Perhaps due to the tension of last night’s sleeplessness, Adeline felt exceptionally tired and decided to take Becky’s advice to rest more.

As Becky was about to draw the curtains, something fell with a thud.

It was the half-burned candle from the bedside shelf. Becky picked it up.

“Oh, this is…”

Adeline turned her head at Becky’s reaction.

In Becky’s hand was the candle from last night.

Thinking Becky might be misconstruing the candle’s purpose, Adeline felt embarrassed. After all, burning a candle in a couple’s bedroom usually implied something else, especially given the timing of her sleepless night.

Her face flushed as she started to explain.

“Ah, that…”

“It’s a morning sickness relief candle! Did the Duke give it to you as a gift?”

Adeline was about to make an excuse about just liking the scent, but Becky’s words surprised her.

“Morning sickness?”

“Yes. The quince scent mixed with a hint of lemon in this candle is great for easing morning sickness. It’s an old remedy, but how did the Duke know? Ho ho ho.”

Adeline remembered her misinterpretation of the candle.

‘It wasn’t that kind of candle.’

Embarrassment surged through her, her face feeling like it was on fire.

Her face must be red and hot, she thought, and in a swift motion, she flipped the blanket over her head.

Although Adeline’s actions were due to embarrassment, Becky thought she had disturbed her rest.

“Oh dear, you must be tired. I’ll leave you be.”

After finishing with the curtains, Becky politely excused herself and quickly left the room.

Adeline couldn’t believe the candle was prepared out of concern for her nausea.

‘Mel and Cassis, of all people.’

Despite her disbelief, a part of her heart fluttered uncontrollably.

No matter how much she curled up, the tickling in her heart wouldn’t subside.

“Any news from the Marquis yet?”

“Your Highness. If the heir of the Credion family had easily been found after hiding himself, he wouldn’t be a man of the Credion family.”
The Marquis never demeaned himself, even in front of the Crown Prince, offering only the minimum courtesy required towards the royal family.

“I will send a letter as soon as I find him.”

Already irritated by the Crown Prince’s persistent urging, the Marquis concluded his words and signaled his secretary standing behind him as he left the room.

Responding to the Marquis’ gesture, the secretary approached the incense burner in the middle of the table and began to burn something.

The secluded banquet hall, now left to the Crown Prince alone, filled with thick smoke.

Severus left the banquet hall, leaving behind the Crown Prince slowly succumbing to the smoke. This pungent smoke was created by ‘Asis,’ a type of drug obtainable only through the Marquis’ connections.

Asis was one of the small reasons why the Crown Prince could pressure the Marquis but not treat him dismissively like others.

The Marquis headed straight to his mansion.

Once in his office, he ordered his secretary, “Have everyone return.”

The secretary promptly nodded and disappeared.

Severus, reclining on the leather sofa in the middle of his office, lit his tobacco pipe. Although he had responded that finding a person from the Credion family so quickly was unlikely, the child had been elusive despite his direct involvement.

His deep sighs filled the office, along with the faint smoke, enveloping the room.

After some time, as the thick smoke cleared, one by one, ‘they’ began to appear in the office – Severus’ subordinates who handled the secret affairs of the Marquis’ family.

“Retreat domestically. Go abroad.”

Having just filled the Crown Prince with Asis to the brink of madness, the bothersome Crown Prince would be quiet for a while.

Severus found society and politics exceedingly tedious. He had seized power to suppress those who annoyed and interfered with him, while, conversely, his daughter had thrown everything away and run off.

In a way, the Marquis thought he and his hardly-known daughter were quite alike in this aspect.

‘A pointless resemblance.’

His mouth curved slightly as he exhaled the cigarette smoke.

He planned to forget about Adeline, his runaway daughter, for a while.

However, this peace was short-lived as an invitation from the royal palace arrived at the Marquis’ house.

The Marquis, busy with his duties, chuckled upon reading the invitation.

“A Celebration in Honor of the Duke’s Return.”

The invitation was for a banquet scheduled in just two days.

The Marquis had been intentionally cutting off most of his information sources, only receiving minimal updates.

It had not been long since he was informed of the Duke’s survival.

No noble could refuse an invitation to a banquet hosted by the Crown Prince.

The fact that the Duke, whom he considered a thorn in his side, had returned alive and a banquet was being held in his honor was intriguing.

Severus’ grey eyes sparkled with interest, wondering what the Crown Prince was planning next.

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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