Duke Atraxil’s worries were justified. Despite his impassive exterior, Ranamun’s pride was severely hurt at the moment. Despite this, the fact that he still chose to come out showed that his pride was hurt more than the Duke had imagined.
From the start, Ranamun didn’t want to be a national book. For Ranamun, the position of national book was a place he ‘didn’t want but I will just do it’.
However, he had no intention of giving up to anyone else. Whether he wanted it or not, it was unpleasant for someone else to take a place that had been mentioned as his candidate. Because he didn’t want to bow and say hello to the fools who were less than him just because they were national books.
But… what? You’re not going to choose a national book? You’re going to bring in a harem? You’re going to choose a national book from the harem?
Ranamun clenched his teeth. The emperor was not a fool. Of course, he knew who was the most likely candidate for national book. But declaring that he wouldn’t choose a national book meant he didn’t want to bring him in as a national book.
Ranamun could not accept this.
“I will become a part of the harem and try flirting.”
Are you going to flirt…? Duke Atraxil stepped back in surprise at his son’s radical words.
“Are you holding documents related to the harem?”
Ranamun snatched the papers that Duke Atraxil was about to discard with a cool look in his eyes. Then he took out a pen from the pocket on his coat and signed on the paper without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, the Duke held a paper with his son’s signature in his arms.
As Ranamun put his pen back, he made a cold prediction.
“Within a year, the emperor will appoint me as a national book, father.”
“…I see. I hope so, I do.”
“To do that, you have to prepare thoroughly, father.”
Prepare! At that word, Duke Atraxil remembered that he shouldn’t be surprised now.
Yes. Now that he had decided to become a harem, he had to prepare a lot. The struggle between the harems for the position of the national book must have been very fierce and scary. The Duke asked with a slightly tense face.
“What can I prepare for you? Poison? Aphrodisiac? Buying people? Escorts disguised as servants? Say it. I’ll prepare whatever it is.”
At his serious and fierce words, Ranamun nodded and made a request.
“I ask for books written about night techniques.”
“Ah, son!”
How far are you going to prepare!
[This is the time separator]Count Bretta was puzzled. Why was I suddenly made the representative of the diplomatic delegation to Karisen?
He had experience as a diplomat. But there were many others with more experience than him.
It was not because of closeness, for Count Bretta was not very close to Empress Latrasil. It couldn’t be. When Empress Latrasil was fighting over the throne with Prince Tratala, he didn’t support either side.
If he had to choose one of the two, he probably would have chosen Prince Tratala.
Because of such a relationship, he thought he would live quietly for a while.
“Are you still worried about that?”
At the words of the attendant who was smiling, Count Bretta replied sulkily.
“I think it’s strange even if I think about it. I wonder if there is any other bad intention.”
“Oh, relax. The fact that you were personally appointed as the first delegation representative is a good thing.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
As the attendant repeatedly said good things, Count Bretta finally eased his mind. Yes. Good things are good.
However, upon arrival in Karisen and broaching the topic of concubines to its emperor, the count understood why Emperor Latrasil had specifically chosen him to lead the diplomatic mission.
The Emperor of Karisen welcomed all the envoys from the Tarium Empire, warmly greeting them while flashing a smile that showcased his stunning beauty, the talk of the neighboring nations.
But that dazzling smile disappeared as soon as Count Breta explained the purpose of the diplomatic mission. It wasn’t just that the smile disappeared. Emperor Hyacinth’s face turned pale, and he even clenched his teeth tightly.
“Who, to whom, is to send who?”
He asked, biting off each word, and by the end, he seemed ready to rip his throne apart.
“Isn’t the current Emperor of Tarium, Emperor Latrasil?”
“Yeyes, it is.”
“So, Emperor Latrasil, in her harem, wants me to pick out a man, and sent you to me?”
It appeared that Emperor Hyacinth and Emperor Latrasil had some personal connections, and not of a good kind.
In other words, Emperor Latrasil had chosen Count Breta, with whom she had a bad relationship, to lead the delegation, anticipating Emperor Hyacinth’s fit of rage.
Isn’t that a bit much? Count Breta put on a gloomy face. He had indeed favored Prince Tiella as the one ‘currently’ more suitable for the throne, but he had not been showing off this preference.
A thunderous noise snapped Count Breta back to reality, forcing him to swallow his hiccup. He looked at the Emperor of Karisen with wide eyes.
Now wasn’t the time to feel wronged. He had been assigned a task, and unless he wanted to abandon his territory and emigrate, he had to carry out his task properly.
Count Breta carefully opened his mouth in as gentle a tone as possible.
“Her Majesty, the Emperor of Tarium, holds infinite goodwill towards Karisen. Didn’t Tarium send concubines to Karisen two years ago? If Karisen would reciprocate by sending concubines to Tarium this time, it would tie our two nations with two knots, and our relationship would be even more intimate, she said.”
Count Breta took out a letter with the emperor’s seal from his chest.
“This is a personal letter from Her Majesty, Emperor Latrasil.”
The chief secretary standing behind Emperor Hyacinth approached, took the letter, and handed it to Emperor Hyacinth.
Count Breta swallowed hard and looked at Emperor Hyacinth.
“…..”
Emperor Hyacinth was just breaking the seal of the letter. The emperor’s eyes scrutinized every inch of the expensive paper with a faint gold sheen.
Count Breta clenched both hands tightly. He prayed that Emperor Latrasil had only written kind words in the letter. Hopefully, there would be no message such as ‘kill the bearer of this letter’.
But Hyacinth remained expressionless throughout his reading, leaving his thoughts a mystery.
After some time, Emperor Hyacinth finally laid down the letter he had been holding.
With a trembling heart, Count Breta looked at Emperor Hyacinth’s expression and drew in a sharp breath. What on earth was written in that letter…?
Emperor Hyacinth looked as if he wanted to tear the count apart at any moment.
[This is the time separator]I need a man for my harem. You know my taste, right? Send me someone who fits. Look at my face. That doesn’t mean I don’t look at their personality. There’s no need to be smart to be in a harem.
But it would be good if they were capable of conversation. Avoid brown hair and gray eyes. It reminds me of you and upsets me.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
