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A Concubine’s Competitive Life in the Prince’s Household
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Web Novel (CN)
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Rating(3.9 / 5.0, 127 votes)
5    52% (66 votes)
4    16% (20 votes)
3    9% (12 votes)
2    11% (14 votes)
1    12% (15 votes)
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2024
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Status in Country of Origin. One entry per line
443 chapters (Completed)
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Completely Translated
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Release Frequency
Every 16.4 Day(s)
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Weekly Rank: #11872
Monthly Rank: #15244
All Time Rank: #2526
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On 1436 Reading Lists
Monthly Rank: #12534
All Time Rank: #7387

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【Time Travel + Workplace Competition + No Lazing Around + Ambitious Female Lead】

Overachiever Shen Wei traveled through time and found herself as the lowest-ranking maid in the grand residence of the Yan Prince.

The Yan Prince held a prestigious position, but his consorts were all content to live dull lives. The noble-born princess consort was as tranquil as a chrysanthemum; the concubine sought a life of monogamy; the reincarnated woman was utterly disillusioned with the Yan Prince and had given up on striving for anything; and the other timid concubines dared not make a move…

The queen of workplace competition, Shen Wei, declared: Don’t stop me! I’m going to outwork these unambitious slackers!

…

The Yan Prince had grown accustomed to the stagnant atmosphere in his harem, until a particularly skilled courtesan appeared.

This concubine was stunningly beautiful, adept at both literature and dance, hardworking, and always brought him fresh excitement. The Prince couldn’t help but take a second, then a lifetime-long, look at her.

Years later, Shen Wei became the all-powerful Imperial Noble Consort, with children and the emperor’s exclusive favor.

Meanwhile, the princess consort remained as tranquil as ever; the concubine was aging and had yet to experience a monogamous life; and the reincarnated woman was still eating simple meals in her modest abode…

After half a lifetime of striving, Shen Wei finally reached retirement and revealed her true nature, fully embracing a life of leisure. The retired emperor interjected: “You competed for favor just to retire?”

Shen Wei snacked on melon seeds: “What else?”

Living is all about retirement!

The retired emperor was even more surprised to find, in midlife, that other men were vying for his wife’s affections!

Associated Names
One entry per line
不当咸鱼，王府宠妾的内卷日常
Related Series
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Recommendations
The Job of an Imperial Concubine (2)
100 Techniques to Conquer the Emperor in the Harem (2)
Wanli Emperor (2)
Whose Favored Concubine Doesn’t Court Death? (1)
The Slacker Noble Consort (1)
The Rebirth Chronicle of Ming Wei (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. My favorites
  2. Ancient Chinese (short & long)
  3. Ancient China
  4. Chinese FMC Series | All [A] Titles [Pt 1]
  5. Akknovel reads

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Review
20 Reviews


Sherlocked
New Sherlocked
May 20, 2026
Status: c39
The concept is a bit fresh. The FL manipulates the ML. But the characters all have IQ problems, especially Liu Ruyan. Her maid Xue Mei’s thoughts are rather funny and logical. But the manipulation tactics are rather childish and the FL carries them out so easily so I lost interest. So dropped at C39
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Clarimel7
Clarimel7
Apr 02, 2025
Status: Completed
As a maid, FL made the best of her available choices.

  • ML strong needs:
She had her own fitness plan: [Morning: ten laps of jogging, squats. Afternoon: practicing Baduanjin. Before sleep: dancing the "Pamela Fitness Routine."

XD

... more>> Her sleeping posture was also intentional. Shen Wei didn't lie on her side; lying on the side would thicken the shoulders and distort the face. The best sleeping position was flat on the back.

But lying flat would make the buttocks flat, so Shen Wei used a small soft pillow under her waist to maintain her figure.

  • My mentor:
You need to show concern through words and actions. Shen Wei's goal was to become Prince Yan's "flower that speaks, " his spiritual refuge, the only harbor he wanted to rely on when tired.

  • Clear goals
She didn’t aim for “one man, one woman for life.” Prince Yan was merely her ATM and a stepping stone toward retirement.

  • Clear minded
Never let internal friction wear you down; always strive to excel internally.

  • Tenacity
She would keep learning and improving for as long as she lived

I love her character decelopment insights

Spoiler

Shen Wei hates roses. Because when she wanted to abandon her husband and children, her skirt was caught by the rose bush, and she lost her freedom for the rest of her life.

[collapse]

  • Note taken:
People cannot live without society.

Being lonely for a long time can easily lead to depression, and the slightest stimulation can easily cause psychological distortion and abnormality.

  • Working out benefits health
"Walk a little every day, and you'll live to be ninety-nine."

