He remembered how his mother would hold him every evening and wait for his father to come while gazing out the window.

Upon hearing that title from Asiel’s lips, Blair’s face, which had been smiling as if nothing was wrong, distorted for a moment.

“…Yes, Daddy will be here soon. It’s our baby’s birthday, so he’ll definitely come.”

Blair, who was trying to comfort herself with a hope she wanted to believe in, was interrupted by a knock.

It was the steward.

Seeing Asiel in Blair’s arms, he conveyed the news with a flustered expression.

“Madam, His Grace’s schedule has been delayed beyond the expected date. So, this birthday, it’ll just be the two of you…”

With that news, the light in Blair’s eyes, which had held a glimmer of hope, disappeared.

“Have sweet dreams, my baby.”

Blair gently kissed Asiel’s little head as she held him in her arms and placed him in his cradle.

The child fell asleep with her finger in his mouth, his peaceful face.

Blair, with a faint smile on her face, caressed the small hands and feet of the child for a moment and then returned to her room.

Only then did the smile disappear from Blair’s lips, which had consciously smiled in front of the child.

The room, which had always felt lonely, now seemed desolate and silent.

Sometimes, when the emptiness grew, she would bring Asiel to her room, cuddle him, and let him fall asleep there. But today, she deliberately left the child in his room.

Because she felt like her pent-up tears might burst.

Because she didn’t want to show herself like this in front of Asiel.

She hoped that this lovely child would never see her like this.

“Haah…”

Blair collapsed onto the sofa as if her strength had left her.

The child had celebrated his second birthday, simple but happy. He was surrounded by servants who congratulated him, ate delicious food, and received many birthday presents from guests.

It was a perfect birthday.

Except for the fact that his father, Herdin, was not there.

Even though Asiel would giggle and seem happy as long as he had his mother, when the servants came and went, he would sometimes look around, wondering if his father had come.

Whenever Blair saw that, her heart ached terribly.

She could understand if Herdin was treating her poorly. But she couldn’t stand that he was indifferent even to Asiel.

“Asiel doesn’t know anything. He’s at an age where he’d be satisfied with love from his mom and dad…”

Blair felt that Herdin’s indifferent treatment was all her fault. She regretted loving that indifferent man.

“If I could go back in time, I wouldn’t have loved him then.”

As Blair tried to suppress her crying, a door in the quiet room suddenly opened.

Blair raised her head, thinking it couldn’t be true.

“…Herdin?”

But what she faced in that direction was a masked intruder dressed in black.
The man’s face, shrouded in a mask and darkness, was not clearly visible. However, the sinister scars on his black eyes and nose, reflected in the moonlight by the gleaming sword, were distinctly visible.

Blair’s heart sank as she faced the intruder.

Seeing the man approaching her, Blair was about to scream without realizing it, but then she remembered Asiel, who might be sleeping in the adjacent room, and clenched her mouth shut.

If she screamed, the child would wake up.

If the child cried, this man might notice his presence and come to kill him. That must not happen.

Trembling, Blair turned and rushed to the rope by the bedside.

But in that moment.

Thud.

A cold and chilling metal pierced her back.

“Ah…”

With terrible pain, something hot burst from her mouth.

It was bright red blood.

But Blair, despite staggering, bit down on it and approached the bed.

And desperately shook the rope.

Help.

Please, someone, protect my baby.

Blair couldn’t hold on any longer, but she didn’t let go of the rope she had grabbed.

Not until the intruder, who arrived a moment too late, retrieved the dagger stuck in her.

At the same time, footsteps of several people could be heard in the corridor.

The intruder, having retrieved the dagger, disappeared over the balcony.

Blair stared blankly at the intruder’s retreating figure beyond the balcony.

The unique pattern carved on the handle of the dagger he wielded sparkled in the moonlight before concealing itself.

Blair let go of the rope she had held onto tightly only after the intruder’s figure had completely disappeared.

“Thank goodness. I didn’t put Asiel in my room today…”

Gradually, she felt the shadow of death drawing closer.

She couldn’t die like this.

Our baby, my poor baby searching for his mother, what should I do?

There are still so many things I want to do for my baby…

Blair thought of Asiel’s face, which seemed to be growing dimmer, and finally lowered her eyelids, which she had been struggling to keep open.

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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