Rather Than Be Taken, I Will Take (12 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 5
The banquet, which had almost ended with the tale of a noblewoman nearly exiled from high society due to a series of incidents remaining nothing more than gossip, was now drawing to a close.
Ludmila, having changed her dress, reentered the ballroom, and the scattered gazes instantly refracted toward her.
The noblewoman who had spilled wine earlier approached her.
Alienating Ludmila would essentially be a social death sentence in high society.
For noblewomen, high society was far more than just a place for casual socializing.
It was a stage where one elevated their family’s worth through exchanging mundane and old-fashioned conversations.
That worth directly signified the family’s influence.
From that perspective, Ludmila held a remarkably prominent position in high society.
Ludmila’s expression and tone, consoling the hesitant noblewoman, were as gentle and warm as spring sunshine.
The noblewoman’s tense face, previously weighed down by worry and sighing heavily, finally softened.
While everyone admired Ludmila’s kindness, inwardly she was dry and hollow—completely unlike her outward demeanor.
With words and expressions she didn’t truly feel, she placated the woman before her while rolling her eyes to search for Kedilen.
Soon spotting Kedilen chatting loudly among a group, Ludmila curtly bowed to signal the end of their conversation.
“Oh, my lady. You’ve arrived?”
Ludmila gave Kedilen a brief nod as he cheerfully welcomed her with a kind smile, then turned to face the man standing right before her—a former Speaker of the House.
“It’s been a while, Speaker Bex.”
“A pleasure, Marchioness. I regret what happened earlier.”
Bringing up an issue that didn’t need mentioning was a clear sign he intended to find fault.
Even the beloved and beautiful Marquis and Marchioness had their enemies.
The imperial family and old-guard nobility were precisely their adversaries.
Anyone stirring dust in the garden they’d cultivated would never be welcomed.
In that sense, Ludmila—despite being a bastard—was undeniably a major source of disruption due to her imperial blood.
Before replying, Ludmila offered a faint smile, lowered her gaze slightly, then flicked her eyes sideways.
Just as she expected, cold, hardened eyes—contradicting their owner’s smiling face—were fixed sharply on her.
He must be angry, not because it was his fault, but simply because something blameworthy had occurred.
She couldn’t even manage a dry chuckle at the thought of how harshly she might be struck today—perhaps bruising the inside of her cheek again.
“It was merely a private matter at a banquet. I’m perfectly fine.”
“How ever gracious you are, Marchioness—composed and dignified. You suit the title of ‘saint’ far better than that woman the Church parades around as their holy figure. What do you say, Marquis? Why not have your wife honored by the Church this very occasion? She’d fit splendidly.”
There was no need to so elaborately express that she was dull, old-fashioned, and boring.
Hearing the exact same words twice was never entertaining.
“Haha, really? Thank you for your kind words. But please kindly forgive my selfishness—I simply don’t wish to be parted from my wife.”
“Heh heh—.”
Since Ludmila offered no reaction, Kedilen finally stepped in.
As always, Kedilen wore the mask of an affectionate husband, prompting Speaker Bex to burst into hearty laughter.
He glanced dryly between the Marquis and Marchioness, wet his lips with red wine, and merely tilted the corner of his mouth.
“By the way, I suppose there’s still no news from the two of you?”
His blunt, abrupt remark was as rude as the gossip-mongers in marketplaces prying into others’ private affairs.
“Hm? What do you mean…?”
“Children. I’m speaking of children.”
“Ah—.”
Before Kedilen could fully swallow the question forming in his mind, Speaker Bex answered plainly.
Upon hearing a low sigh, the Speaker rubbed his chin.
“For a couple with such evident harmony to have no children after more than three years—everyone’s been quite puzzled.”
Ludmila briefly wondered if there was something drugged in his wine. Though she’d been flustered by this question before, it still felt painfully fresh.
Among noble etiquette, inquiring about heirs was strictly taboo.
It was one of the clearest ways to mistakenly imply interest in another’s family lineage.
Yet he’d asked directly.
Regardless of how poorly Speaker Bex and Kedilen got along as representatives of old nobility, this question crossed the line into sheer rudeness.
“Haha, is that so? It seems I’ve caused you concern. Perhaps it’s because I cherish my time alone with my wife so deeply that it simply hasn’t happened.”
“Even so, succession remains a crucial matter, wouldn’t you agree?”
“You make a fair point. We’ll reflect more deeply on this and begin making preparations ourselves.”
“Hmm—.”
Yet even such impoliteness posed no issue for Kedilen standing before them.
To him, the post of Minister of Commerce was an office he could never have dreamed of attaining in the past.
Nevertheless, most officials in both the Upper and Lower Houses—still tightly controlled by the Imperial Diet—were from old noble families.
