“If His Highness the Crown Prince had been born a princess, would things have been quite different from now?”
Loren Logia said as she carefully packed her belongings into a travel bag. Nigel, who was organizing approved documents, tilted his head as if to ask what she meant.
“What would be different if he were a princess?”
“I mean, if he were a princess, wouldn’t His Majesty the Emperor have been much softer than he is now? Imagine it. A tiny princess toddling around, looking just like Her Majesty the Empress. He’d probably be too precious to even touch her carelessly.”
“Oh, that would be really cute.”
Nigel, picturing it in his mind, grinned foolishly as if the mere thought was delightful. At that moment, Kasallin, who had finished dressing in the dressing room, cleared her throat as if giving a warning.
“Is that a subtle hint for me to have a second child?”
Nigel and Loren Logia’s shoulders jolted simultaneously. They shook their heads vigorously, insisting there was no way they meant anything so presumptuous.
“I was just wondering what it would be like if there were a princess who resembled Her Majesty the Empress. Just imagining it.”
“Hmm.”
In truth, Kasallin hadn’t entirely avoided imagining having a daughter. Going further, she had vaguely thought that if she ever had some spare time, she might one day have a second child.
She had once briefly looked through the Rennel imperial family tree, and it showed that most past empresses had given birth to at least two or three children. Parnes, being an only son without siblings, was quite an exceptional case.
So one day, she cautiously brought up the topic of a second child with Parnes. She wanted to see if he had any thoughts about a sibling for Kayan. However, Parnes seemed less than enthusiastic.
He didn’t explain his reasons in detail, but it seemed he felt that one child, Kayan, was enough.
“By the way, it’s surprising that His Majesty suggested a family vacation first.”
Lost in thought for a moment, Loren Logia handed the packed travel bag to the servants and spoke in an excited voice. Coming back to reality, Kasallin smiled and nodded.
“Once the social season starts in earnest, we’ll get busy, so he said it would be nice to spend even just a few days as a family, making plans for the future. Though we can’t go far.”
“That’s a really great idea. It’s His Highness the Crown Prince’s first trip ever, so it’s even more wonderful. So, where are we going?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“His Majesty said it’s a secret until we arrive.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Come to think of it, this will be our Crown Prince’s first time leaving the palace. How do you feel?”
“I’m so excited!”
There was no need to ask. Kayan’s face, unable to tear his eyes away from the scenery outside the window, was glowing with pure anticipation and curiosity.
For a child whose entire world had been the high walls of the palace, its meticulously crafted artificial gardens, and its grand, splendid rooms, everything in sight must have seemed fascinating.
Kasallin gazed fondly at Kayan, who couldn’t keep his feet still from excitement, then shifted her eyes to Parnes, sitting directly across from her.
“By the way, are you really not going to tell me where we’re going? I’m dying of curiosity at this point.”
“We’ll arrive soon. And wouldn’t it be less fun if you knew in advance?”
“What kind of amazing place are you taking us to?”
“Don’t expect too much. It’s not that grand of a place.”
At first, she thought he might be taking them to Hisbury. It was the only resort near the palace that came to mind.
The carriage left the capital, rolling along slowly. Just sitting in the carriage, doing nothing but gazing at the passing scenery, gave her a sense of calm and leisure.
From merchants pulling carts to women crossing fields with baskets, to children running around giggling with clumsily made pinwheels in both hands.
As they passed a few houses nestled in small farmlands, the sound of cool, rushing water began to echo from somewhere.
“We’ve arrived.”
Parnes said. Kasallin and Kayan both widened their eyes and pressed themselves against the window. They let out simultaneous gasps of awe.
A majestic waterfall cascaded down from a grand cliff, where gray and brown rocks mingled intricately. Beside it stood a quaint cabin made of stacked stones, surrounded by a fence.
The mountain peak was shrouded in faint mist, and the surrounding coniferous trees grew lushly, giving the sense of stepping into a mystical world cut off from the outside. It was hard to believe this was just a 30-minute carriage ride from the palace.
“Wow…”
Kayan’s expression was beyond mere surprise—it was one of fresh astonishment. How could one not be amazed by the massive stream of water pouring endlessly from the valley?
Kasallin felt the same. Unaware that she wore the exact same expression as Kayan, she couldn’t take her eyes off the majestic waterfall and the charming cabin.
