Abandoned Empress's Survival Manual Beside the Male Lead - Chapter 5

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 5
There was no help for it.
The maids had apologized profusely, their faces flushed crimson as apples, explaining that the second-floor rooms weren’t warm enough.
There were only a few beds in this enormous chamber, so the maids had spread thick cloth and quilts across the floor and huddled together, curling up to conserve warmth.
‘It reminds me a little of those disaster shelters I saw on the news once.’
At least the maids had given me the bed beside the brazier.
It was the finest spot in this vast room.
I lay down on the bed and drew the quilt over myself.
‘I’d meant to sort through my thoughts before sleeping.’
It wasn’t going to happen.
With fifty maids still watching me carefully, I could think of nothing but the need to fall asleep at once.
When you thought about it, I was their superior—even if only temporarily. How could they rest easy if I didn’t close my eyes?
I shut my eyes and let my mind wander.
Besides, it was the same in the original work. Sherkan rarely came back to the castle.
How to live well in Gonnet Castle without its Grand Duke?
Make the servants fall completely for me!
‘I need to win over the maids’ hearts first. Then getting by won’t be much trouble at all.’
I tried to sketch out a careful plan in my head, but kept drifting into drowsiness.
It really had been a long time.
Lying on a bed this comfortably, feeling this at ease…
Wrapped in the warm, cozy quilt, I drifted off to sleep without knowing when.
* * *
The next morning.
‘I slept beautifully!’
I stretched and trembled with a freshness I’d never known before.
And I opened my eyes happily—
“……!”
I nearly tumbled from the bed with a gasp.
Looming directly above me were eyes—vivid, burning red.
It was Sherkan Gonnet.
“Lorelitiana.”
He propped his chin on his hand and asked.
“Sleep well?”
“Yes? I… yes…”
“Stay still.”
Sherkan reached a hand toward my forehead. My shoulders shrank back without my meaning to.
In all my life, no one had ever come so close to my face.
My mind went blank, but I scrambled out of bed.
It wasn’t a dream.
“Ah, when did you arrive?”
“Not long ago.”
‘…That’s a lie.’
I didn’t believe him. His body radiated the warm, intimate heat of someone who’d lingered indoors for hours.
But why had he been watching me like that for so long?
Was he admiring his war prize?
Or could it be…
‘He wasn’t reconsidering whether to send me back, was he?’
The thought sent a tremor through me.
“Cold?”
Sherkan asked abruptly, then suddenly scooped me up—quilt and all—into his arms.
“Let’s go.”
“Where, sir?”
My voice emerged frightened despite myself.
“The bedroom on the second floor. Why is the Grand Duchess sleeping in the maids’ quarters?”
Sherkan strode forward with me held against him.
Even carrying a person, his movements remained perfectly steady.
He crossed the long corridor in moments and climbed the steep stairs without pause, arriving swiftly at the grand bedroom on the second floor.
Behind us came the sound of breathless gasps. The maids hurried to open the door.
“P-please enjoy your time together. Your Grace, Grand Duchess.”
The maids closed the great bedroom door with trembling hands.
Thud.
I couldn’t tell if it was the sound of my heart dropping or the door closing.
“Lorelitiana.”
“Yes?”
“This place is worth seeing, isn’t it?”
His voice pulled me back to myself. Sherkan was looking down at me.
“You saw the state the castle is in.”
He was far younger than I was.
It wasn’t for nothing that people called Sherkan the “boy duke.”
He was truly still a boy.
And yet his gaze reached higher than mine, and his eyes held a terror that admitted no comparison. One glimpse might send a faint-hearted soul screaming into nightmares.
Yes. A tiger.
Eyes like a tiger’s—all the more so for their blood-red hue.
I cleared my throat quickly and answered with composure.
“I didn’t think it was in such bad shape.”
“So it’s a complete mess, then?”
Sherkan smiled faintly, carried me for a long while, then set me down on a bed.
“Stay here.”
With that, he strode toward the hearth. It seemed he meant to stoke the fire.
I looked carefully around the bedchamber.
It was truly vast. Though sparse, it was at least not decrepit like the castle’s outer walls, so it was certainly presentable enough.
