Sometimes, young ladies isolated in strict households would inquire about potential suitors through acquaintances.
Titie didn’t fit this description, but Sephia couldn’t point it out.
‘I hardly know him myself.’
Despite feeling inwardly close to Roxan, all Sephia knew about him was his name.
She didn’t want to introduce him to Titie, but found it awkward that she couldn’t describe him to others.
“Eh?”
Sephia instinctively stopped speaking at the trailing question. Roxan stepped in.
“I am a friend of the Empress.”
“Oh my.”
Titie covered her mouth, appearing surprised, then squinted her round eyes and laughed merrily.
“Your voice is so nice, even deeper than His Majesty’s.”
Roxan responded to Titie’s compliment with a silent smile.
Taking his reaction as positive, Titie introduced herself with a twinkle in her eye.
“I am Titie Louvre.”
“Is that so.”
Titie blinked in confusion at the noncommittal response, then cutely crinkled her nose with a playful huff.
“I took the initiative to introduce myself, but it seems you won’t return the favor.”
Roxan didn’t react to her mild complaint.
Sephia felt relieved seeing this and was surprised at her own reaction.
‘Why am I relieved?’
Had Roxan introduced himself first to Titie…
Sephia twitched at the sudden feeling of disappointment.
Unaware of Sephia’s reaction, Titie pouted and inflated her cheeks.
“That’s okay. I don’t like to pry. But, what were you two doing together?”
“We were just taking a walk.”
“I love walks. I was bored alone. May I join you?”
Titie seemed oblivious to the maid behind her, eyes filled with anticipation. Roxan smiled awkwardly, then stood beside Sephia.
“That would be inconvenient. My only friend is the Empress.”
His polite refusal caught Titie off guard.
She regained her composure shortly and clapped her hands as if realizing something.
“Oh, now I understand your relationship.”
Titie beamed.
“The Empress has a lover too!”
Sephia’s expression instantly hardened.
Titie interlocked her fingers and sighed in relief.
“Phew, that’s good. It would be sad if the Empress were lonely, right? Don’t worry about rumors. I’m not so clueless as to talk about it everywhere.”
She put a finger to her lips and winked.
Sephia struggled to maintain her composure.
“My friend is not a lover, and what you just said is nearly an insult to someone who is not a lover.”
“Oh…”
Titie trailed off, appearing frightened.
She shrank back and then alternated her gaze between them.
“I apologize then. But… is it really not true?”
She still looked innocent, but her unlit pupils differed.
They reminded Sephia of the depth and darkness she had seen when riding in the carriage with her.
Caught in that gaze, Roxan stepped in front of Sephia.
“People have different levels of perception.”
“Right…”
Titie, distracted by Roxan’s face, finally understood.
In essence, he meant, ‘You see everyone as a lover because you are one.’
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Titie was still smiling, but it was clear that she was strained. A dark purple hue shimmered in the corners of her eyes.
Sephia noticed the change in Titie’s gaze just as tears welled up in her eyes.
“…Oh, I’m sorry.”
Drop by drop, clear tears streamed down her porcelain-like cheeks.
Titie, visibly shaken, was quickly supported by her maid.
The weeping woman looked utterly fragile.
Yet, Sephia saw it – the chilling glare Titie cast at them both.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
Titie, seemingly deeply upset, stuttered her words and trembled.
The maid bowed to Sephia and then led Titie away, leaving the secret lake once again in peace.
Relieved that Titie had left but still concerned, Sephia pondered.
‘I can’t help it, but…’
Her worry was for Roxan, not herself.
“Did you know that Lady Titie is His Majesty’s lover?”
“Everyone in the capital knows about the rumors.”
Contrary to Sephia’s concerns, Roxan seemed unperturbed.
She spoke with a tense voice.
“Then you must know that you could become a target of His Majesty.”
Even Sephia, the Empress, was easily made out to be an aggressor. Roxan was in much greater danger.
She didn’t mean to reprimand him, only to express her concern.
Yet, Roxan was smiling, almost as if he found her worries endearing.
“Then, Empress, you will have to protect me. As a celebration of our friendship.”
It was undoubtedly a dangerous situation, but seeing him smile made it feel less so.
She knew she shouldn’t be swayed by his joke, yet…
“Shall we do that?”
“I would be most grateful.”
Her words came out before she realized, and Roxan responded in kind.
They could only exchange smiles.
Then, Roxan pulled something out from his coat.
“A gift to commemorate our friendship.”
It was a brooch with a bright blue gem.
He took Sephia’s hand, placing the gem’s surface over the scar on her hand.
Suddenly, the gem shone brightly and then dimmed, leaving her skin flawless, as if time had been reversed.
‘Could it be a magical artifact?’
A rare and valuable item, mostly single-use, crafted by mages embedding spells into magic stones.
Was it appropriate to use such a precious item for a mere scratch?
She was grateful but felt awkward.
“It wasn’t such a severe wound.”
Embarrassed, she hid her healed hand behind her back, but Roxan’s lips curled slightly.
“The size of a wound doesn’t always correspond to the pain it causes, especially if it’s a wound of the heart.”
His golden eyes captured Sephia as if trying to see into her soul.
He looked up at the sky.
The shortening day was drawing in, hinting at the onset of dusk.
“We should head back.”
He let go of her hand.
“I’ll see you at the victory celebration.”
Stepping back, he gazed at Sephia for a long moment before turning away.
Sephia watched his retreating figure, unable to look away.
The wind blew, stirring the branches and her inner thoughts.
‘I didn’t even get to thank him.’
Leaves, ripe with deep color, gently fell around her.
The following afternoon.
In the garden of the Empress’s palace, light pink cosmos flowers had bloomed in abundance, welcoming autumn.
Sephia was seated on a bench in the center of the garden, immersed in a book.
She paused to rest her eyes, turning her head away from the dense pages.
Inside the book was a bookmark made from a red autumn leaf, given to her by Roxan at the secret lake.
She only realized she had it in her hand after he had left.
The leaf, no different from those fallen on the ground, seemed exceptionally beautiful and delicate in her grasp.
Upon returning with the leaf, Sephia asked a maid to turn it into a bookmark.
The leaf, treated with a special solution and dried, had lost its original texture but retained its vibrant color.
Sephia ran her fingers over the smooth surface of the bookmark.
It felt similar to her healed hand where the scar once was.
The wound was gone. Though it was a scar she had chosen to keep, its disappearance didn’t bring discomfort.
Instead, it felt like her emotions were acknowledged and shared.
That’s why she kept the leaf, wanting to hold onto something from that moment.
‘It’s gotten quite chilly.’
Sephia rose from the bench.
The brief rest seemed to have brought her some peace of mind.
As she entered the hallway of the Empress’s palace, she noticed a group of noblewomen at the corner.
They were the wives of the ducal and avian lords who had visited the palace earlier for an audience.
“Still not allowed to enter the capital?”
“It’s really unfair treatment, whatever the reason.”
Typically fond of gossip, the group seemed unusually serious this time.
‘Who are they talking about?’
Curious, Sephia approached the group of noblewomen.
“What were you discussing?”
“Oh, Your Majesty.”
The ladies, startled from their conversation, turned towards Sephia.
The ducal lady folded her fan and spoke.
“We were talking about the Barbarian Extermination Troop. Apparently, they still haven’t been allowed into the capital.”
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
