Shallen slowly blinked his hollow eyelids a few times, then gradually widened his eyes.His front teeth clacked together, making a faint sound.
“I’m sorry for deceiving you. I only found out partway through.My real father isn’t the late Marquis Robepon, but a man named Nelson.A lowborn man working as a mercenary in Saintfield.Half the blood running through my veins comes from him.”
Shallen couldn’t continue speaking for a while.He gripped the window frame and staggered to his feet.His face showed confusion at the shocking truth that had suddenly fallen upon him.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Then… you’re saying I’ve been involved with someone of impure blood all this time?”
Rose answered with silence.Shallen tilted his head back toward the ceiling and let out a crazed laugh.Rose looked at him with a genuinely apologetic expression.
“I did think it was strange that we didn’t resemble each other at all…”
Shallen stumbled on legs that could barely hold him and collapsed, saying,
“But I thought it could be because we’re half-siblings.In truth, you resemble your mother in both appearance and personality,and Kasallin resembles the late Marquis Robepon.But… it seems a person’s instincts are never wrong.”
He felt disgusted.The days he had spent sharing affection with her felt unbearably repulsive.
And the more he thought about it, the dizzier he became.A prince or princess mixed with the blood of a lowly mercenary had nearly been born.
Shallen tightly shut his eyes, then let out a sigh laced with cold chill, saying,
“Does Kasallin know?”
“Kasallin doesn’t know yet.But I’ll tell her soon.I have something I really want to say to her, one last time.”
A long silence followed.Shallen, as if realizing everything was truly over,cast his hollow eyes out the window, like ruins swept by a storm.
“You probably don’t want to be entangled with someone like me anymore,and since there was never a bond connecting you to Kasallin,let’s proceed with the divorce.And let’s settle things cleanly…”
“One last request.”
Shallen spoke, his face contorted as if he were in a filthy, suffocating room.
“I want to be alone, so don’t say another word and leave.”
[This is the timeline separator]A month passed smoothly, and the abdication was officially confirmed.
Shallen rescinded his earlier words about not divorcing Rose,and without much delay, he dissolved their marriage.He then formally stepped down from the throne.
Unable to remain in the palace,he settled in a small villa in a quiet countryside far from the capital.
“Come inside.”
Upon arriving at his new home, a servant opened the door for him.
As he stepped inside, he saw a desolate hall and living room devoid of any trace of life.Everything was prepared for convenience, yet it was startlingly empty.
Shallen leaned on his crutch and slowly crossed the living room.He sat on a sofa set to one side, catching his breath.A terrifyingly quiet silence wrapped coldly around his skin.
He couldn’t tell how many days had passed.It felt like only three days, or perhaps a whole year.
The world seemed to have completely forgotten him.He briefly hoped a noble or two might visit out of loyalty or curiosity, but that hope faded.
The same unchanging routine repeated every day.Finishing meals in silence, trying not to think of Kasallin’s face,yet failing each time and falling asleep imagining her voice.
How long would he have to endure this lonely life, grasping at nothing?One day, as he sighed faintly with a distant feeling,
The sound of footsteps approached from far away for the first time in a long while.
“It’s been a while.”
The first visitor to Shallen’s empty sanctuary was his retainer and old friend, Alonzo Laugel.
Shallen wasn’t surprised, as he had expected Alonzo would be the first to visit,but he couldn’t hide his quiet joy.
Shallen placed all his trust in Alonzo.Many vassals spoke grandly but disappointed, but Alonzo was different.
He followed Shallen devotedly, always giving his best, even if not perfect.Unlike those who switched sides for ambition, he was fundamentally different.
Shallen was certain that even if everyone else abandoned him, Alonzo would stay by his side.
Alonzo had greatly helped him solidify his position as crown princeand ultimately ascend to the throne, pushing aside Relen.
Thus, when the unjust Relen Empire demanded his abdication,Shallen had specifically requested they release Alonzo, who was held captive.
That’s how important and dear Alonzo was to Shallen.
“Alon, I was wondering when you’d show up.”
Seeing Alonzo’s face again, Shallen felt his spirits, which had hit rock bottom, lift slightly.
“I was delayed by shoulder treatment and some matters to settle.Have you been well in the meantime?”