Though the position of Minister was undoubtedly prestigious, he needed powerful backing.
Moreover, the Diet held the authority to appoint and dismiss ministers.
Knowing his head could fall at their slightest whim, Kedilen couldn’t—and wouldn’t—say a word against the Speaker’s rudeness.
Or rather, he didn’t need to—his pride functioned merely as a selective defense mechanism, active only before his wife.
The Speaker took another sip, then silently alternated his gaze between the two before finally fixing it on Ludmila.
His eyes quickly scanned her up and down, then he parted his wine-dampened lips.
“Could it be… that there’s something wrong with the Marchioness’s health?”
“Pardon?”
“…….”
“My wife mentioned that being too thin makes it difficult to conceive.”
“That’s…”
Predictably, faced with such an improper question, Kedilen hastily glanced over Ludmila’s figure with flustered eyes.
Ludmila, abruptly turned into a mannequin between two men, felt her eyes twitch faintly.
Though familiar with this humiliation from past experience, the shame never truly faded.
As she endured the indignity with a blank face and downturned lips, the Speaker’s voice shot out like a hook.
“But you don’t look unwell—just slender. Ah, could it perhaps be a congenital issue?”
“…….”
“If so, do tell me. I know an excellent physician in that field—I’d be glad to make an introduction.”
It wasn’t spoken with good intentions—at all. He was blatantly mocking Ludmila, hoping to extract something from her.
Ludmila’s eyes reddened as she swallowed the humiliation.
Hearing such hurtful words twice was far from pleasant.
Normally, in such a situation, it would be the husband’s duty—not the wife’s—to intervene as her protector, rebuke the rudeness, and demand an apology.
“We’re truly grateful that Speaker Bex cares so deeply for us. If the opportunity arises, I’ll visit you personally to make that request.”
Yet her husband, blinded by ambition and power, simply buried his wife’s shame and embarrassment without a word.
Seeing this, Speaker Bex twisted his lips as if bewildered.
To those who equated honor and dignity with life itself, Marquis Erdi was as good as dead.
“Scoundrels chasing after money—no wonder they’re despised.” Speaker Bex clicked his tongue audibly, then instantly smiled.
“In that case, let me introduce you to someone I know very—”
“Long time no see, Speaker.”
A blunt, coarse voice—utterly unlike noble diction—cut off Speaker Bex just as he was about to end the meaningless provocation.
Startled, the Speaker began to turn his head—only for an arm to drape over his shoulder.
“There you are.”
“You…!?”
Recognizing the half-submerged, sluggish voice, Speaker Bex turned fully—and his face instantly contorted.
‘…Aden?’
At his sudden appearance, Ludmila’s eyes flickered faintly.
In her previous life, this conversation had never taken place.
As she struggled to process this deviation from the timeline she knew, Aden’s golden eyes—fixed on the Speaker—swung toward her.
Ludmila flinched as their gazes met, those eyes resembling a predator’s.
“Still tormenting the Marquis and Marchioness with that same temper? Some things never change, no matter how much time passes.”
“When did you get here? Did you even receive an invitation?”
At the grumbling complaint from beside him, Aden’s gaze snapped back to the Speaker.
Instead of answering, Aden simply tugged sharply at the man’s smooth lips.
Gritting his teeth, the Speaker roughly brushed Aden’s hand away and glanced between Ludmila and Kedilen.
“‘Birds of a feather flock together’—that saying just came to mind.”
Brushing off Aden’s arm from his shoulder as if it carried germs, the Speaker twisted his lips.
“This hardly seems a suitable gathering for refined conversation. Enjoy your evening.”
Forcing out the barest courtesy, Speaker Bex bowed stiffly and walked away.
He muttered something as he left, but Ludmila made no effort to listen.
It was surely slander about either her or Aden.
Watching the Speaker’s retreating back, Aden let out a faint scoff.
Unlike the refreshing lightness he’d just displayed, the smile curling at his lips now was deeply heavy.
Had he always been like this?
As she tried recalling her brief past encounters with Aden, his golden eyes turned toward her once more.
Kedilen, who’d been too overwhelmed by the rapid shifts to keep up, finally snapped to attention as those eyes locked onto him—and began with a hesitant “Ah—.”
“My apologies for the late greeting. Ke—”
“Rumor has it Marquis Erdi would rip out his own liver for his wife—a true doting husband. Yet how absurd to call a man who ignores his wife’s humiliation right before his eyes a ‘doting husband.’”
“…What?”
How many times today had he found himself questioning reality? A metallic edge rang in Kedilen’s voice.
The golden eyes meeting Kedilen’s puzzled gaze narrowed slightly.
“Isn’t that the most vulgar jest imaginable—mocking the Marquis himself?”
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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