Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 6
The road back to my homeland was sunny all the way. La Til sat astride her horse, blankly listening only to the steady, rhythmic sound of hooves: clop-clop, clop-clop.
Was what I just did really a farewell? Or perhaps I was dreaming? My head felt foggy, and I couldn’t quite tell. It felt as if I could see Hyacinth again right away if I just turned back right now—and if we smiled at each other face to face, everything might simply vanish as though it never happened.
When we arrived at a village near the border, the villagers were chattering excitedly about Emperor Hyacinth’s upcoming marriage.
“Aini is the absolute best choice! Her character has been renowned since childhood.”
“Exactly. She’s clever and never causes any trouble—completely different from those other noble youths her age who constantly wind up in gossip columns.”
“She’ll make a wonderful empress.”
“Her family background is solid too—there’s no room for problems.”
Only upon hearing their animated chatter did La Til finally realize: Damn it—it’s real. Hyacinth really had gotten married. To another woman—not her.
Meanwhile, the people of Carissen largely welcomed this marriage.
That night, La Til belatedly broke down, sobbing desperately into her pillow while pounding it with her fists.
“Hyacinth, you bastard! Bark like a dog already, you traitor! Give back my blessing!”
[This is the timeline separator]At around the same time, there was another man who couldn’t sleep and was pounding his pillow in frustration.
‘I clearly told her we’d meet again.’
It was Prince Klein.
Klein had been sipping wine but suddenly gripped his glass tightly in one hand. The glass shattered into tiny fragments, spilling downward with a soft clatter.
He brushed off the blood droplets and glass shards seeping from his palm, then calmly summoned a servant to clear the table—acting as if nothing were wrong.
But as soon as the two servants finished cleaning up the glass and left, Klein clutched his blanket and ground his teeth again.
“Damn it!”
The more he thought about it, the more his pride stung.
That woman had been so drunk she’d wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, smearing tears and snot all over his clothes—and he’d pretended not to notice, even patting her back gently to comfort her. She’d pressed against him with her whole body, so obviously showing her affection, and he’d responded by patting her back again.
If he’d been the one who made the first move, he wouldn’t have felt so bitter. But hadn’t she come to him first? Hadn’t she clung to him, pleading with her own words—saying she loved him and begging him not to leave?
Then she’d sneaked away in the morning, ignored him completely the next time, and then vanished again. Was it now his turn to be utterly ignored again when they next met?
Klein pressed a hand to his forehead. It wasn’t even that big of a deal—really, he should’ve just brushed it off as meeting a strange woman. But his temperament was far too stubborn for that.
His inflated pride kept making his forehead burn, minute by minute, second by second.
What infuriated him even more was the fact that he’d attended the wedding reception just to see her, searching everywhere. He’d even seriously considered asking her when she’d started harboring feelings for him—that thought alone was embarrassingly humiliating.
He’d privately calculated that if she were a princess, marriage might even be possible—but that shameful fantasy was too mortifying to tell anyone.
Klein huffed indignantly, then finally yanked again at the bell tied to his bed. As soon as his waiting attendant appeared, he gritted his teeth and repeated the same question—for the seventeenth time.
“Are you absolutely certain the Tariyum delegation has already left?”
“Yes. They paid a brief courtesy visit to His Imperial Majesty this morning and then departed.”
The attendant, having repeated this answer so many times, replied with a slightly weary tone.
Klein waved the attendant away, lay back down on his bed, huffed a few more times, and finally exhaled a long, heavy sigh.
“Fine. I’ll forget her. I’ll forget. After all, it’s her who loves me—not the other way around. If she walks away like this, she’ll only hurt herself. I don’t care.”
[This is the timeline separator]As the delegation’s official representative, La Til couldn’t afford to grieve for long. Though her eyes were swollen and puffy the next day—making her look thoroughly disheveled—La Til stoically finished her meal and ensured the delegation safely crossed entirely beyond Carissen’s border.
Afterward, her body grew so exhausted that she no longer needed to tend to her emotional wounds—it was almost a relief. The moment her head touched the pillow, she fell fast asleep, and La Til decided this was actually better.
When she finally arrived back in her homeland and saw the familiar architecture and clothing styles, La Til let out a deep breath, relieved. Though thoughts of Hyacinth still twisted her insides with pain, she desperately wanted to return to the imperial palace.
