ladyjlb's manga / #Reverse Harem(29)

Hakuouki

Ongoing | Design Factory ; Idea Factory | 2009 released
2017-02-26 11:37 marked

Watashi ga Motete Dousunda

Complete | Junko | 2013 released
2017-03-22 05:19 marked

Read to Ch 48 as of 15/8/17

Monster Idols

Complete | won-sik lee | 2000 released

Ssg - Meimon Danshikou Keppuuroku

Complete | sakurai shushushu | 2013 released

Similar to “Ouran” anime but: Less comedy, more about ikemen fan service, extremely shoujo. Bit too cliched and predictable so not good enough to get 4 stars.

Heartthrob Daycare Center

Complete | Hamil,Park suyeon | 2000 released

S Flower

Complete | jinmi | 2000 released
2020-06-04 04:14 marked

Read ch 54 as of 3/6/20

Mystic Messenger

Complete | Cheritz co.,Ltd,멜쥐,Giman,Merig | 2019 released
2020-06-18 12:09 marked

Lady & Maid

Complete | red peach | 2019 released
2020-09-02 02:45 marked

Read ch 11 as of 02/09/20 - Rate 3.5 to 4 potential

Death Is The Only Ending For The Villainess

Ongoing | gwon gyeoeul,suol | 2019 released
2020-09-21 02:59 marked

Ch 122 as of 29/04/23 - also on Tapas (not free) ** Unofficial translation really sux ** End of season 1, Ch 44 ** End of season 2, Ch 85 - FL wakes up as 18yo Penelope Eckhart the villainess. She had fallen asleep after playing the reverse harem otome game all night. She completed the game first in normal mode. - FL was trying to clear the game in hard mode with Penelope as the female protagonist to reveal the hidden ending for free. She kept dying and became obsessed with wanting to see Penelope survive, win over one person and live happily. She sees herself in Penelope. - FL’s past life was very similar. She was an illegitimate daughter who moved in with her father’s rich family after her mother died. She was always mistreated and bullied by her 2 older half-brothers, and her father did nothing to help her. Her father’s wife died of an illness before FL was born. - FL survived, got into a prestigious college (to study archaeology?) and moved out to live on her own 6yrs later. 20yo FL looked forward to a new life where she could be happy. - Yvonne 18yo, is the female protagonist in the normal mode of the game. She’s the real Eckhart daughter who’s been missing for 6yrs. She forgot her identity and had been living as a poor commoner in the country. She’s due to return to the family by FL’s coming-of-age ceremony (ie 18th bday). - FL is in the world of the game in hard mode. She has to get 100% favourability (affection score) with 1 of the 5 male protagonists in this game by her coming-of-age ceremony. At first FL can only speak and act according to the game options. - The 5 male protagonists: - 24yo Derrick and 20yo Reynold, the adoptive brothers. Derrick is the captain of the Eckhart knights and the heir. - Crown Prince Kallisto Regulus 23yo. He’s a war hero, a tyrant and a psycho. His mother was the former Empress who died. - Slave knight Iklies, 17-18yo ex-noble of Dellmene / Delmaine, a ruined nation conquered by the Ioka Empire. - Vinter Berdandi, 26yo Marquis heir. He’s a mage and the info guildmaster. - 12yo Penelope was adopted into the only ducal family of the Ioka Empire. She was adopted as a replacement due to her similar appearance to Yvonne. She was an orphan after her mother, a poor merchant, died. She grew up unloved and ignored as a parasite and the ‘fake’ daughter in the Eckhart family. Penelope was forced to become the bad tempered villainess after years of being mistreated, bullied and tortured by the household staff. - Emily, FL’s personal maid, pricks FL’s arm with a needle while she sleeps and gives FL cold water to wash with. Emily serves spoiled, rotten food to FL who chooses to eat it based on her experience of the game. Reynold passes by and stops FL. He imprisons Emily. (Reynold -10% to -3%) - The Duke summons FL to reprimand her for the commotion earlier with the maid. FL chooses to say it was all her fault and calls him “Father” which opens a hidden quest. FL gets to turn off dialogue choices and can now speak and move independently. - FL asks the Duke for his forgiveness. She’ll prove her worth as an Eckhart between now and her coming-of-age ceremony. - Derrick stops FL as she leaves the Duke’s study. Despite knowing FL was served rotten food, Derrick still blamed FL for what happened. She begs for his forgiveness and calls him “young master.” (Derrick 0% to 5%) - FL dreams of Penelope’s memories when