Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11
Hyacinth checked and rechecked the letter over and over again. But no matter how many times he read it, its contents never changed.
“Haa.”
Hyacinth, utterly exasperated, pressed his palm to his forehead. Heat rose to the corners of his eyes, and his head felt numb, as if he’d just been struck. La Til sent this kind of letter? La Til?
Hyacinth crumpled the letter violently and glared at the head of the envoy delegation who had delivered it—as though the man himself were solely responsible for this entire mess.
The envoy leader, initially bewildered, seemed to sense the ominous atmosphere and shrank back fearfully.
‘La Til, La Til, La Til…!’
Hyacinth meticulously crushed the letter, rolled it tightly into a ball in his fist, and took a few deep breaths. The words “I’ll drag that bastard here and kill him” surged up to the back of his throat.
Behind the cowering envoy, the image of La Til flashing a drunken, wobbly smile suddenly appeared before his eyes—as if she were even sticking out her middle finger at him.
Hyacinth slowly gripped the armrest of his throne and tapped it lightly with his fingertips—tap, tap, tap. He needed to say something, anything—but nothing came to mind. His thoughts remained as blank as a sheet of white paper.
After staring silently at the envoy for a long while, Hyacinth finally managed to force out a single phrase.
“No.”
The envoy’s eyes widened in shock.
“Y-Your Majesty…”
Count Bretha never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, that Hyacinth would reject this proposal.
“Tell the Emperor of Tariyum that under no circumstances will we send a concubine.”
“But…”
What kind of ungrateful attitude is this? Didn’t you take one of our concubines before? The envoy swallowed the words that had risen to his throat.
He could clearly see that the Emperor of Carissen looked ready to draw his sword at the slightest provocation. His life was far too precious to risk over just one careless remark.
So, even if Emperor Latrasil later scolded him with, “You useless fool! Can’t you do anything right?!”, for now, staying silent was his only option.
[This is the timeline separator]Three years ago, after Princess Latrasil had confessed to him and then fled without so much as a goodbye, Crown Prince Klein, wounded in his pride, resolved to forget about her entirely. He believed that was the only way to preserve his bruised dignity.
But the Tariyum Empire was simply too powerful. No matter how hard he tried to cut himself off from news of that cursed nation, information about it kept popping up everywhere, constantly provoking him.
Recently, especially astonishing news had reached him. That very Princess Latrasil—the one who had once gotten drunk and cried uncontrollably—had ascended the throne as Empress of Tariyum.
“Tariyum must be in deep trouble now.”
If the Emperor’s drunken antics were that bad… Klein grumbled inwardly, irritated for no good reason.
Yet that wasn’t even the end of the shocking news. Immediately upon her ascension, the new Empress dispatched an envoy delegation to Carissen—a delegation requesting a Carissen-born concubine to foster diplomatic relations.
Klein’s pride was wounded the moment he heard the news.
“She’s clearly asking for me.”
She must have been too embarrassed back then to run away, but now that she holds absolute power, she wants to bring him to her side. It was painfully obvious.
“Hah. I’m going mad.”
Klein exhaled in disbelief and brushed back the silver strands falling near his eyes.
“This is utterly ridiculous.”
The attendant who had delivered the envoy’s news blinked in confusion.
“Pardon?”
“Did I say something strange?”
“Not you. I was talking about Empress Latrasil of Tariyum.”
The attendant stared at Klein, utterly baffled. What on earth was His Highness talking about all of a sudden?
Ever since three years ago, Prince Klein had consistently received reports about Princess Latrasil—not because he had ordered them himself,
but because, each time, someone would casually begin with, “I heard that…” and then provide detailed updates. Eventually, attendants had simply learned to proactively bring him any news involving Princess Latrasil.
Each time he received a report, the prince’s reaction was mostly the same: a blank face masking clear agitation. Occasionally, he’d mutter something utterly out of context.
“Does she really have that much patience?”
“Must be too busy—probably forgot all about it.”
Things like that.
But today went beyond mere agitation—he was now just sighing “Hah! Honestly!” and “Huh! Seriously!” under his breath, leaving the attendant bewildered.
“Your Highness? What’s wrong?”
“It’s not even an official diplomatic proposal—just a request for a concubine. How infuriating.”
“Pardon?”
The attendant blinked stupidly, still unable to grasp what Prince Klein was saying.
But Klein had never been the type to explain things thoroughly, and today was no exception. After grumbling his complaint, he simply waved his hand dismissively and sent the attendant away without further explanation.
Even after the attendant left, Klein remained in a foul mood for a long while. Carissen was no minor power—
it was a mighty empire on par with Tariyum. So how dare they consider sending such a grand nation’s prince as a mere concubine? The more he thought about it, the more infuriated he became.
