Thanks to Callis, Irene had gained a detailed understanding of what the Binding Ceremony and the Binding Festival were all about.
For instance, the Binding Ceremony was held only once a year, on the brightest moonlit night of November.
Callis was the only one across the continent capable of performing the Binding Ceremony, among many other fascinating facts she had heard.
Although Callis did not reveal how to tame magical beasts or how to imprint humans as their masters, he readily shared how to dissolve such a bond.
“One of the two has to die.”
The method was rather ghastly.
“If the magical beast dies, it’s not a big deal. However, if the human dies first, it becomes a headache. The beast released from the imprint would go berserk ninety-nine out of a hundred times.”
Handling such beasts was also a duty of the Esper family.
Could that be why there were rumors of the Espers being deeply involved with magical beasts?
Irene speculated as much, glancing sideways at Callis sitting across from her.
The large carriage housed only Irene and Callis.
Zerdin was supposed to come along, but he had left earlier, saying he had other matters to attend to.
Callis was staring out the window with an indifferent face.
“Why do you keep looking?”
Feeling secure as she continued to steal glances, how could he know I was watching?
Irene answered with a bit of embarrassment.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“Is that so?”
Callis turned to look at Irene.
“I have something to say.”
Stiffening, Irene clenched her hands together politely.
“Please go ahead.”
“Firstly, never stray from my side under any circumstances.”
Before Irene could agree, Callis continued.
“Also, if you hear any strange noises while we’re passing by, just ignore them. It’s nonsense.”
Who would say strange things to me?
“I understand.”
Though bewildered by the enigmatic orders, Irene complied.
“Lastly, you should never move from that spot if, for some unavoidable reason, we get separated.”
Callis’s words continued.
“I’ll be sure to come and get you.”
Determination was evident in the purple eyes focused on Irene.
“You just need to wait quietly for me.”
As the rapidly-moving carriage came to a halt, Callis was the first to step out.
“Come down.”
He extended his hand towards Irene.
“…”
I know he’s merely escorting me, but—
Irene hesitated to take his hand, even though it wasn’t the first time.
Noticing the hesitation, Callis frowned slightly.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh? Oh, I, I’m sorry.”
Startled by the abrupt question, Irene hurriedly grabbed his hand.
The moment she did, a sharp pain radiated from her heart, and she felt as though the energy was draining from her body.
It was a peculiar sensation that she had often felt whenever she touched Callis’s hand.
It wasn’t necessarily loathsome, but it wasn’t pleasant either.
It couldn’t be good to feel as if energy was draining from her body.
Despite wanting to let go, she couldn’t, for Callis was firmly holding her hand.
“Welcome, Master.”
As Irene also descended from the carriage, Zerdin, who had arrived earlier, greeted them with a bright smile.
“You took your time. Though I suppose the crowd did slow you down a bit?”
“You got here quickly.”
“I rode a horse, after all.”
While Callis and Zerdin chatted, all of Irene’s attention was on their interlocked hands.
There was no reason to hold hands after alighting from the carriage, yet for some reason, Callis continued to grip hers.
“Fewer roaming magical spirits this year, I hear. Is it because the ceremony hasn’t been held yet?”
“I’ve prohibited them from roaming, as they could cause problems, being magical beasts.”
“Oh, really?”
However, the two were engrossed in a serious conversation, making it difficult to interrupt.
Hesitant and staring at her hand, Irene suddenly sensed a gaze and looked up.
A man with auburn hair stood behind Jardin, staring intently at her.
Startled by the intrusive gaze, Irene instinctively retracted her neck like a turtle.
“How dare you suspect someone?”
Then Carlos asked the man in a harsh tone.
The man lowered his head and apologized respectfully.
“I apologize, Your Grace.”
“You should be apologizing to her, not me.”
The man directed his apologetic gaze toward Irene.
“I apologize, milady. I merely wanted to confirm if you were the lady in question from the rumors, and unintentionally made you uncomfortable.”
“Oh, it’s okay.”
Feeling the sincerity, Irene readily accepted the man’s apology, not wanting to escalate the situation.
However, Carlos seemed displeased and turned his head away.
The man placed his hand over his chest and introduced himself.
“My apologies for the late introduction. I am Raymond Oldron, a member of the Royal First Knight Division. I’m currently assigned to the Crown Prince’s escort.”
“I am…”
“It’s fine.”
Irene was about to introduce herself, but Carlos cut her off.
“He likely already knows who you are, no need to introduce yourself.”
But isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when you meet someone for the first time?
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