she was accused by Reynold of stealing Yvonne’s necklace as a child and no one believed she didn’t. The Duke ordered for Yvonne’s room and the third floor rooms to be locked. From then Penelope stopped calling the Duke “Father.” - FL rebukes Fennel the head butler for his rude, disrespectful behaviour. FL decides to reinstate Emily as her personal maid (no one else volunteered to except for Emily). Emily was punished with a 3-mth pay cut and assigned to the laundry. - FL knows Emily isn’t the one who led the bullying and she’s not the only one involved. FL plans to earn Emily’s loyalty by forgiving her and giving her another chance to prove herself. - FL takes the needle from Emily and threatens to prick herself so others will see and suspect Emily if she doesn’t behave from now on. - Reynold tries to start a fight with FL when he learns she took back Emily. He accuses FL of having no self respect. - FL says isn’t this what Reynold intended after what really happened with Yvonne’s necklace. FL knows he was the real culprit and he framed Penelope. (Reynold 3%) - Derrick escorts FL to the 2nd Prince’s bday banquet. He surprises FL by sharing the same carriage there. (Derrick 6%) - FL wants to see if there’s a reset option when she’s about to die. She plans to test this with Kallisto at the ball. - Kallisto surprises everyone by entering with an almost dead assassin in tow. He implies the Empress sent the assassin, then kills the assassin and leaves. - FL comes across Kallisto in the garden and he asks why did she follow him. No reset button appears even though he put his sword to her throat. In desperation FL says she’s in love with him. He lets her go for now. (Kallisto 0% to 2%) - FL meets Vinter on her way back. He gives her a handkerchief to stop the bleeding at her throat. (Vinter 0% to 9%) - FL faints when she sees Derrick. FL wakes up after 4 days. - Derrick gives FL a scarf to hide the bandages on her neck. (Derrick 8% to 10%) - FL’s reputation improves (+5 pts) in the duchy as a result of the incident with Kallisto. FL notices the improved attitudes of the household staff towards her. - Founding festival: - FL tries to sneak out at night and is discovered by Reynold (7%) then Derrick who both decide to join her. They’re separated from her when the parade starts. FL attends a slave auction where she buys Iklies for a fortune. - FL is given a ring that is connected to Iklies’ collar. Pressing the ring activates a paralysis spell in the collar that stuns the wearer with an electric current. When they leave, Iklies (18%) saves FL from a violent confrontation with a rival noble bidder and his men. - Back home, FL convinces the Duke, Derrick (13%) and Reynold (10%) to let her keep Iklies as her personal bodyguard. None of the Eckhart knights like FL and they won't protect her. Iklies’ 1st mission is to be accepted by everyone in the duchy. - FL sees Iklies (25%) training hard in the rain alone. She realises he could be the greatest threat to her life. - Emily visits the info guilds on behalf of FL on the pretext of looking for Vinter. FL is trying to get Vinter’s attention as he owns the largest info guild that found Yvonne and reunited her with her family. Emily is pleased to be trusted by FL and FL’s reputation in the household goes up again (+10 pts). - A small, white, talking rabbit suddenly visits FL by magic which signals her next quest to meet with Vinter. FL is teleported to his office and enters a secret magic space. She meets a group of mage apprentice children and helps them recover a box from an iceberg. Vinter arrives and she returns his handkerchief to him with a gift of expensive cuff links. - The children are orphans rescued from anti-magic groups. The imperial family has been persecuting mages because of an oracle by the temple: “Only when all forces who use magic are eliminated will the true Emperor chosen by god be born.” - Vinter keeps it a secret that he’s a mage as magic users are oppressed in this world. Mages aren’t allowed to use magic unless they pledge allegiance to the Ioka Empire. - As FL exits Vinter’s office, she sees Derrick and the Eckhart knights making extra security patrols on the streets. She re-enters and asks Vinter (15%) to help her get to a street near her home and he teleports her there. Derrick catches FL as she’s about to sneak back into the estate. - Derrick and the magic bracelet: - Derrick takes FL to see a view