Mayana’s eyes sharpened. Though she was a noble so proud and powerful that he dared not even look at her, Mayana had a disposition that couldn’t bear to smile away an insult right in front of her eyes.
The moment she was about to lash out, Mrs. Celine hurriedly waved her wrinkled hand and stopped Mayana’s rage.
“There’s no way, Your Grace. This young lady is not that kind of person. You can tell just by her voice.”
“I’m not saying I don’t trust your judgment, ma’am. It’s just that there are many cunning people these days, so it would be good to be cautious.”
The Duke’s voice was suave and composed. Unable to hold back at his tone, which seemed faintly mocking, Mayana defiantly folded her arms.
“You treat me like a petty thief. Isn’t that an overreaction?”
The Duke, who raised an eyebrow slightly, tilted his head.
“What do you mean?”
Mayana answered directly.
“I mean… I can’t be sure if you are the real Valterminster Duke, or just a fraud pretending to be him.”
The one taken aback by her words was not the Duke, but Mrs. Celine. Thinking the two might start fighting, the old lady intervened, flustered.
“Oh dear, stop this at once. Your Grace, this young lady is truly a good young lady. And he really is the Duke of Valterminster.”
“Grandmother, but…”
It was then. Suddenly, the Duke, who had raised his right hand, pulled off the leather glove he had on. Mayana could guess his noble status just by seeing the condition of his fingers and the back of his hand in the glimpse. And then…
“Will this prove it?”
The Duke extended his right hand toward Mayana. It was a gesture as if wanting a kiss on the back of his hand, but Mayana’s thoughts didn’t go that far, as she was looking at the splendid emerald ring encircling his middle finger.
Around the large emerald, big enough to almost completely cover the man’s finger joint, was a twisted decoration symbolizing a rope. Although not large, it was filled with meticulously embedded topquality diamonds.
Beneath the emerald, shining a deeper green in the dim room, was an engraved crow’s head with a triangular shape, symbolizing the Valterminster Duke family.
The Duke spoke again.
“Why no answer? Is this not enough proof even after seeing it?”
Mayana, momentarily pouting her lips in dissatisfaction, turned away from him.
She said,
“It doesn’t matter if you show me such things, I’m a country bumpkin after all. I don’t know if the ring is real or fake, or what it’s for.”
Then the Duke chuckled as if baffled.
“By the way you talk, you don’t seem like a country bumpkin, but rather a lady of a noble family.”
There was no way Mayana wouldn’t recognize the sarcasm. She sneered, glancing at the Duke’s ringfingered hand. The splendid ring didn’t quite match his attire. It was probably a ring symbolizing the Valterminster family.
If it was truly a ring of the Duke’s family, the authenticity of the ring was not the main issue. Even Mayana knew that no one in the capital could be so brazen as to pose as the Valterminster Duke unless they were either very brave or willing to risk their life.
Chels, noticing that the situation had somewhat calmed, quickly nuzzled the Duke’s leg and then sent a compassionate look at Mayana, as if to tell her to make peace with him.
‘Look at those eyes, how can they be so cute and intelligent! They even remind me of Sundali.’
Mayana was lost in thrilled thought.
Sundali was the name of the pet dog she and her family had first brought home. Of course, in her previous life. Before her ordinary death…
Mrs. Celine said,
“Yes, yes. The guests are heading to the living room. I will prepare the tea.”
“I will help you.”
“I’ll assist you.”
Mayana who answered simultaneously quickly turned her face to look at the Duke. Her expression seemed to say, ‘How could there be such an unpleasant coincidence?’ but for some reason, the Duke was staring at Mayana with an interested look.
“You both can go and wait in the living room. I can boil the tea quickly. Right, Chels? Grandma can still do it, you know?”
Then Chels responded to Celine’s words with a bark!
Eventually chased into the living room by Mrs. Celine, the two took their seats at the wornout edges of the sofa. Perhaps because they had almost engaged in a physical fight just moments ago, they kept their mouths shut and sat awkwardly, as if their buttocks were fidgeting.
The Duke glanced at Mayana.
“What have you been up to?”
Mayana skillfully hid her close relationship and responded quite respectfully.
“I was a livein maid, Your Grace.”
“Have you been kicked out, then, having no place to go?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The Duke sneered.
“So, you really didn’t steal?”
“As I told you earlier, I have never done such a petty thing. Even though I may be a wandering maid looking for work, Your Grace, the noble Valterminster Duke, should not so easily insult others.”
Mayana’s attitude clearly showed her anger, but the Duke didn’t reply to her words.
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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