Perhaps after spending a few months surrounded by her family and the affection of her nanny, she’d feel better.
‘I hope I don’t stay heartbroken too long. Otherwise, I’d be wasting too much of my precious time.’
Yet what awaited La Til upon her return to the palace wasn’t the warm embrace of family—but a shocking revelation.
“What? You’re saying my brother has stepped down from the crown prince position?”
In some ways, it was a wish granted—because hearing this news instantly banished Hyacinth from her mind.
La Til stared blankly at her father, who’d delivered this unbelievable news. She’d just heard it with her own ears, yet she couldn’t bring herself to believe it. The crown prince—her brother Lean—was refusing the position?
“I’m sorry you had to hear such news the moment you arrived back, La Til.”
The Emperor offered an awkward smile. This meeting was supposed to be a formal debriefing, where La Til, as both delegation head and imperial daughter, would report back on her mission in Carissen. Yet he’d ended up delivering shocking news before even hearing her report—he looked genuinely apologetic.
“How was it in Carissen?”
“I kept the promise I made with Abamama.”
“Did you step hard on his foot?”
“Yes. And Hyacinth got married nicely too. But that’s hardly important now! What do you mean, my brother is stepping down as crown prince?”
There were only two legitimate children born to the Empress: Crown Prince Lean and La Til. If her brother abandoned the position…
“Surely… it’s not Tulla who’ll become the next crown prince?”
La Til asked irritably.
By imperial law, the crown prince must first be selected from among the Empress’s sons.
If the Empress had no sons, then her daughter or a son born to a concubine could succeed—but historically, sons of concubines had more often ascended as crown princes.
Tulla, her half-brother, was the second son of a favored concubine and widely regarded as intelligent. Though she hated to admit it, if the position became vacant, the nobles would likely support him as the next crown prince.
“La Til! You can’t just blurt out your brother’s name like that—it’s unacceptable.”
The Emperor frowned, but La Til scowled even deeper in response.
She couldn’t help it. She loved her father, but she absolutely refused to comply with that kind of nonsense.
Like many of the Emperor’s other half-siblings, La Til had always disliked Tulla. There was no specific incident that caused their animosity—she simply loathed his very existence.
Tulla’s mother was a concubine greatly favored by the Emperor, and her mere presence constantly saddened La Til’s own mother.
Every time the Emperor sent loving gifts to Tulla’s mother, walked with her in the gardens, or watched theater together, La Til’s mother grieved deeply.
That was why La Til hated Tulla.
Tulla felt the same. He resented the fact that his mother had to bow respectfully to the Empress, and that resentment naturally turned toward La Til and Lean.
Now, these typical rival half-siblings were facing the worst possible scenario: that damn Tulla might ascend as crown prince. Of course La Til was furious.
“I really hope Tulla doesn’t become crown prince.”
La Til stated bluntly, fully prepared to be scolded by her father. Her feelings were personal, yes—but objectively speaking, Tulla simply wasn’t crown prince material.
Yet the Emperor didn’t reprimand her. He merely gave a small, quiet chuckle.
‘Why isn’t he angry for once?’
La Til watched her father carefully. Though the Emperor favored Anakcha—the concubine and Tulla’s mother—the children he cherished most were Lean and La Til, both born to the Empress.
Even so, he’d never normally laugh off situations where La Til openly expressed hostility toward Tulla. Why wasn’t he scolding her now?
Confused by his unexpected reaction, La Til stood bewildered—until the Emperor pointed directly at her with his finger.
“It’ll be you, La Til.”
La Til blinked, not immediately grasping his words.
“You will become Crown Princess.”
Only after he repeated it did La Til freeze completely in place. Seeing her reaction, the Emperor calmly asked,
“Well? Don’t you have confidence? If you don’t, say so now.”
It was clearly a provocation. La Til recognized it—but hearing those words instantly made her flare up and shout without hesitation:
“I can do it! I will! I’ll be Crown Princess!”
Her reply was crisp, decisive, and without a trace of doubt. Only after speaking did she seriously ponder, ‘Can I really do this?’ But the answer came immediately: What’s so impossible? Even that bastard Hyacinth managed it!
She’d once wanted to become Hyacinth’s empress out of love for him—but that dream was now lost. Before meeting him, she’d never coveted the throne because she loved her brother Crown Prince Lean.