of the capital city all lit up for the festival. After lecturing her about avoiding criminals and sneaking out without an escort, Derrick (17% to 20%) gives her a garnet bracelet. It’s enchanted with protection and camouflage magic so she’ll appear like a boy her age. - Invited to have lunch with her family for first time since she was reborn, FL continues to experience ridicule from the head chef. When FL brings this to the attention of her family, they make a show of firing the one responsible. - Later all of the kitchen staff are fired and replaced. - FL is shown by Fennel to the 3rd floor attic (before she wasn’t allowed) to see the fireworks as a form of sincerity from the Duke. Fennel also apologises for everything. Reynold confronts FL here about why he hates her: he overheard her as a child wishing for Yvonne to die and never come back. FL apologises but hits back with some ‘truths’ of her own: about life as a beggar orphan. Reynold (17%) at least has the decency to appear shocked. - FL visits the training grounds to check on Iklies and sees him being bullied by the other knights. She orders Iklies to attack Mark Albert from the 3rd division who insulted her. She allows Iklies to vent his anger then stops Iklies before he kills Mark. - The knights that bullied Iklies are dismissed (by the Duke?) - FL takes Iklies (33%) shopping. She buys new uniforms for him. She also buys a magic sword pendant that turns into a real sword when it’s injected with mana. It’s made from rare dwarf steel (dwarves are now extinct). With his new sword, Iklies (40%) pledges his service and loyalty to FL as her knight. - When asked by the Duke about the incident with Iklies, FL tells the truth. Iklies was the only one who defended her when she was being insulted. She still has to attend the hunting competition. The Duke gives her a modified crossbow with mana infused pellets to lessen the risk of her getting into trouble and harming the family name like last year. - The pellets cause an electric shock to stun their target. An additional spell cast on the pellets will cause loss of memory in human targets from the moment just before they’re struck. - FL gives a magic amulet with a teleportation spell to the Duke as a gift for the hunting competition. FL gives a protection amulet as a gift to Emily as a reward. FL’s reputation with the Duke and the household increases with points awarded. - FL feels threatened after receiving a letter from Kallisto. - FL goes to the family training grounds to practise using her crossbow. Iklies comes to help her. Derrick arrives and they argue over who should teach FL. She stops them and leaves before she might die in the crossfire. FL hires an instructor to teach her instead. - Hunting competition near the imperial palace: - In the carriage on the way there, the Duke proudly shows off the amulet from FL to her brothers, much to her embarrassment. - All carriages are inspected for lethal magic weapons or evil mages. This is for Kallisto’s safety as the host of the event and he has many enemies. - At the garden banquet for the opening ceremony, nasty whispers aimed at FL has her openly loading her crossbow in a threatening manner before slinging it over her shoulder. - Kallisto speaks briefly to open the competition. The Emperor and Empress are apparently both unwell, and the 2nd Prince has joined them in the south. - The hunting competition guests include many noble supporters of Kallisto. He chats with them as he makes his way to FL’s table where she is alone. When he asks FL for details on how and when she fell in love with him, she says she’s no longer in love and will find someone more fitting for her station. - A large magical creature suddenly looms above and aims for Kallisto. A table of foreigners disguised as robed shamans were actually rebels from the Leila kingdom. The more the magical creature is destroyed, the more it multiplies. A barrier is keeping everyone within the garden banquet area. - FL is able to wipe out the magical creatures with her crossbow as they are weak to magic weapons. She successfully completes a quest to become the queen of the hunting competition after saving everyone from danger. All favourability scores go up. - Derrick 30%, Reynold 27%, Vinter 20%, Kallisto 9%, Iklies 60%. - The rebel leader is taken away and imprisoned. - Most of the robed rebels are actually brainwashed and abused children with magic