His sword swept through the air with a whoosh, creating a formidable gust of wind. The deputy commander’s face turned pale as he barely managed to withstand Roderick’s attacks.
“That’s an attack even the lady managed to block. Is this all you’ve got?”
The few elite knights, already subjected to a severe beating under the guise of training, lay on the dirt ground, faces filled with resentment.
“Do you realize we were almost killed that time?!”
“Yeah, without even scratching me.”
Yikes. He’s a demon. A demon, I say. These knights were among the best in the order, yet they paled in comparison to Roderick’s extreme combat skills.
Roderick, however, seemed visibly irritated despite their commendable efforts to block him.
Lost in thought while moving his sword unconsciously, Roderick felt something irritating but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Why was there such an unsatisfying aftertaste? What could it be?
A subordinate’s voice reached his ears.
“You know, getting hurt every day, my wife nags me so much. You wouldn’t understand since you don’t have wives.”
“Shut up.”
“Couple, die.”
“Show-off, go away.”
A specific word abruptly halted Roderick’s movements.
Darren, reaching his limits, signaled surrender and slumped down, drenched in sweat from withstanding the relentless assault.
“My handsome face turns into a mess every day, you should see how upset it makes her. Haha, you guys should also find cunning wives like mine…”
The knight stopped talking as a shadow suddenly loomed over him.
“Um, commander?”
Roderick, holding his sword, had its tip touching the knight’s chin.
With the sun behind him, Roderick’s face was shadowed, only his blue eyes shining distinctly.
The knight, unable to read his expression, gulped nervously, fearing a reprimand for slacking off.
“You’re married, right?”
“Yes? Yes. Weren’t you at my wedding?”
The knight scratched his head at the unexpected question.
‘What’s going on?’
‘No idea.’
The others, signaled by a glance, shrugged in ignorance.
“Is there something you want to ask?”
“Proposal.”
“What?”
“Did your wife answer immediately when you proposed?”
“Yes… She was so moved that she agreed while crying.”
“I see.”
Roderick’s expression darkened as he put down his sword and left the training field.
“…”
“…”
The knights, bewildered, watched Roderick’s retreating figure, then realization struck.
“Oh. Hey. This means…”
“He got rejected by the lady?!”
“Insane. Our commander got rejected!”
In an instant, Roderick became known as the heartbroken man among the knights.
He hadn’t yet received an answer to his proposal, even though it was only for an engagement.
He hurriedly headed towards Diana, his hair damp with sweat.
The atmosphere in the frozen office felt like a bomb had exploded.
The young lady boldly asking the Duke of Schwarz to give his son to her was an unexpected sight, even for the Emperor.
The aides and attendants were speechless at the scene, but the people directly involved remained calm.
“Lady.”
The Duke’s deep voice filled the room. As the silence broke, people around flinched.
“Do you not know the relationship between your family and ours?”
Diana, too close to the Duke after slamming the desk, smiled subtly despite his intimidating presence.
“I am aware. We treat each other like neighboring dogs, ignoring one another.”
“And yet?”
“You stand to gain more. My share of the mines and assets is substantial. The dowry will be considerable.”
“Our estate also has that much wealth.”
Indeed, the Schwarz family was not inferior in terms of assets. However, the Beatus family had an upper hand in something crucial.
“You could gain leverage in the central connections. You’ve been failing to plant spies in the royal court, haven’t you?”
The cause of those failures? The Beatus family’s interference, holding a tight grip on the central politics and even the underworld.
“…….”
Tap-tap. The Duke drummed his fingers on the desk, lost in thought, but soon seemed to make a decision.
“What does the lady gain?”
“Your eldest son.”
“Not the second son?”
No, I’ll pass on that.
The secondary male lead usually ends up entangled with the main character. Besides, he’s too childlike to stir romantic feelings.
If Felice had been the brooding and desolate younger man like in the novel, would she have considered him? Probably not. Roderick was more to her liking.
Diana preferred a wild beast showing its teeth over a wagging puppy. With her eyes softly closed, she said:
“No, Father. I choose Roderick.”
“He may look strong, but he’s dying. The second son will soon take over as the head. Are you aware of that?”
The Duke spoke indifferently about his son’s impending death.
My, what a father. How can you talk so heartlessly about your own son? It’s not a topic to be discussed so casually.
The Duke was hinting at Roderick’s curse, testing her. How much does she know?
Understanding his intent, Diana’s eyes softened.
“I am aware.”
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.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
