Anger.
It spread like wildfire, scorching his mind.
Where was this arrow of emotion aimed? He could not even know that.
But one thing was certain.
He could not bear to see those two together. The sound of something hitting the floor resonated throughout the hall.
“Did I interrupt something?”
Duke Valige spoke with a voice colder than ever. Suddenly hearing his voice, Lina and Henry turned their heads toward the entrance of the hall.
“Your Grace…?”
Seeing their eyes, as if looking at an uninvited guest, something surged within Valige.
“Without my permission, I didn’t expect a bug to be here.”
It was strange indeed. His interior was burning hot, but his exterior was cold enough to freeze the surrounding air.
“Why don’t you try to explain?”
The anger could be felt from the man’s footsteps as he took one step closer to them.
“I, I apologize!”
At the Duke’s sharp attitude, it seemed like something occurred to Henry and Lina, and they bowed to apologize. The gallery hall was not a place freely accessible.
Since it was equivalent to all the family’s wealth gathered, one had to have permission to enter, except for the master of the castle.
However, Henry did not have permission to be there. Lina glanced at the anxious Henry and pleaded to the Duke.
“I apologize, Your Grace. Please forgive us. I left my mop, and… Henry came just to deliver it.”
“He came just to deliver an item?”
Was it because the Duke’s voice became a bit lower? Somehow, their bodies seemed to tremble slightly.
Entering the gallery hall without permission was a grave mistake, but if there were no missing items, they would sometimes overlook it.
“Yes. We intended to hand it over at the entrance, but I didn’t hear Henry calling because I was cleaning. He came in just for a moment.”
Valige, who had come close to her by then, whispered.
“You lie every time you open your mouth.”
“……Yes?”
Noticing something strange in the atmosphere, Henry kneeled before the Duke.
“It’s all my fault, Your Grace! Lina didn’t even know I was coming.”
“No, Your Grace! I told Henry to…!”
“Enough.”
As if he didn’t want to hear any more, he raised his arm to cut them off. Then, he looked at Henry.
“You are Henry?”
“……Yes, Your Grace.”
“Entering here without any permission is undoubtedly your fault.”
“……Yes. I know. I’ll take any punishment.”
Henry’s voice, sounding resigned, was trembling with fear.
“Normally, you would be flogged and expelled from the mansion, but considering your father’s long service to the mansion, I’ll be lenient.”
Lina and Henry swallowed, waiting for the Duke’s next words.
“Leave the mansion on your own feet.”
At the Duke’s words, seemingly full of mercy, Lina’s mouth tightened.
Never expecting this much, even Henry, who had only thought of a salary cut, stared at the Duke with wide eyes.
“Your Grace……!”
Leaving the mansion? For Henry, who had belonged to the Fermarnes family since birth, being expelled from the mansion was like losing his homeland.
Moreover, not only his father but almost his entire family worked there.
“Your Grace! To leave the mansion! Henry has grown up here. His whole family is here, if he’s expelled from the mansion…!”
Although entering the hall without permission was Henry’s fault, it was too harsh a punishment.
Furthermore, they were being penalized without even checking if something was missing. It didn’t make sense.
Watching Lina, who seemed to be acting as Henry’s advocate, Valige’s mouth twisted.
“What is so harsh about it?”
“First, please check what is missing here. The punishment can be decided later.”
“I will see to it myself. Is there anyone outside?”
Deciding on punishment before weighing the gravity of the sin. Where could such treatment be found?
“Duke!”
“Enough.”
Lina, who had opened her mouth to say another word to the Duke, closed it at his words.
“Don’t cross the line any further. Lina.”
A brief silence lingered between them.
The entrance to the hall became noisy, and soon, the knights rushed in.
“My patience with you ends here.”
A knight who had approached Duke Valige waited for his command.
“Take him away.”
“Yes.”
As the knights were about to grab Henry’s arms and drag him away, Lina fell to her knees and grabbed Duke Valige’s hem.
“I will leave.”
Lina pleaded, thinking it was right for her to leave even if she was driven out.
“What?”
“It is partly my fault that Henry set foot here. If someone has to leave the mansion, I will leave the mansion instead of Henry.”
Duke Valige quietly observed Lina, something hot seeming to rise in his eyes.
“What should I do?”
The Duke knelt down to Lina’s eye level. Then, lifting her chin with his finger, he murmured,
“I have no intention of punishing you.”
Several days had passed since that incident. The maids and servants became careful in all their actions, and the atmosphere seemed much heavier. And then.
“Because of that girl, Henry…”
“Lina is the Duke’s wife…”
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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