powers. Vinter and FL ask for mercy from Kallisto who spares their lives and leaves them in Vinter’s care. - Vinter is the only one to personally thank FL for saving them. - The Duke says he’s proud of FL as his daughter. - Reynold applies ointment to FL’s small wound on her neck. - The hunting competition still proceeds the next day. FL is the only woman in male attire. FL is trying to decide who to give her 3rd amulet to (she bought 3), when Kallisto (12%) takes it from her and refuses to give it back. - At the hunting grounds, FL is invited to tea but she is mocked by the ladies. They’re led by Gloria Kellen (daughter of a Count) who Penelope aimed her crossbow at last year. FL does the same this year but lets Gloria and the others off with a warning. FL then leaves for the hunting area. - FL receives a quest to hunt a giant bear when she stumbles into the wrong area. Kallisto saves her by stabbing the bear at the last minute. He wants her to take credit for the kill and cuts off the bear’s head for her. - Assassins quest: - Kallisto survives an arrow attack as it struck the amulet he took from FL. They ride away together but are pursued by the assassins that the Empress sent. FL knocks out all 20 assassins with her crossbow and clears the quest, but she falls off a cliff with Kallisto who was protecting her from a dagger. - FL wakes up in a cave with Kallisto and a campfire. They survived as they fell into a river but they’re half undressed as their clothes need to dry. She receives as a quest reward the assassin’s dagger that had struck Kallisto. - FL’s favourability with Kallisto has gone up (29%). He asks why did her feelings for him change. She says he tried to kill her. He asks what made her fall in love in the first place. She says his hair and eyes made him look like a rich person. - FL wakes up from nightmares about the bear and the assassins. Kallisto tells her a story of when he was about 10yo and was chased by a bear at a hunting competition. He then had to face a large group of assassins that the Empress most likely sent to kill him. The bear and the assassins killed eachother, and Kallisto took the bear’s head and won the hunting competition. - FL’s father and brothers are desperately searching for her. The bear’s corpse and head have been found. There’s also a search party for Kallisto. To cover up the incident caused by Penelope last year, the Duke gave up an entire diamond mine to Count Kellen. - Explore the cave quest: - FL goes with Kallisto (34%) to the back of the cave. They see a skeleton holding 2 scrolls in the centre of a sealed magic circle. Kallisto destroys the seal and FL carefully removes the scrolls. They’re magical maps, one of the forest they’re in and the other of Valta the ancient kingdom of magic (now the Archina regime). When Valta was wiped out, the oppression of mages began. - The game system instructs FL on how to use the magic forest map (has up to 3 uses). She teleports herself and Kallisto to the small critter hunting grounds. Kallisto asks her to call for help but he faints due to the slow acting poison from the dagger. FL sees some soldiers but she’s arrested for the attempted murder of the Crown Prince and other noblemen. - Marquis Allen, the father of the Empress, was behind the Leila rebels and the assassins who were noblemen in disguise. One of the noblemen is Baron Tullet, Gloria Kellen’s fiancé. While Kallisto remains unconscious, Marquis Allen frames FL with everything and removes all traces of evidence. A rumour is spread that FL wanted to assassinate Kallisto and silence any eyewitnesses. - Derrick comes to see FL who is imprisoned in the north tower of the imperial palace. She quickly realises he isn’t interested in the truth. He blames her for causing trouble again and is looking for a way to control the damage. She says she’ll take care of things herself and he can ignore her as he’s always done. She’s turns her back and asks him to leave. - Grand Council Room: FL’s trial begins. - FL is accused of attempting to murder 7 noblemen and Kallisto. FL fired her crossbow at the noblemen to take the bear they were hunting away from them. Derrick argues the crossbow and the mana infused pellets weren’t designed to injure grown men. Derrick has proof from the mage and their signed contract. - FL provides her own testimony and says she was hunting the bear alone and was helped by Kallisto who cut off the bear’s