Now, however, he’d stepped down willingly, and her old dream had been claimed by someone else. She needed a new dream—and the imperial throne was more than worthy of becoming it.
In fact, the moment she realized she might become Empress, long-hidden ambition surged within her.
‘If I was born a princess, I might as well aim for the throne. Damn right!’
The Emperor burst into hearty laughter, as if he’d expected exactly this reaction.
“I knew you’d say that.”
Affection for his daughter shimmered in his eyes. But after gazing at her contentedly for a moment, his expression suddenly turned stern.
“But La Til, the burden that comes with that answer will be extremely heavy. From now on, you’ll have to undergo every kind of imperial education.”
“I can do it.”
La Til’s eyes sparkled as she clenched both fists tightly. This wasn’t just empty boasting—she truly believed she could.
The word “Emperor” alone dyed her heart—once filled with Hyacinth and pain—in brilliant red. Her pounding heart warmed her cheeks. La Til pressed a hand lightly beneath her collarbone and smiled in satisfaction.
Then, a sudden doubt crossed her mind, and she furrowed her brow.
“But… why did my brother suddenly step down as crown prince?”
She’d been so stunned by the offer to become Empress that she’d forgotten to ask. Yet this was the most crucial question of all.
The Emperor sighed deeply, his face shadowed with worry.
“He says he wishes to become the Grand Sage.”
“What?”
[This is the timeline separator]She later learned that it was her brother Lean himself who had strongly recommended La Til as Crown Princess. When announcing his resignation from the crown prince position, he’d explicitly named La Til as his successor.
This was fortunate for La Til. Many of Lean’s former supporters accepted the Emperor’s declaration—precisely because Lean himself had proposed it.
Being the only two children born to the Empress also helped; their support bases were fairly balanced. To the Empress’s faction, it hardly mattered whether Lean or La Til eventually took the throne.
However, unlike Lean’s uncontested succession, La Til faced as much opposition as support.
“What nonsense! The next crown prince should obviously be Prince Tratala!”
“Of course! Princess Latrasil never received systematic imperial education before reaching adulthood. How can she possibly be named Crown Princess now!”
“It’s absolutely not because we hold any ill will toward Princess Latrasil! However, Your Majesty, historical precedent clearly shows Prince Tratala is the rightful choice.”
“Indeed! Prince Tratala is remarkably intelligent and progressive—his tutors are constantly astonished by him. He will restore the Tariyum Empire to even greater strength.”
Several ministers, relatives of Concubine Anakcha, and Tulla’s usual followers seized this opportunity to unite their voices and challenge the Emperor.
Each time La Til heard this through Captain Sarnet, she ground her teeth in fury.
“Those damn liars! I studied imperial governance too! …Well, self-taught, but still!”
But what did it matter? Her father—the current Emperor—was healthy and not yet old. She could begin formal training right away. There was plenty of time.
Besides, while she acknowledged Tulla was clever and forward-thinking, he was also an impractical idealist. In La Til’s view, more than half of his proposed policies had no chance of being implemented.
“Those real bastards!”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became—so much so that she slammed her fists repeatedly on the desk: bang, bang, bang! She was deeply annoyed that Tulla’s supporters, who’d never dared make a peep while Lean was crown prince, were now loudly voicing their objections as if this were their golden moment.
“It’s all right. Doesn’t Your Highness have the power to crush them all?”
Each time, Captain Sarnet would smile lightly, as if it were nothing, and soothe La Til.
“Of course. Anyone who blocks my path—I’ll clear them all away.”
La Til pressed her lips tightly together and nodded firmly.
When yandere male lead believes she loves him — but she never did
“How dare you!”
“How dare you make me love you, only to cast me aside as nothing more than a friend?!?
“I will never accept that.”
“I will never let you return to him.”
“Even if I have to burn myself to ashes.”
“Even if I must shatter my purity, my dignity, my very soul.”
“I will never let you escape me!”
This was the first novel that introduced me to the matriarchal genre. I’ve read it three times already!
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~
_____
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Well, I expected that she would take concubines from other countries as they helped her with ascension.
The revenge against Hyacinth is quite harsh. A man wouldn’t expect something like that, especially one as narcissistic.
Well, it’s quite fun. It’s interesting and light to read. Feelings of the characters are exposed clearly. 👍🏻