Downtown Druid - Chapter 60: I’ve had far worse habits

[COMPLETE] Can a royal Romeo and Juliet find their happy ending?

Ayleth, Princess of Zenithra, is secretly trained in hand-to-hand combat, and collects swear words she doesn't know how to use. During the Festival of Peace, in which every royal son on the continent will be at the castle for a month, she is instructed by her parents to find a husband. Yet, Ayleth has never even been kissed—until the very first ball, when she meets the man in the Lion mask.

Etan is a seasoned warrior, and the Prince of Summitras. He attends the Festival hoping to find a powerful wife who will help him conquer the dark sorcery of their bloodsworn enemies, the Kingdom of Zenithra. But at the very first ball, he discovers the masked woman who captures his heart is the Heir to the evil empire.

Ayleth and Etan face an impossible battle. Will their love survive? Or will their parents' dark dealings keep them apart forever?

[Mature content. No sexual violence.]

******

“You…” She stepped back. Then back again, her mouth dropped open. “You… You cannot be…”

“I am,” Etan said, and his hair raked back as he pushed his mask off his handsome face. So handsome her heart raced.

His hair was ebony black, his skin a warm brown that threatened to fade in in the winter months. He stared at her with glittering green eyes, over high cheekbones and a noble nose, his jaw tight and shadowed this late in the day. His chin was high over the pillar of his neck that she’d just touched with its hard lines and steel strength, so different to her own. And his chest... She gasped and covered her eyes. She’d humiliated herself revealing her stupid, childish curiosity.

“No, Ayleth. This changes nothing.”

“How can you say that? It changes everything!” She was horrified to realize she was crying.

“Ayleth, please.” His voice cracked on the plea and she stared at him, shoving her mask up and off, despite how it would pull her hair out of the beautiful twist the maid had managed for her.

His eyes locked on hers and she couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe.

She had met her One. And he was the son of her bloodsworn enemy.

She stared at him as he stepped forward again, offering both hands, palm up. “Touch me,” he whispered. “Hold my hands. This is real, Ayleth. I don’t know how it happened, but this is real. Please don’t deny it.”

She couldn’t resist. She raised a trembling hand to his cheek, letting her palm catch on the scruff of his jaw. He blew out a breath and put his hand over hers, and that jolt that happened whenever they touched shivered through her again.

“Please, Ayleth.”

“I cannot deny it,” she whispered.

From the outcast of the imperial family to the emperor, Wei Chongrong’s path to the throne took thirty years.

In his previous life, everyone thought that he shouldn’t exist.

Only his youngest uncle was good to him, so he went through fire and water for him.

But what he ended up waiting for was the poisoned wine poured for him by the youngest uncle’s own hands.

Starting over, Wei Chongrong, who is familiar with the future, finds that the road ahead is still bumpy.

The battle that is bound to be lost is about to happen, and the scourge of witchcraft is close at hand.

What can he do to save the Eastern Palace and the imperial family, and to save Jun Hua, to whom he is indebted for a lifetime?

- Description from Novelupdates

As a successful villainous BOSS, in addition to having ideas and aspirations, one must also keep in mind three points:First, grow sneakily, don't act rashly (once a villain acts rashly, they basically won't survive past three chapters).Second, you're not a good person, so be ruthless (becoming more evil will make you three times stronger, while redemption weakens you by seven times).Third, remember the two points above. The moment you forget them, your end is probably on its way.

Alex is a normal girl in a post-apocalyptic world of monsters. The remaining pockets of humanity now coexist with tamed creatures that defend their towns from existential threats beyond the edge of the map.Then a Mark appears on Alex after a unique encounter. Now she can transform herself using monster essence! But the more she changes, the further from human she drifts.Join Alex as she becomes stronger, assembles her allies, and eventually founds a clan to fight for dominance of the region!It takes a monster to fight a monster, and someone has to breed them.Slightly interactive with periodic CYOA votes.This is an obvious parody with a semi-serious tone, lots of monster sex, a futanari protagonist, and a growing harem of monsters (mostly girls with a few exceptions).WARNING, Alex is bisexual and there will be both male and female monster species. If any of that isn’t your thing, move along.All characters are +18 including the monsters, who are sapient with the ability to consent. Some scenes have villains committing acts of sexual violence, but there will be no non-consensual sex scenes with the protagonist.