Mercedes didn’t know how to react to his attitude.
A room so peaceful it didn’t suit her. Such consideration.
“……I like it very much. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
She answered calmly for now. Carlos smiled with satisfaction.
“Rest as much as you’d like. Let’s have dinner together. If you’re hungry before then, ring the bell. Two maids will always be waiting in the next room.”
“……Thank, you.”
“Don’t mention it. See you later.”
Carlos seemed to understand Mercedes’ distance and didn’t get too close to her.
With a neat explanation, the door closed…… and so she was left alone in the room.
That was it.
Carlos left without demanding or ordering anything from her.
What remained for her was silence.
“……Ah.”
It was strange. This peaceful room. Too strange.
No count’s surveillance or shouting, no Richard’s torment, no whispering, no one pointing fingers calling her a murderer.
Because everything was gone, it didn’t feel real at all.
So she thought it might be a dream. This room with no one in it.
All the way to the capital, she had dwelled on revenge, thinking of Shame and Cromwell. Even though she had recovered her health using magic gained from killing the crown prince, her headache had revived.
But what was this?
The pressure weighing on her solar plexus seemed to have eased a bit.
‘Though nothing has actually been resolved.’
In truth, Mercedes was utterly exhausted.
After all, it wasn’t easy to maintain negative emotions. While her body had recovered, her mental state was such that it wouldn’t be strange if she collapsed soon.
‘Just for a very short while……’
She locked the door and even propped a chair against it. So that no one could enter.
Then, removing her cumbersome clothes one by one, she walked barefoot across the carpet.
When she had nothing on, she even felt refreshed.
She sprawled out on the bed, exposing her entire body. She had never done such a thing before. There had always been eyes following her, and verbal abuse raining down. She always had to be upright, her clothes neat and tidy.
Perhaps that’s why.
Even knowing that being here wasn’t her true freedom, she felt free.
For the first time, the air and sunlight touching her bare skin didn’t hurt. Rather, it felt like they were gently embracing her.
“It’s warm……”
She also thought it might be the first time she had felt warmth itself.
And so, where no one could see her, she comfortably closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Carlos, who had left her room and was heading to his office, was lost in thought.
What bothered him until the end was her physique.
‘I’ll need to feed her a bit.’
As they walked side by side, Mercedes had looked very small. Though she wasn’t particularly short, it was probably because she was excessively thin.
Mercedes looking small was also because Carlos was too big.
But Carlos didn’t think that far, and sent word to the chef to prepare food suitable for an invalid, along with quality meat and various fruits.
And before returning to his office, he summoned all the palace servants before him.
“Let Mercedes rest sufficiently. No one is to approach her until she calls.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And I am aware of the strange rumors about her circulating in the empire. However, I am not concerned about them. So it wouldn’t do for those who serve me to appear concerned about the rumors.”
“……Yes, Your Majesty.”
A few people who had been gossiping and wondering about the rumors before the emperor’s arrival felt guilty and answered with tightly pressed lips.
“If I discover anyone speaking strangely to Mercedes or looking at her with disrespectful eyes, I will personally cut off their head.”
“……”
“Also, I will reward anyone who discovers such a person and brings them before me. So be careful with your actions.”
Even in the message Carlos had sent before returning to the imperial palace, there was a warning that he wouldn’t let it slide if they weren’t careful with their behavior in front of Mercedes.
Moreover, he had given an impossibly short deadline to completely clear the area around her room and create a garden just for Mercedes.
Though they grumbled, they somehow managed it, and looking at the returned emperor now, they felt it was truly fortunate that they had.
Not content with emphasizing it once more, he even threatened to cut off heads.
‘He’s truly, thoroughly captivated by that woman.’
The servants all skillfully hid their emotions and bowed their heads, but inwardly they all thought the same thing.
Carlos was a good emperor, and it didn’t seem like the country would fall because of one woman. However, they couldn’t help but feel uneasy at his captivated appearance.
And Carlos was well aware that they were thinking this way.
But he was pleased with the misunderstandings he had created and felt that ‘things are going well.’
After leaving instructions for the servants to be polite if they happened to encounter Mercedes and a warning to avoid using the left corridor on the first floor as much as possible, he headed to his office.
Despite having just returned after nearly ten days of travel, Carlos moved without hesitation as if fatigue didn’t exist for him.
And he secretly glanced towards the direction of her room.
The look in his eyes, with all traces of smile gone, was sharp and cold.
