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historical

Sold To The Cruel Prince

He claims she belongs to another man… but he looks at her like she’s already his. Aveline Willowgrave was born to wealth, dignity… and a future she would never live to claim. At ten years old, she watched her parents die. The years that followed were worse. Her uncle stole her inheritance, her home, and her freedom. And at last… he sold her. She was masked, chained, and priced like livestock before a room of hungry men. Just as the crowd surges forward to strip her bare, a single voice cuts through the auction… A bid so high it silences the entire hall. A knight from Greenvale. He does not save her. He buys her. And when he removes his helmet, Aveline’s breath catches. Theron. The quiet orphan boy she once mocked when her world was still soft and golden. Now, he stands before her, powerful, controlled… and impossible to read. He tells her she was never meant for him. She was purchased as a gift, for Prince Vaelor of Greenvale, the Crown Prince whispered to be as cruel as he is untouchable. Cornered between slavery and a fate worse than death, Aveline makes the only choice left to her. “Don’t give me to the prince,” she whispers. “Take me as your mistress instead.” But Theron did not return to her life by accident. He has his own reasons. His own secrets. And as Aveline is drawn into Greenvale’s glittering court, she begins to wonder... Why did he choose her? Why did he disappear days before her parents died? And why, when he looks at her now, does it feel less like hatred… and more like something far more dangerous?
Golda · 252.1k Views

The Kingmaker System

"The masterminds are cooler than heroes," I mutter as I stare at the chess pieces before me. It is easier to be the one who sits in the shadows and moves the pieces, likewise deciding the flow of the game. Heroes will foolishly sacrifice their lives for the good cause and villains will sacrifice the world for their own gain, but masterminds will use both the heroes and villains to their own benefit. Why, you ask? Well, that's because I've lost my life once while trying to be a hero so, I don't want that anymore. I'd rather be a mastermind who molds the world as per my convenience and live peacefully. Because, why not? *** [Defender of Divine Glory says you are the hope of this world.] What? [Goddess of Wisdom believes that you will be the one to save the world.] Wait, what?! [Propose the Grand Duke the idea of a fake marriage.] And, why would I do that?! [Stop the assassination of Prince Eric.] Why would I save him?! [The candidates for the throne are:... Who will you choose?] Ah! I give up... It seems like a curse that anyone who wishes for a slacker life in Isekai will have to go through the most troublesome things. In my past life, I died because of one rookie mistake but after being transmigrated in the world of fantasy I've gotten an opportunity to start afresh, but unlike the protagonists who look for their love and glory, I'd rather make money and live a life of a slacker. I have magic, I have power and I have money, what else do I need? Well, that was the plan but this damn system is getting on my nerves. I mean who in their sane mind would want to mess with the complicated royal family and political affairs? But that's not all though. I've also become the saviour of this world. Things just can't be anymore worse! Besides, the penalty of failing this quest is... [Failure: Destruction of the World.] It seems like if I screw up in selecting the right person then the destruction that is going to befall the world won't be stopped. If I speak of my reward then it's this vague thing. [Reward: Fulfillment of any wish.] "If that's the case then, I'd rather choose the person who would be the best fit for the throne." And that's how I decided that I would become the Kingmaker.
AnimeVerseGirl · 639.1k Views

Ghost in the palace

Ananya never expected death to bring her into another life. One moment, she was running her parents’ restaurant in the modern world. The next, she opened her eyes in silk robes, surrounded by hostile stares — the Queen Consort of the empire. But this body was cursed in everyone’s eyes. The Emperor loathed her. The mistress laughed at her. And the court whispered behind her back. Only she wasn’t truly alone. > “Finally, someone can see us!” “What kind of Queen Consort are you, so calm even with ghosts in your chamber?” “Shut up, Wei Rong, let her breathe. She looks like she’s about to faint.” Three ghosts — a stoic scholar, a brash general, and a mischievous noble girl — lingered at her side. They were invisible to all but her. And with them, she learned to survive the poisonous palace. When rumors spread that she was cursed, Ananya stood before the empire’s court. Instead of tears, she offered proof. Instead of fear, she offered dignity. > “If Heaven believes I am cursed, let the fire and smoke betray me. I will not hide.” And Heaven sided with her. Outside the palace, crises struck — starving soldiers, missing supplies, merchants growing fat from stolen grain. Inside, Lady Zhen, the Emperor’s favored mistress, grew bolder by the day, flaunting her beauty and mocking Ananya’s quiet grace. > “Sister, do you still dream of winning His Majesty’s heart? Look at you — plain, dull, unworthy.” “If simplicity is a crime, then let it be mine,” Ananya answered, unshaken. The Emperor indulged Lady Zhen openly… but in the silence of night, he tasted Ananya’s food, lingered at her table, and found himself unsettled by her calm. > “This is not palace fare,” he muttered. “It is lighter,” Ananya replied softly. “Easier to sleep after.” Step by step, conspiracy thickened. At a grand banquet, a poisoned cup was placed in Ananya’s hand. But a ghost’s laugh echoed in her ear — and the cup was swapped. A dancer collapsed instead. From that night on, the Emperor’s gaze changed. He began to notice the woman who never begged for favor, never fought for attention, yet always endured. Still, war brewed at the borders. Betrayals reached even the throne. Assassins crept through the palace halls. And the one person who seemed weakest became the calm at the center of the storm. Through whispered secrets, mischievous hauntings, and quiet resilience, Ananya carved her place in the empire. She would not simply survive. She would rise. And the Emperor who once despised her would one day whisper only her name.
Ashima_Mahajan_ · 253.3k Views

