The warm fragrance immediately captivated his senses, leading his crimson gaze over her plump lips.
An unbearable thirst arose in an instant, drying up his mouth. It seemed to have started since the moment he drank the fruit juice Arabel chewed and spat out in the rain-soaked cave. The burning thirst that came every time he saw her adorable lips.
He wanted to bite into them in one go, drinking the juice within. As he stared at her lips, the sensation of thirst intensified. Sweat formed on the emperor’s back at the eerie thought of tasting a person’s lips.
Feeling self-loathing as if transforming into a beast, the emperor couldn’t tear his gaze away from Arabel’s lips. The emperor’s upper body, which had been moving away, leaned down again, beginning to place his weight on Arabel’s slender body.
When Arabel’s eyes, avoiding the red eyes that seemed to devour her, closed tightly, a low growl echoed from the depths of the emperor’s lower abdomen.
“If you don’t open your eyes, you don’t know what I might do. Open your eyes.”
The emperor’s pupils, meeting Arabel’s eyes with difficulty by lifting his unyielding eyelids, were wet and flickered. As the radiant irises shimmered, the heated face reflected in the sparkling, luminous pupils entered the emperor’s red eyes, causing his face to pale.
His appearance was that of a creature losing its sanity. The emperor’s large hand covered Arabel’s eyes, obscuring the gaze. After gnashing his teeth to the point of breaking them, the emperor shook his head, then soon rose from her, leaving her.
Leaving Arabel trembling with fear, the emperor, without a word of apology, left her alone in the carriage and went out. Still lying on the bench, Arabel’s bony shoulders, clenching her fists white, trembled uncontrollably.
‘This is the worst. I behaved as rudely as any alley thug. As an emperor, as a man, I committed an unforgivable rudeness and left her behind as if escaping.’
Pulling the reins tightly in disgust at his own cowardice for leaving Arabel alone, the emperor spat out curses.
“They say the emperor won’t dine.”
A young officer, who hadn’t touched his lunch, came out of the carriage and reported, “He looks as pale as a ghost; it seems like he’s really unwell.”
The emperor, too, hadn’t touched the food in front of him.
“Shall we arrange for a diagnosis from the physician when we arrive at the territory of Viscount Lorel?”
When Commander Jacob spoke, looking at the emperor’s expression, the emperor nodded without saying a word.
The Imperial Guards, who started the march from dawn, briefly set up camp and entered the afternoon rest time. Although the emperor did not rest for long until reaching the destination, this march allowed for a surprisingly extended break.
He was concerned that he might get tired inside the running carriage. And also with the hope that he might come out of the carriage for a while.
The crimson pupils, still looking at the unopened carriage door, darkened heavily.
“Oh, people are cruel. They found a newborn baby deer… since there’s nothing to hunt.”
When Commander Peter, who came up from the riverside, muttered to himself while shaking his head, Commander Jacob, who was guarding the emperor, asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“A fawn, born recently, was abandoned by the river. It seems that the mother deer hid and watched on the opposite side of the river. Probably attacked the fawn to catch the mother deer.”
“This year, deer hunting is prohibited. When we arrive at the territory, we should strongly warn.”
In the conversation between friends Peter and Jacob, the carriage’s window slid open. The red eyes did not miss the light brown pupils reflected through the window.
“I wish I could save it, but… Unfortunately, there’s no one here who can treat wild animals.”
When the emperor deliberately spoke in a loud voice, Peter and Jacob looked at the emperor with puzzled expressions.
Since when had the emperor shown interest in injured wild animals?
“Still, I should go down and take a look. Just passing by wouldn’t be humane.”
Emperor Maxwell, who liked rough hunting and, even if injured, advanced without hesitation, declared that he would go down to the riverside to help the injured wild animal, as if it were always the case.
While the Imperial Guards stood frozen, unable to react or make any expression, the carriage door quietly opened.
“May I… go with you?”
A trembling voice murmured softly.
A baby deer, born less than two days ago on the desolate riverbank, was breathing heavily.
Its large black eyes were gazing at the gentle touch that warmly warmed its body. Beyond the busy small shoulders, on the opposite side of the riverbank, the mother deer stood watching helplessly, unable to approach.
Maxwell, who had returned with a branch to Arabel after picking up tree branches, sat down cautiously next to her.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!