“Oh…! I didn’t realize. My apologies.”
“No, it’s fine. I appreciate the offer.”
Hestia gave a slight smile to ensure he didn’t feel awkward, then excused herself with a bow and left.
‘Showing my face at the banquet should be enough.’
Soon, Saint Annetta would appear, escorted by the Grand Priest.
Hestia remembered that the temple, invited to every palace banquet, never once arrived early.
It was customary for them to make a later entrance than the royal family, to show their equal status.
For Hestia, who had ties to both sides, this situation was always awkward.
‘I don’t want to run into Annetta.’
So, it was best for her to leave before that.
‘I should hurry.’
When Hestia returned to her room, she saw her maid Angela waiting and asked urgently,
“Angela, did you prepare what I asked?”
“Everything is ready, Princess.”
Angela held a dark robe but hesitated to hand it over.
“Do you really have to go?”
Worried, Angela questioned. Hestia’s eyebrows lowered, knowing Angela was the only one concerned for her.
“Yes. It’s important.”
“Why not take at least a royal guard with you?”
Hestia shook her head.
“I don’t want anyone to know.”
Hestia’s health had started to deteriorate around this time in her past life.
She didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention by having someone watch over her, even though she was fine now.
Taking a deep breath to calm her uneasy mind, Hestia put on a brave face.
“I’ll be back before dawn. If things go well, maybe even sooner.”
“Why don’t you call for him?”
“Because he’s someone I might never meet again.”
Hestia said bitterly as she took the robe from Angela and put it on herself.
“If someone comes looking for me, make an excuse that I’m not feeling well.”
Angela nodded gravely.
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Yeah, I trust you.”
After securing her robe, Hestia quietly left the room with Angela.
“Come this way, Princess. I’ll lead you.”
“Okay.”
They headed towards the back door of the palace. The guards, apparently pre-informed, bowed their heads as soon as they saw Hestia in her robe.
“Are you sure you don’t need any escort?”
“I don’t want to bother people by taking a retinue. I’ll go out and come back quietly without troubling the guards.”
Hestia swallowed nervously and reiterated her request.
“I know and trust your loyalty, but I’d rather not have any unnecessary talk spreading.”
“Yes, Princess. Of course. Don’t worry about that.”
The guards looked uneasy but could not defy Hestia, who held a higher status than them.
‘No. It’s more accurate to say they seemed reluctant to do so.’
Hestia suppressed a bitter smile.
‘My position isn’t firm in the temple, but it seems even less significant in the palace.’
That was why she hadn’t planned to meet Aslan while staying at the temple. There were too many watchful eyes there, making it difficult to move.
But in the palace, it was comparatively easier, and she had Angela, a reliable ally.
“Please be careful climbing in.”
Hestia, holding Angela’s hand, got into the carriage.
She smiled at Angela, who looked at her worriedly until the door closed.
“Then Angela, I’ll be back soon.”
She couldn’t waste any more time.
With a decisive motion, she closed the carriage door, and soon it disappeared into the darkness, leaving the palace behind.
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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