I Decided to Let You Go (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
“You came looking for me?”
The only reason a nobleman like him would set foot on this barren land was to eliminate the last surviving seed of the royal family—on imperial orders—like a rat hiding in the shadows.
“If he finds me… I might die. Just like my family… beheaded…”
A chill ran down her spine. Her pale neck tingled as if slashed by a blade.
Snapping back to her senses, she began running blindly—too afraid to return home in case he followed, so she circled the area instead. Only when night deepened did she finally rush back to her house.
“It’ll be fine. He couldn’t have recognized me.”
Natasha had dyed her hair and used her divine power to change her eye color. He might have found her suspicious, but surely not discovered her true identity.
Still, as a precaution against the worst, she had already sent a distress signal to Sir Dante.
Three hours later, someone knocked on the door.
Visitors were rare here, and it was far too late for callers. Convinced it must be Sir Dante, Natasha opened the door without hesitation.
“Ah….”
She had confirmed no one was tailing her. The village market where she bought groceries was quite far from home.
She’d been certain the man wouldn’t find her…
“Zieg…”
Natasha turned pale as she recognized the man standing at her door.
His eerie crimson eyes, hair that shimmered brilliantly even under the night sky, a fearsome yet strikingly elegant face, and a sturdy build that betrayed his noble status.
“…hart.”
It was Zieghart Aschardt.
His red eyes scrutinized her relentlessly. His cold gaze revealed his intentions clearly.
Zieghart already knew who she was. He hadn’t come to interrogate her like some wretched rat—asking where the last royal heir was hiding.
If he’d come to arrest her by shouting, “Are you that Natasha?”—that would’ve been one thing.
“P-please… spare…”
Her first words, pitifully enough, were a plea.
The imperial family were the murderers of her kin, and Zieghart was a man long tied to them. He had clearly tracked down the surviving Natasha to wipe out the bloodline once and for all.
Just like her parents and siblings, she too would be beheaded—her severed face hung on the tallest tree in the village. Even her last wish—to carry on the family line—would be utterly destroyed.
Her body froze stupidly in place, unable to move. Her legs betrayed her, their steps growing narrower with each faltering attempt to flee.
Through the narrowing gap of the closing door, she saw half of his face—carved with sharp, delicate lines that stood out vividly even through her blurring vision.
Zieghart abruptly pushed the door wide open and stepped toward her. The closer his massive frame came, the greater her terror grew.
When he finally reached out his hand, Natasha squeezed her eyes shut. Not even a tired plea like “Please spare me” came out.
“…Huh?”
But contrary to her expectations, no rough hand struck her.
There was no giant sword slicing her neck, nor was there a large hand seizing her to bind her.
Sensing something strange, Natasha opened her eyes.
“Princess, you’ll have to marry me.”
For some inexplicable reason, the man was kneeling on one knee, looking up at her—and astonishingly, what lay before her wasn’t a sword, but flowers.
The surreal, almost absurd scene left her stunned. She blinked repeatedly—opening and closing her eyes—but the vision remained unchanged. Shockingly, this was real.
“M-marry…?”
“Yes, marry.”
“But… why would we get married…?”
“Because I want it. And because it’ll benefit you as well.”
He spoke while gently lowering his finely arched eyes. The smooth curve softened his expression considerably.
“You’ve spent the last year hiding away from the public eye, which means you’re well aware your life is in danger.”
“…”
“Come live with me at the Aschardt dukedom. I’ll protect you from death and poverty.”
He spoke not just confidently, but resolutely—as if reciting lines already set in stone, without a hint of hesitation.
…Marry?
After turning the proposal over slowly in her mind, she finally let out a sigh.
Was he really expecting her to believe such an outrageous claim now?
He’d discovered where she was hiding and barged in unannounced—only to propose marriage?
And the one proposing was an intimate of her sworn enemy! It could easily be a trap to lure her back to the imperial palace.
“Th-that’s…”
“…”
“A lie!”
She shouted toward him, standing there with smug certainty as if the conclusion were already decided.
“I know you came here to kill me! I know you serve the imperial family, and I know their goal is to exterminate the royal bloodline! You’re clearly planning to take me back and have me executed!”
His next move, now that his intent had been exposed, was crucial.
Natasha stared at the door, waiting for Zieghart’s next action. The moment his hand reached for his scabbard, she intended to flee with all her might.
“I have absolutely no intention of making a corpse my duchess.”
But unexpectedly, the man made a strangely gentle expression. His large hand still held the bouquet of flowers.
“What do you…?”
“It means I have no choice but to let you live, Princess.”
He pinned her gently against the wall to prevent escape, then braced a hand against the doorframe. His shadow descended over her face.
“If I truly intended to kill you, I wouldn’t go through all this trouble. I’d either bring the imperial knights or finish you off right now.”