He absolutely must not let this happen. Klein coldly resolved. Since she had run away twice, it was only fair that she pay an equivalent price.
However, Klein’s ambitious plan collapsed before it even began—thanks to what the attendant urgently reported an hour later.
“Your Highness! His Majesty has already dismissed the Tariyum envoys! He said there’s no suitable candidate to send as a concubine to Tariyum!”
Klein, who had been gazing into a mirror, abruptly turned and shot the attendant a sharp glare.
“What? Who did he send away?”
Intimidated by that fearsome aura, the attendant instinctively stepped backward.
“It wasn’t me—it was His Majesty who…”
[This is the timeline separator]“Brother!”
When Klein burst into the office, slamming the door open, Hyacinth, seated in his oversized work chair with a cigarette between his lips, frowned in annoyance.
“What is it, Klein? Do your hands serve no purpose? Can’t even knock?”
“Yeah. They’re for pushing aside knights who block my way.”
As Hyacinth opened his mouth, thick smoke slowly drifted out, perfectly reflecting his inner mood.
“Your manners have really improved, little brother.”
“Really?”
“That was sarcasm.”
“Not that part!”
Klein leaped up the low steps in one bound and approached right before Hyacinth’s face, dragging over a small stool and plopping himself down on it.
Has he lost his mind…?
Hyacinth narrowed his eyes and pulled the cigarette from his mouth with one hand.
“If you have a question, form a proper sentence.”
“Did you dismiss the Tariyum envoys?”
“Yeah.”
“You yourself?”
“Is there someone else here who could’ve done it?”
Smiling lightly as if daring him to find such a person, Hyacinth only made Klein more exasperated.
“Are you out of your mind? Why would you send them away?”
“You’re the one who’s crazy. I may be your older brother, but I’m also the Emperor now, Klein.”
Klein huffed indignantly but could only sputter, unable to refute that point.
They’d grown up bickering constantly since childhood, so he still spoke casually to his brother—but he himself acknowledged that Hyacinth had always shown him leniency. Eventually, Klein lowered his voice slightly.
“What I mean is—are you trying to start a war with Tariyum? Two or three years ago, didn’t you accept a concubine from them? What was her name again…? Anyway, someone came, right? Who was it?”
Hyacinth silently stubbed out his cigarette on the desk. Klein scowled in disbelief.
“What? Don’t even remember her name? She was your concubine!”
“Get to the point.”
“How can you accept a concubine from them and then refuse to send one in return? Do you think Tariyum will just accept that quietly? Won’t they feel insulted? They might even see it as outright disrespect. Honestly, unless you actually intend to scorn them, you shouldn’t have rejected them like that. Taking but never giving back—how shamelessly one-sided!”
“There’s no one suitable to send. The Chancellor’s son is already married, and the Grand Duke’s son is an only child—can’t send him abroad. Among our royalty, the only unmarried ones left are women.”
Klein silently tapped Hyacinth’s desk with his fingers, birdlike, then pointed at himself. Hyacinth raised one eyebrow skeptically.
“You? You’re volunteering to go?”
“You said it yourself—there’s no one else to send. Which means, precisely, that there’s no one except me, right?”
But Hyacinth flatly refused without even a moment’s hesitation.
“No.”
Frustrated by that icy tone, Klein pounded his chest in exasperation. Good grief, how dense could he be!
“Brother. Don’t you get it?”
After going this far?
“Huh?”
“That envoy was sent with me specifically in mind from the very start, by Empress Latrasil.”
Hyacinth’s expression shifted ambiguously.
“Why? Why do you believe she had you in mind when requesting a concubine, Klein?”
“You just said it—there’s no one else to send.”
“…”
“She must know that too. And yet she deliberately sent an envoy. Doesn’t that clearly mean she’s asking for me?”
“…”
“I don’t mind going, Brother. After all, she already fancies me… Hmm. Given Carissen’s reputation, she’ll probably wait for the right moment and eventually elevate me to official consort status.”
Hyacinth stared silently at Klein for a moment, then waved his hand dismissively.
“Leave. I’m busy.”
After Klein left, Hyacinth kicked his desk with a loud bang. He pressed one hand to his temple and looked up at the ceiling. The grand, ornate frescoes overhead now seemed to mock him instead.
“La Til… Is this really your intention? Surely you wouldn’t seek revenge against me in such a manner?”
[This is the timeline separator]“Wow… Captain Sarnet. Look at this.”
At La Til’s murmured words, the Chief Attendant shot Captain Sarnet an irritated glance.
