“No. I don’t drink it. I keep it.”
“…Then shouldn’t this one be kept too? You said it’s the first wine made this year.”
I was startled and put down the glass I was drinking from. As a servant, I thought I shouldn’t be drinking it.
“It’s a gift this year.”
But Laches placed the glass back in my hand.
“Drinking it will warm you up and help you sleep well. It’s a fair reward for your hard work cleaning the garden.”
“Isn’t it expensive?”
“Yes, it is.”
Laches leaned in close, his voice slow near my ear. I was becoming accustomed to this proximity.
His uninhibited actions no longer surprised me, which I found amusing.
After a few sips, Laches’ sweet scent wafted over as he approached.
An intensely addictive fragrance.
“You’re not surprised now.”
Laches whispered with a short breath and chuckled near my ear.
His hot breath tickled and roamed all over my body.
“I’ve gotten used to it too.”
“Really?”
I pretended it was nothing.
After returning, I had repeatedly acted nonchalantly when I saw Dettore and Delia.
Why was it so difficult now?
Was it because of this sweet gaze so blatantly felt beside me? Or because the alcohol in my system heated up my body?
Or maybe it was due to the heat filling the small bedroom.
“Let’s see if you’re really not surprised.”
His moist lips brushed against my ear as if by mistake. It was a fleeting moment. I was about to grab my burning ear when he whispered.
“…What did you just say?”
Startled by his whisper, I widened my eyes. Laches stepped back and laughed quietly.
“You said you wouldn’t be surprised.”
“How can I not be surprised?! How much is this bottle of wine?!”
Laches had whispered the price of the wine in my ear.
Excessively expensive. Truly, very expensive. Incredibly expensive.
Hearing the price, I understood why such an effort was made to produce the wine.
“And you’re giving me such an important gift?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“…Do you give it to other servants too?”
“If I did that, I’d go bankrupt.”
“Then it’s burdensome for me too.”
“You should be happy to receive it.”
“Please give me the right to refuse.”
“Even if this is my consideration?”
Laches stroked his nape. There was no second persuasion. He nodded lightly.
“Fine. If it’s burdensome, don’t accept it. Then, I’ll charge you for the vase you broke this morning, the bottle of wine you drank today, and the firewood used to warm up this small bedroom.”
Pride aside, there was more to repay than I thought.
“How will you repay it?”
“Please deduct the vase cost from my salary.”
I wasn’t working to collect wages or save money anyway, so it didn’t matter.
“I won’t repay the rest since it wasn’t my choice.”
“Quite assertive. Let me win sometimes.”
Laches said he lost, but he smiled mischievously and clinked his glass against mine.
“Since we’ve opened the wine, we can’t waste it, right? Think of it as keeping poor me company. I won’t make such burdensome gestures in the future.”
Laches took a sip. I couldn’t refuse after all he said. Instead of ignoring his kindness, I swallowed my drink along with the wine.
The small bedroom was so warm it didn’t feel like the North. Outside the window, thick darkness enveloped everything, but the fire in the room didn’t seem to die down.
“You’ll probably suffer from a hangover tomorrow, so don’t leave the bedroom and rest.”
Ordinarily, I would have said it wasn’t possible, but tomorrow I might accidentally encounter Detor and Delia if I left the room.
“……Yes.”
“It feels weird when you answer so obediently.”
“You said it’s good to receive your care.”
“See? You do speak well.”
Even if I change my eye color, it’s unlikely those two won’t recognize my face…
‘……Oh, the medicine!’
Startled, I glanced out the window. It was hard to tell the time in the dark night.
What time is it? Have I missed my medicine time? What color are my eyes now?
I always took my medicine before bed, so I might have missed it already.
Despite the various events overlapping, and even with the alcohol’s effect, forgetting to take my medicine was uncharacteristic.
I looked down and checked the drawer where I kept the medicine. It wasn’t far, but it would seem strange to suddenly get up to take it now.
“What’s wrong?”
Laches quickly noticed I was thinking about something else. His nonchalant question seemed as if he knew exactly what was on my mind.
“I’m getting sleepy now.”
I put down my wine glass and just looked down at my feet. I couldn’t meet his eyes in case my eye color had changed.
“Really?”
Laches followed suit, placing his wine glass on the table.
If he just leaves safely now, that’s all that matters.
I can take the medicine and my eye color will return to normal.
However, Laches’s steps were not towards the bedroom door, but towards me.
“Good. I’m feeling sleepy too.”
He reached out his hand. As I lowered my head, he gently brushed my hair back.
“How about we sleep together?”
His hand, which had brushed back my hair, gently grasped my chin and lifted it without hesitation, as if not allowing me to hide anything.
His rough attitude was like a hooligan’s, but the polite touch and proud gaze were aristocratic in every way.
“……!”
Our eyes met head-on, just inches apart.
The fierce flames burning in the fireplace seeped into his dark eyes.
Facing me directly, Laches flashed a faint smile.
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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