He was the Crown Prince. While it’s common for emperors to have several wives and many children, the current Emperor had only the current Empress as his wife.
She gave birth to two sons, Ian and Daniel. Both resembled their father, Blake, in appearance and inherited their mother’s eyes. Despite this, there was once a strange rumor circulating in high society.
‘That Ian is not the Emperor’s son.’ The rumor spread secretly and quickly.
At that time, the war was not yet over, so the Emperor spent more days away from the imperial palace. Considering Ian’s developmental timeline, the Emperor was not in the palace when the Empress became pregnant.
The second reason fueling this suspicion was the Empress’s long-kept secret of her pregnancy.
Despite the joyous occasion, she kept her pregnancy hidden, allegedly to conceal the fact that the child was not of imperial blood.
When the Emperor returned to the palace late, he discovered his wife’s infidelity but forgave her out of love, according to speculation.
Of course, as Ian grew up and revealed a striking resemblance to the Emperor, the rumor faded away. However, Ian seemed worried that if his red eyes were exposed, the rumor might reignite, tarnishing the Empress’s honor.
It’s uncommon but not unheard of for diseases to change eye color. With age, the vibrant color of eyes can fade or spots can appear in the sclera.
I think it’s foolish to doubt one’s origin because of such changes. But gossipers don’t care about such details.
Moreover, his eyes were red. The current Emperor particularly despised red eyes. He was not a merciful ruler.
The same applied to his children. If the Emperor learned of Ian’s red eyes, how he would react was unpredictable.
That’s why Ian kept it a thorough secret, especially from the Emperor. The only ones who knew were Simmons and I.
I understood Ian’s worries, but I was skeptical whether this secret was worth enduring the side effects of the medicine.
My worry about the side effects was significant. I didn’t even know how they might manifest, which only added to my fear.
“If it’s Jane, she will somehow find a way.”
Knowing how difficult it was to convince him, I nodded.
“The best way is to stop taking the medicine, but… Alright. I’ll do more research to minimize the side effects as much as possible.”
Just as I was about to ask more about Ian’s eye condition, someone knocked on the door and informed him of an official meeting.
Originally, these meetings were centered around the Emperor and attended by nobles in the capital. However, the Emperor, uninterested in governmental affairs, often passed his duties onto Ian, the Crown Prince.
Ian looked troubled and then told me,
“I’ll send Simmons for you shortly, wait for him.”
“I can go alone.”
He responded with a face that showed little confidence.
“Don’t get lost in the palace like last time. Just wait.”
“Ah, I only got lost because it was too dark.”
At my response, he laughed as if amused.
“People don’t usually get lost just because it’s cloudy. Besides, the palace is complex, even ordinary people find it difficult to navigate. It’s too much for someone with a poor sense of direction like you.”
I’ve lost my way a few times, but that wasn’t because I’m directionally challenged; it’s due to the uniqueness of the palace.
There are no signs, and with buildings spaced far apart and maze-like gardens popping up here and there, it’s more surprising to find your way around easily.
In reality, the maze gardens were designed to confuse assassins. So, getting lost here certainly wasn’t due to my stupidity.
But I didn’t want to argue with him and take up his time, so I simply agreed.
“Alright, I’ll wait for Mr. Simmons, the head servant.”
“I feel anxious that you’ll just leave anyway. Better I escort you than have you wandering around lost.”
The servant who had come to deliver the message was fidgeting anxiously. Seeing his uneasy eyes, I felt sorry for him and pushed Ian to go.
“It’s okay, really. People are waiting for you; you should go.”
Ian hesitated, his steps heavy, but I firmly saw him off.
“Daniel has caused some foolish trouble…”
He grumbled about his brother, Prince Daniel, as he left. Unlike the mature Ian, the troublemaker Prince Daniel had caused significant problems this time.
Though the term ‘trouble’ might have been unfair to him, it seemed Ian was needed to resolve the matter.
Ian, clearly displeased about being dragged to an official meeting, grumbled but repeatedly told me to wait for the head servant, concerned about my poor sense of direction.
“I understand. Now don’t worry about me and go on.”
Ian left following the servant, his face full of concern. I smiled at his endearing behavior.
“Mr. Simmons, the head servant, are you very busy?”
The head servant, whom I expected to arrive soon, didn’t show up even as my tea grew cold. I couldn’t sit idly, as I too had a lot to do back at the pharmacy.
“Well, he is a man of great responsibility, after all.”
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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