head. The bear’s corpse can be checked for the lack of attack wounds that prove the noblemen weren’t hunting the bear at all. - FL has to say she was secretly meeting Kallisto to resolve their relationship. No one would believe it was a coincidence. - Vinter arrives and provides his corroborating testimony that he saw what happened with FL, the bear and Kallisto. - FL reveals the dagger that was still hidden in her possession as her hard evidence of assassins attacking her and Kallisto. - FL points out Marquis Allen’s crest as the same one carved on the dagger. The blue token tied to the dagger was made by Gloria Kellen. This means the dagger belonged to Baron Tullet. - The nobles involved are all arrested and FL is released. - Derrick tries to speak with FL but he still persists in his cowardly behaviour of shifting blame towards her. FL says she never had any faith or hope in him to begin with (even though she secretly did). - Reynold confirms with FL that she isn’t in a relationship with Kallisto. Reynold also says he’s not Derrick and he would’ve believed FL if she’d told him what happened. - Cedric Potter, Kallisto’s assistant. - FL is given permission to freely visit the imperial palace during the rest of the hunting competition. FL visits Kallisto (42%) each day to make sure he’s still breathing and to tell him not to die. When he wakes, FL gets him to promise not to kill her if he hears anything later (from what she said about him at the trial). - On the last day of the hunting competition, the top 5 hunters are Reynold (40%), Derrick (32%), Vinter (44%), Kallisto (45%) and FL. Both Kallisto and Vinter dedicate their hunted prey to FL. The bear was entered under FL’s name (by Kallisto) so she is the overall winner and is crowned the queen of the competition. - FL will not seek her family’s trust or acknowledgement anymore. - Made from the hunted prey given to FL, Iklies (69%) receives a priceless necklace of mammoth ivory, tiger fangs and black onyx. His favourability increases to 77%. The numbers disappear after one of the targets is above 70%. To check the favourability number, FL must make physical contact with the target then pay either gold or fame points. - Favourability now appears as a colour. - Derrick (orange), Reynold (pink), Iklies (dark red), Vinter (violet). - Duke Eckhart insists the whole family have lunch in the greenhouse. Penelope was never allowed to enter the greenhouse in the past. The Duke announces that their family portrait will be painted soon, before FL’s coming-of-age bday in a month’s time. It won’t be long until Yvonne returns. - When asked what she wanted for her bday, FL requested her own personal budget and private assets. Derrick and Reynold deny her request. The Duke goes to FL’s room for the first time ever and secretly gives her ownership of an emerald mine. - FL decides to focus on increasing Iklies’ favourability to 100% asap. It’s now 81%. She wants to remove his slave collar but he refuses. Iklies will keep wearing the collar to reassure FL that he’ll behave. He wants FL to have his life in her hands. He’s now 86%. - Kallisto summons FL to see him to discuss what she said about their relationship during the trial. FL pretends to be unwell so Kallisto makes a surprise visit to the Eckhart estate. He confronts FL about the rumours that he begged to be her lover. Kallisto gives to FL the ancient map of Valta that he got restored by the imperial mages. (A copy of the map is retained by the palace) - Marquis Allen has been released with no charges. - Baron Tullet was framed for everything. - Count Kellen and his family lost all of their wealth, assets and status. They were demoted to slaves. Kallisto gives the returned title deed for the diamond mine to FL. - Kallisto investigated why the original Penelope caused a commotion at the hunting competition last year. At the Kellen tea party, Penelope was served dirty water full of mosquitoes. FL didn’t think the Duke would believe her if she told him. - Iklies saw FL with Kallisto and ran away. - FL is told Iklies stays in his room and hasn’t been to training for a few days. She visits him and overhears some knights insulting her and Iklies. They’re shocked to see her and FL tells them to go away. - Iklies lets FL into his room. He’s crying and asks who was the man that she met. FL realises Iklies has feelings for her. - After FL reassures Iklies (88%), he asks for a