By the time Sherkan returned, the servants had hurried to make preparations, and candlelight already burned bright in the candelabra.
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“The war—is it over?”
“Not yet. There are still scattered forces. But it won’t be long. And…”
Sherkan gazed into empty space for a moment, then spoke.
“Once Pasa is settled, I need to head to the Suppression Zone. I’ve left it unattended far too long.”
“The Suppression Zone.”
“You know of it?”
“Of course. Is there anyone on the Continent who doesn’t?”
Sherkan let out a soft laugh.
“True enough. You fled through a war clutching a map between your teeth. You’d have to know.”
…
Was he mocking me?
Or was he not?
The doubt lingered, but I chose not to ask.
And besides, he said we’d be leaving for the Suppression Zone soon.
The Suppression Zone is the name given to a cursed land where monsters pour forth in great numbers.
There, monsters emerge continuously and sporadically, devouring the people in their path.
As the corruption from these creatures spread, royals and nobles who had lost their territories wagered enormous bounties and spoils of war without exception.
That was why so many knightly orders and mercenary companies had established their own bases and garrisons in the Suppression Zone.
In the original work, Sherkan spent most of his time precisely in this Suppression Zone.
“Then how did you come here so quickly?”
“I wanted to see you.”
“Pardon?”
“Only joking. You look like you’re about to freeze to death.”
Sherkan smiled teasingly.
“You’re the most valuable spoil of war I gained from this conflict. I was concerned, naturally.”
“My price was that high?”
“Quite high.”
…
I couldn’t make sense of it.
I was nothing more than a minor concubine in the Pasa Empire’s harem.
Perhaps I commanded a slightly higher price for never bearing a son.
But the Pasa Emperor kept thousands of concubines, and there were countless beauties who had never even laid eyes on him.
Could it be…
I debated asking a thousand times over. I was glancing sideways at Sherkan when he spoke bluntly.
“If you have something to say, say it. Don’t just sit there reading my mood.”
My shoulders trembled slightly. I swallowed hard and asked.
“Is the Court of Ministers the reason my price has gone up so much?”
“Sharp girl. Must be the bloodline.”
……
A faint smile crossed Sherkan’s lips.
“That’s right. They’re willing to pay more for you, so they’re making a fuss demanding I hand you over.”
He said no more and turned his attention back to the fireplace.
The flames grew larger, brighter—as though a handful of sunset had spilled into the bedchamber.
Watching the fire dance and leap, my thoughts grew hazy, distant.
It was like burning away all the many worries I carried. The quieting of my mind felt almost pleasant……
‘No. Stop it.’
The moment I saw Sherkan rise from before the fireplace and walk toward me, my thoughts flipped entirely.
He sat beside me.
Right beside me.
Sherkan said nothing for a moment. I glanced at him, then quickly looked away. The awkwardness was unbearable.
“Lorelitiana.”
“Yes?”
“What happened to my cloak?”
I nearly jumped to my feet, but caught myself just in time.
The cloak.
The massive fur cloak Sherkan had put on me at the Pasa Imperial Palace instead of a veil and wedding dress—or rather, had pulled over my head from the start.
“Did you throw it away?”
“No? How could I?”
I shook my head in alarm. Sherkan, what kind of person did he take me for?
“I put it under the bed before I went to sleep. It was awkward to keep wearing it……”
“Awkward how?”
With each word from Sherkan, cold sweat beaded on my skin.
Awkward how, he asks.
Was he seriously suggesting I keep wearing that enormous cloak everywhere?
And not look ridiculous doing it?
“Your Majesty.”
Against my true feelings, I lowered my eyes and spoke with exaggerated politeness.
“Should I go fetch it now?”
“Never mind. Come to think of it, I wore it outside, so it’s probably dirty anyway.”
It wasn’t dirty at all.
But before I could open my mouth, Sherkan stood up.
I reflexively jumped to my feet as well. He strode across the room with long steps and yanked the bell cord.
A chamberlain from outside entered almost at once.
“Your Majesty. You called?”
Sherkan spoke.
“My cloak is in the servants’ sleeping quarters. Go retrieve it and have it cleaned. It’s under the bed in the widest room next to the fireplace.”
