“I just feel bad for Madame Shanet. She’s genuinely happy and celebrating for us, and it feels like we are deceiving her.”
“We already are deceiving her.”
“…….”
Once again, Leus was right, leaving me to cast a sidelong glance at him.
“You don’t need to point it out so accurately. I just meant it’s uncomfortable….”
“Roel.”
“Yes, Leus.”
Satisfied with my response, Leus continued.
“You understand that marriages among nobility are often contracts between families.”
“Yes, I know that.”
“Then think of it simply. The nature of the contract has changed from being between families to individuals.”
“……I understand what you mean.”
“If it bothers you, you can blame everything on me. After all, I am the one who insisted on keeping you here against your will.”
“No, it’s not like that…! I’m the one who accepted your proposal, after hearing everything.”
Leus looked at me quietly for a moment.
“Are you sure you can go alone? If you are this compliant, I’m a bit worried about sending you alone.”
I was set to leave the Duke’s mansion in a few days and return to the Earl of Ivel.
That day is also when my father is coming back home after a long time, so I planned to tell him the news of the marriage and discuss the Forest of Silence.
Originally, we were supposed to go together, but Leus suddenly had urgent business, so I decided to go to the Earl’s mansion alone.
“There’s also the option to stay here for another week and go together.”
“It’s okay. After all, it’s my home. I won’t make any mistakes, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
Though I said that, honestly, I didn’t want to go back to the Earl of Ivel alone.
‘I have no idea how Peria will react.’
But since I announced the marriage without properly resolving the annulment issue, waiting any longer could infuriate Peria beyond repair.
So, even if I had to go alone, I needed to return to Ivel as soon as possible to explain everything.
Two days flew by, and the day to return to the Earl of Ivel finally arrived.
According to Leus, the central social circles were now completely abuzz with rumors of our impending marriage.
The focus of the rumors was, as Leus intended, concentrated on our dramatic love story.
About how Leus had long harbored feelings for me, how he successfully won my heart through persuasion, and how seriously he thought about marriage and how much money he spent on it.
It seemed that the rumors were further embellished due to the formal annulment sent by the Count of Ersian to the Earl of Ivel.
Thanks to this, now no one, whether they liked it or not, could easily dismiss this marriage.
Especially Peria, who was afraid of society’s rumors, accepted me as her daughter and treated me kindly in public out of concern for others’ opinions.
So, now the only hurdle left was to gently persuade Peria and get her approval….
“Sigh…….”
While fiddling with my cold fingertips, the carriage gradually came to a halt, indicating our arrival at the Earl of Ivel’s mansion.
Pushing my nervous and anxious feelings aside, I slowly stepped out of the carriage. Not far from me, I saw Peria approaching me quickly.
“Roel!”
“Mother….”
Her loud call made me tense, but Peria didn’t seem as angry as I had expected.
In fact, she looked… surprisingly happy.
“Was your journey here not too difficult?”
“No…, no, it was comfortable.”
“We shouldn’t stay out here. Let’s go inside. Your father has already arrived and is waiting for you.”
Though she was speaking to me, Peria’s tone was unexpectedly gentle.
‘Why…?’
I thought she might be acting this way because of the Duke’s knights in the distance, but it didn’t seem to be the case. Peria genuinely appeared to be in a good mood.
She led me, who was still standing awkwardly, and even gently wrapped her hand around my shoulder.
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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