“The regency of Dowager Queen Nibia has been officially established.It was finalized this morning at the royal council meeting.”
Aster, visiting the Queen’s Palace, leaned against the window frame with both hands and spoke.
Rose, pressing her throbbing temples as if hammered, gave no reply.
“Not a single noble raised an objection, to the point where His Majesty seemed pitiable.Except for Sir Alonzo Laugel, the attendant.”
With this event, Shallen had effectively lost real control over the royal court.
Even the last shred of authority he held had crumbled into dust.
Now, all that remained for him was the nominal title of king.
For the time being, his mother, Nibia, would decide and manage everything.
This meant that Rose, as queen, was now in a precarious position,like a blade of grass clinging to the edge of a cliff.
If only Nibia had viewed Rose even slightly favorably.
Nibia had long praised Kasallin as an exceptional daughter-in-law,showing her uncommon affection, but for Rose, her younger sister,she scarcely spared a glance, which was oddly telling.
Rose tried to hold onto reason, pretending to be fine, but she was deeply shaken.
She hadn’t expected someone at the pinnacle of the Kan Kingdom to fall so easily, so futilely.
Wasn’t the position of king supposed to be absolute?
Seeing Rose’s trembling eyes, Aster let out a faint, amused chuckle.
“Loyalty sounds grand in words, but it’s nothing special when you look closely, is it?With no sign of His Majesty regaining his senses,everyone’s rushing to jump ship without a moment’s hesitation.”
“That sounds like a self-introduction, Aster.”
Rose spoke her first words in a mocking tone.
Aster scratched his head and nodded.
“Well, I’m one of those types too.I once swore loyalty, kissing the feet of Her Majesty the Queen.”
“You’re like an insect.The kind that slinks around, eyeing crumbs, crawling disgustingly on the floor.”
“The smaller the insect, the more tenaciously it survives.So, I’m thinking of licking someone else’s feet from now on.”
Rose let out a hollow laugh.
“What, are you planning to play the paramour to Dowager Queen Nibia now?Will you grovel like a dog, begging for scraps, performing tricks?It suits you perfectly.”
“The dowager’s lover? That doesn’t sound bad.But you’re wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“The person I want to back isn’t, strictly speaking, Dowager Queen Nibia,but Princess Rillen.”
Princess Rillen.
Rose paused, wondering where and when she had heard that vaguely familiar name.
Then, a faint, long-buried memory surfaced from her subconscious.
When she first went to pay her respects to Nibia as a child,a woman stood beside her.
Rose struggled to recall that she was Princess Rillen, Shallen’s sister, two years his senior.
“Princess Rillen went to study in the Lam Kingdom.That was a long time ago.”
“A nice way to say she was exiled after losing the succession battle.Isn’t her fate too pitiful for her abilities?So, I sent a little letter of regards to the princess.”
A chilling premonition crawled up Rose’s neck, making her stand from her seat.
“A letter of regards… Aster, you wouldn’t dare!”
“I believe she still harbors ambitions.She’s surely been waiting for a moment like this.Definitely.”
“You’ve summoned Princess Rillen back to the Kan Kingdom!Are you betraying His Majesty Shallen now?”
“How is this betraying His Majesty Shallen?His Majesty is the royal court itself.I merely wish to offer advice to Princess Rillen for the court’s prosperity.In the end, this is for His Majesty Shallen.”
“Don’t spout such absurd nonsense!”
Rose had heard that Shallen also had two lesser-known brothers.
She wondered why Aster chose Princess Rillen over them,but after hearing him, she understood why.
Shaking her head, Rose spoke.
“You’re not… planning to make Princess Rillen the next kingand become her royal consort, are you? Right?”
Aster’s eyes, venomous enough to spew poison if met, narrowed unpleasantly.
He neither nodded nor shook his head.
But Rose knew his smile carried a stronger affirmation than any words.
“This is treason. Blatant rebellion!Do you think I’ll let you get away with this?”
“And if you don’t, what will you do?”
“What?”
“I’m asking who you’ll tattle to, saying Aster the attendant is schemingto gain a high position by enticing Princess Rillen.”
Aster took a bold step forward, speaking confrontationally.
