If you want to be a good friend, don’t cling to that friend like they’re everything, but show them that you’re focusing on your own tasks.
But his eyes were only on the documents, and his quill had been stopped for a long time.
His ears were always pricked up, checking if he could hear small footsteps outside the door.
‘Why is it taking so long?’
He had heard from the steward about 20 minutes ago that the Duke of Artina had arrived.
Could it be that the child’s footsteps were slow and it took a long time to get to my room?
In the end, the advice in the book was of no use in front of his impatient heart.
Unable to hold back, Ludwig, who had been pretending to concentrate on his work, kicked his chair and got up, opening the door and stepping out.
To the little friend who was supposed to be looking for him.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“I’m sure. I wished for you to gain Artina’s loyalty. I believe I said that yesterday.”
“Cough.”
The hot tea choked the emperor. The emperor, who had been rolling his eyes, forced a proud laugh.
“Uh, hahahaha Steward! Come and guide the princess to the crown prince’s office. The crown prince said he would help her tour the palace!”
“Thank you for inviting me, your majesty the Emperor.”
Evelia innocently lifted her dress slightly to the food line and said thank you for the invitation.
It was only natural that the emperor’s face was full of smiles at her behavior.
‘Well, if only I could take the princess as my daughterinlaw, I wouldn’t care about losing one or two limbs to my friend!’
So she came out of the emperor’s office, following the steward who was guiding her, asking this and that, when her steps were suddenly stopped by a woman who popped out of the corner.
‘…?’
The woman’s golden mermaidstyle dress perfectly accentuated her body’s curves, and her highcollared and hightied hair gave off a sense of intimidation.
Her elongated eyeliner added a catlike charm to the woman, but it also gave a rather imposing impression.
“So you are the princess of Artina.”
The words she offered with a soft smile were elegant to no end.
She felt the steward bowing his head stiffen.
‘A woman who makes the steward bow his head.’
Evelia, who had heard various palace gossip from Elysia before coming to the palace, immediately caught on.
‘So this woman is the one who tried to poison my friend Louis.’
The woman who is trying to bring down my friend Louis.
“I am Evelia Artina, pleased to meet you, Empress.”
“Do you know me?”
“How could I not know?”
In the nobles’ greetings to the empress, the epithet ‘Shadow of the Sun’ was usually added.
But even knowing this, Evelia deliberately omitted it when referring to the empress.
Technically, ‘Empress’ was not an official position established by the Arcadian Empire law.
One consort for one emperor, an empress.
Hence, there was no appropriate term to refer to the emperor’s concubine, so they gave her the position of empress, but it was not a position that has been handed down from the founding of the country.
And so, the hollow greeting, ‘Shadow of the Sun,’ was born.
Not a moon, but the only one who stands behind the sun. Also, one who receives the sun’s protection.
Excluding this could sound insulting at first.
If we exclude the greeting based on the social norm of ‘Shadow of the Sun’, there is no basis for acknowledging the status of the Empress in the Imperial Law.
Also, it is said that when an adult nobleman simply refers to ‘Your Majesty the Empress’, it means ‘a woman who sits in a position without roots,’ as a sarcastic way of indirectly mocking her.
‘The Princess must be young and doesn’t know much.’
The Empress smiled again with a lonely smile.
The Empress and her son, Edwin, needed the Artina family.
“You’re as smart as I’ve heard. Where are you heading?”
“It’s an honor to follow my father into the palace, so I’m on my way to explore the Imperial Palace.”
Evelia also seemed to smile, as if she didn’t mean to say that.
My father is the leader of the nobles of this empire, and my mother is also an extraordinary general and a highranking woman who controls the noblewomen of this empire.
Born with this lineage, she grew up listening to the grand history, conflicts, gossip, and scandals of this empire.
The instinctive sense and the sense she learned as she grew up made Evelia calm in this situation.
“The Imperial Palace is too large to explore alone. Oh, there comes the Prince.”
Evelia, who threw her gaze to where the Empress was looking, slightly frowned.
‘That snake duke, they feel similar.’
So, it might be a dangerous feeling unique to the dirty and petty.
The prince, who came to the side of the empress with a walk that was more arrogant than elegant, held his head high as if he was telling her to greet him quickly.
His black eyes, looking down on Evelia with his chin lifted, were quite arrogant.
Clearly an attitude of looking down on the underdog.
‘Ha.’
Evelia snorted inwardly.
Evelia knew her position very well, very well.
Even if he was the emperor of this empire, he was a position that could not be dealt with lightly.
A position that, when going as an envoy to another empire or kingdom, would receive treatment as a state guest.
It was never a position to receive such a look from a prince, not a crown prince.
‘No matter how royal they are, they’re arrogant.’
Evelia, whose mood was ruined, casually greeted him.
“I greet Your Highness the Prince. I am Evelia Artina.”
Edwin slightly frowned one eye, as if it seemed rude and yet hard to pick a fight with her stammering tone.
The empress who was standing next to him and watching this began to cast our son’s top skill.
“What do you think, Princess? Our prince is quite handsome. He’s already receiving a lot of young ladies’ courtship.”
Hmm, not handsome. Your eyes look like a frog that opened its eyes halfway.
“He’s also quite skilled in martial arts, and he’s planning to visit the northern inspection in a while.”
Yes, clap, clap. You’re great. My friend Louis has been there a long time ago.
“How much of a military genius is he in strategy? He’s already read most of the military strategy books.”
Oh my, it’s a good thing your brain isn’t a frog’s.
“Hmm, so I’d like for the princess to have a good relationship with our prince.”
No, no.
Huh??!!
Evelia, who had been nodding sulkily, suddenly widened her eyes like a surprised rabbit and raised her head.
That good relationship wouldn’t just be playing with friends, right?
You would want something deeper than that, right?
Her facial expression, which she thought she was managing thoroughly, collapsed grandly, and it was announced to the world what Evelia was thinking.
Hey!!
Keep the dog barking down in the Imperial Palace!!
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