Life lies in movement! <<less
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sayuummi
sayuummi
Aug 14, 2025
Status: c100
Despite the many positive reviews, I didn’t enjoy this story very much. To begin with, it has a strong comedic tone that isn’t listed in the tags or mentioned anywhere. This makes it impossible to take the plot seriously, and in my case, not even forcing myself worked.

The work is huge over 400 chapters but it simply doesn’t have enough content to sustain that length. There’s no real plot. When I say there’s no plot, I truly mean there’s nothing consistent to justify so many chapters.

The characters, despite many claiming... more>> they’re well-developed, are not. Not even the protagonist. She reincarnates already fully adapted, without facing any real difficulty. Literally, the moment she wakes up, she’s already successfully dealing with the prince’s concubine. This absurd ease is hard to believe. On top of that, she’s completely omnipotent, and the prince is indulgent in an almost unrealistic way.

Another bothersome aspect is how the women in the story are portrayed: practically all of them, except the protagonist, are shown as s*upid, lazy, and useless, incapable of doing even the bare minimum she does. The protagonist herself treats the ML as if he were a product, conducting their interactions like a business transaction where he’s merely the client or buyer.

To make matters worse, the characters in this story lack any real personality. Everything feels forced and artificial. They all share very similar traits, as if there was no effort put into creating figures that are even relatively distinct from one another.

In the end, there’s no strong narrative element to sustain or motivate a reader through more than 400 chapters. The story is shallow and sill <<less
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Sayurisama
Sayurisama
May 22, 2025
Status: c178
What a delectable novel—truly a feast for the senses. The characters are wonderfully crafted, each with a distinct charm, but the female lead stands out as exceptionally intelligent, graceful, and cunning. I find myself deeply admiring her wit and strength.

This story is a delightful treat for readers who crave the thrill of transmigration, the intrigue of ancient royalty, and the drama of a well-woven harem plot. With a beautiful, clever heroine and a dashing prince, it checks every box for lovers of historical romance and fantasy.

Each chapter is like a... more>> daily indulgence—two doses of addictive storytelling that never fail to satisfy, yet always leave me wanting more. I’m currently on Chapter 178 and still insatiably hooked. I truly hope for more updates soon—this novel has completely captured my heart. <<less
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Mistygirl56
Mistygirl56
May 20, 2025
Status: Completed
FL is the baddest, coldest. And most inspirational character I have ever read. She sets her goals, and follows through no matter how long it takes. She is calm and strategic. Sometimes I think that she sees herself harshly. She treats everyone well but she would excuse it and say it's because she has a motive. I felt so bad for the Emperor at the end, but I was just as fascinated with this cold borderline cruel FL who only thinks of her interest.

I read until the end to get... more>> her true feelings. Some of the storylines were over the top esp close to the ending and FL was almost omnipotent. Too OP but her personality was so unique, it made up for it. <<less
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lennyg21
lennyg21
Jun 08, 2025
Status: c207
Couldn’t put this novel down. I love the characters, even the ML who was sometimes delulu of the FL fake love and care for him ? Also love the plot and how each concubine that’s part of the furniture has their own personality, really makes me laugh and a different take on the usual shallow crazy dumb concubines used to thicken the plot of FL and ML. The ones in these books are almost for comedic relief :)

thank you translator, can’t wait for the next chapters!
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LJReads
LJReads
May 19, 2025
Status: Completed
4.5/5, just enough to miss the mark.

... more>>
Spoiler

I don't love the sub plots, but especially not the one with Sun Qingmei. I HATE the husband returns with a mistress trope. Yes the wife usually comes away with either a wonderful second husband or stands on her own two feet but the amount of ab*se that happens first is enough to make me hesitate to read parts of the story. I am however, much happier now that she has quickly and summarily resolved the problem by not even being on "screen" so to speak.

[collapse]

Spoiler

The emperor really do be so delulu for his wife.

[collapse]

This novel is what it is. The summary tells you exactly how the story plays out. She retires and that's that.

I will say, the ending was not my fave. I took off a half star for it, but you can only rate by whole stars. <<less
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BrittaMarii
BrittaMarii
May 01, 2025
Status: Completed
This may be the best chinese novel I have ever read. But take this with a grain of salt since this is the first of its kind I have actually finished.

I loved Shen Wei and her whole personality. I loved how she tormented prince yan in the later chapters.

... more>>
Spoiler

she almost killed him which was so funny since he didn't even notice and it was also so funny how she planned to kill him if he ever doubted her again

[collapse]

Another fun thing about this novel is that even though it has a lot and I mean A LOT of harem plots and characters dying left and right. There were many funny moments that I wasn't expecting and the concubines became kind of like the comic relief character after a serious moment.

