I Plan to Repay Kindness with Enmity (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 5
The lady looked at me as if nothing were amiss, then returned her attention to her embroidery.
“How disappointing that you don’t even know what you’ve done wrong. I assumed you’d had ample time to reflect during your journey here. Have I overestimated you? What a pity. Had you been placed under capable tutors from childhood, you might have become someone far better than you are now.”
In the past, hearing such words would have made me shrink inwardly.
“That truly is a great pity, indeed.”
I murmured softly. I could feel Madam Emern glancing at me. Keeping my eyes lowered, I spoke as if to myself.
“Had I even become a gentlewoman, so very much would have been different.”
“Hmph. So you’ve finally grasped the ceiling, I see.”
The “ceiling” she spoke of was the limit imposed by birth and status.
No matter that I was raised as a count’s daughter—if I remained the child of a criminal and a maid, I could never truly be equal to ordinary nobles.
‘What I meant was that had I been a gentlewoman, I’d never have become entangled with this family.’
“Mind your conduct well. You’re not a beast; as a human being, you ought at least to understand why you exist—even if you weren’t chosen by the gods like a priest.”
“…….”
“Just recently, Master Vylan said something: ‘There is no life more hollow than one lived without knowing its purpose.’ Seeing you today, those words seem precisely what you need.”
I concealed my boredom. My legs already ached, and now my ears threatened to ache as well.
Purpose of existence? Hollow lives? In a world where merely surviving is hard enough, why must one fret over such things?
Nobles may glitter like jewels, but in matters like this, they are utterly old-fashioned.
Moreover, Madam Emern was unusually talkative.
Though she herself neither enjoyed nor excelled at study, whenever she heard a clever saying somewhere, she’d remember it just long enough to drop it on the maids or me.
She’d then feel quietly proud, completely unaware that the maids giggled behind her back.
“Igraine.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know why you’re allowed to stand there as you do?”
I nodded. The word “house” immediately came to mind upon hearing her question.
As if by rote.
“Had you truly understood that, you wouldn’t have acted as you did.”
Only then did I realize why she’d summoned me. Word had reached her ears of my recent luncheon with Hubert and Aris.
“Aris is deeply distressed. The count was displeased as well. How can our household’s discipline grow so lax?”
“…….”
“If you do it again, you’ll have to face the consequences.”
I quietly lowered my head.
Madam Emern muttered to herself.
“I can’t rule through brute force like commoners do—it’s truly difficult to manage people.”
I’d never given it much thought before, but lately I’d often wondered:
In my previous life, why had I been so obedient to the members of this house?
‘That’s why.’
They’d pinned me down relentlessly with the customs and hierarchies of this society—ones I could never escape—pressing my head down again and again without respite.
I quietly clenched my fist.
‘To avoid being trampled, must I attain an even higher status?’
[This is the timeline separator]That very day, a letter arrived at the royal palace of Riorsa.
Upon reading it, the king hastily summoned the nobles.
[This is the timeline separator]Bang!
The king slammed his fist onto the armrest of his chair and grumbled. His faded blond hair trembled.
“That Imperial Crown Prince must surely be mad! A state marriage! He’s clearly coveting our princess. How dare they!”
Spittle flew as the enraged king spoke, and the nobles exchanged uneasy glances.
The letter, bearing the Crown Prince’s seal, stated his desire for a state marriage between the Empire’s Fifth Prince and the royal princess.
A state marriage with the mighty Empire of Doverrakan!
Viewed in isolation, it wasn’t bad—in fact, it was advantageous.
The Kingdom of Riorsa possessed fertile lands and abundant clean water, yet its territory was small and its defenses weak.
Conversely, the Empire of Doverrakan, the sole empire on the continent, wielded terrifying military might.
A union through state marriage would be an excellent diplomatic strategy—nothing short of ideal.
Yet despite these benefits, the atmosphere in the council chamber remained grim.
“Worse still, they say that fellow doesn’t even fancy women!”
The king wore a horrified expression. Others, too, looked deeply uneasy.
One more level-headed minister cleared his throat.
“It’s merely a rumor, Your Majesty.”
“But rumors arise for a reason! If it weren’t true, why would such rumors spread?”
Fair point. The minister fell silent, having no retort.
Another minister changed the subject.
“The Empire’s intentions seem suspicious—especially since it was Crown Prince Roderick who proposed it.”
“Precisely. And it’s not even with the Crown Prince, but the Fifth Prince!”
“Not even with the Crown Prince!”
The king, who adored his princess, trembled his beard in agitation.
Pretending not to notice his distress, the nobles firmly voiced their opinions.
“The Crown Prince likely aims to weaken the Fifth Prince’s faction—to prevent him from allying with a powerful house within the Empire.”
“That seems highly probable.”
“Then are we to be used as pawns in the Empire’s succession struggle?”
“We must first clarify the kingdom’s stance.”
“What stance? We must obviously refuse!”
“The question is whether refusal is even possible.”
“Still, we must refuse!”
The ministers remained divided over the Crown Prince’s unexpected marriage proposal.
“If Roderick becomes Emperor, who will he strike down first?”
“Probably that Fifth Prince fellow.”
