Even though I responded with deliberate aloofness, the First Prince didn’t seem offended in the slightest.
Suddenly, his gaze lingered on the servant for quite some time.
I tilted my head.
‘Could he be attracted to the servant?’
Sadly, the servant’s ideal type is someone prettier.
Soon after the servant left the room with the tray, the First Prince put down his teacup and whispered,
“You should fire a servant who doesn’t know how to serve their master properly, princess.”
Instead of being smitten, he had unexpectedly recommended dismissal, and I was taken aback.
“Did my personal maid offend Your Highness?”
The First Prince frowned as though he didn’t even want to think about it.
“When you collapsed the other day, that servant didn’t even seem shocked. How can someone be so calm when their master has collapsed?”
“Ah…”
“You seem shocked. I understand.”
“Haha.”
“I would have been shocked too if someone I trusted behaved like that.”
The First Prince tried to empathize with me, but I could only respond with an awkward smile.
It wasn’t a joke; he was seriously advising me. It made me laugh more.
‘No, it’s not funny.’
Poor servant… Since I didn’t want to discuss the unfortunate servant any further, I quickly changed the subject.
“Father seems to be waiting for Your Highness.”
“He’ll understand; I’m meeting my fiancée.”
I doubt that…
As I took a sip of tea with a nervous face,
The First Prince’s gaze shifted to the desk behind me.
There were the poison bottles I hadn’t managed to put away. He wouldn’t recognize them as poison at a glance, but I subtly blocked his view just in case.
Contrary to my concern, the First Prince quickly looked away.
“You look fine now, so attend with me.”
“Attend what?”
“The evening banquet. The Duke has invited me. The whole family is attending.”
Suddenly, this felt like a bolt from the blue. I find monthly family dinners tiresome, and now one with the First Prince.
“I’m not feeling well, so”
“You look fine to me. Are you faking it?”
“That’s not it”
“I’ll tell the Duke. There’s still time until dinner, so get ready slowly.”
“Wait a moment, Your Highness!”
Thump.
The First Prince left without even hearing my reply.
His behavior, as though he were the host of the banquet, was outrageous.
‘As if he’s not showing off that he’s a royal…’
I sighed, frowning in frustration.
Outside, the waiting servant came in with a curious expression.
“Miss, what did His Highness say?”
“You’re fired, servant.”
“What? Why? There’s no one who cares for the Miss like I do. Oh, really, me, huh?”
My mind was elsewhere, although I nodded to the servant’s promise to strongly push for the annulment with the First Prince.
Specifically, the banquet.
‘I don’t want to go!’
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]…Or so I vehemently thought, but with the Duke sending a servant himself, I had no choice but to attend.
Anyway, since I was at the banquet, I decided to indulge in a fantastic meal and picked up my spoon.
The conversation of the family members, excluding me, was heard like background music.
The Duke was the first to bring up the main topic. The reason the First Prince had come here was also part of it.
“Yes. We’re officially starting the military supply business in Angelos.”
At those words, Yansi laughed and answered.
“Recently, there has been frequent interaction with Nammatop, so it seems that the construction of magical tools has already begun.”
I was going to let it slide, but I couldn’t because I already knew the story.
It was an incident that was in the book, so I knew how things would go.
The culprit of the incident was the Angelos family.
One of the four great families endowed with the power of regeneration, the head of the house was obsessed with raising honor and inflating wealth.
Just thinking about it made Prince Adenmir Presil Willeunt frown, his head aching.
“They say they’ve won the bid for all the magical stone mines, a key ingredient for magical armor.”
This was the problem.
Producing military supplies was not a problem. However, the business methods of Angelos were quite dirty.
To monopolize the main ingredients meant an obvious scheme to ruin one of Duke Ferdia’s businesses.
Of course, there won’t be an immediate problem in Ferdia since they have their own mines, but in the long run, the supply of materials will not be smooth.
“It’s a big problem.”
The Duchess said, laughing as if it was trivial.
It’s too casual for someone claiming it’s a big problem.
“What about us buying some magical stone mines? It would be good to secure a little more.”
Yansi suggested a solution, but it was promptly rejected by Prince Adenmir.
“It’s too late. Most of the magical stone mines have already been auctioned off by Angelos. Taking action now is meaningless.”
I enjoyed my meal leisurely as the serious conversation continued.
Since I already knew the future, I didn’t feel particularly threatened.
‘Because it will be ruined.’
That would be Angelos.
Ferdia, struggling for a while, soon comes up with a solution. It is Yansi who devises the plan.
Of course, they will face trials and suffer losses, but ultimately Ferdia will win.
Since everything turned out well and it was not my place to intervene, I lost interest.
And then.
“Elodie.”
“……?!”
Startled by my name being suddenly called, I stopped chewing my meat and looked up.
The Duke was looking at me.
“Finish eating before you answer.”
He waited for me while I chewed, unable to answer with food in my mouth.
Gulp.
I quickly swallowed the food in my mouth and asked the Duke.
“Why did you call me?”
“I’m curious about your thoughts.”
At these unexpected words, everyone in the dining room was surprised.
Of course, I was surprised, too.
The Duke, who has never asked for my opinion before, asks for my thoughts?
‘The Duke is acting strange……!’
Calling me, assigning escorts, and even asking my opinion. Why is he doing things he never used to do?
Especially since I realized my past life.
Yansi smiled awkwardly and tried to dissuade the Duke.
“Father. I think this topic is too difficult for Lili to answer.”
It was natural for him to say that.
I had no interest in the affairs of the family so far.
‘I was cautious just in case the Duchess might check if I took an interest.’
Carl kept his mouth shut, and the Duchess simply smiled gracefully.
It was clear that everyone was thinking the same as Yansi.
But the Duke did not back down.
“Yansi, I did not ask for your opinion.”
Yansi’s smile slightly faltered at the cold stare.
“……I overstepped my bounds.”
“Elodie.”
Instead of replying to Yansi’s words, the Duke called my name.
I was torn.
I knew the solution to this dilemma, but that was the method Yansi would think of in the future.
I felt awkward at the thought of speaking now and taking away Yanxi’s merit.
But if I intervene now, I can prevent meaningless trials and errors…
I quickly made my decision.
“There is a way.”
As if expecting it, the Duke nodded his head.
Yanxi, of all people, asked me.
“What is the way?”
“It’s…….”
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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