Then, with a familiar smile on his lips, Felix made a mocking expression. It was a look that was hard to describe with any word, and it was unpleasant to see.
But even so, Khalif couldn’t blame Felix. Ultimately, he was the one who regretted his own actions.
“I just mentioned that I had been talking with my dear friend and discussing Tritan recently.”
Khalif said it with little sincerity. Somehow, his tone seemed to convey a sense of ultimatum.
Contrary to expectations, Felix nodded with a serious expression at the rather mundane content. Then, he suddenly stared at Khalif.
“By the way, you look better than I expected. Of course, you’re still in a coma, but you look much more human than I thought.”
A mischievous voice dug into Khalif’s ears. Khalif glared at Felix out of habit. However, he soon lowered his gaze and mumbled casually.
“Whether I’m more or less depressed doesn’t change anything, considering that everything depends on Evelia’s decision…”
“…?”
“…”
“It’s not like being more or less depressed will change her decision.”
There was no room to find fault in his words. However, Felix didn’t like what Khalif said.
He had given such an honest response to Khalif’s usual provocation. Should he have chosen more provocative words? While thinking such an unusual thought, Felix was about to choose his words to provoke him, but suddenly, an unpleasant sound reached his ears.
Felix narrowed his eyes while listening to the faint sound. He wasn’t the only one who responded quickly to the sudden situation.
Khalif, too, looked at Felix with a puzzled expression.
“What’s wrong? Why all of a sudden?”
“Just a moment.”
Felix firmly interrupted him. Then, he focused more on the sound that was coming through.
Khalif remained silent, waiting for him. A somewhat uneasy premonition washed over him.
With eyes that had been tightly closed, Felix suddenly opened them and delivered unwelcome news.
“It seems that the Empress has summoned Evelia to the Imperial Greenhouse.”
“Welcome, Princess Consort. I didn’t have any prior notice, so I appreciate your presence.”
(Note: The passage includes a time separator for clarity.)
Yustia, upon entering the glasshouse, immediately noticed Evelia and stood up from her seat. With an exceptionally compassionate smile, she welcomed her guest.
“Not at all, Your Majesty. But may I ask why you have come to see me so suddenly?”
“Please, have a seat first. I’ve prepared some tea, similar to the one we had last time. I hope the taste suits the Princess Consort.”
Yustia’s hospitality was impeccable. There was no hint of malice or subtle mockery in her tone, unlike on other occasions.
This left Evelia puzzled, and while she couldn’t quite relax her expression, she cautiously took her place in the Empress’s presence.
A servant who had been standing by with tea immediately began to prepare it as the two of them sat down.
Evelia once again stared at the teacup placed in front of her. Her face, slightly haggard beneath her eyes, faintly reflected in it.
She had hastily covered it, but the situation was too urgent to delay her appointment with the Empress, as conveyed by the last-minute notification.
The Empress couldn’t possibly remain unaware of what was visible to the naked eye. As expected, the Empress’s gaze was focused on her face.
“However, Princess Consort, your complexion has become so pale over the past few days. Is something bothering you?”
Yustia looked at Evelia with a concerned expression. There was nothing but pure worry and concern in her eyes, emotions that were entirely out of character for the Empress.
Evelia couldn’t shake off her confusion at the Empress’s inexplicable attitude. But she couldn’t continue to be absent-minded like this.
“No, it’s nothing. I just haven’t been sleeping well lately, so you don’t need to worry.”
Evelia quickly organized her thoughts and wrapped up her formal response. But the Empress’s strange behavior didn’t stop there.
“I see. It seems you’ve been suffering from insomnia. Is there anything wrong with your health or something of the sort?”
“…”
“If you’re uncomfortable anywhere, feel free to tell me. I will personally instruct the Imperial Physicians to prepare a suitable remedy for you.”
The following words were something Evelia had never imagined. It was none other than the Empress herself who offered to give orders to the Imperial Physicians for her.
Evelia looked at Yustia with bewildered eyes. However, Yustia still had the same concerned expression, not erasing the worry written all over her face.
It couldn’t be for no reason at all. Evelia couldn’t grasp the sudden change in the Empress’s behavior.
Just then, a maid who had been guarding the entrance to the glasshouse hurriedly entered and, sensing the atmosphere, cautiously spoke.
“Your Majesty, my apologies for interrupting, but His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”
(Note: The translation assumes “His Highness the Crown Prince” for 황태자 (Hwangtaeja), which is a common title for the eldest son of a monarch in a Korean historical context.)
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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