“The maids seem to have changed.”
“Yes. The previous chamberlain retired due to ill health. You noticed right away?”
“Now that His Majesty the Emperor is personally overseeing the Imperial Consort’s Palace, but before, I managed it.”
“Her Majesty the Empress relieved you of the trouble. From now on, you need not worry about the Imperial Consort’s Palace.”
Eliade’s sardonic laugh was stifled by the sound of tea pouring from the teapot. Sitting across her, Celina tenderly adjusted the flowers in the vase, almost begging for attention. Reluctantly, Eliade inquired.
“This is a flower I’ve never seen before.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress. It’s a gift from His Majesty the Emperor. It’s something precious that’s always with me.”
The fully bloomed petals fluttered under Celina’s fingertips. A mysterious flower unseen even in botanical books. Eliade seeing it for the first time today meant it was secretly cultivated in the royal greenhouse.
Eliade didn’t want to rub Celina the wrong way. She chose to play along appropriately.
“The flower resembles the Consort.”
“Does it?”
Celina, behaving demurely and politely, personally poured tea into Eliade’s cup in front of her.
“This is a rare tea gifted by His Majesty the Emperor. He said not to share it with anyone, but I wanted to enjoy it with Your Majesty.”
Warm steam curled above the ornate teacup, riding the breeze. After the heat subsided a bit, Eliade lifted the cup.
“Thank you, Consort. I’m fortunate to taste something so precious.”
Just as Eliade was about to sip, the sound of footsteps approached. Turning towards the noise, she saw Claudius.
“His Majesty the Emperor!”
Celina sounded pleased, but Claudius approached them with a stern, icy expression.
“Did you drink that tea?”
Claudius’s voice trembled, his face unusually pale. Eliade set down her cup and stood up.
“What…”
“Didn’t I ask if you drank it, Empress!”
Claudius’s shout echoed in the peaceful garden. Everyone was taken aback, looking to the Emperor and Empress for cues, except for one person – the Consort, Celina.
Eliade quickly grasped the unfolding situation. The carefree Celina, the bewildered servants and maids, and Claudius, clearly distressed.
“…It seems the Consort forgot she invited His Majesty, and to inform me. I would’ve brought some snacks otherwise.”
When the opponent is flustered, it’s best to remain composed, pretending to be unaware of the ongoing situation.
Eliade nonchalantly lifted her teacup again. Given Claudius’s current agitation, his greatest fear seemed to be Eliade drinking this tea.
‘Then, I have no choice but to show it.’
Her deep green eyes fixed on Claudius, and just as she was about to sip, his hand flew towards her.
He snatched the still-warm teacup and flung it to the ground.
The sharp crash resonated in the tranquil garden. Eliade watched the cup arc through the air.
The spilled red tea slowly soaked into the ground. Quietly, Eliade remarked,
“What a pity. The Consort emphasized its value, so I wanted to at least wet my lips.”
Claudius seemed to have forgotten he touched the hot tea, with drops trickling down from his white hand.
“It seems His Majesty begrudges even my enjoyment of such luxury.”
Eliade deliberately infused her calm tone with a hint of melancholy.
The nearby servants and maids inwardly sighed. To them, the Empress’s face appeared quite sorrowful, especially since she always brushed off everything with indifference.
A gasp from Claudius was heard. He realized what he had done and tried to hide his panic. Eliade’s rare change of expression was not important now.
“Didn’t you… drink it?”
“As you saw, I didn’t get a chance to drink a single sip.”
The cup was thrown before anyone could drink. Only the shattered teacup seemed pitiable. Claudius grimaced, suppressing the rising heat in his hand.
“This tea was specially prepared for the Consort.”
“Of course.”
Even as Eliade spoke, a light sigh escaped her.
Truly a pitiful figure. Throwing the tea the Empress was drinking, even in front of all the palace people including servants and maids. The look in her eyes towards Claudius once again turned to contempt.
Celina, at the center of the incident, listened to their conversation while bravely sipping her tea. Even in this situation, the Consort’s nerve to sip the hot tea was impressive.
“I apologize. Out of ignorance, I touched a precious gift meant only for the Consort.”
With that, Eliade left the garden. She walked away so quickly that she missed the momentary shake in Claudius’s expression.
Claudius covered his face with one hand, bowing his head. Was this what he meant to do?
If he had just casually addressed the situation, Eliade might have slightly frowned and left the place as usual.
There was no need to get this angry. Especially in the presence of servants and maids. Claudius’s actions were no different from openly humiliating the Empress. A simple warning not to drink would have sufficed…
Celina quietly approached Claudius and gently grasped his arm.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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