I had many laughs which I was not expecting but I loved this novel all the way and hope you give it a chance to charm you with the FL and all her funny thoughts and actions. <<less
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empresz
empresz
Jan 30, 2026
Status: Completed
I'm hovering between 3.5 and 4. It is pretty light and entertaining, but starting from the retirement storyline it got weird and stayed odd. I don't know if I really love the way she treated ML at that point and the whole body swap thing was boring. I skimmed most of this. I think because of the way it ended, I'm not sure if I can re-read. Another reviewer is right, this is not a romance, but even going in with that lens, it doesn't feel right to me. Anyways,... more>> it's a lot of chapters but each one is pretty short and since it's not too heavy, you can get through it fairly quickly. <<less
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idyllichamster
idyllichamst
Dec 19, 2025
Status: Completed
Pros:

  1. The character outline was very straightforward, what you read is what you get.
    Spoiler

    From the very start, it was stated in the story that the MC is level-headed, and doesn't take shit, and is only doing what she did to survive in a world where she was suddenly plunged into.

    [collapse]
  2. The story was engaging from chapter one until around chapter 380-ish (subjective).
  3. I like strong and cunning FLs.
Cons:

  1. Spoiler

    At some point, you realize that there seemed to be zero character development at all for the main CP. The FL stayed level-headed until the very end, with no ounce of love, and only felt some sort of familiarity, towards the ML. The story was engaging up until 380 where I began to feel tired of the story and just wanted it to end. Lol. Yes, there was foreshadowing for that arc, but the lack of character development made it seem like the last arc was just a rehash, just another version of the earlier arcs.

    [collapse]
  2. Spoiler

    The way the MC treated her situation as a "job" leaves a bit of distaste in my mouth (subjective). She treats the emperor as her employer, and that the "job" entails her cozying up to him, sleeping with him as often as he wanted to, etc., because she is his concubine, is a bit meh.

    [collapse]
Overall, I'm glad I read this, but I don't think it's worth a reread. Also, I think I developed a permanent sneer on my face whenever the emperor is on the scene. Maybe I'm just not that into this kind of genre.
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alpacareads
alpacareads
Nov 14, 2025
Status: Completed
overall fun story, its engaging enough that im still reading it while on vacation. The FL is smart, and navigates thru the imperial harem in the princes and then the palaces. However, all of her opponents are lowkey scaled down in difficulty, theyre all so one note thats its hilarious. The children are also weirdly written, it feels like the author either doesnt spend too much time with kids, or she channeled all the FL’s opponents brainpower to them. Treat this like a popcorn novel to have fun, dont turn... more>> on your brains too much on the characters. <<less
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joshb3
joshb3
Oct 28, 2025
Status: c438
It was an interesting read with a unique MC that is a master manipulator. 4.5+ rating for most of the story, but it seems as though the author painted themselves into a corner and couldn't figure out how to finish the novel well. Honestly one of the least satisfying endings I've read. I didn't read all of the extra chapters, so perhaps there's a better ending there.
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MariaS
MariaS
Oct 21, 2025
Status: c420
I'm still reading, it's an entertaining read, absolutely NOT a romantic story. The FL is very goal oriented, rational and scheming. The development is quite thoughtful, although there are some things that break realism. That said, part of the premise is that a lot of the harem has 'given up' and don't compete (at least at the start) it seems contradictory but I can understand why living in a harem would give someone depression.
Spoiler

The FL is supposedly a woman who came from a poor background and rose in the corporate world which gives her a lot of believable skills and grit. However, for some reason in the forest she effortlessly kills a bear with a rock and dagger and we're given no explanation as to how the ** she knew how to do that.

On secrets: The FL wants to keep her enterprises secret and yet shows she has the same recipes as her own shop. Somehow no one puts two and two together. Then, she also deceives her gambling brother (and the rest of her family) that she's suffering so he becomes more diligent. For some reason, she doesn't even tell them her life has improved even though it's so easily discovered how favoured she is.

I don't know if the author doesn't know how mature children should be according to age or doesn't remember the ages the children are supposed to be. But 3-year-old children shouldn't be that mature. I could maybe excuse a 5-year-old given the imperial family, but a 3-year-old is completely impossible. At some point in the story, the author stops mentioning their ages, so maybe they realised it as well.

On feelings, the FL is extremely cold, she has zero affection for the ML and even her children seem to be an afterthought. Her first thought when there's a potential war is not 'what will happen to my children/family/country but 'that's not good for my business, so it must not happen'.