“It’s the same every day. Come, sit here.”
“If you’ll excuse me.”
Alonzo pulled a chair and sat across from him.He scanned the villa, from the forest outside to the entire house.
“Not a bad place. Quiet, peaceful.”
“Too quiet, that’s the problem. I’d rather live in the middle of the city.”
A curt maid who had followed Shallen from the palace brought two cups of tea and set them on the table.Shallen took a sip from his cup and asked,
“Are you coming from the palace?”
“Yes.”
“Being here, I lose track of how the world is turning.Or maybe I’ve lost interest. How’s the royal court these days?”
“Nothing special. Everything is proceeding as planned.Princess Relen will soon officially ascend the throne,and Lord Aster will become her consort.”
Alonzo glanced at Shallen’s expression before continuing.
“I don’t know if this will comfort you,but try to keep your heart at ease.You’re not here as a prisoner,so think about how to spend the rest of your years happily.”
“Thanks for saying that. It’s not exactly comforting, though.”
Shallen spoke with a hint of sarcasm.Alonzo looked at the man who had recently been his lord with an odd expression.Feeling the gaze, Shallen frowned slightly.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Someone unknown approached me the other night, trying to sway me.”
Shallen paused, his teacup halfway to his mouth, his hand frozen in midair.The half-remaining clear tea rippled in the round cup.
“They said if I quietly took care of you,they’d give me enough wealth to live luxuriously for life.They’d even provide a new identity for me and my family to live quietly abroad.”
“Who… who would say such a thing?”
Shallen’s face twisted with fear and anger.Alonzo quietly shook his head.
“I don’t know who it was. It was a dark night,and they wore a hood pulled low.One thing’s certain—it wasn’t a voice I recognized.It must have been someone acting on orders from someone of high rank.”
“Who else but Relen and Aster could give such an order?They must feel uneasy keeping me alive.They want to completely cut off any potential threat.So, Alonzo, what did you do?”
“Pardon?”
“They’re threatening me.Didn’t you take some measures?Did you find out who that unknown person was?Or are you planning to secretly help me escape elsewhere?”
For a moment, confusion crossed Alonzo’s face.Shallen’s expression hardened at his vague reaction.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, but I’m no longer your retainer, am I?”
“What?”
“Our contract has ended,and I’m just an ordinary person with no reason to work for you anymore.On the other hand, they hold the power in this country.What can I, no longer a retainer, do to oppose them?”
Shallen tightly closed his eyes and opened them again.Alonzo stood up, not touching his now-cold tea,his face showing a subtle desire to leave this uncomfortable situation.
“I came today to check on you and say my final farewell.Now that I’ve seen you, I’ll take my leave.”
“Wait, didn’t you come to stay here with me?”
“I want to live my own life now.”
Alonzo spoke cautiously but firmly, driving the point home.
“I need to return to my hometown, take care of my family, and spend time with my lover.I can’t follow you forever, can I?”
“Didn’t you swear over drinks that you’d remain my retainer for life,even if I stepped down from the throne?Was that just flattery to gain my favor, like those other pathetic vassals?”
As Shallen lashed out in a heated tone, a trace of distress flickered across Alonzo’s face.
“That was assuming you’d hold your position until old age and retire naturally.Can you say it’s the same as now, when you were forced out before even reaching thirty?”
“Alonzo Laugel, of all people, you shouldn’t say that to me.Do you know how much I’ve done for you?”
Alonzo took a deep breath and calmly lowered his shoulders.
“You’re right. Thanks to you, I rose to a position far beyond my abilities.I’m sincerely grateful and will never forget your kindness.But I’m not betraying you or disregarding you.I’m just making a cold, realistic choice.”
Shallen’s mouth, ready to pour out every resentful word, slowly closed.His excitement and anger faded.His face was calmer and emptier than a lake after a storm.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t want our final farewell to be like this.I truly regret it. I sincerely wish you good health.”
Alonzo bowed politely.Then, without hesitation, he turned away.The back of the man Shallen had relied on for so long faded into the distance.
Until Alonzo mounted his horse and disappeared beyond the forest,Shallen stood rooted to the spot, unable to say a word.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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