Ever since leading the royal guards to aid La Til during her battle against Tulla, Captain Sarnet had naturally become La Til’s closest confidant and remained in his position as captain.
Though appointed captain at an unusually young age, and having served across two imperial reigns, Sarnet was still younger than most other captains.
But the Chief Attendant’s displeasure toward him wasn’t because of his youth.
Though privately he was Prince Lean’s former friend and practically an older brother figure who’d been close to La Til since childhood, he was now officially La Til’s subordinate.
Yet La Til still treated him exactly as she had during her days as princess, and Captain Sarnet accepted it as natural—this informality was what irked the Chief Attendant. Even if La Til behaved that way, shouldn’t Sarnet at least maintain proper decorum?
But ignoring the sharp stare, Captain Sarnet pretended not to notice and instead looked at the document La Til was pointing to.
“What is this?”
But his previously composed expression instantly twisted the moment he saw the papers. Unable to see Sarnet’s face over her shoulder, La Til clicked her tongue calmly.
“Can’t you tell just by looking? These are applications from people volunteering to become my concubines.”
Sarnet’s eyes scanned the documents faster than anyone else’s. Stacked page by page on thin paper, the pile stood about fifteen centimeters high—indicating at least several hundred applicants.
Even the Chief Attendant forgot his annoyance toward Sarnet and clicked his tongue in astonishment.
“I expected many applicants, but this exceeds even my expectations. We’ll need to narrow them down, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed. I plan to select only five for now. More people applied than I anticipated.”
The Chief Attendant, nodding along, suddenly widened his eyes.
“You said ‘for now’?”
“People’s feelings can change at any moment. Right now, I’m going for the devoted-emperor concept—but who knows if my mind might change later?”
Devoted… and even calling it a “concept”… As the Chief Attendant muttered in bewilderment, La Til flipped through the papers with her thumb, shook her head, then picked up the top application and clicked her tongue.
“Still, I never expected Ranamun Atraxi to apply as a concubine.”
The document La Til held had come from the House of Atraxi, and the name written on it was Ranamun Brotscha de Atraxi—the Duke of Atraxi’s eldest son.
“He’d never volunteer himself given his personality. Duke Atraxi must have pushed him into this.”
La Til clicked her tongue and set the document down.
“Poor thing.”
They weren’t particularly close, nor did he leave her with fond memories—yet imagining Ranamun being forced into concubinage by his own father stirred a bit of sympathy in her.
“Duke Atraxi seems even more ambitious than I thought. Pushing that prideful child into concubinage…”
She clicked her tongue once more, then set Ranamun’s document aside separately. Handing the rest to the Chief Attendant, she continued.
“Still, we must honor Duke Atraxi—he’s a loyal retainer. Ranamun must be included. One will come from Carissen, so please have Marquis Sable select the remaining three from those who could be helpful.”
“Should I select solely based on usefulness? Are there no other criteria you prefer?”
La Til subtly mouthed ‘If they’re comparable, choose handsome ones’ and grinned mischievously.
“My taste is impeccable, after all.”
The Chief Attendant winked in understanding, took the documents, and walked over to his nearby desk. Watching him begin reviewing the papers with serious focus, La Til yawned and stretched.
It had already been over two weeks since her coronation. The first week had been a blur of nonstop busyness that left her body heavy with exhaustion—but humans adapt to anything, and by now, she’d grown fairly accustomed even to this demanding schedule.
Having abruptly become Crown Princess, she’d had to undergo heir training at an accelerated pace beyond the usual schedule, and that period of intense busyness had clearly left its mark.
‘The envoy delegation I sent to Carissen should be arriving soon.’
What answer would Hyacinth give her?
La Til’s lips curled into a mischievous smile. Of course, Hyacinth wouldn’t be able to refuse.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (7)
Well, it’s quite fun. It’s interesting and light to read. Feelings of the characters are exposed clearly. 👍🏻
I wonder if there is a competition for who is going to be the first. 🤦🏻♀️
- The boy appears to be shy in love affairs. He will learn.
Inline Comments (26)
With a light laugh, Klein climbed onto an ornately decorated carriage.
I think you will be utterly disappointed, Mister. But I expect her to be.. surprised 🤣
Despite the blunt, rude question, Prince Klein merely chuckled softly and replie
But he is a funny, direct and straightforward young man. Openness is captivating sometimes.
“Well… I’m not sure. It feels uneasy, yet rejecting him outright doesn’t feel ri
She already likes him, so there is no need to doubt the candidate. Nice balance. ⚖️
YOUR COMMENT
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.
Log in to comment.
Kitsune