I stared blankly at the horns that had sprouted on the maid’s head.

‘This child… she’s a half-demon.’

What are half-demons?

Part of their flesh and blood came from humans, so their appearance was no different from that of humans.

However, their physical abilities were far superior, easily surpassing that of humans by two or three times.

With the appearance and intellect of humans, combined with the strength and magical power of demons…

After the Emperor of the West Empire united the continent with the power of half-demons,

The number of half-demons migrating to the human world had been gradually increasing, but they were still somewhat unfamiliar to humans.

Their origin from the mysterious demon world made them seem both mystical and frightening, arousing wariness.

‘I’m closer to feeling afraid. They are the ones who set fire to the tower and killed Rebecca, after all.’

The thought of Rebecca’s miserable end sent a horrible shiver down my spine.

“Baroness… please, just once, show mercy…”

The young maid finally burst into tears at the end of her plea.

I looked down at the child bowing her head repeatedly, thinking to myself.

‘There’s no need to unnecessarily incur the wrath of half-demons.’

Especially since I’m about to get divorced, there’s no need to pretend to be the crazy Rebecca.

I tried to show the kindest smile I could muster.

“It’s okay about the champagne spilling a little, stop crying and stand up.”

At that, the maid shuddered as if she had seen something horrendous.

‘Well, a sudden kindness from a mad dog can be scarier, I guess.’

I nodded understandingly.

The maid, now assuming everything was over, let her tears fall freely.

“Are you really going to cut off my horns?”

“Cut off horns? What are you talking about since just now…”

A bad premonition silenced me midway.

‘…It’s clear that Rebecca has a history of cutting off the horns of half-demons.’

The behavior of the other maids who left the room all at once suggested a plausible conjecture.

To half-demons, their horns are a symbol of pride and dignity for their race.

Cutting off those precious horns is nothing short of an insult to their entire race.

‘No wonder I felt uneasy! Could it be that Rebecca’s reputation is already at rock bottom among half-demons?’

Yes, it wasn’t just the sacrificial incident that set off the half-demons.

If she cut off horns for trivial reasons, the situation must have been serious even before she was locked in the tower.

My realization of Rebecca’s true depths kept deepening.

“At this rate, isn’t Camilla the only ally I have? But in a situation where I need to distance myself from her, that’s the worst…”

To understand the situation better, I first had to calm and keep this small but precious half-demon maid.

‘After all, I won’t have Camilla, my maid and the real villain of the story, for a month, so I need to make someone my ally.’

With that decision, I hurriedly went to the dressing room, picked up a small jewelry box, and came back.

“What’s your name, child?”

“My, my name is… Mina, Baroness.”

“Alright, Mina. I won’t cut off horns or anything, so stand up.”

“Really…?”

She trembled even more as I spoke kindly, thinking I was testing her.

‘Did I overdo the kindness again?’

It seemed best to act more like the original Rebecca.

Remembering my past husband’s sluggish behind, I forced myself to get irritated.

“Ugh, get up off your behind right now! Can’t you sit on the sofa already?!”

“Ack! Yes, yes!”

Mina quickly stood up and sat opposite me on the sofa.

It’s tiring to act the villain, but if I’m going to do it, I’ll do it right.
I crossed my legs and folded my arms in the most villainous manner, adopting a haughty tone.

“It’s fine that you dropped the champagne glass. Now, just sit quietly and listen to what I have to say.”

“Yes? Ye-yes, speak your m-…”

“I’ll magnanimously forgive your mistake.”

“Forgive me?”

“Yes. But in return, Mina, you’ll have to become one of my people.”

Mina’s eyes wavered uncertainly as she heard my words.

“What do you mean by forgiving me…?”

Mina seemed momentarily stunned by the word ‘forgiveness’ that had escaped my lips.

She was probably still finding it hard to fully trust what I was saying.

Seems like intimidating her alone wasn’t enough to recruit her as an ally.

That’s why I had brought the jewelry box as preparation.

“If you find it hard to believe my words, then let me give you something in advance…”

It was then, as I reached into the jewelry box to pull out a necklace.

“Ah!”

Mina gasped in terror, her cheeks trembling.

“I’ll do it! I’ll help you, Baroness! I’ll do anything you ask! Please, just forgive me this one time!”

Mina even burst into tears.

Why is she reacting like this?

I alternated between looking at Mina’s pale face and the necklace, then suddenly realized.

To Mina, this necklace chain must have looked like an ‘iron chain’ to cut off horns.

Wow… she really doesn’t trust me.

An exasperated sigh escaped me.

“Mina, didn’t I just say I’d forgive you?”

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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