Maximilian, who had quickly tidied up his attire, waited for Teresa to return in the dining room.
“I wonder if she liked the room.”
Before Maximilian came to Winters Castle to prepare, Duke Winters suddenly visited.
After looking at Maximilian with a complex expression for a while, the Duke handed over the key to the room that, under normal circumstances, would have been occupied by Jayna.
Maximilian, who had initially refused the room meant for the Lady of the castle, received an unexpected response from the Duke.
[Dash] “Think about how she would accept it, rather than doing as you wish.”And with that, the Duke left without further words.
Maximilian soon understood the meaning behind those words.
The Teresa he knew wouldn’t be pleased to take the room intended for the Lady of the castle.
“She probably found it burdensome.”
In the end, Maximilian decided to follow his father’s advice and give Teresa the Lady’s room. No, he had to.
[Dash] “Father really only thinks of himself.”He recalled something Jayna had said a while ago.
Despite thinking that he had changed a lot since then…
“In the end, I couldn’t be more considerate than Father.”
He considered himself generous and kind to everyone around him, receiving praise for his boundless tolerance and kindness.
But it was just a self-satisfying view.
A few days ago, Maximilian had been pondering throughout his return to the Duke’s castle.
“What does Teresa like?”
As he reminisced, he recalled the box where he had collected gifts and letters from Teresa during his childhood.
Upon arriving at the castle, he took out artifacts from the box placed in one corner of his study, reminiscing about the past.
He even went through diaries from his childhood, organizing things Teresa liked.
She enjoyed small and quaint floral patterns, preferring subtle and gentle colors.
In terms of furniture, she liked those made with the natural patterns of wood, rather than those adorned with gold or jewels.
In fact, he wasn’t entirely ignorant of Teresa’s preferences.
“I knew what she liked and preferred.”
But he had never once given her what she desired, even though he clearly knew…
“I hoped you’d pay attention to the things I like.”
Teresa never showed any signs of disapproval, so he persisted every time.
Thinking that for Teresa to become a suitable lady of the castle, she needed to abandon the things she liked.
It was a pitiful act.
“Everything is not over like it was back then.”
Teresa is still alive, and time is abundant. Maximilian found hope there.
At that moment, a servant knocked on the dining room door.
“Lord Marquis, Lady Menisil has arrived.”
“Ah, ask her to come in quickly.”
After a final adjustment to his appearance, Maximilian stood up and quickly positioned himself at the door.
Soon, Teresa, looking a bit more tired than usual, entered the dining room.
“Have a seat here.”
Maximilian quickly pulled out a chair and gestured for Teresa to sit.
Teresa glanced at his face briefly and then took her seat.
“Thank you for welcoming me like this.”
“No, you must be tired from the journey, right? We’ll start preparing the meal soon.”
An awkward silence lingered for a moment.
Maximilian was anxious about what to say, and Teresa didn’t feel like saying anything.
Fortunately, the servants started bringing the food right away.
Warm salad and mushroom cream soup were placed on the table.
“Let’s eat.”
Teresa looked at the salad and soup with a peculiar expression, but soon lifted her utensils and began to eat as if nothing was wrong.
To soothe the weakened stomach after the long journey, warm and gentle food was served.
The main dish was a light and delicately cooked fish.
After enjoying a warm cinnamon tea for dessert, Teresa seemed to relax involuntarily.
“How was the food?”
In response to Maximilian’s question, Teresa slowly turned her gaze.
Although she had known him for a long time, today was the first time he seemed unfamiliar.
It bothered Teresa that he acted as if he knew everything about her.
“You didn’t have to go this far, Marquis.”
“Is it… too much?”
It was annoying that he didn’t respond without gauging her reaction.
Today, Maximilian hadn’t done anything wrong.
“It’s not burdensome. Just… sigh, I’m tired, that’s all. I’ll stop bothering you.”
Teresa got up from her seat and hurriedly retreated to her room, as if escaping.
Sitting on the plush amber sofa, she stared blankly at the ceiling. The room was of a perfect size, neither too spacious nor too cramped. The interior was perfectly to her taste.
The food on the table was exactly what Teresa usually enjoyed.
“At first, I was suspicious.”
She thought perhaps Jaina had informed him, but looking at the menu, it wasn’t the case. Maximilian knew everything about her preferences, what she liked, and even her favorite foods.
“The more I know, the more miserable it becomes.”
In the end, the old Maximilian knew everything but pretended not to. Teresa desperately tried to become a woman who would suit him.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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