“Ouch! Ouch, ouch, ouch!”
“Oh dear, that’s as far as it goes. This is troublesome.”
Doctor Hazel, who had been moving Litania’s left arm back and forth, clicked his tongue as he pushed up his glasses that had slid down.
Hazel, with brown hair and round eyes, had two protruding front teeth like a squirrel.
Unlike other servants in the castle, he was slightly plump and skillfully treated Litania’s wounds, prescribing rest for recovery.
“Apart from some minor scratches, there are no serious injuries. Thank goodness.”
“My shoulder hurts…”
“Your ligaments are slightly stretched. But the bones are fine, so you should be alright after a few days of rest. I’ll prescribe anti-inflammatory medication, take it after each meal.”
The pain was one thing, but not being able to raise her arm was inconvenient. It would be difficult to eat with this arm. How would she bathe? Litania let out a groan as she rubbed her cheek against the pillow.
“Is this what they call frozen shoulder…”
“What are you saying? You’re still in your prime.”
Hazel spoke as if he found it absurd, but smiled warmly as if trying to comfort her. His smile oddly resembled Snow’s, making Litania wrinkle her nose.
Snow. My darling.
Whether due to guilt or longing, everyone she met seemed to resemble Snow, making Litania feel even more miserable.
“Snow…”
“That boy needs to rest for a few days. It’ll be difficult for him to attend to you in his condition.”
Snow had fallen ill.
Litania had never seen Snow, who was much smaller and younger than her, frowning like that. How much must it have hurt? Snow, who always smiled brightly even in hot summers and cold winters.
‘Snow got hurt because of me.’
Regret washed over her like a tidal wave.
Why did she insist on exploring the tower?
Even after being told it was dangerous.
Because of that cursed curiosity, her sweet Snow got hurt. And in the end, she didn’t even uncover the secret. Litania wished she could turn back time to the day before.
“If only this were a time travel story instead of a possession one…”
“I’m not sure what you mean, but I’ll bring someone who might appreciate your jokes more. For now, please get some rest.”
Hazel patted his hands like a squirrel cleaning its paws, then gently closed Litania’s eyelids. Though she hadn’t been given anesthesia, sleep overtook her as if by magic, and Litania drifted off.
[This is the timeline separator]Litania opened her eyes in a daze, as if submerged in water.
She could see red candlelight flickering faintly at the edges of the dim surroundings.
‘Is it night?’
Perhaps because she was still groggy, the pain in her shoulder wasn’t very noticeable. Litania tried to move her left arm gently, but quickly lowered it when she felt a dull sensation inside her shoulder.
She was certain that if she pushed herself here, the pain would return.
‘Did I sweat a lot? My clothes are all damp.’
Litania rose from the bed and gently peeled off her sweat-soaked nightgown that clung to her body as she carefully got out of bed.
“Eek!”
She let out a silent scream as she encountered a tall figure right after pulling back the canopy.
“Wh-wh-who…”
“You’re awake, Litania.”
The trembling in her shoulders stopped at the deep yet moist voice, as if sinking deep into the ocean.
“Orbis, why…”
She was about to ask why he was here, but Litania quickly closed her mouth. Why would he be here? Why else would a husband be in his injured wife’s room? He must have come to check on her condition.
‘Come to think of it, Hazel said before I fell asleep.’
Litania was the mistress of the Dragon Castle. There was only one person Hazel would defer to in her presence.
It was natural for Orbis to come see Litania. And what she should say to him wasn’t the obvious question of why he came, but something else. Litania quickly bowed her head and apologized.
“I’m sorry, Orbis. I didn’t listen to you and went to the tower on my own…”
“You must have been scared, Litania.”
Instead of reproaching her for ignoring his words as she expected, Orbis surprisingly comforted her in a gentle voice.
“Now you understand that you must never go there again, right?”
“Yes, yes… I won’t go.”
“You’ve made a wise decision.”
The firelight from the crackling brazier cast a slender shadow on the ceiling, nearly reaching it. His golden hair, shimmering in the firelight, swayed very slowly before he suddenly came closer.
Surprised by the unexpected proximity, Litania awkwardly covered herself and took a step back. She was in her nightgown.
Moreover, the fabric was damp with sweat, revealing almost all of her body’s contours.
“Orbis. I-I… I’m all sweaty.”
“Then you should take a bath.”
As Orbis bent his waist towards Litania, bringing his face close to hers and making a gesture as if smelling her, Litania’s face turned bright red.
‘Do I smell?’
