‘I’m really crazy. Crazy. What’s cool and refreshing! Groping someone else’s body like that. You’re a pervert. A pervert.’
I knelt down like a high treason criminal and looked at him. But for some reason, he didn’t budge from his spot.
I waited, thinking he might be embarrassed. But he wrapped himself tightly in the blanket.
Wondering what the situation was, I waited for him to open his mouth. Without even turning his gaze towards me, he spoke softly.
“If you go outside, there will be maids. Ask them for digestive soup and assistance. Last night, you drank so much, so your condition won’t be good.”
“Yes, what about you, Yezar?”
“I will go out a little later.”
He must be displeased that I groped his body as I pleased. Clearly, just last night, the mood was good.
“I’m sorry, Yezar. Don’t be angry.”
“I’m not angry.”
“But yesterday you said you’d be friends with me, but now you’re not even looking at me. You’re clearly angry, right? I… I know you’re upset that I groped you like a pervert….”
His body was very pure. A man who had only eyes for the female lead couldn’t possibly have been touched by another woman’s hand.
‘Sob. I’m the sinner. I defiled such a pure body.’
“I’m really sorry.”
“Re-really, I’m not angry….”
“Then why are you wrapped up in the blanket like that?”
“I apologize for not explaining beforehand. It’s because of my sleeping habit. I was going to leave once Madam fell asleep appropriately.”
A voice filled with self-loathing struck my ears.
“What’s your sleeping habit? Are you sick or something?”
“I….”
“Yes.”
After a long pause, unable to continue speaking, Yezar stammered.
“When I sleep, I undress completely.”
Suddenly, silence descended between us. I tried to grasp the situation. Okay. If his sleeping habit is to sleep naked… So when I groped his body and he woke up… Huh?
Naturally, my gaze turned to under the bed. And I discovered a sprawled out gown. Glancing, I looked at my own attire.
I was wearing the gown I had put on over a thin slip very meticulously. So the owner of that sprawled out gown was.
“Uh… by any chance, naked….”
“….”
He didn’t answer, but it was as if I heard his response. I quickly got up to leave the room so he wouldn’t feel ashamed.
Honestly, my head was pounding and I felt nauseous, but I had to desperately escape from that space.
“Madam, why are you coming out alone?”
“…Well.”
I tried to answer honestly but shut my mouth. I can’t say that I can’t go in because my contracted husband is naked in there!
No, actually, if we were a real couple, it wouldn’t be a strange scene!
“Ack!”
“M-Madam?! Why are you doing that?”
Yezar! We share a bedroom! What do you expect me to do now?! I’ve never seen a man’s naked body before!
A silent scream echoed inside me.
[This is the timeline separator]After that eventful morning passed and I ate some hangover soup, I was feeling the breeze blowing softly by the window.
‘Ah. This hangover feels like death. But, my future with Yezar now seems even crazier. Hahaha!’
I didn’t really want to use separate rooms if possible. Naturally, a couple on good terms would share a bedroom.
If this brought up unnecessary talk, it was obvious that Wizlet and the nanny at the count’s estate would also worry.
‘It’s one thing after another.’
I thought we could continue our contract marriage life as friends, properly maintaining boundaries until we divorce.
‘But when he wrapped himself tightly in the blanket and spoke from the edge of the bed, it was kind of cu-‘
I slapped my cheeks hard. What’s cute about being cute. Get a grip, Julieta. Yezar is the sub-male lead!
If I started developing feelings for a man who had loved only the female lead for several years, almost a dozen years, my life would become arduous.
It sounds nice to say I entered the novel to save the sub-male lead. But actually hearing that earnest confession, any desire to love completely disappeared.
From the perspective of someone who had a glimpse of a heart so heavy that I couldn’t even dare to intervene, I absolutely didn’t want to even start.
‘Yes, let’s set some rules. We didn’t establish the parts we need to adhere to as a contract couple, right?’
The contract he presented only listed that we would act as an ideal couple, the contract period, and the settlement amount in case of a future divorce.
“We have to live together for the next 2 years. If we don’t set rules in advance, incidents like today are bound to happen.”
I got up to go to Yezar, thinking to strike while the iron is hot. I also needed to get a word about what I would have to do as the duchess in the future.
But when I actually tried to go where he was, Yezar ran away.
Seriously. I’m not exaggerating, but as soon as he saw me, he disappeared around the corner with fast steps.
