So, it was about three years ago from now.
Jeffrey was just an insignificant youngest son of the family, and there was nothing left for him after being overshadowed by his brothers.
But he knew where to use his advantage of having quick hands and eyes, and not getting drunk even if he drank a whole barrel of ale.
“Gambling is my way.”
He made people utterly drunk, then pretended to be drunk himself and nimbly scooped up the money.
Since he began gambling, it was only natural for the habitual loser, the young noble, to approach Jeffrey, who was skilled.
On a certain day, when he was deliberately losing in a game he could have won, trying to suitably cater to the young noble’s vanity,
“Hey, Jeffrey… I’m running low on money.”
The young noble said with a slightly lower and cautious voice. The other guys playing the card game were passed out on the carpet, drooling from the alcohol, so only Jeffrey and the young noble were left at the table.
“Would it be okay to bet some pieces of paper instead of money?”
Jeffrey almost took off the young noble’s hand playing around in the sacred gambling game but noticed that his look was different than usual.
It was as if he had been waiting to be alone with him.
Feeling that the young noble had some other intention, Jeffrey decided to hear him out first.
“If it’s a valuable piece of paper… anything is fine.”
Pleased by the rather merchantlike response, the young noble let out a hearty laugh and ordered his servant to bring something. Then, he took a sip of his drink and began a long story.
“My greatgrandfather made quite a profit from selling horses.”
“Horses?”
“Yes. When his favorite racehorse retired, my greatgrandfather bought it. It was a stallion with good lineage through generations, and its race records were outstanding when it was active.”
Jeffrey quietly listened, realizing that Nicholas was speaking in a roundabout manner like a noble.
“At first, I wondered why he bought such an old horse that couldn’t even participate in horse racing. But my greatgrandfather taught me, a sixyearold, how to make money with that horse.”
“….”
A story of making money from someone who bet paper scraps instead of money in a card game.
Jeffrey wanted to scoff, but the young noble was too serious to do so.
“Wow, I’m really curious. How did your ancestors make money?”
“He bought ten healthy and strong mares and used the retired racehorse as a stud. That guy was so vigorous that he quickly fathered offspring with all ten mares.”
Jeffrey could guess the young noble’s next words.
Usually, wellbred racehorses became studs after retirement and spread their good lineage.
The better the stud’s records, the more people wanted its offspring, practically fetching a high price.
“But making money using a racehorse as a stud is quite common.”
Jeffrey was curious about the reason why the young noble brought up the story about the stud.
“That memory was a shock to me as a child. I learned the concept of keeping the goose that lays the golden eggs for more profit. And….”
A sly smile crept onto the young noble’s lips.
“You know, I found my stud recently.”
“….”
Jeffrey had heard that the young noble brought some young male from the domain to his mansion.
‘Is that kid a stud? Does he have some impressive lineage?’
Then again, the young noble wouldn’t have picked up the boy if he was just any commoner.
Moreover, thinking back, the young noble had indulged in expensive liquor for several days after bringing the boy to the mansion. It was proof that he was in a great mood then.
As Jeffrey was making various guesses, the servant who had been dispatched by the young noble returned.
“I brought the note as you commanded, my lord.”
The young noble took it with a slight smile. The old, crumpled note was inside an elegant frame, giving an incongruous feeling.
“Jeffrey, where were we in the story?”
“You had just mentioned finding your own stud, my lord.”
“Yes, the stud. But my stud is quite picky about females. It would have been better if it had been frisky and wandering around in heat.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“He seems so unresponsive to anything other than the mare he has marked, that I’m really worried.”
Thump―
Walter set the picture frame down on the table and slid it toward Geoffrey.
“And this is the only information I have to find the mare my racehorse has marked.”
Geoffrey read the note inside the frame.
[Name is Edith.Curly, abundant golden hair, beautiful shimmering eyes, long eyelashes, lively but dignified voice, lips like ripe fruit, a blue necklace given by her mother.]
It was so hastily written that the handwriting was incredibly crude. He wondered what kind of situation must have occurred for such a record to be left.
The ink was smeared quite a bit, as if it had been tightly gripped before it dried.
Walter tapped the end of the frame and locked eyes with Geoffrey.
“If you win this round, keep this in your bank vault. But I’d like access when I want it.”
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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