“A letter of invitation has arrived for you, Princess. What should we do?”
I pondered seriously. At this point, failing to conquer the Emerald Palace would seem like incompetence.
The Empress’s favor was astonishing. Merely by sitting beside her at the tea party and maintaining a harmonious atmosphere, I received a flurry of invitations.
Yes, most of those here were like sacrificial lambs from their countries, lacking power. I could fully understand how I might seem like a lifeline to them.
“I’ll check it out. Please, bring me a cup of tea.”
Tula, accustomed to my pronunciation and unorthodox choice of words for my age, understood my request and went to prepare the tea.
Being a princess of a minor country, I had a few attendants, so Tula, my nanny, didn’t need to make the tea herself, but she understood my hint to leave me alone.
“Such a kind child.”
But she’s too tender-hearted for this ruthless battlefield. I have no choice but to be strong.
I firmly opened the envelope, pulling out the invitation. My 3-year-old hands weren’t skilled enough to use a letter opener.
Unsurprisingly, the contents of the invitations were similar, adorned with pleasant language but somewhat presumptuous.
Did they become complacent because I was only 3, or did they write so arrogantly thinking their inferiors would read it? Their insolence was unacceptable.
The excessively short notice for the invitations was another red flag.
Did they think it was okay because the Empress announced it on the same day? Such behavior is barely acceptable for the Empress herself, let alone towards those who are mere pawns.
I discarded all invitations with less than a week’s notice. A third of them were gone.
“Burn these.”
When Tula returned with the tea, I decisively pointed to the pile of invitations. She looked surprised but then calmly agreed.
“Okay.”
She left to dispose of the letters, leaving me alone to contemplate the remaining invitations.
What’s the limit of showcasing my abilities without crossing the line?
Yesterday, I was just flustered, but upon reflection, the Empress’s favor seemed too sudden and excessive. Excluding the audience, the kindness she showed to a child she met for the first time was not normal.
After the tea party, she even had her knight escort me. Such honor for a mere hostage was extraordinary.
It was clear that the Emperor wouldn’t tolerate my using lack of resources as an excuse.
Otherwise, this situation makes no sense. Surely the Empress wouldn’t genuinely favor me, whom she properly met for the first time today.
“I was going to hide it, but now I have to show it.”
I initially didn’t plan to fully display my capabilities. Being a 3-year-old princess of a minor country in a foreign land, I had plenty of excuses.
I could have merely coaxed and appeased those three to arrange a negotiation. That would have been enough for a 3-year-old, considered competent enough.
“But now that the Empress has taken notice of me, I can boldly summon the three residents of the Emerald Palace without any scheming. This means I need to do something more to give the impression of competence.”
“I went too far…”
I hadn’t intended to attract this much attention. How did I end up gaining the Emperor’s interest to this extent?
Suppressing a more fundamental question that arose, I sifted through the remaining invitations. I had to recalculate. The level of talent I could safely reveal, the achievements I could present to the Emperor.
Perhaps due to my troubled mind, I dreamt that night.
It was a dream of a time long missed.
“Please retract your command.”
I was prostrating on the ground, begging. Due to the dream, I knew the Emperor was before me.
“Does my gift not please you?”
A voice tinged with amusement fell over my head. Truly oblivious. If it weren’t for His Majesty, I would have snapped back instantly.
Grinding my teeth, I implored.
“How could I ever find the grace of the heavens difficult? It’s just that such an honor is too great for an unworthy subject like me.”
“So, you find it troublesome to accept because you think others will make a fuss. You’re tired of it, aren’t you?”
Sometimes, having a mutual understanding with the sovereign is beneficial, but in moments like these, it’s problematic.
Although I was thinking exactly that, was there a need to articulate it so bluntly? Especially when I had carefully chosen courteous words and phrasing?
“Your Majesty.”
“I always find it scary when you lower your voice.”
My heart dropped for a moment.
This wasn’t the first time His Majesty had acted like this. Our first meeting was in our childhood, when His Majesty was not yet the Emperor, and I was not his subject. Perhaps that’s why he often used casual speech when we were alone.
Yet, I was always more afraid in these moments, not even knowing why. Even on the battlefield, I had never known fear.
So, I defiantly responded.
“Are you being like this now, Your Majesty?”
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
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