Parnes, watching the mother and son, couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips. Trying quietly to suppress his amusement, he stepped out of the now-stopped carriage and helped Kasallin and Kayan down.
“Your Majesty, where is this place? Is there really such a place near the capital?”
“It doesn’t have an official name, but people call it the Imperial Garden. Long ago, my late great-grandmother built it as a retreat when palace life felt stifling. It was forgotten and neglected for a time, but I recently had it restored.”
Parnes took a silver key from his pocket and handed it to Kasallin.
“Now it’s yours.”
“Mine? Is it really okay for me to have such a meaningful place?”
Kasallin asked, bewildered, as she took the key.
“It’s a meaningful place, so you should have it.”
Parnes replied calmly, as if it were obvious, and descended the small stone steps leading to the cabin. Kayan, beaming with a wide smile, began running across the vast lawn like a colt.
Parnes furrowed his brow with concern and called out.
“Crown Prince, it’s dangerous over there. Stay near the cabin.”
“Yes, Father!”
“…I’m still worried. Nigel, stay by the Crown Prince’s side. And Your Majesty, come this way.”
Kasallin, who had been standing as if rooted to the spot, hurried to him with quick steps. Seeing the cabin up close, she let out a heartfelt gasp of admiration.
The cabin was built in a style that might have been popular in her great-grandparents’ time. Every stone and piece of wood seemed to hold the passage of time, looking like a precious treasure.
“May I open it and go inside?”
“Of course.”
Kasallin carefully inserted the key she’d received into the lock. Expecting it to be stiff, she was surprised when the lock clicked open easily.
Stepping inside through the front door, the interior of the cabin was beyond imagination. Kasallin was so stunned that she couldn’t speak for a while.
She had assumed, from his mention of recent restoration, that he had merely repaired and redecorated an old building.
But the cabin’s interior almost perfectly recreated the mansion of the Robepon marquisate in the Kan Kingdom, where Kasallin had spent her childhood.
“How is this…”
“I tried to recall as much as I could from when I visited your family home a few years ago, but I’m not sure if it’s accurate. Honestly, I’m not confident.”
“What are you talking about? It’s so perfect, I thought for a moment I was back home.”
Kasallin, as if enchanted, walked further inside. The cabin was much larger inside than it appeared from the outside.
Centered around a living room, there was a kitchen to the left and, on the opposite side, a small tea room that would feel full with just two people.
Upstairs were two bedrooms: one clearly designed for Kayan as a child’s room, and the other a marital bedroom.
In the marital bedroom stood a small antique piano, an easel, a waist-high bookshelf, and a fish tank—filled entirely with things Kasallin loved.
That wasn’t all. The deep green wallpaper her mother had loved, the slightly peeling wooden stairs, even the red velvet sofa and pear-shaped ornaments—everything seemed lifted straight from her family home.
Kasallin’s mouth fell open in disbelief.
“How did you… how did you create this?”
“It always weighed on my mind. When you first left your family home, the way you seemed to scold yourself, as if you’d never return to a house full of childhood memories—that expression stuck with me. I couldn’t bring the whole house here, but I thought if I made it as similar as possible, you could use it as a place to rest from time to time.”
“Goodness.”
Kasallin was utterly shocked. She hadn’t imagined he’d still remember that moment.
In truth, even Kasallin herself had, at some point, largely forgotten her hometown and family home. She had fully adapted to the Rennel Empire and lived thinking of the palace, where her husband was, as her true home.
Of course, she missed her hometown on her parents’ memorial days, but it was fleeting. Especially after Kayan was born, she hadn’t even had time to feel nostalgic.
‘How can he be so thoughtful and kind?’
The deep care he showed—renovating his great-grandmother’s precious retreat from top to bottom for a foreign wife who might miss her hometown—was invaluable beyond measure.
She felt tears welling up like a fool. To hide her misty eyes, Kasallin pretended to be excited, looking around the living room.
Then he gently embraced her from behind. His warmth seeped through their clothes. Pressing his lips to her cheek and ear, he said,
“Crybaby.”
“Who’s crying?”
Kasallin hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Parnes took her hand and lowered it.
“You’ll hurt yourself.”
Parnes carefully wiped her wet cheeks with the back of his hand. Kasallin turned and hugged him tightly. Parnes, with a gentle smile, slowly embraced her back.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