Around the 400 chapter, after their retirement the plot basically stretches on like gum. The whole bodysnatching doesn't match the rest of the story for me.
[collapse]
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nicomcla1995
nicomcla1995
Oct 20, 2025
Status: Completed
I know we love a Bada** MC, but at least for me, I like a bada** with a heart.

MC was truly the most callous, selfish, arrogant, and heartless MCs I've read about in a minute. Most MCs in this genre specifically, have children to further their position, but at the end of the day they end up loving them with all of their heart.

This MC though, only ever saw her children as a means to an end, and in her words shackles to the current era. That's wild to me.... more>> Why have kids? She had time to fake her death before Leyou, but she didn't.

The fact is when prince Heng rebelled, she was willing to abandon her husband and her children, even after the emperor chose to run with her after an assassination attempt. The most she thought of him was nice.

Which just cemented her selfish and callous nature to me. I was already in too deep so I kept reading on but damn does she get more heartless at the end.

It's almost like she has a grudge against the ML for what reason I don't know.

Spoilers

Why a heartless broad! She was willing to give up her old life after her soul was switched to live a brand new life until she found out she wasn't gonna live long. Damn, I kinda can't stand her now.

I honestly compare her to the concubine Liu, in the sense that, no matter what everyone else gave her or what she achieved, she was never satisfied. Having a wife or mother like this has got to be the worst. <<less
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whimsicle
whimsicle
May 09, 2026
Status: c37
God, reading this was unbearable at some points. I just find Prince Yan an obnoxious character, no matter how you try to understand his character's motivation, and the author's justification for him, it just doesn't work. I still see him as an incapable man. Maybe good at his duty in the country, which is also questionable. Can you imagine if he's going to be an emperor at some point?. He has no sense of perception, and right and wrong. It makes me wanna question if he has the brain for... more>> it. Because really? You can't see through a persons character? He can be clouded by his emotion, he can't think logically, and has no situational awareness. He's basically incompetent, his backyard is the proof. Speaking of backyard, I find it sometime odd, funny at the same time annoying. All of the women basically gave up hopes for wealth and glory. They all have their own quirks. It's just get annoying if the same thing, their sentiments, is repeated over and over again. The Princess Consort, idk she is not a good mother I can say that. She thought of wanting to compete with the concubines but her actions with Shen Wei is sometimes sketchy. She is an incompetent mistress of the house, she didn't even manage the finance well. The fl, Shen Wei is a really good character for me. She has boldness, intelligent, perseverance, patience, discipline and all the other you could possess in order for you to do great. She is really great, especially if she put her mind into it, fully committed to the work. I find her smart. It's just some of her schemes are too... lame. Especially, if it's towards the Prince. I guess with the Prince being too s*upid to believe anything, you could do anything half ass and still ace it. It's just if you read this type of novel out there, you know her schemes are too childish. I cringe every scenes she had with Prince Yan. The way she resolve thing is too unsatisfactory. Especially Zheng (?) Yue, she jumps up and down already enough, why is still given a chance to continue? I just find Shen Wei a smart woman - especially with what she's done with her mother and brother is brilliant, - that all her scenes in the backyard is such a let down. I think if she was living outside, she would do very well, specifically in business. Or maybe, with a different male character, maybe she will flourish more. <<less
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lkjhasdf
lkjhasdf
May 04, 2026
Status: Completed
Great read! Even though the novel is super long, it never felt like it - the FL is captivating (smart, ruthless and utterly fun to read about) and no matter the setting, I can read even more of her antics and hustling!

... more>>
Spoiler

The story is basically an extremely smart woman cheating an extremely smart man (who probably underestimates her) into falling in love with him. At least after falling / realizing he is in love with the FL, the emperor is faithful to their, which allowed me to root for their relationship and the ML takes the truth of who she really is quite well.

Would have enjoyed more of their travels post-retirement and even longer modern arc instead of the weird fisher-girl arc but whatever...

[collapse]
<<less
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AkaneApples
AkaneApples
Feb 27, 2026
Status: Completed
The trope we usually see is 'she fell first, but he fell harder.' This novel is 'she pretended to fall first and successfully fooled him into falling with enough force to last several lifetimes'. A novel less for the romance, and much more for the schemes, don't come in expecting any sweetness except 0 calorie sweetener. MC is charming, both ruthless and benevolent, & highly skilled at both management & manipulation. She never loses herself in her act, & also never quite loves the ML back. She just tolerates his... more>> presence because of all their years of relationship.

ML is an excellent emperor, but by default that makes him pretty crappy husband material. He succumbs to the MC's high level seduction & never suspects a thing until MC retires from her loving act. By then, he's so hopelessly in love with her that he makes you start rooting for him out of sheer pity.

