Love Me Just Once (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4
Ophelia still vividly remembered the day she first met Haslen.
It had been less than a week since she’d received the news of her engagement.
After finishing all arrangements with the Lakmataga, Dares finally—only then—remembered to inform his daughter about the engagement. Naturally, there was no possibility of refusal.
When the day finally arrived for her to meet her fiancé, Ophelia was thoroughly terrified.
Since Dares had chosen her fiancé, she feared he might resemble her father. Judging by how satisfied Dares seemed, the fiancé was likely someone similar to him—or perhaps even more despicable and vile.
Yet the fiancé she met in person turned out to be completely different from what she’d imagined.
“Good day, Your Highness.”
The boy, taller than her by a full head, was slender and possessed a gentle voice.
When the boy raised his head after bowing deeply, Ophelia saw his clear, emerald-green eyes—transparent like morning dew on summer grass, reflecting her image perfectly.
“My name is Haslen Lakmata.”
Then the boy handed her a bouquet. An arrangement of soft pink roses wrapped delicately in fine silk.
Though the flowers were truly beautiful, Ophelia was so flustered that she forgot to thank him.
The fiancé she’d envisioned had been some ill-tempered monster, nothing like this handsome boy with such a pleasant voice.
After conversing with him in the garden that day, Ophelia realized it wasn’t just his appearance that defied her expectations.
The boy’s character was as gentle as his looks. He spoke softly throughout their meeting and always respected her opinions.
After he left, Ophelia held onto the pink roses for a long while. Though she’d seen fragrant, fluttering petals before, the kindness of the one who gave them felt utterly unfamiliar.
Her fiancé returned again around the time those roses had dried beautifully.
Ophelia happily accepted the pale violet peonies he offered her. This time, she remembered to thank him.
The boy was just as kind as during their first meeting and often smiled at her. His dimpled smile was like sunshine on a spring day.
After their second meeting, Ophelia stood before a mirror, trying to imitate the boy’s smile—because she wanted to see that expression even when he wasn’t around.
But no matter how hard she tried, the girl in the mirror could never replicate that same smile.
After several meetings, exchanged flowers and small gifts, and even walks together through the fields behind the palace, Ophelia finally admitted it: that smile, shining as brightly as sunlight, belonged only to her fiancé.
Around that time, she’d begun calling him by his name—Haslen. The word itself, like its owner, sounded soft even when spoken.
But wherever there was light, there was also shadow. If the time spent with Haslen was daylight, every other moment was night.
Whenever the spring-sunshine boy left, Ophelia was plagued by a terrible coldness.
Her brother Mahanas treated her however he pleased, heaping every kind of insult upon her, while her father Dares pretended not to notice. That selfish, greedy king cared only for his own luxuries and pleasures.
Before meeting Haslen, Ophelia hadn’t even realized how difficult her life truly was. But now that she knew him, everything felt colder and sharper than ever before.
Though she’d lived in that gap since birth, Ophelia increasingly felt as if her throat was being squeezed by them.
Simply walking through the palace corridors made her vision blur and her breath catch, and she suffered nightmares every other night. Most often, Mahanas appeared in those dreams.
Only Haslen could dispel the darkness pressing down on her.
On days when Haslen came to the palace, even Mahanas—who usually treated her like a toy—and Dares—who was full of greed and depravity—watched their behavior around him. After all, they needed to pretend she was a cherished princess to extract a higher bride price.
Though Ophelia felt guilty for deceiving the boy as they instructed, she couldn’t bring herself to reveal the truth.
“If you don’t behave properly, Haslen Lakmata will abandon you.”
Mahanas always threatened her with these words whenever Haslen was due to visit.
“You know how promising he is, don’t you? Even if someone else stood beside him instead of you, he’d still be kind.”
Until then, Ophelia had simply believed his words.
Indeed, Haslen was someone who had been dearly loved and raised with care—and thus, was gentle to everyone.
Ophelia believed her fiancé had every right to be kind to anyone, yet she didn’t want to lose the special affection he showed only to her.
Whenever fear showed on her face, Mahanas would add smugly,
“So keep your wits about you and act like a refined princess—like a daughter raised with nothing but love.”
