If Lucas looked indifferent when entering the engagement ceremony, now the signs of disliking and feeling displeased towards his fiancée were clearly showing.
“Wi, with this, in the name of God, we conclude the engagement ceremony of the Crown Prince of the Tern Empire and Her Grace, the Duke of Astel.”
Fireworks prepared in the guest seats went off, and flower petals were scattered from the second floor, but between the two who had just become engaged, only coldness flowed.
“If I had known you were such a large woman, I would have included a procedure to kneel at the ceremony.”
Among the fireworks and noise, Lucas’s spat words were directed only at Serena. Serena could no longer hold back and blurted out.
“If I had known that Your Highness the Crown Prince was so small, I would have worn lower heels.”
Sparks, an irreconcilable tension, spiked between their gazes. Of course, unfortunately for Lucas, he was still looking up at Serena.
“How dare… you call me small?”
Perhaps her casually thrown words hit his weak spot, for sparks of anger flared in his young, narrowed eyes. The sharp tail of his eyes, wrapped around his black pupils, gave him quite a menacing look.
“Smaller than I thought… yes.”
At Serena’s honest reply, Lucas furrowed his brow and glared at her.
“I don’t like such a tall woman either.”
If she had heard such words in her previous life, she would have been terribly hurt. But now,
“I agree.”
“What?”
Lucas’s one eyebrow twitched.
“I don’t like this engagement either.”
Smirking, Serena wore an elegant smile on her pinktinted lips.
“I don’t like men shorter than me, you know.”
“So now I am?”
Instead of giving a difficult answer, Serena just smiled. At that, Lucas, who was glaring at her, seemed even more childish and immature.
“Ha, fine. I’ll put off the vow of a kiss until we are married. Until I come back and hold the wedding, your status will remain the same as yesterday.”
The boy’s lips twisted strangely, oozing sarcasm.
“Well, if the day of our marriage comes, that is.”
His words rang small and low, almost like a threat to Serena.
But that sharp threat couldn’t ruin Serena’s smile in the least.
Fortunately, he was not that important a person in Serena’s life.
Though they would marry later on, nothing that could be called marital relations ever occurred between them. In other words, it meant a mere passing acquaintance.
But considering the difficulties Serena would face in the future due to this brief meeting, she did not feel like giving him any leeway, even if he was still a young boy.
“If such a day comes… well.”
Serena deliberately bent down to align with his height and whispered into his ear,
“I hope by then, Your Highness will be taller than me.”
For a moment, before Lucas could even say anything, Serena wore a triumphant smile, his face flushed with confusion.
As she straightened her back, her smile seemed very lofty, and to the present Lucas, it was indeed quite high.
“You go beyond displeasing me to angering me. You better not talk to me so freely again.”
Lucas’s words were full of irritation, but Serena didn’t care much.
“I will keep that in mind.”
It was better to give up and live comfortably if they couldn’t get close anyway. Having experienced death once, she no longer wanted to beg for someone’s affection or conform to their standards.
Even without that, life would be filled with brilliant things; a cold future husband would be fine.
“……Ha!”
Everyone saw the Crown Prince, though their conversation was private, turn his back with an angry expression.
“Hmph.”
Of course, the future Crown Princess, who spat a sneer and turned her back just the same, was no pushover either.
Even if he was only fourteen years old, the fact that he was much smaller and threw tantrums made him even more ridiculous, so she felt she had to do the same to feel satisfied.
“This is the worst day of the year.”
Fortunately, the maids assisting the ceremony sensed the cold atmosphere and quickly pulled Serena away.
“For the first time today, I agree with Your Highness.”
But no one could stop the future Crown Princess from having her say to the end, and the engagement ceremony somehow concluded with the Crown Prince’s face flushed red.
The first impression that the 14yearold Crown Prince and 18yearold Duchess felt at the engagement ceremony was the worst, and their relationship going forward would be the worst as well.
“This, this.”
“Already….”
In the future, the nobles who attended the event reminisced about the occasion, unanimously declaring it to be a truly childish and illmatched engagement.
“Who should go to the battlefield, I wonder…”
“He does look very brave, doesn’t he?”
“Oh my, you shouldn’t say such things.”
Although a few snide remarks could be heard from the lips hidden behind elegant clothing and fans, thanks to the Emperor’s stern gaze, a bloody incident was avoided.
“Hmm, everyone, please mind your words.”
At the Pope’s words, the crowds gathered in groups began to disperse a little.
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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