The Duke's Unwanted Second Wife

**Mature Content** Eilika Wolanski is the eldest daughter of one of Varos’ most respected merchants, but respect has never brought her kindness. A childhood accident left a scar across her cheek, and with it, a cruel label she can never escape. The “Unwanted Woman” of Varos. Mocked in public, pitied in private, and treated like a blemish to be hidden, Eilika grows up learning one painful truth: beauty matters more than character in high society. So when an unexpected marriage proposal arrives from the powerful House of Kingsley, no one believes it is real. The groom is Damian Van Kingsley, the widowed duke of Varos, feared for his cold temperament and admired for his unmatched looks and wealth. Rumors follow him like shadows. He has a secret mistress, a broken heart drowned in alcohol, and worst of all… A son he barely acknowledges. For Eilika, marrying Damian isn’t a dream. It’s the only option left for survival. Damian, once the kingdom’s most desirable nobleman, has been nothing but a hollow man since the death of his first wife. He has abandoned his responsibilities, pushed away his child, and lived with one vow burning in his chest. He will never replace his first wife. To force him back into duty, his mother arranges a second marriage, one he never asked for, and one he refuses to accept. Damian swears he will never touch her , will never look at her and will never treat her as his wife. But Eilika isn’t the greedy noblewoman he expected. She doesn’t ask for his affection. She doesn’t crave his title. She doesn’t even want his love. What Eilika wants… is something far more dangerous. A family. And perhaps that is the very thing Damian has been starving for all along. ~~~~ “This bed will remain cold until your last breath.” Damian’s voice boomed through the dark chamber. Eilika didn’t flinch at his words. Instead, she replied gracefully, “I don’t seek love, Duke. You can visit your secret mistress every night… Just don’t come near me.” This marriage was never meant to become real, until the Duke's heart begins to betray its own rules.
Kn_star8 · 926k Views

Oops, My Ex Is the Emperor Now

Acquainted for five years, married for two — Mu Wan Yun had always felt her husband didn't love her at all, that he'd married her only out of pity. So when the Duke Mansion, the family who abandoned her as a child, finally came to take her home on the condition that she divorce her husband, she wrote the letter of divorce without a second thought. -- Acquainted for five years, married for two — Lu Jingxing had always believed he and his wife were deeply in love. He'd even gone as far as threatening his Imperial Father to grant Mu Wan Yun the title of Crown Princess Consort. He had planned to bring his wife back to Chang'an to be his princess, but was met with a letter of divorce instead. The woman he believed was madly in love with him had actually divorced him. -- Mu Wan Yun thought that after returning home, she'd be the high and mighty Second Miss of the Duke Mansion. She never expected the family she had longed for was a pack of wolves and tigers. After barely escaping their clutches, Mu Wan Yun was filled with regret for divorcing her husband. She wanted to return to the village, make amends, and live a blissful life with him. But she never imagined her husband was actually the newly enthroned emperor — an emperor who held a deep-seated hatred for the Mu Family!!! Even more unthinkable — the husband she had always believed didn't love her had long ago arranged for her the supreme position of imperial consort. Yet she had divorced him for the family that had abandoned her. And so, she could only silently embark on the path of winning her husband back…
May Pomelo · 117.6k Views

The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Ye Chutang, the heir of an Ancient Medical Family, toiled her entire life, only to die unexpectedly just as she was about to take over. Reborn into a new life, all she wants is to be a salted fish and laze her life away. Who knew she would start with a critical blow: her parents and eldest brother were assassinated, leaving her and three children behind. Her third brother was gravely injured, her fourth brother was in a coma, and there was a nursing baby crying out for food. She weighed the cold corn bun in her hand and looked up at the sky in despair; one person dragging along three, this hand of cards was so bad it would be better to start over. The Little Milk Group tugged on her pant leg. "Hungry." Ye Chutang: "..." Get up and get to work! Ye Chutang's plan was perfect: raise the children, then retire to live out her days. But as it turned out, a certain man would not let her have her way. "Second Miss Ye, you've delayed me for so many years. You ought to give me an explanation." Ye Chutang: "6." You were the one who lingered at my door and refused to leave back then, and now it has become my fault? The Ye Family became extraordinary: The Ye Family's third son is the dynasty's top scholar, the Ye Family's fourth son is renowned in the Northwest for his great military achievements, and the Ye Family's Fifth Miss has a business empire that spans the world, her wealth rivaling a nation's. Only Second Miss Ye of the Ye Family, busy raising her younger siblings, had unknowingly grown older, her marriage prospects becoming a worry. Until one day, the all-powerful Duke Dingbei, Shen Yanchuan, arrived with a ten-li-long bridal procession to marry her. Ye Chutang was silent for a long time. "This time, you're in charge of the kids."
Zhan Xiye · 1.3m Views