Of course, Ophelia knew Haslen wouldn’t suddenly change if he learned of her suffering.
But his constancy didn’t mean their engagement would remain unchanged.
Haslen might stay her friend, yet the Lakmataga family would surely prefer a daughter from a better household than hers.
And if he left, all that would remain for her was cold and darkness.
Ophelia wanted to stop trembling.
So she tried her hardest to act like someone worthy of love—but fabricating a role she’d never experienced wasn’t easy.
And it wasn’t just her. Since no one in the palace had ever loved her, the entire place strained and creaked whenever Haslen visited.
Ophelia desperately hoped the boy wouldn’t notice those cracks. Her fear of being trapped forever in that cold night overwhelmed even her guilt over the lies.
But the discovery came from an unexpected place.
[This is the timeline separator]
It was the summer of her eleventh year.
Around that time, Haslen had traveled abroad with his father, so Mahanas acted without restraint.
Though he rarely struck her face, the drunken Mahanas seemed blind to anything around him.
Drunk since midday, his face flushed red, he barged into the princess’s room and took over her sofa.
“That arrogant Lakmata—just because he’s got money, he struts around like that….”
Ophelia tried to slip out of the room to avoid her furious brother. But the moment she neared the door, Mahanas’ eyes snapped open wide.
“Where do you think you’re going? Who do you think made that fiancé’s family so arrogant?”
Then he seized both her wrists tightly. His crushing grip hurt her badly, and Ophelia reflexively frowned.
Seeing that, Mahanas immediately raised his voice.
“So even a wretch like you dares to ignore me now? A nobody like you?”
Then he shoved her backward violently. Her brother, ten years her senior, had arms too thick and strong for her to resist—Ophelia couldn’t gather her senses properly.
It was then that her head struck the door behind her.
After hitting her head hard, everything went dark. Ophelia staggered and curled up on the floor. Mahanas grabbed her shoulders—he clearly meant to yank her upright.
Afraid of what was coming, Ophelia instinctively raised her arms.
The moment her fingertips brushed Mahanas’ face, it sparked his rage.
“You pathetic worm…!”
When she came to her senses, she was lying on her bed.
The physician in the room examined her upon seeing she’d awakened, checking for any head injuries.
Looking into her dressing mirror, Ophelia saw her cheek was bright red. But the doctor merely said it was fine—her skull wasn’t damaged, nor were her facial bones broken.
Overwhelmed by humiliation as hot as the stinging pain in her cheek, Ophelia finally burst into tears. The physician and maids quickly left the room when they saw her sobbing.
Alone, she wept until her injured cheek began to ache. Eventually, she had to suppress her tears and curled up in bed, brooding bitterly over her injustice. She couldn’t understand why this had to happen to her.
Yet she couldn’t even protest that it was unfair.
Mahanas was the heir to the throne and ten years older than her. While he was a strong young man, she hadn’t even reached adulthood and knew nothing beyond palace life—she couldn’t survive outside it.
After crying for a long while, Ophelia got up from bed and went outside. Lying still made her feel even more suffocated.
Wrapping a shawl around her face to hide her swollen cheek, she headed to the fields behind the palace—a place rarely visited by others, and her refuge whenever Mahanas or Dares became unbearable.
As she sat beneath the zelkova tree in the field, wiping fresh tears, someone called out to her.
“Your Highness?”
It was a voice she’d recognize anywhere. Startled to hear that gentle voice—when she least expected it—Ophelia looked up. In the distance, a tall boy hurried toward her. It was Haslen.
Panicked, Ophelia jumped to her feet and rushed deeper into the field. She couldn’t let Haslen see her bruised, swollen face.
But the boy was two years older and far better at running than she was.
When his footsteps drew right up behind her, Ophelia finally had no choice but to stop.
The moment she halted, Haslen stopped as well. Carefully, he asked,
“Your Highness… is something wrong?”
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
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Cowardice? Bitch you barely even look at him or speak to him 😦😡
Finally! Put her in her place!!! She should treat you better 😡😡😡
That caught him by surprise 😭🥺🤣 that he almost choked