My Secret Flower - Episode 7

[The prince who survives in the end will take the throne, or in the worst case, the empire’s name might change.]

[Too many successors are also a problem.]

Our kingdom’s future will change along with the bloody fate of the empire. So, from our perspective, we just hope everything gets resolved quickly.

[By the way, were there any illegitimate children among the princes?]

[There were rumors that the late emperor’s virility was quite extraordinary. His sexual desire was so great that the empress couldn’t handle it alone, so she turned a blind eye even though she knew the late emperor was dragging palace maids into his bedroom.]

I laughed at the story, thinking he was no different from a beast. I thought it would be pathetic if my spouse was a man who couldn’t control his lust, not even like a dog in heat.

Well, if the emperor’s vigorous lust is what caused this situation, then he reaped what he sowed. Thinking that, I threw a sneer at the dead emperor and took a sip of tea.

“Have you heard? This is a rumor from the royal palace, but before the princes’ revolt in the empire, the late emperor was poisoned.”

“Poisoned?!”

Poisoned, huh…

That’s a very interesting story. If the princes’ revolt broke out after the poisoning, does that mean the Second Prince, who became the first emperor among the sons, killed his own father?

I thought they were a dysfunctional family, but they were so crazy about the throne that they even committed patricide.

“I heard that the late emperor didn’t like the crown prince, who was the empress’s son. So he was thinking of deposing the crown prince and making another prince his successor, but the crown prince found out and poisoned the late emperor.”

“Not the Second Prince?”

“I heard that the crown prince joined hands with the Second Prince, his half-brother, but was betrayed. In the end, that Second Prince was also poisoned to death by the Fourth Prince, so it’s like God himself punished him for the sins he committed.”

The crown prince, blinded by jealousy and killed his own father, and the Second Prince, who betrayed him, were ultimately not fit to sit on the emperor’s throne. It’s like greed brought disaster upon them. I also think it’s a good thing for the future of the empire.

“I heard that the Third Prince, who was enthroned this time, is twenty-seven years old this year? Actually, the prince that the late emperor was going to make his successor was that Third Prince.”

“Is that true?!”

“The palace maid who gave birth to that Third Prince was the head maid of the current Empress Dowager. She was a maid that the late emperor cherished very much, and she’s from our Vient Kingdom.”

That story perked my ears up again. Not only me, but everyone at the tea party was listening intently to the rest of the story with sparkling eyes.

“You know the Pienne Duke who was falsely accused of treason and beheaded, right?”

“The Pienne Duke who was the second prince? Isn’t that a very old story?”

“That’s right. The only surviving granddaughter from that ducal family entered the imperial palace as a maid. The late emperor cherished that maid very much.”

I was curious how she catered to the late emperor, who was said to have such a strong sexual desire. They say a person’s sexual desire is innate.

“So, someone with the blood of our Vient royal family has become the emperor.”

“But who knows when it will change again. I hope this is the end. There are still princes alive, so I don’t think the new emperor can rest easy, right?”

“When will that silent war end?”

Our Vient Kingdom is in a situation where we can’t wage war right now because so many people have died from the epidemic. If the empire collapses, a war between kingdoms will be inevitable, and our kingdom will be the first target.

My father was very worried because this epidemic has taken the lives of many royal knights, so there’s a high possibility that we’ll be easily captured.

Everyone at the tea party sighed deeply with the same feeling.

“By the way, I heard that Lady Mariel is preparing for succession lessons, is that right?”

I was always the one who attended gatherings and listened to the ladies’ chatter, but suddenly my story came to the surface, and I was startled. I didn’t like being the subject of the ladies’ gossip.

“Yes. It was my mother’s will. I don’t intend to participate in state affairs, so I’m just trying to maintain the territory well for now.”

“You must be busy. Then shouldn’t you start looking for a spouse soon? There are quite a few young masters who are interested in you. Perhaps, is there a young master you like?”

“No. I’m not thinking about it yet. It’s not that urgent.”

I know what Lady Tepern, who asked me about marriage, is up to. Her youngest brother is the same age as me, and I know she’s been trying hard to get me involved with him.

When I refused firmly, the lady couldn’t say anything more and showed a little disappointment. Many young masters from various families were aiming for the seat next to me, who would receive the title of countess. Since my eldest sister is the queen and my second sister is the marchioness, they’re trying to make connections with our family no matter what.

