“Please, I told you not to come looking for me on your own.”
Amidst the nobles arriving in carriages to brilliantly cap off the spring social season,
Rose dragged Nelson to a shaded corner of the garden, out of sight, her anxious eyes darting around.
Thankfully, it seemed no one had noticed, and she sighed in relief, but Nelson began to chuckle frivolously.
“What’s the problem with a father wanting to see his daughter’s face?”
“Who said you’re my father? I told you, I’ve never had a father like you.”
“Unfortunately, blood ties aren’t something you can change just because you don’t like them. The fact that you and I are bound by thick blood as father and daughter will never change.”
Rose clutched her head, as if she couldn’t bear to look at Nelson’s face, and tightly shut her eyes.
By now, she should have been in the dressing room, leisurely preparing for the ball while being attended by maids.
But somehow, whether Nelson had bribed a palace servant or not, he kept slipping secret notes under meal trays to summon her privately whenever he got the chance.
Even if he was a gamekeeper, it was a temporary position, and even if it was a respected role, sneaking into the quarters of a foreign queen like it was his own home was bound to raise suspicions.
“A few days ago, I gave you a diamond bracelet. What more do you want?”
“Oh, that? I put it to good use. Took it to a jeweler, and his eyes went wide, trembling as he asked where I got such a fine piece.”
Rose venomously scanned Nelson from head to toe, dressed in expensive clothes to clumsily mimic a noble, despite having not a shred of refinement.
She desperately wanted to report him, but something held her back.
How on earth had this man managed to track her down and get this close?
He’d claimed not to know her mother’s real name until recently, and they’d been out of contact all this time, so there must have been a perfect opportunity for him to gain information about her.
His role as a temporary gamekeeper, his unhesitating approach—everything suggested he had some untouchable backing watching over him.
“By the way, I happened to see your sister recently.”
“What?”
“Her name was Kasallin, right? She’s pretty. You can tell at a glance she doesn’t share a drop of blood with you. There’s this… elegance about her, hard to put into words.”
He saw her sister?
Rose forced herself to fix her trembling eyes on Nelson, which were shaking as if they might roll back in her head.
Clinging to his clothes with pale, cold hands, she urgently asked,
“You didn’t say anything foolish to her, did you?!”
“I thought about dropping a hint about your secret, but I held back. It’d be no fun if I did it now.”
“You damned bastard!”
“Hey, watch your mouth with your revered father! You don’t want to get on my bad side. Do you think I’m doing this without any backing? Sorry, but I’m not that stupid.”
Rose trembled, clutching her skirt so tightly it nearly tore, staggering slightly.
If her sister, Kasallin, learned she was the daughter of a lowly mercenary, everything would be over that very day.
Kasallin would rush straight to His Highness Shallen, spilling everything without a care for sisterly bonds.
“Rose has deceived the royal family by hiding her origins, so she deserves not only to be dethroned but sentenced to death.”
“What’s got you so anxious, my daughter? Help your father out a bit, and your secret will stay safe.”
You know what I mean, don’t you?
Nelson smiled kindly and patted Rose’s shoulder.
Unable to shake off her father’s grimy hand, Rose hung her head.
A voice screamed in her mind.
No matter how humiliating or degrading, she couldn’t afford to defy this man right now.
“What… do you want?”
“Your dad’s still got some debts to pay. Get me a thousand gold coins by tomorrow.”
Rose shook her head, her bloodshot eyes wide with disbelief.
Even for Rose, who had lived a life of luxury, it was an unimaginable sum.
“Even I can’t come up with that kind of money on the spot!”
“Then I guess I’ll have to go meet your sister right now.”
“Wait, hold on!”
Rose clung to Nelson’s clothes desperately, as if grasping at her last lifeline.
A vile smirk spread across Nelson’s face.
“Fine, at least wait until I return to the Kingdom of Kan. This is the Lenel Empire. I can’t just produce that kind of money here.”
“Alright, I’ll show that much kindness to my daughter. But you’ll need to pay a deposit.”
“What?”
Nelson silently gestured toward Rose’s body with his chin.
The dazzling sapphire necklace, heavy rings, and gaudy brooches dangling from her already extravagant dress were his prey.
Rose tightly shut her eyes and handed over all the jewelry she was wearing.
“There you go. Doesn’t it feel good to be obedient? You’re being a good daughter, and I get to pay off my debts. Mutual benefit, right?”
Now free from his mountain of debts in an instant, Nelson bit down hard on the sapphire with his teeth.
Feeling the solid, cold texture, he trembled with ecstatic pleasure for a while.
“I’ll put it to good use. Let’s meet again in the Kingdom of Kan. I’ll send someone to contact you discreetly. Until then, cozy up to His Majesty and get some pocket money.”
Nelson vanished into the bushes in an instant.
Having lost most of her jewelry, Rose staggered and collapsed on the spot.
The most humiliating part wasn’t anything else—it was the fact that if it were her sister Kasallin, this would never have happened.
Born to a renowned scholar father and a mother from a prestigious family, Kasallin inherited noble blood.