On top of the embarrassment of being seen in such a disheveled state, the shame of having her sweat odor detected surged up, radiating heat. Her face turned as red as a fire-roasted tomato, even though the actual fire was in the brazier.
“Orbis, I’m sorry, but could you step back a bit? I smell…”
“I like your scent, though.”
“Well, I don’t!”
When Litania protested with a face on the verge of tears, Orbis chuckled and straightened his upper body.
That alone slightly increased the distance between him and the petite woman.
Orbis raised his right hand and lightly snapped his fingers. His hand, covered in a white glove, still looked large and delicate.
“Orbis? What did you do?”
“I’ve had the bath prepared. Go in, Litania.”
“So quickly?”
Litania looked at the bathroom door next to her room. Through the half-open door, she could see steam rising from the bathtub.
‘Did he use magic again?’
Litania covered her chest with both hands and sidled past Orbis like a crab.
As she was about to dash into the bathroom, Litania stopped at the door and turned to look at Orbis. He was taking off his coat to hang it and rolling up his sleeves.
“Orbis? Why are you…”
Orbis turned to Litania with a smile, revealing his subtly sturdy-looking forearms.
“You’ll need help bathing, so I’ll assist you.”
“No, I don’t need it!”
Litania cried out in shock.
It’s not like it was Snow; she had never even imagined having an adult man like Orbis help her bathe.
Even if he was her husband on paper, he was essentially a stranger. Not even human, at that.
However, Orbis’s steps towards the panicking Litania remained calm.
“D-don’t come any closer.”
“I’m hurt, Litania. You said we were friends.”
“Friends don’t… bathe together!”
“Friends help each other. You’ve injured your left shoulder, so it’ll be hard to raise your arm.”
His relaxed lips caught the edge of the white glove. As his delicate bangs swayed, the glove slowly peeled off his long fingers.
Orbis had never shown his bare hands to Litania before. The elegant and large man’s hands, always hidden beneath a thin layer of fabric, were now revealed.
The crackling firelight seemed to heat up the room’s temperature, felt through the skin.
“Let me help you, my friend.”
It was an unfamiliar, heated gaze. It was slightly different from the lust of a man desiring a woman.
Gently curved eyes. Deep blue irises visible beneath long eyelashes were fixed intently on her.
Above the benevolent feeling of helping an injured friend, a seductive light arose, and Litania stared at him, forgetting to breathe.
A mesmerizing gaze. His elegant lips curved into an unfamiliar shape as he drew closer.
As his shallow breath brushed her bangs, goosebumps rose. Though her whole body seemed to bristle, she couldn’t move.
“Shall we start by taking off your clothes?”
“Uh… Ah!”
An unfamiliar body heat seeped damply along her wet shoulder collar.
By the time she realized that Orbis’s large hand was enveloping her shoulder, her nightgown had already flowed down like water and lay limply around her ankles.
Her temperature rose hotly from below her neck to the tips of her ears. As Litania gasped, forgetting even to cover her chest, a soft cloth settled back onto her shoulders.
It was a bath towel.
“Let’s get into the bathtub.”
“…”
Whether he truly intended only to help with bathing by removing her nightgown, Orbis stepped back after draping the bath towel over Litania’s shoulders.
Was it just her imagination that he had seemed seductive for a moment? His face was so plain that one could hardly think he was a husband facing his naked wife.
“Shall I carry you?”
“Ah, no!”
Litania shuddered and quickly grabbed the bath towel to cover herself. Then she tiptoed towards the bathtub, glancing back.
Seeing Orbis’s bare hands reminded her of the sensation from earlier, making her face tingle.
‘I’m crazy, I’m crazy!’
Litania quickly plunged into the bathtub.
__________
Men In The Royal Harem All Yearn For Her (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The men (young empress, young empress dowager, crown prince) in the harem all yearn to become her consort.
Synopsis:
The female protagonist is a wildly popular heartthrob with a natural halo.
The male protagonist is a crazily obsessed and self-abasing loyal dog.
Qiu Shu, the top scholar’s daughter, is pure, elegant and incomparably enchanting, captivating countless admirers.
Being favored by the eldest prince, the most handsome man in the capital, and becoming his wife in a single move is truly the pride of a poor student.
However, what they don’t know is that the seemingly bright and splendid female protagonist lives in a battlefield of jealousy every day.
The cute and adorable young empress is unusually attached to her.
The gentlemanly and upright young empress dowager has an ambiguous relationship with her.
Even her aloof and proud eldest prince is actually a gloomy and petty jealous husband.
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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