“Uhuh! Auntie Gilly. Ivan won’t say anything.”

The child, who seemed disobedient, widened his eyes, made a zipping motion, and closed his mouth.

Was it the effect of training?

Apparently, this happened often.

“I am Ivan Berna. The second of the Berna Earl’s family. Pleased to meet you.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

Being a noble child, his greeting was perfect.

Meanwhile, Nia, who had stopped crying, was addressed by Ivan.

“Nia’s waiting for mom?”

Nia wiped the tears in her eyes and nodded.

“……Nia likes Lucia.”

‘……?’

Lucia was taken aback by the child’s unexpected thoughts.

But without a moment to be surprised,

“Luciaaa? I said mom, didn’t I? Isn’t she mom?”

Nia seemed to suddenly remember something, and quickly shook her head vigorously.

Perhaps, belatedly, she remembered the promise with Lucia.

“Then why call her by name and not call her mom?”

‘Ah, this.’

Nia’s aimlessly shaking pupils, and the glimmering eyes of the watching members.

Lucia had anticipated that this day would come, but she hadn’t expected it to start with a young child’s question.

.

.

.

Nia still doesn’t call Lucia ‘mom.’

That’s why she tried not to let others in, but when even the members didn’t mention it, Lucia had ignored it too.

“Huh? Huh? Why? Why not call her? Ivan is curious. Can Ivan call mom by her name too, Auntie Gilly?”

Seeing Gillyana’s troubled reaction, it began to seem suspicious that the members had no questions.

But now, the situation with the helpless little one was more urgent.

That’s when,

“……It won’t come out. Somehow.”

The child raised her small, plump hand to her chest, and golden teardrops were forming in her upturned eyes.

“……It hurts here, so the voice won’t come out. Sorry. Sorry…….”

Treasure and cherish.

Just because something is precious and cherished, some children can’t openly like it.

Young Nia lived most of her life in an orphanage, and there, the children who had nothing would steal or be stolen from if something new or noticeable appeared.

The pillow the child now uses, the toothbrush, the toys.

Here, everything is full of good things that must be hidden by closing one’s mouth and heart.
The child accustomed to hiding her emotions would be happy when alone with her treasures, but she had not learned to share that happiness with others.

To Nia, that word was the most precious word, a word she had never been able to say to Mia, whom she had believed in.

Even when alone, it was not easy to utter that word in front of people.

Then, in front of the crying Nia, Ivanna’s eyes were wide open.

The child seemed quite angry for some reason.

“What? It hurts? If you call her mom, she hits Nia? Hey, sister! No, Nia’s mom! You didn’t do it right?!”

Ivanna was shaking her small body as if she was about to charge at Lucia right then and there.

Then,

“……Sister!”

Nia stood in front of Ivanna as if to protect Lucia, also blocking her way with her small body.

It was the first time they had heard Nia’s loud voice.

As the atmosphere became awkward, unable to bear it, Gilliana grabbed Ivanna by the neck.

“You piglike creature! Ivanna, listen. Nia likes her mom so much that her heart flutters when she calls her mom. Understand?!”

‘……?’

She likes it that much?

The one who was surprised by Gilliana’s words was Lucia.

When she looked at Vernon and Gilliana with a surprised face to confirm, they were looking at Lucia, placing their hands on their chests, and nodding their heads with shy faces.

To Lucia, the difficulty for the child in calling her mom was because she herself had never acted like a mom.

But those who watched this mother and daughter had no choice but to know.

No matter what the situation, young Nia’s eyes were always on Lucia.

“Hmm. I get it. Phew, but Nia has it bad. Of course, I like mom too……. but not to that extent. Sheesh. When our mom gets angry, she’s like an orc from the picture book…….”

“Ha, Ivanna, think that your mom is here. Right? Your cheeks wouldn’t remain, would they?”

“……Yes! Ivanna won’t say anything!”

Ivanna quickly raised both hands as if to guard her head, and the braided pigtails shook violently.

The small front yard of the lodging.

It was well lit, and wildflowers that had not been taken care of were blooming in abundance.

Pushing aside those soft flowers, Nia and Ivanna laid a small mat and were pretending to drink tea with soilfilled cups from the small tea set they had brought.

“Madam, this tea is said to have grown in the Gorunue region, right?”

“Yes, yes……!”

“Ah, that’s not right? Like this, pinky, you raise it.”

“……Yes!”

Ivanna, following her words, fluttered her pinky finger pretending to drink, then roughly sprinkled the soil in the teacup around.

Watching her, Nia also carefully shook off the remaining soil from her teacup.

Then Ivanna, finding something amusing, lay down on the mat joyfully, basking in the warm sunlight, looking content.

“Nia! Your house is the best! My mom doesn’t buy such toys. Can Sesjar come next time too?”

When Ivanna asked Nia, Nia looked at Lucia in the distance, as if asking for permission.

Lucia, hearing Ivanna’s shout, waved her hand vaguely as if she understood.

“Oh. Your mom seems easygoing, she’s straightforward at times like this?”

“Easygoing……?”

“Being blunt. Anyway, I like it. Then when Sesjar comes, we’ll build a secret base with these little houses.”

Ivanna said, eyeing the small house set around the lodging.

That, too, was one of the gifts from Leon.

Clenching her fist excitedly, Ivanna’s excitement caught Nia’s blinking eyes.

‘……She laughs well, eats well, and has many friends.’

The way to become ordinary, as Hiss described.

To Nia, Ivanna seemed exactly like what Hiss was talking about.

For a while, the child silently watched the expressive Ivanna, feeling an emotion that was enviously sad.

It was then.
In front of the stunned Nia, Ivanne suddenly thrust her face forward,

“Hmph, it can’t be like this.”

“……?”

“Nia, you always listen to what I say.”

With Ivanne’s abruptly thrown words, Nia’s face quickly darkened.

And deep inside her small head, as if a situation she might have expected had become reality, a familiar voice echoed in her ears.

‘Why do you always do what I tell you? It’s not even fun to bully.’

That’s why the words she used to hear from her peers at the orphanage had now come from Ivanne’s mouth.

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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