swordsmanship instructor so he can better protect FL as her guardian. - FL meets Derrick and requests a good swordsmanship instructor for Iklies. Derrick warns her that it could be seen as treason to teach swordsmanship to a slave from an enemy country. Iklies is sent away to train under a swordmaster who is a former vice captain of the imperial guards. - Emeralds sold from FL’s mine were all bought by White Rabbit, the merchant company run by Vinter. Using magic, Vinter invites FL to visit him. FL uses her magic garnet bracelet to disguise herself as a boy. - FL signs a contract for Vinter (52%) to handle the processing of the emeralds. She signs a separate contract for him to handle the whole process for her diamond mine. She needs her own funds to support herself after Yvonne returns and to pay for checking favourability. Vinter includes in the contract a condition that FL must have a few meetings with him. - FL arrives for her first meeting with Vinter. - Main episode: the Whereabouts of the Missing Children. - 1st quest: Volunteering in a Poor Village. - Roan is one of the orphans under Vinter’s care. - Vinter teleports the 3 of them to a port city that suffered the most damage in the war. They go to a village and Vinter uses magic to set up a soup kitchen. Mostly poor orphan children come out. - FL learns that Vinter has already met Yvonne. - She recently volunteered with him at the village. - Vinter gives FL a pendant necklace that’s an ancient magical artefact. It changes colour if mama or poisonous substances are nearby. FL completes a hidden quest to gain Vinter’s trust. - The Holy Kingdom of Leila aims to get rid of all mages. They believe that is the only way the Leila kingdom is going to rule over the whole continent. Anyone possessing mana became outcasts in the village as they were blamed for the constant attacks from the Leila kingdom. - On the village outskirts where the mana outcasts live, FL watches over Roan playing with other orphans while Vinter meets the village chief. The children suddenly vanish. FL finds them on the beach with mages from the Leila kingdom. The system lets FL use lightning magic to try and stop the mages. Roan teleports FL away to protect her and the children disappear with the mages. - Vinter admits he was testing FL to see if she was from Leila. - As part of the main quest, FL insists on going with Vinter to save the children. They teleport to a small island called Soleil. - Vinter detects Roan’s presence in a cave. - The Leila rebels use magic stolen from children with mana in order to eliminate mages and resurrect Leila. - The Leilans are an ancient tribe who possess powers similar to magic. Instead of magic and nature, they use life force. - The ancient Valta kingdom was built by the Leilans. - The ancient mages sealed away the Leilans to stop them from trying to take over the world. A curse was cast by the Leilans that altered history. The mages were framed for the Leilans’ misdeeds. That’s why mages continue to be persecuted. - FL and Vinter are separated due to a trap. FL receives a quest to defeat a swarm of enchanted creatures. The system lets her cast fire or freeze spells. Kallisto suddenly appears and helps her. Later Vinter reunited with FL. - FL, Vinter and Kallisto reach some underground ruins where Leilan rebels have gathered. They see a woman in white who the rebels call the goddess Leila. She appears to drain the life force from a captured man and he disappears. Vinter suddenly attacks when he recognises an ancient artifact stolen by the Leilans that is used for mind control. - The Leilan rebels release monsters to fight Vinter and Kallisto. Vintner teleports some of the children away before they can be fed to the monsters, but he’s injured in the process. - FL sees a system window and casts a powerful spell that destroys the monsters. The spell also wipes out most of the rebels and shatters the magic mirror artifact. FL takes a piece of the artifact with her. - The woman called the goddess is actually Yvonne. A surviving rebel teleports her away. The underground cavern is collapsing from FL’s spell. Vintner saves the remaining children while Kallisto and FL take Roan. The entire island with the cave sinks into the sea and disappears. - FL clears the Whereabouts of the Missing Children quest. - Kallisto is forcefully teleported by Cedric to return to the imperial palace. He kisses FL before he vanishes.