He frowned and added,
“What perfumes do we have left? Choose whichever you have the most of—ambergris, sandalwood, or musk—and scent the cloak with it. Make it as clean as possible when you bring it back.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Sherkan gestured the chamberlain away and spoke again.
“It’s the finest fur we have in the castle right now. I’ll have better ones brought in later, but whenever you need to go out, wear that one.”
My eyes widened.
I couldn’t even identify what animal that great gray cloak came from. Yet the texture was remarkable, and more than that—it was extraordinarily warm.
It was warm enough to turn the seasons around.
I had no doubt it was impossibly expensive……
I immediately rose and bowed deeply.
“I’ll use it well. Thank you.”
“Hah.”
At my words, Sherkan let out a scoff and suddenly stepped closer to me.
‘He’s younger than me but why is he so tall.’
An overwhelming pressure emanated from him. Without meaning to, I stepped back.
Clear irritation flickered in Sherkan’s eyes.
Had I misspoken somehow? In my confusion—
“Lorelitiana.”
His voice dropped low, cutting through the air.
“What, do you think you’re a servant girl? Don’t grovel with gratitude over nothing. It’s irritating.”
“I’m sorry?”
“The look on your face says you don’t believe me. Even though I told you I’d buy you something better.”
At the same moment, Sherkan’s two hands gripped my shoulders.
He didn’t seem to be applying much force, yet the pain that shot through my shoulders was quite sharp.
But I was flabbergasted, and I wanted to protest.
“That’s not what I meant. I was truly grateful, that’s all. I don’t know much about fur, but it’s a fine thing, isn’t it? That’s why…….”
Even as I spoke, cold sweat began to bead on my skin. My shoulders throbbed with increasing pain.
Sherkan stared at me, then bit his lip.
“Well, you were a cast-off princess and a low-ranking concubine — so of course you’d be overawed by something like that.”
My heart turned cold in an instant.
And yet, at the same time, I couldn’t understand.
He was the one spilling out cruel words.
So why did Sherkan himself look more wounded when he gazed at me?
“……Could you let go, please?”
Only then did Sherkan seem to realize he’d been gripping my shoulders so tightly.
He yanked his hands away as if burned.
But his voice that followed remained as cold and merciless as ice.
“From now on, I’ll diligently bring you even better things, so stay obedient in your chambers. As I said before, you’re the most expensive war prize I obtained from this campaign.”
“…….”
I knew I shouldn’t feel this way, yet my emotions surged unbidden.
“Your Highness.”
It felt sorrowful, and it felt sad.
“Exactly how much did you pay for my value?”
The royal families of fallen nations were generally treated as significant war prizes.
Since I too had been a concubine of the Pasa Emperor, a price would surely have been set on me.
But I was the lowest-ranking concubine, and the Emperor had never shown me any favor.
I vaguely assumed my value couldn’t possibly be high…….
Unfathomable eyes fixed on me.
“You want to know the sum?”
“Yes.”
Sherkan laughed coldly.
“One hundred thousand Ribe.”
In that instant, my brow furrowed despite myself.
“You’re lying.”
Here, gold coins were called “Ribe,” and one Ribe was worth roughly one million Korean won.
One hundred thousand Ribe meant one hundred billion won.
I was neither an Imperial Consort nor a high-ranking empress — so what conceivable reason could there be for such an astronomical sum?
Sherkan countered.
“Does it sound like a lie?”
“…….”
“Truth is, I’m curious too. Why exactly did the Court of Ministers make such a fuss trying to take you away?”
“……Do you mean to say the Court of Ministers really did offer that much to take me?”
“It’s a first for me.”
Sherkan continued, watching my frozen expression.
“In all my years, I’ve never seen anyone grab a captive’s throat just to pay an even higher price.”
“…….”
Sherkan stared into my eyes, then let out a soft laugh.
“Why ask if you’re going to be shocked?”
“…….”
“You’ve learned something useful: never dig into things you can’t handle.”
His cold, beautiful face bloomed with unmistakable mockery.
Without waiting for my response, Sherkan pulled me onto the bed and left.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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