Three hours ago.
Rene, who was heading to the entrance of the main palace, thinking of taking a walk, stopped when he witnessed a more hectic scene than usual. Shijungins were bustling around, and lawmakers continued to murmur. Seeing their gloomy expressions, he wondered what had happened to the empress. He caught snippets of words like premature baby.
“Well.”
Rene clicked his tongue while turning his steps towards the empress’s quarters.
Anyway, on the surface, he was a maid of the empress, and he didn’t want to hear any criticism about neglecting his duties.
It was when he turned into the corridor leading to the empress’s quarters, climbing the stairs. A man walking from the opposite end caught his eye.
The man, who calmly received greetings from the Shijungins with an unchanging posture, had a peculiar air about him.
Behind the darkened complexion due to worry, there was some alien emotion. It came to the surface as he collided with another Shijungin emerging from a side corridor.
‘Who’s that meticulous man?’
The Shijungin who became contemplative after realizing who he collided with was trembling, but he passed by without a word.
It seemed unnecessary to delve deep into what made him lenient. The place he had stayed until now was probably the answer.
Moreover, it wasn’t the first time he had seen such leniency.
Rene, who always kept an eye on men, had seen it several times. Although, perhaps it had never been as clear as today.
‘Doesn’t he show such things?’
Rene silently observed Riz in front of him.
Well, if that were visible, he definitely couldn’t say such things.
“You just need to give him what he wants. I know what he wants. If I give that to him before the Duke, he won’t betray my husband.”
“……. ”
Rene wanted to say something; his lips itched to speak.
Don’t trust the words in your head too much. People can betray for even smaller and pettier things than you think.
However, he decided not to say it.
Because…
‘It’s much more interesting this way.’
An intriguing smile crept onto Rene’s lips.
Indeed, he made the right choice coming here.
Hursis arrived ten minutes after Rene left. She seemed to have ridden a horse to get here.
The usually neatly combed bangs were now casually falling onto her forehead today.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
While Riz smiled and answered, Hursis approached and sat down next to her. The discomfort she felt towards her was evident.
“Sorry for coming so late. I found out too late.”
“It’s okay…”
Suddenly, Riz remembered something she needed to say.
“Herr, it was me who told you late. The lawmakers and Shijungins did nothing wrong.”
“No. There’s definitely a mistake.”
Even though he made a pitiful expression, he spoke with a firm tone.
“Not informing about the problem despite knowing it happened is clear negligence of duty. I instructed to inform without delay in emergencies.”
“But Herr, if you catch and confine those who follow my orders like this, who will be willing to follow my orders in the future?”
Without giving Hursis a chance to intervene, Riz continued speaking.
“You wanted me to have power. That power comes from people’s obedience.”
‘And obedience comes from awe. After this incident, Shijungins will pay even more attention to your safety. They’ve learned from experience what can happen if they neglect their vigilance.’
Hursis thought so internally but didn’t say it out loud.
At a different time, she might have wanted to pretend to lose to him.
“Okay. You can rest assured; I will enforce the punishment.”
“Thank you.”
Riz smiled brightly. In that smile, Hursis found temporary relief. She lowered her gaze and looked at the table in front of her. A foldable table was placed there.
“You were having a meal.”
“Yes, have you eaten?”
Hursis nodded.
“I had dinner with the council deputies, not at the council.”
‘Lies.’
Riz instinctively sensed it. He must have not eaten anything.
But instead of directly saying it, Riz smoothly involved him in the meal.
“Can you help me cut this meat? Today, the knife doesn’t seem to work well.”
“Sure.”
Hursis readily agreed and climbed onto the bed. As a result, they faced each other across the table.
After skillfully cutting the meat, Hursis picked up a piece with the fork and extended it towards Riz.
“Here.”
Riz raised her hand to grab the fork, but there was nothing to hold.
“Oh, I meant for you to eat.”
Pushing the piece of meat he had cut toward Riz’s mouth, Hursis said.
‘I didn’t want this.’
Among all the affectionate gestures, they had never tried this, feeding each other. When Riz hesitated for a moment, Hursis urged her.
“My arm hurts, Riz.”
There was no choice.
“Ahh…”
As Riz hesitated, the meat went into her mouth with the fork. Only the empty fork came out swiftly.
He did the same with bread and vegetables, dividing them into bite-sized pieces and feeding them into her mouth.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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