“King Shallen locks himself away, drowning in wine all day.The dowager is disappointed in her son, and the nobles have all turned their backs.In this situation, instead of strategizing to navigate the crisis,you’re still inwardly blaming Lady Kasallin.Am I wrong?”
“…”
To Rose, Aster’s words sounded utterly strange.
How could she not blame Kasallin when her actions clearly caused this catastrophe?
If Kasallin had just behaved properly, everything would still be peaceful.
She would still share a close bond with His Majesty Shallen,be respected by the people, and look forward to the upcoming birth with hope.
Her sister Kasallin had completely ruined Shallen.
It was undeniable that she had wrecked the entire Kan royal court.
But Aster spoke as if Kasallin were the greatest victim.
He got excited whenever Kasallin’s name came up.
Rose couldn’t help but suspect.
“Do you… like my sister Kasallin?”
It wasn’t a serious question, but Aster suddenly fell silent.
To him, silence was a strong affirmation.
Rose let out a faint, incredulous laugh.
“…Really? That’s absurd.”
“Why is it absurd?Did you think someone like me couldn’t love anyone?”
“Look, Kasallin is married.Haven’t you heard the news? She’s pregnant with the emperor’s child.”
“I know. And?”
“And? You just said you’d become Princess Rillen’s consort,yet the person you love is the empress of the Renel Empire.Don’t you think that’s contradictory?”
Aster sighed lightly out the window, as if unsure where to begin explaining.
His eyes, filled with deep contempt, glanced at Rose.
“How could a queen who betrayed her sister,had an improper relationship with a man who was almost her brother-in-law,and went as far as marrying him understand my heart?”
“Hey, watch your words…!”
“No, you watch yours.The illegitimate child of a lowly criminal.Who do you think holds your lifeline?”
Aster raised his eyes threateningly, pointing at Rose,as if he wouldn’t tolerate another retort.
The mention of her birth father, Nelson, always stung,and Rose bit her lip, unable to express her pent-up anger.
She knew that crossing him even slightly could expose her secret to the world.
“Yes, I like Kasallin.I wake up thinking of her every day and fall asleep imagining her.”
“Are you serious?”
“But that has nothing to do with my plan to become Princess Rillen’s consort.I can share love with a woman I don’t care for,especially if wealth and power await at the end.”
Aster’s eyes writhed with a mix of obsession for success and sordid ambition.
Rose felt an instinctive alarm that she couldn’t let him proceed unchecked.
She had to somehow rouse Shallen to deal with him.
He was, after all, the king of a nation—surely, if he set his mind to it, it was possible.
“Going to His Majesty? It’s pointless.He’s already let himself go.”
“His Majesty Shallen is a strong man.He’s just recovering from a temporary shock.He’ll soon return to his old self.The Shallen Riche I know is that kind of man.”
“That Shallen is gone.”
Aster muttered at Rose’s back as she hurriedly left the room to find Shallen,his tone laced with pity beyond disdain.
Nibia had four children.
Her eldest daughter, Princess Rillen, showed such regal potential from childhoodthat nobles mockingly said, “She should have been born a prince.”
However, no princess had ever ascended the throne in the Kan Kingdom.
Moreover, the late king had favored Shallen excessively,so Rillen was easily pushed out of the succession.
When Shallen inherited the throne,Rillen was sent to the Lam Kingdom under the guise of studying abroad—an elegant exile.
She had been living in a foreign land for years now.
Princess Rillen received a letter from a sender with an unfamiliar name.
“Attendant Aster…?”
The letter was merely a polite inquiry about the princess’s well-being,sent from someone in the royal court.
But to Rillen, it held deeper meaning.
This man named Aster was quite directly offering to help her return to the royal court.
It detailed the chaotic state of the Kan Kingdom,Shallen’s poor condition,and the fact that Nibia had come to the capital to act as regent,all contained in a single sheet of paper.
“An attendant would be a talent handpicked by that boy Shallen.This Aster must be quite the opportunist, no?”
As Princess Rillen mused to herself, her maid nodded.
“But his language is bold, and his intentions are clear.Could his offer to be a loyal staff to Your Highness be sincere?”
“Whether it’s a sturdy ash staff or a rotting piece of junk, I’ll have to see for myself.And I need to confirm what he means by Shallen’s poor condition.Prepare for my return immediately.”
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.]
