“I don’t understand why you think His Majesty is cold. I actually feel that His Majesty is… Ah!”
I took a step away from the bed, clutching my stomach with both hands, I staggered and sat back down on the bed.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“Why is this happening?”
“Are you alright?”
Everyone startled and attempted to approach me.
I quickly raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
Everyone hesitated at my command, unable to move any closer.
“Is there… something wrong?”
Only Melanie Youngae broke my command and approached, asking the question.
“Sigh, it seems my body… was overwhelmed by His Majesty’s passion all night. But now I’m fine, don’t worry about it.”
“Really? Is, is that true?”
Melanie Youngae raised her voice in disbelief.
The other Youngaes were also surprised.
“Ah, what can I say? I’m frustrated because I can’t describe this feeling.”
The Youngaes widened their eyes and looked me up and down.
“You’ll all understand my current state once you experience the wedding night yourselves.”
I adjusted the slip strap on my shoulder and gave a shy smile.
“Could everyone please leave? I want to prepare for this morning with my attendants.”
“But we are now assigned to serve Your Majesty the Empress…”
“That matter hasn’t been approved by me yet. I need to discuss it with His Majesty.”
Whether to keep you as my maidservants, is still undecided.
“So, from my bedroom…”
I pointed elegantly to the bedroom door, letting my words trail off.
Everyone get out!
I swallowed the words I really wanted to say, and softened my final sentence.
“Please leave now.”
Melanie Youngae remained rooted to the spot despite my words.
The other Youngaes were torn between looking at me and Melanie Youngae, unable to decide what to do.
They were unsure whose order to follow.
I frowned slightly and gestured again towards the bedroom door. Only then did the Youngaes lift their skirts to curtsey, then retreated.
After that, Melanie Youngae also left with a dissatisfied expression.
Once all the Youngaes were gone, I could hear their voices whispering outside the bedroom.
They probably thought that as a foreign empress, I would be shy and timid in front of them.
“Why me?”
I’ve turned away from people before to hide the scar on my face, but I’ve never bowed my head to anyone for no reason.
Their expressions of surprise at their misjudgment of me lingered in my mind for a long time.
I put on a robe and opened the terrace door wide.
The beautifully landscaped garden of the Queen’s Palace came into view.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock came along with an attendant entering.
It was one of the maids who had helped with the wedding preparations yesterday.
“Greetings, I am Sharon, who will serve Your Majesty the Empress from now on.”
Sharon gave a courteous greeting and explained why she came into the bedroom.
“I’m sorry, I saw the Youngaes coming out while I was waiting outside.”
“I told everyone to leave.”
“Your Majesty, may I ask why?”
“Because it’s unnecessary.”
“Excuse me? Oh, yes…”
“Are the Youngaes returning to their own houses now?”
“No, normally, on the first day when they become maidservants of the Empress, they all stay in the Queen’s Palace.”
“I see… Also, thanks for your help yesterday. The preparations for the wedding were stressful and unfamiliar, but you were a big help.”
“Your words honor me, Your Majesty! I just did what was necessary.”
When I expressed my gratitude with a kind word, Sharon’s face brightened with a smile.
“Sharon, I have a question.”
“Please ask.”
“Do you know who selected the maidservants?”
“I’m not sure about the exact procedure, but I believe a list of Youngaes, narrowed down through recommendations from the ambassadors, was presented to Your Majesty.”
“So, they were chosen by royal decree?”
“That’s what I understand.”
In the Château Neil Kingdom, it’s usually the Empress’s right to select her own maidservants, unless there’s a special recommendation.
Is the Raphion royal family different?
Anyway, to select new maidservants, I would need the Emperor’s permission.
“By the way… His Majesty had a message for you when you woke up.”
I was looking at the Queen’s Palace garden again when Sharon’s words made me turn my head.
“What message?”
“His Majesty asked if you would join him for lunch at the palace today.”
Sharon relayed the message with a bright smile.
Suddenly, I took a deep breath as I recalled the gaze and rough breath of Emperor Rinel from last night.
“I think it would be nice to look around the Empress’s palace as we have time before lunch. I want to start with a bath.”
“Yes, I will prepare it immediately. What about the dress and accessories you will wear today?”
I had sent away all my ladiesinwaiting, so there was no one to choose my dress, hence the question.
“Sharon, can you pick something suitable for me?”
I asked with a smile.
Sharon was visibly startled and licked her lips.
“Why? Do you have something to say?”
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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