In the carriage carrying Lowell, Duke Jurgen was the first to speak.
“Your father was suspected of harboring dissent against the royal court. The fire at the Hessen estate was punishment for that. My explanation is straightforward. There were no twists. That’s why none of it seemed real to you.”
But the reality in front of Lowell was undeniable.
“The fire was just a warning to other nobles. Not only the Hessen family but everyone associated with them was meant to die as a caution.”
Jurgen’s calm voice contrasted with Lowell’s clenched grip on her skirt.
“So, you hid me because…”
“Yes, to protect you. If it became known a member of the Hessen family survived, they would certainly try to kill you.”
Lowell fell silent, biting down hard on her teeth. It was only after her jaw ached that she could speak again.
“I can’t understand this.”
Her voice, trembling faintly, trickled from her bowed head. Tears dripped onto her clenched fists.
“My father was not like that. Even if he was guilty, there was no need for others to die. All those people…”
Lowell loved her family and the people of the Hessen estate. Despite their occasional weariness from her illness, they had given her so much.
She vividly remembered the last time she saw them.
“I hope you receive good news, my daughter.”
“Your brothers will be here tomorrow. The whole family will be together.”
“Miss, if you get hungry on the way, have this. I packed sandwiches with your favorite jelly.”
The worried father, the mother trying to smile, the nanny packing small items carefully, and the maids who read to Lowell on sleepless nights.
The Hessen estate was Lowell’s world, and its people were her family.
But in an instant, everything burned down.
For the reasons of dissent against the royal court, her father’s guilt, and to set an example.
No reason could justify their deaths to Lowell. The unfairness and sorrow were overwhelming. She wept bitterly in the carriage.
It was the day Lowell’s world burned.
10 years later.
“Do I really have to enter the palace?”
At the voice from behind, Lowell, about to lower her veil, turned around.
Her older brother, René, stood there. His neatly combed silver hair and usual pleasant smile were present, but today was different. His face bore a distinct worry.
“Stop now. It’s not too late.”
“Why worry, René? Didn’t the emperor say he wanted a noblewoman with black hair as a bride?”
Lowell replied, smoothly brushing her exposed ebony hair under the veil.
Her hair, unalterable by any dye, shone like jet black.
Dressed in a pure white gown filled with flowers, wearing a white veil over her face, Lowell was strikingly beautiful even without any adornments. Her black hair against the white dress created a stark contrast.
Even amidst a crowd adorned in resplendent attire, her presence, like frozen river water – serene and chilly, would capture attention.
“I meet the conditions, so there should be no issue. Don’t worry.”
“That condition itself is absurd, isn’t it? How is it different from asking for grapes in the middle of winter?”
René finally frowned, troubled by Lowell’s quiet anger.
Just a few days ago, an emergency had gripped all the nobility.
The emperor, who had stubbornly refused to even consider marriage, suddenly announced his intention to take a bride. However, there was a condition: the bride had to be a noblewoman with jet-black hair. Anyone who brought a bride not meeting this condition would be executed.
“Nobility with black hair… it’s absurd.”
In the Belphegian Empire, hair color is a proof of lineage. The so-called noble lineage, regardless of gender, is born with light-colored hair.
“There has never been any noble with black hair. This is…”
“Why not, René? There was one.”
René sighed at Lowell’s retort. She was right. There had been one known noble with black hair.
“If you’re referring to the emperor’s first love, she’s dead. Executed for treason.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Yes. So, the emperor has essentially announced he has no intention of taking a bride unless he brings back the dead. But if you become the emperor’s bride… you’ll have to bear all his wrath. I can protect you to a certain extent, but there are limits within the palace. You…”
“Stop, René.”
Lowell, who had been listening silently, spoke up.
“I’ll be fine.”
Unlike the worried René, Lowell was calm.
It was a given. Her entry into the palace was her choice, not someone else’s coercion. René, who had been staring at Lowell with a twisted face, asked.
“Aren’t you afraid of death?”
“Well, if I said I wasn’t afraid of death, it’d be a lie. But you know, René. My life isn’t going to last much longer.”
“But still…”
“I should get going.”
Before René could hold her back again, Lowell turned and left the room. Outside, a lavishly decorated carriage awaited her.
Lowell climbed into the carriage, looking out the jolting window, and thought.
‘Once I get into this carriage… can I ever come back?’
René’s worry wasn’t unfounded. Lowell had heard many stories too.
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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