“Exactly—Prince Giovanni. If we marry our princess to him and he loses the power struggle, our kingdom will inevitably suffer.”
“It might even give the Empire a pretext to attack us.”
“Could it be that they intend to eliminate the Fifth Prince and turn our kingdom into their vassal state?”
“But viewed differently, this could also be an opportunity. If we gain access to the Empire’s formidable army, the kingdom could ask for nothing more.”
Watching the nobles’ heated debate, King Hermannon calmed his excitement, rested his elbow on the armrest, and sank into thought.
“So we can’t outright refuse. Indeed—if we reject the proposal without just cause, they’ll take offense. Given his fierce temperament, he’ll surely find some pretext to act against us.”
The Empire of Doverrakan was undeniably the continent’s dominant power—fiercely warlike.
Currently preoccupied with internal unity due to the Khan’s health, once the imperial succession concluded smoothly, their blades would inevitably turn toward neighboring states.
The king and nobles feared that those blades might one day point toward Riorsa.
While everyone was lost in thought, a young minister stepped forward. The king’s gaze fell upon him.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Your Majesty is correct—we mustn’t refuse without cause. However, we need not necessarily refuse at all.”
“What do you mean?”
Under the king’s displeased glare—as if warning against empty words—the minister chose his words carefully.
“There’s a better approach than searching for grounds to refuse.”
“…….”
“The Crown Prince explicitly mentioned a state marriage with Prince Giovanni.”
“Yes, and that’s precisely why we’ve gathered. Why repeat what everyone already knows?”
“But he never specified with whom.”
“Hm?”
The king’s previously displeased eyes suddenly lit up. The minister nodded vigorously, as if confirming the king’s exact thought.
“We needn’t necessarily present Princess Lalatu, need we?”
The king’s perpetually grim expression finally brightened.
“And your method? Since you speak so confidently, you must have a plan.”
“Yes. If the Empire desires a state marriage, let them have one—with a new princess.”
“What do you mean, ‘a new princess’? For your information, I’ve fathered no children besides Lalatu. I’ve no secret bastards hidden away in the countryside.”
Worried the minister might be hinting at an illegitimate child, the king preemptively denied it. Unfazed, the minister smiled gently and replied.
“Your Majesty, have you reviewed the kingdom’s ancient legal code?”
The king remained silent. His well-known aversion to study was common knowledge among his ministers.
As if expecting this, the minister continued.
“Article 259: The Procedure for Bestowing Princess Titles.”
“The procedure for bestowing princess titles?”
“Yes. In times when the kingdom’s strength was weak, the royal house often strengthened ties with nobles by granting their daughters the title of princess. This law codifies that practice.”
“Ha! Such a method exists!”
Yes, yes—just create another princess! The king muttered in admiration, then immediately asked,
“Then who would be suitable?”
As he looked toward the nobles, those with daughters instinctively avoided his gaze. Seeing their reaction, the king’s previously softened brows twitched again.
Just as his gaze grew colder, it fell upon Hubert Lorenst, who stood calmly apart.
A gleam suddenly sparked in the king’s eyes.
Unlike the other nobles with daughters, Hubert—who had no such concerns—now stiffened under the weight of the king’s attention.
“Count Lorenst.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Whom would you suggest?”
An invitation to offer his opinion.
Hubert slowly closed and opened his eyes. His calm gaze met the king’s.
“I’ve heard the Empire’s Fifth Prince is a savage who’s seen every hardship on the battlefield.”
“Indeed.”
“He must be a man of great spirit, so the lady matched to him should be equally formidable.”
“I see. And so?”
“The daughter of House Demestia is widely rumored to be a true heroine.”
Several ministers grimaced at his words.
“Heroine” was a generous term—she was more accurately a headstrong troublemaker who acted on every whim.
It was an open secret that Viscount Demestia had been frantically seeking a husband for her.
Though clever, the suggestion didn’t sit well with the viscount himself.
“That’s out of the question!”
Viscount Demestia, seated near the back, cried out in alarm.
Though he’d sent matchmakers everywhere to marry off his daughter, he had no intention whatsoever of giving her to a savage.
The king shot him a sharp look.
“What’s out of the question, Viscount?”
His reaction resembled an eagle fluffing its feathers to protect its chick.
Sweating profusely, the viscount faced a dilemma: marrying his daughter to a barbarian was unthinkable, yet offending the king was equally disastrous.
But soon, he found a convenient excuse. Bowing deeply, he confessed,
“It’s true my daughter is spirited, but even I, her own father, struggle to manage her eccentricities. Your Majesty must have recently heard how Lord Torn’s nose was broken.”
“Ah, yes—I recall that absurd incident. Could it be…?”
“Embarrassingly, it was my daughter’s doing.”
The viscount’s face flushed crimson. It was deeply shameful to publicly expose his daughter’s faults.
‘Still, better this than marrying her off to the Fifth Prince and ruining her life.’
Gritting his teeth, Demestia shot Hubert a covert glare, then suddenly seemed to realize something and turned to the king.
“Oh! Now that I think of it—doesn’t your own house have a suitable young lady, my lord?”
This time, it was Hubert who widened his eyes in shock.
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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