Half-lost in thought, Olivia returned to her office and only regained her senses after burying herself deeply in the soft sofa.
Weakly waving her hand to stretch her dry throat, Olivia inadvertently moaned, grabbing the bandaged foot reflexively and crouching down.
“Ugh.”
“You were told not to undress, so I came wearing clothes… Honestly, even for a while.”
“You can’t take your eyes off it? Okay, what can I do about this?”
As Cryer’s subdued voice descended with a light sigh over Olivia’s crouched back, she grumbled, interrupting his words.
“It’s going to hurt for a moment.”
“It might hurt more than now. If there’s a way, just do it.”
“If you can’t bear it, just ask.”
Saying so, Cryer immediately kneeled in front of her, took the bandaged ankle into his hands, and spoke again.
“What? What should I ask? Why are you getting so close without saying anything… Ouch!”
Before Olivia could finish her sentence, she instinctively bit Cryer’s shoulder, pushing her shoulders a bit more and whispering.
“Just wait a moment.”
How long had passed since the time that felt like a thousand years, in which each second was perceived like eternity?
Around the time Olivia’s nose, dripping with physiological tears due to the unbearable pain, turned red.
“What did you do to twist your ankle like this? Even though I set it properly, it won’t last long, but the pain must have been severe.”
“Ugh.”
Enduring the residual pain, Olivia, who had her eyes closed while biting his shoulder due to the faint pain, slowly opened her eyes.
Cryer’s voice, vibrating as if laughing, echoed through her earlobes.
“Are you feeling better now?”
“That… ugh, hoo. I’m fine. Honestly, it’s just a bit sore. The problem wasn’t the heel.”
Having pulled her shoulder away from his mouth, where she had been biting, Olivia, while releasing the tears that had gathered in her eyes with a gentle tap, replied. Cryer soon moved away from her.
Looking down at Olivia’s head, which was staring at her bandaged foot, Cryer peeked at her forehead after gently brushing his shoulder.
“At least I’m glad you didn’t bite my bare flesh.”
“Ah… Get ready to change into clothes.”
Having seen the stain spreading on his shoulder, Olivia, who let out a dry laugh seemingly embarrassed, halted awkwardly.
“Where did you get the shirt?”
“The servant always prepares extras.”
“In my office? Your shirt?”
“Yes.”
What, that. Why are you taking it so naturally, as if it’s obvious?
Why are your spare clothes in my office, the office of the Imperial Princess?
Olivia’s eyelashes fluttered chaotically like the wings of a butterfly meeting a storm of confusion.
As if reading her thoughts, Cryer lightly tapped her wrinkled forehead and added.
“You did appoint me as your concubine.”
“No, I didn’t!”
The moment the ‘concubine’ part stuck out, Olivia flatly denied it, but Cryer casually shrugged.
“It’s the mark of an excellent palace servant to prepare for such possibilities.”
“Such a possibility, where is it! It’s not there! It can’t be!”
Olivia’s voice, filled with astonishment, climbed one step, but Cryer only chuckled in response.
About to say something more in reaction, Olivia suddenly lost her strength and sank back into the sofa.
Now, it wasn’t her foot but her head that seemed to hurt, scratching her temple. Suddenly, she asked, “By the way, about your stamp.”
Unintentionally, unwillingly, Olivia, who had inadvertently seen Cryer’s bare body, could now properly see the stamp near his collarbone.
While swaying her legs as she leaned against him and headed back to the office, she happened to turn her gaze unconsciously and saw his stamp.
Of course, it wasn’t the first time she had seen the stamp, but it was the first time she had seen it properly today.
When he first showed the ‘slave stamp,’ before she could closely examine it, a large hand almost tore it off like scratching, and she was too busy trying to stop him.
“A stamp?”
As Olivia, causing pain from the stamp, mentioned it, Cryer turned around and paused while unbuttoning his shirt.
“Yeah. Perhaps this stamp.”
[Knock-knock.]The moment Olivia tried to speak, their conversation was interrupted by a knocking sound.
Cryer changed into the shirt the servant had brought, and Olivia, watching the servant’s back neatly place the spare shirt inside the office, stared at the scene in disbelief.
The servant, who handled only the necessary tasks accurately and elegantly, had disappeared.
“That spare shirt really… Hoo, no, that’s not it. Let’s go back to what we were talking about earlier.”
Olivia asked calmly with a face that sank in an instant, “A person with a stamp. First of all, the magician is the one who stamped it, and since his daughter participated, it can’t be anyone else.”
To Olivia’s words, Cryer added with a bitter smile, “They said they’re not slaves. To be precise, they said they’re not ‘warriors,’ but…”
“What does that mean? Only warriors get stamped? And they’re not warriors, then what are they?”
“They compared it to a priest in a temple.”
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