* * *
“Lady Mercedes. Excuse me. His Majesty asked if you would like to join him for dinner.”
Mercedes, who had been lying down for a long time staring blankly at the ceiling and looking out at the garden, was startled by the knock.
‘Is it evening already?’
She had arrived in the morning. Though she had seen the sun setting, she couldn’t believe time had passed so quickly without anything happening.
Was it because there was nothing to worry about?
How long had it been since she had rested idly without thinking about anything?
“I will attend.”
Mercedes answered the maid beyond the door. The maid calmly asked again.
“Would you like help changing?”
“……Hmm.”
Surely, since it was dinner with the emperor, it wouldn’t do to wear the clothes she came in, and she should dress up in a new, elaborate dress. That would be proper etiquette.
However, Mercedes had no clothes.
Thinking the maid had brought them, she quickly got up and put on the clothes she had been wearing.
“Alright. Come in.”
“Yes, Lady Mercedes.”
At the same time, the doorknob turned. The thought of someone entering made her feel a bit tense again.
It was as if the comfortable day she had spent felt like a lie.
But then.
“Um……La, Lady Mercedes? The door won’t open……”
The maid’s confused voice came from outside. Mercedes only then realized that she had not only locked the door but also propped a chair against it.
“Ah, ah! Wait a moment.”
She hurriedly moved to remove the chair and open the door. As soon as she opened it, she was met with the maid’s eyes, which held a puzzled light.
Mercedes wondered what she should say in response, but the maid didn’t ask and stepped inside. Behind her, another maid entered pushing a rack full of clothes. Mercedes looked over the clothes and was a bit taken aback.
“……Are these nightgowns?”
“No.”
The maid took out a few of the hanging clothes and bowed her head politely.
“The meal is formal, but he asked that you wear the most comfortable clothes possible. These are clothes that were ordered in advance.”
Mercedes, still a bit flustered, examined the clothes she had taken out.
A white dress like a sack with not a single part constricting the body caught her eye first.
It had the feel of something commoners might wear, but the sleeves and hems were finished with lace, adding a touch of cuteness.
And there was a vest and outer garment to wear over the dress, and soft leather shoes instead of regular shoes.
They looked truly comfortable…… and not aristocratic.
Yet one could tell at a glance. How expensive the fabrics and materials used were. The perfect finishing surely meant it had been entrusted to the hands of a renowned seamstress.
“Did he directly order me to wear these?”
Perhaps he wasn’t trying to insult her?
Mercedes, having been through too much in the past, asked with a bit of tension.
“Yes. We chose them at our discretion, but most of the clothes His Majesty prepared for you, Lady Mercedes, are in this style. If you don’t like them, there are also dresses that were ordered in advance. They might be a bit big, but the size can be adjusted, so it should be fine.”
The maid explained each item politely.
Mercedes stared blankly at her. Though she had a youthful face, her manners as a maid were perfect, and she neither disrespected nor showed curiosity about Mercedes.
It really felt like she was simply, politely serving her ‘mistress’.
‘This might really be a dream.’
It was worlds apart from Shame’s maids who had tormented her both openly and behind her back.
“Alright. Give me the corset first.”
“I apologize, but there are none prepared.”
“……What?”
No corset?
Mercedes had to wear a corset all her life, even when wearing nightgowns. It was for the sake of proper posture and a slim waist, they said. If it loosened, she was beaten. As a way to vent anger.
Her whole life, she had always felt suffocated.
This was the first time she had been given permission to wear such comfortable clothes.
Yet she was given comfortable clothes and a bed where she could lie down naked as she pleased.
Of course, these things couldn’t be called freedom.
After all, she was receiving these things while in the emperor’s grasp.
But it was strange.
The things the emperor gave her felt oddly freeing.
“Perhaps you would prefer a dress?”
“No, no. I’ll just…… wear this. Will you help me change? Um…… your name is.”
Though she didn’t know the emperor’s intentions, she felt a strange trust. A trust that they hadn’t brought these clothes to insult her.
“My name is Patricia, Lady Mercedes.”
“Yes, Patricia. Please…… help me.”
She had been shown respect, so she wanted to return kindness.
But having had no opportunity to speak kindly to anyone except her nanny, her voice wavered awkwardly as she spoke.
Patricia didn’t mock her for this, but smiled gently.
“It would be my pleasure.”
Her heart fluttered. Mercedes thought, just a little, that she wanted to cry.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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