The pain in my buttocks was only momentary. Seeing the Duke’s smile disappear, my heart sank.
‘I’m ruined.’
The Duke’s face was momentarily twisted, but he quickly relaxed his expression again. However, his eyes seemed slightly sharper than before.
I reflected on the mistake I had just made. I should have just been wellbehaved like a normal child.
I should have just acted as if I knew nothing like a child my age, but I was too visibly startled in front of the Duke.
As if I knew what kind of being he was.
“Miss, are you alright?”
The first one to speak in the awkward situation was Ian. Ian quickly helped me up.
The Duke was staring intently at me as I stood up. Meeting his gaze without a smile made my body feel rigid.
The scrutinizing look was harsh. Even though he hadn’t said anything, I felt like I was being interrogated.
“How old are you?”
The first to speak in the brief silence was the Duke. When I did not respond in time, Ian spoke up.
“She’s 4 years old.”
“Is that so?”
The Duke, leaning down, scratched his chin. I had been observant even before I remembered my previous life, and observant children are often disliked by adults.
The Duke was suspicious of me. The fact that even the insincere smile he initially showed me had disappeared was evidence of that.
Children usually let their guard down when a smiling adult approaches them. But my behavior had been the complete opposite, and I must not have looked like an ordinary child.
‘It would be better to appear as if I knew nothing.’
“It’s alright, Miss. This gentleman is the Duke who asked to bring you here.”
Ian kindly explained to me. I quickly retreated and grabbed the hem of Ian’s clothing.
I looked up at him without blinking, and my vision quickly blurred.
“Uh?”
“Ugh…”
Ian looked back and forth between the Duke and me. The Duke seemed a bit baffled as well, furrowing his brow.
“Waaah!”
After a couple of tears had fallen, I clung to Ian’s leg and hid my face.
“Waaah, Waaah!”
“Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?… She was fine before…”
Ian mumbled in a confused voice. His restless movements seemed to indicate how uncomfortable he felt in this situation.
‘Ian, I’m sorry.’
Ian tried to gently push me away, but I held on tightly and did not move. Ian could have forcibly removed me, but he didn’t.
I heard the Duke sigh softly behind me.
“It seems too difficult to greet her now.”
I peeked out a little with my head. The Duke had continued to look at me. Our eyes met directly.
He had a ‘what kind of child is this’ expression on his face. Seeing that, I relaxed a bit.
The Duke seemed sensitive to the sound of a child’s crying. He left the room right away.
Ian patted my shoulder with his big hand and said,
“Miss, the Duke has left. It’s really okay now.”
I still sniffled, peeking out.
“Were you scared?”
“Sniff, yes.”
I kept a close watch on the door, sniffling, just in case the Duke came back.
The door did not open again. In the meantime, Ian took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped my face.
He didn’t seem to mind that my tears and snot were on his pants.
“It’s your first day, so you’re probably scared. But he’s not a scary person. He’s a good person.”
Ian has no eye for people.
‘He’s not a good person.’
I thought again about the Duke.
Kailius Crustel, the man Ian called a good person, was the ultimate villain of this world and a villainous character.
Not only did he commit evil acts himself, but he also turned the children he raised into villains.
It was heartbreaking to think how an honest and diligent young man like Ian ended up being loyal to such a place and suffering hardships.
It was then. Someone knocked on the door.
“Sir, I have come to fetch the young master.”
I had momentarily forgotten because Yan had comforted me so well, but he was a knight. In other words, there would be someone else to take care of me.
It seemed the Duke who had left earlier had sent someone to look after me.
“Hello, young master? My name is Sophia, and I will be taking care of you from now on.”
Seeing Sophia who came to fetch me, one thing became certain.
‘I will be staying here.’
I was a little relieved that I didn’t have to see Rebecca right away.
“Hello.”
I politely greeted her. Sophia responded with a broad smile.
“Oh my, how gentle you are. Shall we go together then?”
Sophia gently took my hand. I followed her and suddenly looked back.
Had he been watching me all along? I locked eyes with Yan.
‘I didn’t get to say thank you.’
I didn’t get to thank him for saving me from Rebecca today. But when our eyes met, I felt like he somehow knew everything.
“Would you like to say goodbye to the knight?”
Sophia kindly asked, noticing my hesitation. I hesitated and waved a hand to him.
I saw Yan press his lips together. At a glance, it looked like he was holding back a smile. He then briefly replied.
“I’ll see you later, Miss.”
Sophia was kind and gentle. Throughout the walk to the room, I could see her trying to ease my tension.
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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