The side characters were also well-written, & sometimes I was reading just to see the resolution of their story arcs. All of the women, nobility or servants, had their own philosophies in dealing with their challenges in life. Some pretended to be benevolent while secretly plotting the most evil, using love as an excuse to control and ab*se, until they destroyed everything they held dear in the process. Some had to grow up very painfully because they loved the wrong person, weathering the storms outside their greenhouse in order to survive, and then thrive, after letting go of the past. Some couldn't learn to let go of the past no matter what, and saw nothing in the present of value, until they lost what was right in front of them. Some found out the hard way that all their service and sacrifice meant nothing to the wrong person, but they still managed to turn their luck around in the end because others noticed. Some pushed away everything out of fear, and always clung a bright future that would come someday if they just stayed hidden long enough, despite never doing anything to get there. And one someone in particular, my favorite, was convinced that she had no hope in the future, but still chose to be a good person & stuck to her principles long enough to get her own happily ever after, against the odds.

The antagonists were both pitiful and hateful, and it was both satisfying and melancholic to see their downfall. Not that they didn't deserve it, but that so much pain and trauma could have been avoided if people had just made better choices. Overall a solid read for a historic harem fighting novel (not a romance). 4/5 <<less
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monsher
monsher
Jan 23, 2026
Status: Completed
This story is soooo good! Initially, it seems like a generic, corny harem intrigue novel where the protagonist just gets rewards on rewards, living a happy life. Without wanting to give spoilers, Shen Wei is so clever and realistic to me, and you really have to read between the lines to understand her true emotions.

And although Shen Wei initially had to scheme to make the prince love her, he becomes super obsessed and acts like a puppy to her, which I found really funny and cute. I was honestly rooting... more>> for him.

The author is also really good at making the story seem realistic- storylines overlap, and side characters have their own lives and develop on their own too. Shen Wei might defeat them, but then they go off and do their own thing. Antagonists are also developed even *before* Shen Wei meets them, which makes them actually interesting- at least to me.

Shen Wei also has her own personality, but her own emotions aren't really described as much, which I think is really metaphorical for who she is, shaped by her life. She definitely gets more mature as the story goes on and she gets older.

You should definitely read this book!! It's over 400 chapters and each chapter is actually long-ish, so it's definitely worth picking up for the long read. I found myself wanting to read the book until really late at night. <<less
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Beepbop
Beepbop
Jan 03, 2026
Status: c443
Honestly, this novel was among the best in its genre. I found the FL to be a very interesting character using their background as a businesswoman to navigate their transmigration, in the sense that their relationship with the prince ... more>>
Spoiler

and later the emperor

[collapse]
was a business agreement and not a loving marriage.

In that regard, this story was quite bittersweet as other commenters have noted our FL's ruthlessness and paranoia.

Throughout our FL's schemes and business ambitions, we learn of her profound sadness over her circumstances (from being an independent and successful CEO to a low-ranked concubine reliant on the whims of our ML).

She frequently considers her plan B when things go wrong
Spoiler

and attempts to flee (and abandon her children) during the chaos of the rebellion

[collapse]
expresses a desire to return to the modern world. I found this really refreshing, actually, as many transmigrators just move on and/or don't really use the skill set they transmigrate with.

For all her ruthlessness, she had a strong moral compass and only acted in retaliation with actual enemies
Spoiler

none of the petty dog-blood nonsense - afterall, the FL was not in love with the prince and had no reason to target his other wives that were also trapped in unfavorable circumstances

[collapse]

She is also very paranoid (imo, rightfully so) about the prince's favor as she tries to embody a devoted, simple-minded wife (who is paradoxically virtuous and okay with his non-monogamy).
Spoiler

Her skepticism about her place in the Emperor's heart is validated when he questions her fidelity after observing the one-sided dynamic between the FL and the rebellious prince.

[collapse]

Spoiler

My dislikes:

I have mixed feelings on her relationship to her children, and while I think she would be a bad mother by modern standards, I don't think she was indifferent to them and did try to give them security (though wealth and encouraging good relations with their father and grandmother) and opportunities (strong education, good tutors). The fact of the matter was that children were tools for concubines, vying for favor and a future. Therefore, I question if FL had much of a choice.

I found Prince Heng (second ML?) pretty annoying, but I can recognize the use of his character as a plot device and to add some comedy.

Last side story is open-ended and leaves the possibility for an HE between our FL and ML in the modern world.

[collapse]
<<less
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CleopatraLisa
CleopatraLis
Sep 15, 2025
Status: --
Overall, it's good. 4.5
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