It was absurd. What will you do now if your husband avoids his wife after becoming one?
Of course, I did grope his body… but I didn’t see everything down there!
“Yezar, wait a moment!”
I hurried to chase after him, but as expected of a knight, his strides were annoyingly fast. With those long legs of his, he vanished like a crane in front of me.
‘Even if you avoid me now, what difference does it make since we’ll meet at night anyway!’
He’s really a frustrating person. Whether it’s awkward now or later, it’s just a matter of timing.
And that night, Yezar didn’t come to the bedroom, saying he was working in the office. I banged my head against the wall.
‘Are you really going to do this?’
Because he kept running away, now even the tips of my hair were burning with anger. Yes, I was wrong. But can it be resolved by running away like that?!
Burning up like that, I missed Yezar about three more times inside the mansion and caught him on the fourth.
Where? In his office. I crawled under the desk, groaning, and waited for him to come.
‘This is the first time I’ve hidden under a desk since I was 5 years old.’
Because of this shy man, I even crawled under a desk, really, all sorts of things happen.
After waiting a bit, I heard footsteps outside. I covered my mouth and held my breath. They said knights are sensitive to presence. Yezar might find out beforehand and run away.
‘Concealing presence is easy.’
When I had nothing to do at home, I sometimes hung out with the knights at our mansion and learned how to conceal my presence. Soon, the innocent Yezar entered the office without any suspicion and sat in the chair. Before he could suspect I was a hidden spy and draw his sword, I revealed that it was me.
“Yezar.”
And Yezar, with sharp ears, immediately recognized my voice and tried to run away. But I firmly grabbed his leg.
“We have things to talk about, don’t we?”
Where are you trying to run off to, you mischievous contract husband! Let’s talk a bit!
[This is the timeline separator]I sat discontentedly and stared at him. Now that I caught him, he was sitting still again, which was annoying.
‘If you’re going to be that obedient, why did you run away?’
The location was still his office where I had been hiding. Seeing me crawl out from under the desk, the aides screamed.
But at my menacing look, they tactfully left this place. Unlike the person who had been running away, Yezar offered me a handkerchief as soon as he saw me.
“You got dust on your head. Your dress is wrinkled too. Tell the maids to…”
I didn’t take his handkerchief and answered.
“It’s fine. That can be done later.”
In reality, what was important now wasn’t my dirty appearance.
“The important thing now is! Why did you run away as soon as you saw me!”
Of course I know. I groped that shy man’s body while half-asleep. Not only that, he was naked, so he felt ashamed when telling me about his sleeping habit.
But still, come on. Running away as soon as you see someone’s face. That’s too much. I have a lot of things to talk about.
Thanks to that, I voluntarily crawled under the desk and was holding my breath.
Then, lowering his pretty face, he answered.
“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t face Madam…”
The end of his answer trembled, and the tips of his ears were red. His eyes, checking if I was angry, were miserable, and a distinct clean scent wafted towards me, as if he had just showered.
For a moment, I was about to blurt out that it was okay without knowing. I suppressed the intense instinct and regained my senses, asking.
“Because you were embarrassed?”
“For showing such an unseemly side to Madam. Don’t you want an ideal husband? But if I have such a terrible sleeping habit, I thought you would dislike it. Perhaps you were disappointed in me….”
If he really thought that way, his invisible tail seemed to droop dejectedly, and his head went down endlessly. Unable to endure it, I stood up, slamming the desk.
“No!”
Ah. I don’t even know anymore. Even if I try to get angry, I can’t get angry if he looks like that. Why is he so dejected that I can’t even get angry in a mean way?
“There’s no way I’d be disappointed! Of course, I was surprised. But I also… tan-tantalizingly groped your ch-chest. So don’t say that!”
Then, as if a puppy who had done wrong and was gauging its owner’s mood, Yezar, who had been avoiding my gaze, raised his head.
“Are you really okay with it? If you want, we can use separate rooms…”
“Separate rooms, what separate rooms. During the passionate newlywed days, if we use separate rooms, not only the ducal house but also my family will worry.”
He didn’t seem to even consider the words he had said before. He had hinted that they wanted to get married in a hurry because they loved each other.
If it’s not even a political marriage and he said that, he should at least act accordingly.
“Then, are you okay with me undressing in the middle of the night, Madam?”
“It can’t be helped. I understand.”
“Then I will also understand. If Madam gropes my body while half-asleep, I will….”
“No, why is the conversation flowing there!”
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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