“Yesterday, I was too tired to say it, but you did well. Thanks to you, we avoided suspicion.”
“It was only natural, Miss! You instructed me so well. And you, did everything go well for you?”
I paused momentarily, then casually moved my hand to push the wash basin aside.
“Well, I can’t exactly say it went well. I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just what I said. I still don’t really know.”
Jenny knew I was scheming something, but she didn’t know exactly what.
She sighed heavily and muttered dejectedly.
“The house feels like walking on thin ice.”
“What can we do, Jenny,” I murmured sympathetically.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s only going to get worse from here.”
“…What?”
Jenny looked dismayed. Her innocent and honest expression made me laugh briefly, but then I remembered the reality of my situation and felt a wave of concern.
‘If the prince doesn’t accept my proposal, I’m in big trouble. Do I have to look for another way?’
No other good plan had come to mind yet.
“Still, the young maids are excited. They don’t even think about the mood of the house, just carelessly excited.”
She shook her head disapprovingly, and I looked at her intently.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Jenny tilted her head, the blush on her slightly chubby cheeks making her look even younger.
‘A kid calling other kids childish.’
I smirked and asked.
“Why are they so excited?”
“Because of the royal palace banquet, of course. Especially with the imperial prince attending this time, everyone is expecting it to be grand.”
“What’s there to look forward to?”
I was puzzled. Only a few nobles had the privilege of attending the palace banquets.
“Miss, don’t you know? At such banquets, romance blooms! Everyone is curious about which handsome nobleman will escort whom.”
“Everyone’s so interested in gossip, it seems.”
“Not just the maids. Even Lady Aris…”
Jenny stopped and looked at me cautiously. I reassured her.
“It’s fine. We’re alone.”
Relieved, Jenny smiled brightly.
“Anyway, the ladies are also keenly watching to see which handsome gentlemen will ask for an escort. Lord Hubert will probably escort Lady Aris.”
“Most likely.”
I nodded indifferently, noticing Jenny trying to look cheerful.
“Miss, a handsome gentleman will definitely ask to escort you! You’re so beautiful and modest! Plus, you’re the talk of the town as the new honorary princess…”
“As if those status-conscious nobles would bother.”
I wiped my face with a towel, and Jenny’s mood deflated again.
‘Was I too blunt?’
Knowing her wish for me to succeed, the truth was that who escorted me at the banquet was the least of my concerns.
“What’s important is not making any mistakes. The princess title is just for show, but there will always be judgmental eyes everywhere.”
“You’ll do well, Miss.”
Seeing her steadfast belief, I smiled.
“I will.”
Like any other day, I prepared for breakfast and had a short tea time in my room.
I was casually flipping through one of Dubeong’s books, which I had borrowed to prove my stay in the library.
Knock, knock.
“Come in…”
Before I could finish, the door swung open.
“What have you done?”
Aris stormed in, visibly upset and irritated.
Taken aback by her open hostility and annoyance, I felt my anger rising. I used to cower before her in the past, but not anymore, not after what I’ve been through.
Thunk. I closed the book.
“What are you talking about, barging in like this?”
My cold voice made Aris widen her eyes in surprise. She then folded her arms and glared at me.
“Ah, I’m at a loss for words.”
“……”
“What am I talking about? Now is not the time to be so calm, sister.”
“Explain yourself then. How am I to know without an explanation? That’s rude, young lady.”
“Rude?!”
She looked like she’d never heard such a thing, her mouth agape in a way that would’ve been funny if the situation were different.
“Stop wasting time and tell me what you want.”
Aris hesitated, as if deciding whether to get angry or not, and then spoke.
“The prince sent someone.”
My heart dropped, but I asked nonchalantly.
“For what reason?”
“Don’t you have any idea?”
Scrape.
The chair scraped back as I stood up, towering over Aris, who was much shorter than me. She stepped back nervously.
“Don’t you know why they came?”
“……I don’t.”
“You came to me without even asking?”
“Are you questioning me now? Really, sister, what’s wrong with you?”
Aris frowned.
“What?”
“You’ve been acting strange lately! Don’t you care about how anxious I feel?”
‘Why should I care about your feelings?’
“I’m just following procedure.”
“This is wrong. You don’t realize how messed up things are because of your foolish mistake?”
“I don’t know what mistake you’re talking about.”
“I asked you to do it properly!”
Her face hardened beyond control.
Aris, unfazed by my expression, bit her lip as if she were upset.
“You’re stronger than me, sister. You’ve been a maid, so it should be familiar to you.”
“What do you mean?”
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.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
