The shameless face of the person who uprooted a tree that had guarded the Sacred Forest for over a thousand years was hard to believe. His annoying appearance made Ines lose her will to stop his actions. After all, it wasn’t easy to say what was so bad about it.
“Come here, Ines.”
As if nothing had happened, he called her. Ines also approached him as if drawn by a magnet.
As she approached, Carson, extending his long arms, pulled her towards the window. The waiting light between them penetrated straight down.
Facing each other like this at this distance was not unusual. However, her skin felt like it was all pressed down by his gaze. Somehow, she felt that he was a bit different from usual today.
When he turned his head to look at the garden, her gaze followed him.
“Take a good look. There are not only ten times in this world when a tree collapses so ruthlessly.”
According to Carson’s words, the tree brought from the Sacred Forest Aoine was embarrassingly large to be called beautiful.
The color of the stem was lighter than other trees. However, unlike the color that seemed soft, this tree was as hard as any iron. It was a well-known fact among the imperial citizens.
“That’s already over.”
“Who said that? The conversation is over.”
“I misspoke. So, please stop now…”
“Mistake?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly did you say that was a mistake?”
“In the world, there are trees that won’t fall even if you hit them ten times. It has just ascended now. But to bring a tree from the Aoine Forest…”
Some might just call it a tree.
However, the feelings that imperial citizens had towards the Aoine Forest were not just nature itself.
A perfect place that had never been invaded, a sacred and noble place that could not be damaged recklessly, an inviolable sacred place that could not be overruled by any human authority—some even called it a small Cainz within the Cainz Empire.
“Do you want to stop me?”
“Of course.”
“Then speak.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The man, who is he?”
“Who…?”
“The man who hit you ten times.”
For a moment, Ines’s mouth closed, and her pupils shook mercilessly. Carson’s face couldn’t hide its crumpled expression at her appearance.
“It wasn’t just a made-up story.”
“What?”
“It just… wasn’t a made-up story.”
Muttering to himself like a soliloquy, Ines’s lips dried up.
“Who did you meet here, exactly? It hasn’t been long since you entered the palace.”
How much time did Ines have to meet someone here if Carson wanted to find out? If he wanted to find out, revealing the existence of Marcus Knights would be easier than peeling an onion.
His voice was still gentle, but his gaze was stern. Only now did Ines seem to understand a little why people feared him.
“That, it was just a made-up story.”
“Too late.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
Taking a step back, he narrowed his eyes. Ines’s heart trembled as if he were looking far away to see through everything.
“What are you doing right now?”
“What?”
“What the hell are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you now protecting that man from me?”
“N-No, it’s not like that.”
The words shouted like a declaration sounded pitiful even to Ines.
“Gradually.”
“It’s just that he’s someone you don’t need to know about.”
You said it was just a made-up story.
Ines, who couldn’t fabricate lies, felt like she was sinking deeper into a swamp as she spoke.
“If I need to know?”
“You don’t have to know.”
For a moment, Ines recalled Carson’s actions after seeing Marcus in the Edmont Temple.
Every time Carson had such a gaze, Ines’s heart didn’t survive. So, it was not good that Carson knew the fact that Marcus Knights was in the royal palace.
He wasn’t someone to harm Marcus, but somehow, it seemed like the right judgment to hide it for now.
After hesitating for a moment, Ines approached him as much as he stepped back, placing her arms around his waist.
She felt a momentary stiffness in Carson’s body at her sudden move.
“What I want is not this… No.”
His voice suddenly lowered.
“Then what do you want?”
“The name of that man.”
Ines tilted her head and dug a little deeper into him.
“It was a lie.”
“What was?”
“I said my heart wavered. I’ve never experienced that even once, after meeting Your Majesty.”
He sighed as if in pain.
“I can’t believe it.”
“Believe me. Even if you don’t show me a tree that won’t fall even if you hit it ten times, anything will be as Your Majesty wishes.”
“As I wish?”
“Yes, so send the tree back to the Sacred Forest as it originally was. Although all imperial citizens love Your Majesty, not everyone has gained everyone’s trust yet.”
As if Ines had said something amusing, he tilted his head and smiled broadly. It was a somehow overwhelming smile that made her chest feel heavy.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
