Fortunately, Stella didn’t drop the box or place it down with a loud thud. She stepped back two steps after setting it down. There was nothing more she could do now.
Creeeeak.
The sound of opening the small box seemed unusually loud. The recent commotion had left everyone on edge, watching intently.
Finally, the Emperor pulled out the bloodline document. In his large hand, the document appeared insignificant. Stella closed her eyes tightly, unable to bear watching what might happen next. She felt utterly alone in the darkness.
After a moment, the magician’s voice broke the silence.
“The Princess Stella Run Obelit from Amalun is legitimate.”
Her heart felt like it would burst. Stella, trying her best to appear calm, observed the situation. White light was brilliantly emanating from under the magician’s palm on the bloodline document.
It felt like all the blood in her body had rushed to her feet.
Thank you.
She silently expressed her gratitude, not even sure to whom. Now it was time to present the gift from Amalun.
After the major hurdle, Stella didn’t care what the gift was. The important thing was that she had survived.
The gift box from the King of Amalun was about the size of a travel bag. The smaller the box, the higher its value seemed to be. The box that emerged was on the smaller side.
The air in the Golden Hall buzzed with anticipation and curiosity.
At the Emperor’s nod, the gift box was opened. But the next moment was met with silence.
Breaking the silence was the Emperor himself.
“Is this my gift?”
What came out of the box was a gold tea set. Soft chuckles erupted here and there. Although it was undoubtedly valuable, it clearly wasn’t a treasure of Amalun.
Stella barely remembered what happened next. She felt relieved to have survived and found the King’s valuation of her worth as small as the tea set both sorrowful and ironically amusing.
Pfft.
Was it relief? Stella found herself laughing lightly, then quickly composed herself.
Unaware of the Emperor’s intense gaze upon her, Stella looked at the golden teapot. Her mind felt empty. As she returned to her seat with the box containing the bloodline document, twelve pairs of eyes filled with a sense of superiority stared at her. It was the moment when the lowest rank in the Plant area was decided.
Only about ten minutes remained until the time arranged with the chief attendant.
‘Such a bothersome old man.’
Everyone in the Credion Empire trembled like scared puppies at the sight of her, except for one stubborn old man. Harman, who had been at Kai’s side since his birth, constantly nagged and bothered the Emperor.
Though sometimes annoying, ironically, the moments of being nagged by Harman were the most comfortable for Kai.
Harman was more than just a chief attendant to Kai.
As Kai waited for time to pass, suddenly there was commotion at the entrance of the central hall.
Everyone seated at the banquet table turned their heads towards the noise, but Kai just smirked and raised his half-full wine glass to his lips.
“Countess Melisa Prentium has arrived.”
At the mention of her name, smiles vanished from the faces of the princesses seated.
“Why is she here?”
“Did the Emperor actually invite her too?”
“That can’t be. Today’s banquet is solely for princesses from different countries. A mere countess couldn’t possibly attend.”
The princesses’ faces turned sour as they realized who had just entered the hall.
The princesses, who had been fiercely competing with each other, suddenly united as one against a common enemy when Melisa, the Countess, appeared. Stella felt a great relief as the princesses’ attention shifted away from her.
True to her nickname, the “Goddess of War,” Countess Melisa stood tall and dignified from head to toe. Unlike the princesses, who emphasized their waists with corsets and fluffed their skirts with crinolines, Melisa’s purple dress was a simple design that naturally followed the soft curves of her body. The plain, unadorned dress actually accentuated her well-toned figure more effectively.
Her silver hair resembled moonlight, and her violet eyes brought to mind violets. Her dress, matching the color of her eyes, made her look perfect even without a single flashy jewel. She was a woman whose natural beauty outshone artificial enhancements.
As Melisa approached, the princesses, who had been acting as if they would banish her in disgrace, all stood up with bright smiles, united against her.
Melisa walked slowly towards the Emperor, enjoying the attention of the other princesses. The Emperor, who had been indifferent to her approach, put down his glass when she stood right beside him.
“Welcome,” he said in a simple greeting, but the princesses envied Melisa, imagining if those words were meant for them.
Melisa gracefully smiled and casually placed her hand on the Emperor’s shoulder, her action seemingly flaunting her close relationship with him. The other princesses’ faces hardened even more.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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