Despite having everything, her sister’s endless greed made Rose feel like the tragic heroine of a story.
“Was that man just now your father?”
It was then.
Startled by a dark shadow looming over her, Rose jumped and looked up.
A stranger stood there,
a faint smile on his lips, as if he’d overheard her entire conversation with Nelson.
“What… who are you?”
“Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty, Queen of Kan. My name is Aster.”
“Aster?”
“You probably don’t know me, but I’m the heir to the Aster family, which has studied pharmacology and medicine for generations. My grandfather had some ties to the Lenel Imperial Family, so I was invited here.”
The Aster family.
Rose thought for a moment and realized, surprisingly, that the name lingered in a distant corner of her memory.
Though not entirely clear, as a child, she vaguely recalled a man with the surname Aster visiting her father as a guest.
Her father, who loved studying various disciplines, must have crossed paths with him somewhere.
“Whether it’s a visible wound or an invisible one, I can’t just pass by someone who’s hurt. You might think I’m meddling, but please don’t be too wary.”
He personally helped Rose to her feet.
His reddish-brown hair was loosely tied back, and he wore simple, unadorned noblemen’s attire.
When he smiled, his eyes narrowed strikingly, giving the impression of a sly serpent.
His face wasn’t common, but oddly, it was the kind you’d forget the moment you turned away.
“Just so you know, that man who just left is just some lunatic. Calling himself my father? I’d rather you not joke about something so awful.”
“You don’t have to lie. Of course, I’ll keep it a secret until the grave. I may not look it, but I’m a gentleman. I don’t go around spilling a lady’s secrets.”
Rose, who had turned to ignore Aster, stopped in her tracks.
She looked at him with trembling eyes.
“…What are you?”
“Well, shall we say I’m a messenger of justice who came to meet you?”
“It’s gone.”
Kasallin’s hands grew frantic as she rummaged through the drawer.
But all that fell from her grasp were useless trinkets.
“It’s nowhere to be found.”
It was on the afternoon of the ball that she realized the lapis lazuli hairpiece, carefully sealed and stored deep in the drawer, had vanished without a trace.
She stood in a daze, her face a mix of disbelief and despair, before deciding she couldn’t stay like this and rushed outside.
It was the first and last farewell gift from Parnes.
She had to find it, no matter what.
If she said it was a gift from the Emperor, surely the imperial court would help her search, so she hurried her steps.
“Is this what you’re looking for?”
In a shadowy corner of the corridor, a familiar blue glint flickered faintly.
The hand clutching the delicate butterfly-winged ornament belonged to someone Kasallin knew all too well.
“…What is this about?”
Unable to hide her rising anger, Kasallin strode forward and reached out, but Shallen, with infuriating nonchalance, slipped the hairpiece into his inner pocket.
As if daring her to try and take it.
“It’s far too precious for a mere maid to possess. As a king, I’m just holding onto it for now, so don’t get so worked up.”
“It’s a gift from His Majesty the Emperor. Return it at once!”
“You’re treating me like a thief. When did I say I wouldn’t give it back?”
Shallen paused for a moment before speaking.
“Don’t go to the ball tonight. Have dinner with me instead. Come to the dining hall later, and I’ll return it safely.”
“What is going on here?”
“What do you mean?”
Shallen casually cut a piece of white fish terrine, chewing carefully as he responded.
Kasallin had come to the dining hall, thinking she’d retrieve the hairpiece and leave immediately, only to find Shallen sitting alone, with no servants attending.
“I was told to come here for dinner.”
“I never said I’d serve you dinner. Come here and attend to me. That’s why I called you.”
“Not only did you barge into my room and steal my belongings, but now you’re treating me like a maid?”
“So, are you saying you’ll defy a royal command?”
Kasallin felt the world spinning before her eyes.
How much more must this man torment and humiliate her before he’s satisfied?
Was the accident that caused her to miscarry a royal child so hateful and resentful to him?
“My wrist is aching today. Come here and pour me some wine.”
“…”
“If you fill my glass with wine, the hairpiece will safely return to your pocket. Can’t you even handle that simple order?”
He’s so kind and special to Emperor Parnes,
Shallen muttered in a barely audible voice.
Kasallin stood rigidly in place before slowly approaching him.
“You say I’m especially kind to His Majesty Parnes? No, you’re wrong.”
“What?”
“Unlike someone, he sees me as a human, Kasallin. Not which dress makes me look prettiest, but what food I enjoy, what books make me happy—that’s what he cares about.”
“…”
“There’s no reason not to feel affection for the one person in this world who sees me as human.”
With that, Kasallin finished speaking and poured the wine, not into Shallen’s glass, but all over his hand.
Her gaze, cold enough to sting, was like that of a spy pouring poison into an enemy’s cup.
As the sweet yet tart aroma faintly rose and the dark red liquid stained half the tablecloth,
Shallen, gripping his knife tightly in silence, suddenly swept the plates and utensils to the floor and roughly pulled Kasallin onto his lap.
“Kasallin.”
“Wait, what is this…!”
“Be my mistress.”
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
_____
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