I didn’t like it if it was for power, not love. Also, my mother’s will said that she hoped I would meet someone I love and be happy. That’s why I intend to keep that will.

Of course, with Ash.

After spending such a busy spring, a hot summer came. It’s already been more than four months since Ash left. I was getting anxious because I had to wait longer than I thought.

Could something have happened? Is he in danger? Could he have found another woman besides me? Or was it all a lie?

“…People’s hearts are so fickle. I can’t believe I’m doubting him.”

If I don’t believe that his expression and his eyes were sincere more than anyone else, who will?

His blind gaze and interest in me were also real. That’s not something you can fake.

But regardless of belief, the emptiness in my heart couldn’t be filled with anything. It was a different feeling from missing my deceased mother.

Once, he even appeared in my dream. I woke up in the middle of the night because I felt a gaze, and he was on top of me, smiling the same smile as before, untying my pajamas. I was so surprised that I woke up, but he disappeared like a hallucination, and I was so disappointed.

‘I should have just let him do it.’

I remember his naked body, which I had seen countless times when he couldn’t move due to his leg injury. His body was covered with firm muscles, as if proving that he hadn’t neglected training even for a day after he recovered. His collarbone and the abs under his bulging chest were also great.

Past his excellent inverted triangle upper body, his smooth pelvis and sturdy thighs. And whenever I thought of the bulging symbol of manhood under the piece of cloth, I felt a strange tingling sensation in my body.

‘It was amazing, really. I should have offered him a night.’

I miss Ash so much today. If he were here, I might have sneaked into his bedroom and seduced him to hold me right away. The fact that I’m thinking this is so unlike me that I chuckled.

“Are you alive? Are you coming back? Are you doing well, Ash?”

I sighed deeply and lay back on the bed. Only his hand, on our first night, should be able to touch my secret place. I want to experience everything for the first time with him.

‘So please come back safely.’

That’s probably when it started. The longing that I had been holding back for so long started to flow out to the point where I couldn’t control it anymore.

My anxiousness was evident in my expression and actions. Rather than staying still, I tried to spend my time busy on purpose because I was more anxious. I unnecessarily looked around every corner of the territory several times a day to see if there were any problems.

But I was increasingly doing the same things over and over again like a fool, and I was often lost in thought and couldn’t hear even when someone called me.

“Lady, are you really okay?”

“I said I’m okay.”

“You should really get some nourishment. And get a checkup from the doctor.”

The servants were on edge because I, the heir to the family, might get sick. At least my nanny knew that I was like this because of Ash, so she just chuckled quietly. I glared at such a nanny and sulked a little.

Then, one summer night when it was so hot that I couldn’t easily fall asleep.

It was especially hot that day, so I couldn’t fall asleep and kept tossing and turning. It seemed like I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep early, so I finally kicked off the blanket and got up to open the window.

When I was looking up at the countless stars in the sky, emitting brilliant light, and sighing deeply with a stuffy heart.

“Lishua.”

I heard Ash’s voice, which I had only heard in my dreams, from below and looked down at the balcony. A familiar man was standing right below where I was standing.

Ash, who remained clearly in my memory. He was still smiling brightly at me with a great look, and then he cleared his throat.

“Hmm, I thought, ‘How can I wait until morning?’ because it was so late when I arrived. I suddenly appeared like this, so I thought I was seeing a hallucination for a moment.”

“……Ash?”

“Yes. It’s me. I’m back as promised. Safely.”

I couldn’t believe the sight in front of me, wondering if I was dreaming or if I was seeing a hallucination because I couldn’t overcome my longing.

I grabbed the cumbersome pajamas in both hands and ran back into the room and out the door.

‘It’s him. It’s really him. He’s here.’

While going down the stairs on the second floor, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Ash coming up the stairs from below. The sound of shoes echoing in the quiet room was real. He appeared in that place where only the small candles burning on the wall and the moonlight pouring in from the window illuminated the room, and he was definitely not a ghost.

“Ash…!”

Tens of thousands of emotions stirred me up in a dizzying way. The emotion that rose to the surface most strongly was joy. My heart was so full of uncontrollable joy that I couldn’t just wait for him to come.

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