anyone.”
“Queen. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but did you really write this text yourself?”
Rose felt as if her mind was turning blank.
She suddenly speculated whether Kasalyn had intentionally written a nonsensical essay to set her up.
At the same time, Rose was overwhelmed by a sinister premonition that Emperor Parnes was also deliberately causing her distress and humiliation.
As she rapidly considered feigning a faint to escape the predicament, Chalen spoke up, unable to bear it any longer.
“Actually, that document was written by the queen’s maid, Kasalyn.”
Rose’s eyes widened in shock as she turned to Chalen.
But soon, she realized that Chalen was not betraying her but rather coming up with a last resort to save her from the crisis.
“As many of you know, Kasalyn is the queen’s sister. Since childhood, Kasalyn has had a tendency to overprotect her younger sister, always stepping forward to help her in any situation. This time too, she insisted on writing the speech for her. I just couldn’t stop her.”
At that moment, the mood shifted dramatically.
While Rose’s face brightened with relief, Kasalyn looked at Chalen, soaked in deep betrayal.
A blatant lie.
To protect Rose’s authority, Chalen had pushed her into the role of an unreasonable sister, which seemed excessively unfair.
Chalen, seemingly proud of himself for saving his wife from embarrassment, casually rolled his eyes towards Kasalyn and gave her a slight smirk.
“So, if anyone has questions, feel free to ask Kasalyn. She will undoubtedly have excellent answers.”
Chalen was subtly taking his revenge on Kasalyn.
Despite Rose’s pleading looks for help, Kasalyn had chosen to ignore them, and now Chalen was turning the tables on her with a ‘now it’s your turn’ attitude.
Kasalyn took a deep breath and looked around at the guests focusing on her.
I won’t just be a victim.
For Rose and Chalen, explaining the reading and the situation in Kan might be a challenge, but for her, the author, it was not a crisis.
“I apologize, but the recent damage to the large farms is not something that can be easily resolved.”
As Kasalyn sharply began, Chalen’s eyes narrowed.
“Last year’s harvest was less than half compared to the year before. There are many farmers who were attacked directly by the pests, and several mills have stopped operating. Particularly, oats and potatoes, which are the main food for the people, are expected to cause a significant rise in poverty. Proper handling is necessary to prevent a repetition of what happened 50 years ago.”
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
