Serena greeted the morning with an unusually downcast expression. Usually, it would be a time to feel excited and happy about the harvest festival, but thanks to Lucas barging in, she didn’t have a chance to enjoy it.
“Ah! When the wandering knight said he had the Empire’s passage pass, I should have lied and said I was sick.”
As always, regret comes late. And Serena was not a person skilled in lying in the first place.
“It doesn’t make sense that the duke’s representative is uncomfortable while Astel is so prosperous and filled with joy at the harvest festival.”
“Anna always says the right thing.”
Huff, Serena sighed and grumbled, looking at Anna like a child. It was something even Anna didn’t know where this pure face and eyes could muster the strength to raise a territory.
“Well, Miss, you are currently engaged to His Highness the Crown Prince. Even if you were careless in the past, that fact will not change.”
Serena knew. The vow of engagement, shared with the Pope’s blessing in the imperial chapel, was not something easily broken.
Even if it was a bride’s sentiment obtained by losing a bet with the Duke, who was the Emperor’s friend.
“It was a punishment game. A light bet among men on the battlefield!”
“If the Miss had not been lacking, even if it was a bet, there would have been no engagement ceremony.”
Boo, Serena puffed up her cheeks for no reason.
“I still hate it!”
Now that she had become the princess, there were more people bowing to her than in her past life.
“It’s annoying and I hate it.”
“His Highness the Crown Prince’s attendance is inevitable. I had a few dresses prepared last night.”
“Why?”
“Even if you didn’t know at first, now you know that it is His Highness the Crown Prince who is attending, so you must dress properly.”
Seeing Anna’s serious face, Serena couldn’t just say she hated it, and Lucas’s unnecessary actions were annoying.
“Why is everyone so presumptuous?”
Serena grumbled with dissatisfaction.
People sweettalked when they needed something and turned coldly away when that need was gone. In her past life, the wounds caused by such people festered and burst, and she could say nothing about it.
“His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Including him, everyone! Like His Excellency Duke Farell.”
“Ah… that’s right.”
Anna played along, accepting a clothes hanger with dresses from a young maid.
Considering Serena’s status and Astel’s wealth, the dresses were rather simple, but they were more formal than her usual attire and above all, were perfect to showcase Serena’s natural beauty.
“I’ve prepared five for now. What do you think, Miss?”
Serena’s expression was sour as she looked at the dresses hanging in a row.
“Which one is the most comfortable? Without tightly cinching the waist or having too voluminous a skirt.”
It was indeed a difficult question, but Anna kept her smile.
“The third blue dress has an aesthetic that gets bluer from top to bottom. It’s also adorned with elegant silver patterns, so it’s graceful and not excessive, and you will look beautiful.”
“Hmm.”
Serena gave the dress a momentary glance.
“Well, let’s go with that.”
“I think that’s suitable too.”
The dress was almost white at the top, getting bluer towards the bottom, matching well with Serena’s eye color.
The design was simple but not too plain, with silver threads adding just the right touch for the occasion. That was Anna’s judgment.
“Shall we go with this one?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
Of course, Serena didn’t really care.
“Then, let me help you get dressed. Lili, come and lend a hand.”
“Yes, madam.”
Lili was the daughter of a longserving servant of Astel and became a maid at Anna’s request after Serena’s arrival.
“Miss, the dress.”
As the two women spread the dress to make it easier to put on, Serena reluctantly stepped into the middle. Then the dress was quickly pulled up, and the buttons fastened one by one.
“Jewelry is…….”
“I’m fine.”
Anna nodded without asking further.
“However, you must have a fan and gloves.”
Serena, dressed in a gown reflected in the tall mirror, looked much more beautiful than usual. If it weren’t for her frowned face, she would have looked even more so.
“Why?”
“It’s the law to greet royalty. Every lady and young mistress must have a fan and gloves.”
“It’s autumn now. It’s chilly at night, what’s with the fan?”
“Ladies speak with fans, not mouths.”
This time it seemed Anna wouldn’t back down easily.
“……Do you have something picked out?”
“Yes.”
Serena reluctantly nodded, looking at Anna’s bright smile.
“I chose gloves that go above the elbow for formality, but if you’re okay with it, gloves that come just to the elbow would be good too.”
“Yeah, I think that’ll be good.”
Even with Serena’s soulless reply, Anna didn’t lose her smile.
“Today, let your hair down long. I’ll pin a platinum branch above your left ear.”
“Uh…….”
Serena was still uninterested in dressing up. However, Serena’s dressedup appearance was indeed their reward and pride.
“You look so beautiful even with little adornment.”
“Not just slender?”
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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