As Kai had expected, Melisa appeared towards the end of the banquet. Though she falsely claimed she was invited, it didn’t upset him. This wasn’t the first time she had acted this way, and sometimes her reckless behavior was quite helpful, like today.
“How do you like this dress?” Melisa asked, propping her chin on her elbows on the table. The purple dress shimmered subtly with every movement.
The fabric was interwoven with diamond dust, creating the illusion that the wearer was encased in jewels.
Kai’s eyes briefly lingered on a small star-shaped mark on Melisa’s right chest, her favorite part of her body, even though it was just a mole.
Noticing his glance, Melisa’s lips curled in satisfaction.
“It suits you,” Kai responded indifferently and picked up a wine bottle. A servant hurried over, but Kai gestured for him to stay back.
Kai, seemingly bored, took a swig directly from the bottle. Melisa silently watched and then took the bottle from him, gulping down the wine. The liquid stained her lips a deeper red.
Licking the remaining wine from her lips, an unintentional but seductive gesture, she asked, “Really suits me?”
“Yes.”
Melisa knew Kai wouldn’t remember the color of her dress after today, but she was content even with his unenthusiastic response. After all, she was the only woman in the empire who could elicit any reaction from him.
Despite hundreds of beautiful women yearning for his attention, Kai remained indifferent. Yet, Melisa enjoyed provoking him out of sheer competitiveness.
She relished the disappointment and envy on the princesses’ faces when she appeared, enjoying the scene even though she already knew their reactions.
Kai tolerated Melisa’s antics, finding entertainment in it and using it to weed out those who overstepped their bounds.
Disappointed by Kai’s lack of further interest in the wine, Melisa contemplated stirring things up.
“Old folks won’t let you off easy if you ignore marriage this year too.”
She prodded him, knowing marriage was a topic Kai disliked. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation for his retort.
Kai, however, merely closed his eyes, appearing tired.
“I can endure.”
Melisa felt a bit deflated by his lackluster response.
“That’s good then.”
She stood up, having emptied the wine bottle, and it seemed it was time to end tonight’s amusement. Yet, she had to check one last thing.
“What about the princesses this year? Anyone catch your eye? They all seemed quite pretty.”
“Finish your drink and go. I’m tired.”
It was a dismissal, but for Melisa, it was a satisfying answer.
The servants listening to the informal conversation between the two were full of smiles.
The sight of the empire’s strongest and most beautiful together was always like a painting. Many in the palace hoped these two would marry before the year ended.
“If you can’t bear it, let me know. I’ll rescue you,” Melisa teased, to which Kai opened his eyes and nodded.
“But what’s this?”
Melisa, about to leave, stopped and asked, looking at a gift brought by the princesses. Sometimes she asked for things she liked among the gifts.
Kai never refused her requests. The presents from the countries meant nothing to him, so it didn’t matter if Melisa took some. She was the empire’s war hero and the savior of the emperor’s life.
Kai thought Melisa found something else she wanted and stood up.
“Did they really send this as a gift? While sending their daughter as a hostage?”
Melisa incredulously looked at a gold tea set.
“The princess must have fallen out of favor with her father.”
If the blood certificate was fake, the accompanying gift wouldn’t have stayed. The princess who brought this gift was genuine royalty but discarded in her own country.
Kai stared at the glittering teapot, recalling the face of the woman who was not shocked by the insignificant gift. Her eyes, a mix of brown and green, held emotions Kai hadn’t seen in other princesses.
He was sure she would be a fake, seeing the fear in her large eyes. But the certificate was real, and her father’s gift was trivial.
He expected her to blush with shame or be hurt by mocking looks, but she proved him wrong.
She laughed, albeit briefly, resigning to the king’s gift and returned to her seat. Her walk was slightly unsteady but determined.
“I want this,” Melisa suddenly said, breaking Kai’s contemplation. He had been thinking about someone longer than usual.
Kai looked dryly at the teapot Melisa pointed at. The round pot under the lights sparkled.
Just as Melisa reached for it, Kai said, “Not that one.”
“Huh?”
Melisa was taken aback. Kai had never refused her anything, even when she took extremely expensive or unique treasures.
But now he was denying a mere gold teapot, easily purchasable with her wealth.
“Why?”
Melisa frowned slightly. She stared hard at Kai, who just quietly observed the ordinary teapot. Suddenly, she felt an urge to kick it away.
“It’s something I don’t have.”
After saying that, Kai left the golden hall. Left alone, Melisa glared at the teapot for a while, then irritably grabbed something randomly and left.
“Shall we go to the office?”
As soon as Kai stepped out, Harman approached quietly and asked.
Kai was about to agree but shook his head instead, abruptly standing up. It was a mere whim. Today, especially, there were too many loud, chattering voices.
“No. I need to rest.”
Harman, hearing this, smiled widely, repeatedly praising Kai’s good decision, which was unusual for him.
“I didn’t expect to be praised for not working.”
“Anything in excess isn’t good.”
“When did you nag about not working?”
“That was when you were hardly working at all.”
Harman looked at him as one would at a disobedient child, clicking his tongue.
“I should pluck out that insolent tongue.”
Kai spoke irritably, and Harman bit his lip and pretended to straighten a wrinkled tablecloth.
“Now you’re good at pretending not to hear.”
“I heard this cloth doesn’t wrinkle easily, but it seems not.”
“Good at changing the subject, too.”
“I can’t change the emperor, can I?”
“If only father knew Harman Teijez was such a presumptuous person.”
“He said that’s my charm.”
“Never losing an argument.”
Instead of responding, Harman just shrugged his narrow shoulders. Kai shook his head and strode out of the central hall.
A comfortable smile hung on his lips for the first time in a while. Conversing with Harman seemed to be the only time he could breathe easily in the palace where everyone else fawned over him.
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