A Capable Maid

Ongoing | Yuin,Sanho | 2019 released

Ch 56 as of 08/08/21 - FL is Lady (Princess) Morina, the “faceless saint” and last of royal bloodline of former Cloyan Kingdom (TBC illegitimate child, commoner mother). Isolated, alone, outcast. - terrified of being discovered by ML and killed like her family. - hid her true identity as a maid w/ false name “Marie” and now works in imperial palace of the Eastern Empire - cared for prisoner w/ kindness and before he died granted her wish on a prayer. FL asked to be capable so she can live a better life by making everyone happy. FL’s capabilities come as dreams / visions before she needs to use them - ML is Crown Prince Rael (Ran), the “Blood Prince” wears mask. Mother died 10yrs ago, younger sister was poisoned. Suffers from severe insomnia. - Sir (Marquis) Kielhan / Kiel de Seton, Head Knight of Imperial Bodyguards. Guards Emperor Thorne / Toren II who’s in a coma. - King Johannes III of the Western Empire Dream related events: - Becoming the perfect maid - 3rd Empress Garden Sculpture - Symphonic masterpiece composed for palace orchestra - Handmade baked goods / sweets - Signature meat dish for main banquet - Emergency medical assistance - Magic tricks to show a lonely child, 10th Prince Oscar - Detective work solving suspected arson case - Events: week long festival, incl Masquerade Ball and street festival. FL received 3 x invitations to Ball. - In town FL saved from thugs by ML as Ran (no mask) - Starts at Lion Palace: FL’s tea brewing skills - Unknown to FL, the preferred candidate for Crown Princess is herself as the missing Princess Morina. - The selection of the Crown Princess (between Ariel and Rachel): FL is helping Rachel in secret. FL wants to escape the Lion Palace and ML’s watchful eye. - FL redesigns a dress for the candidate banquet - FL bakes handmade sweets again for ML - Eastern Halidom (Holy Nation) delegation: ask for help w/ food supply from the Eastern Empire. FL comes up w/ a unique and fair trade solution of sugarcane seeds. ML is impressed with this idea that allows the Eastern Empire to supply food in exchange for appropriate payment from the Halidom. He himself uncovered this as FL’s idea and not Rachel’s. - FL is knighted for her services and granted title of Dame and surname Hilderun (after visionary St Hildegard). She truly becomes ML’s personal maid. - Johannes and the Western Empire were behind the troubles in the Halidom. Rachel also seems to have ties with them. Johannes suspects FL is the Cloyan Princess. - FL is made to join ML on his trip to the poor SW region. She learns ‘Sir Ran’ is actually ML. They both become very aware of eachother along the way. ML denies his feelings for FL, saying all he does is for the sake of the Eastern Empire. FL also is constantly reminded of how much ML cares for his subjects. - The common people of the SW region think badly of ML after the civil war in the area formerly controlled by the 2nd prince. They’re against the sugarcane project because of their distrust of him. - FL dreams of creating patisseries using sugar, ‘the powder of happiness’. FL enacts the ‘happiness sugar carriage plan’ and distributes sweet baked goods around the region to promote sugar and overturn public opinion of ML. - She holds an informal outdoor concert herself then ML speaks with sincerity about his hope to help the region. - The plan works and ML asks FL to stay by his side and return to the region to see the project come to fruition. - FL is resolved to become the most valuable subject to ML so it won’t matter if her true identity is revealed. FL works hard to serve ML, and is more like his personal secretary / aide than his maid. - Rachel baits Ariel by insinuating FL and ML were intimate during the trip to the SW region. Feeling threatened by Marie, Ariel accuses her of touching a royal (ie Oscar) but is made to apologise instead. Furious, Ariel summons Marie and is about to strike her when Ariel is stopped by Sir Kiel. ML also visits Ariel to warn her. - Rachel frames FL for theft, with help from Johannes.