Wiona’s insides were boiling.
Until Ariana came to Dongryeong, the most precious young lady in this territory was Wiona. Although Isabelle of the White family was present, she was ultimately the daughter of a count. Moreover, her personality was loud and eccentric, so peers did not like Isabelle.
Wiona had played the role of a princess among the young ladies until today when she turned 19, receiving the attention of many men.
However, now a more precious young lady than Wiona had appeared in Dongryeong. Moreover, Ariana, who was also beautiful, was like a disaster to Wiona.
Until now, Wiona had aimed for the seat next to Aeverster, and there was no chance for Ariana, Aeverster’s close cousin, to get close to him. However, Wiona did not like that the gazes of other young men did not divert from Ariana.
Although her father advised her to get along well with the princess, it seemed that being on good terms with Ariana would be better for Wiona as well. So, she invited her to the gathering with kind words, but she did not expect Ariana to refuse the invitation while talking about snakes and dragons.
Wiona was experiencing such treatment for the first time.
‘Where on earth did she learn to dance? I heard she hasn’t learned anything.’
She had begged Ariana to dance with Aeverster, causing her to trip over her feet, but Ariana’s dancing skills were so impressive that admiration involuntarily escaped.
Whenever she moved smoothly, her skirt, like the night sky, fluttered. Under the lights, the diamonds sparkled, making Ariana look like a fairy flying in the light.
‘She’s really good at dancing.’
It was only when one song ended that Wiona realized she had been absent-mindedly appreciating Ariana’s dance and became even more irritated.
[Dash] “The lady should be careful with her words.”A strong voice whispered close, vivid in her ears.
[Dash] “Clear your mind of the filthy fantasies and behave properly.”The chilling eyes that looked like advice but were more like commands.
‘Annoying.’
Wiona barely suppressed the anger visible on the surface and smiled brightly at the eldest son of the Marquis who came to ask her to dance.
+++
Jeor stood quietly next to the door, observing the inside of the party venue. Several young nobles had approached Jeor to talk, but he had replied indifferently, not taking his eyes off his dear sister, Piersin.
‘The Duke didn’t come.’
Duke Oberlier did not attend the party, which made Jeor more uneasy.
‘Aeverster is doing well.’
Piersin was aiming to approach Ariana, but he couldn’t easily get close because Aeverster and Isabelle were sticking together.
Wiona, who failed to overturn Ariana’s mind as always, smiled brightly as usual, dancing with young noble gentlemen or chatting with young ladies.
‘Am I worrying too much?’
Duke Oberlier failed once yesterday.
Despite knowing that he wouldn’t rashly attempt it again due to his personality, an uneasy feeling lingered.
‘As long as Ariana is in Dongryeong, I’ll have to stay tense like this.’
He wished Ariana had some bad intentions. Then he could have a legitimate reason to drive her away.
Thinking about the punishment that would befall the Oberlier family when the conspiracy of Duke Oberlier, who sought harm to Ariana, was exposed, he couldn’t sleep at night.
‘The Duke is too greedy. Too much.’
Until Ariana appeared in Dongryeong, Duke Oberlier was satisfied with the fact that his son had become a Crown Prince.
Now that Oberlier’s only daughter, Ariana, had returned, and the position of Jeor, a dual-born, was threatened, Duke Oberlier was undoubtedly making various plans to fulfill his desires.
Grandfather Theodore started dancing with Ariana. Jeor paused his thoughts for a moment and admired the dance between the two.
He couldn’t take his eyes off Ariana’s flowing hair whenever she moved. Whether Theodore said something interesting or not, Ariana smiled faintly.
Her crescent-shaped eyes were beautiful. The rosy cheeks and moist lips looked as sweet as they seemed.
‘Once it becomes clear that she has no ill intentions towards the princess and is not aiming for the position of the Crown Prince, Duke Oberlier will probably quiet down. At that time, he will undoubtedly plan the marriage between Piersin and Ariana.’
Although Piersin had several lovers, he did not yet have an official fiancée.
‘I guess that might be better. Duke Oberlier probably won’t try to kill his own daughter-in-law.’
Lost in thought, he didn’t realize that a song had ended. Only after seeing Ariana let go of Theodore’s hand and walk towards him did he realize that the song had finished.
Ariana’s slow approach was strangely vivid.
Everything else around blurred into the background, and she felt like the only existence.
Soon, a pleasant fragrance emanated from Ariana as she stood in front of him. An intensely sweet lavender scent.
“Lavender…”
Unintentionally murmuring, Ariana tilted her head to the side.
“I put lavender petals in the bathtub today. Is the smell too strong?”
“No.”
It was too strong.
“It should have faded by now.”
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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