“…”
“The imperial family still doesn’t know you exist. This is my decision alone. There’s no hidden motive behind this proposal.”
His persuasive words and unwavering gaze calmed Natasha. Her ragged breathing gradually slowed. Zieghart quickly noticed the change in her.
“Please trust me.”
Despite the words sounding like a plea for mercy, his tone carried a strangely forceful edge.
She finally lifted her head and fully faced him for the first time. His coal-black eyebrows twitched, urging a reply—as if he already anticipated what her answer would bring.
“You want me to trust you?”
Gripping her worn and tattered skirt tightly, Natasha raised her voice.
“This trust will decide whether I live or die—I can’t give it carelessly. And I…”
“…”
“I have no intention of marrying you.”
[This is the timeline separator]It had happened just ten days earlier.
Zieghart frowned deeply as he read the letter on the table. After muttering a quiet curse, he irritably lifted the envelope containing the message.
The elegant red-and-gold design of the letter clearly marked it as belonging to the Retiers Imperial Family.
“Hah.”
His face twisted grimly as he began reading. Convinced the rest wasn’t worth his time, he crumpled the paper and threw it into the wastebasket.
“Have a carriage readied. I’m going to the palace.”
He stepped outside immediately afterward and ordered a passing servant to prepare for departure to the imperial palace.
An audience with Zieghart had already been scheduled. It seemed the Emperor—like a relentless demon—had foreseen his arrival today.
Marching forward with determined steps, Zieghart stopped before Kail Retiers.
The Emperor, a shameless fellow, kept drinking without greeting his guest until long after his arrival.
“You’re here?”
“Your Imperial Majesty.”
“Why that scowl? Lighten up a little.”
“Are you mocking me right now?”
Dismissing the Emperor’s small talk as an indulgence he couldn’t afford, Zieghart brushed off the greeting and immediately tossed the crumpled paper over the throne.
Seeing the distorted scrap, Emperor Kail Retiers replied indifferently.
“Oh— did you read the letter properly?”
“Do you even call this paper, filled with such absurd nonsense, a letter? State your true intention clearly. Are you playing games with me?”
“Absurd? You always have a talent for sounding so bitter. I made a serious proposal—don’t make me regret being considerate.”
“My connection with Retiers ended the day that happened.”
“Is that so? I don’t think so.”
Kail smirked teasingly, poking at Zieghart’s frustration.
“I’m offering you consideration. Should I put it more plainly? Call it the Emperor’s mercy for a mongrel. Give me what I want, and in return, I’ll grant you the freedom you desire.”
He sneered mockingly, wiping the wine from his lips with the back of his hand before rising from the imperial throne.
Staggering down the steps, he spoke again.
“Marry. Marry the last remnant of the royal house you personally destroyed.”
His voice dripped with cruel mockery—the very tone Zieghart despised.
“…What did you just say?”
Even when Zieghart demanded further explanation, the Emperor refused to elaborate. He merely repeated the same short phrase with firm resolve.
Marry that bloodline.
The Charlier royal family had been annihilated a year ago under Zieghart’s leadership—yet now he was being ordered to marry into it? Was the Emperor truly asking him to take a corpse as his duchess?
Zieghart realized his sovereign was mocking him—an implicit threat that he had no escape and must cease resisting, continuing instead to grovel at the imperial court while cleaning up the Emperor’s pathetic messes.
Damn him, Zieghart cursed inwardly, racking his brain for a way out. Even a soul-binding marriage would be worth it if it meant escaping the cursed Emperor’s grasp.
“Kayena.”
A woman he’d nearly forgotten flashed into his mind—a girl he’d encountered during the palace invasion.
Among the captured royals, he’d discovered a woman disguised as royalty and secretly set her free. Months later, he hired a maid who applied to serve at his dukedom.
The girl had openly claimed to be the youngest princess’s handmaiden—Natasha Charlier. She’d disguised herself as the princess to buy time and save her.
He’d left her alone, not wanting to stir up the empire and kingdom over one blameless princess—but now it seemed that decision might become a stroke of luck.
“That bloodline might finally be useful.”
Zieghart resolved to claim the youngest princess—wherever she was hiding—as his own pawn.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (6)
I don’t really care if she gets the kingdom back but does she at least get a safe town or something?
This man shouldn’t be an actor he can’t really hide his dislike for fl
Limited return by death? I guess nice story mechanism
Inline Comments (100)
“The imperial house is my enemy. If you believed I’d rejoice over love from some
Smart BUT… You don’t mean it 😒😒😒 10 lives? And still?! Fuck not
“I know why you reject me. But House Aschardt severed all ties with them long ag
Someone please tell me he’s not the male lead, he’s such an ass
“The imperial house is my enemy. If you believed I’d rejoice over love from some
Is this before or after she regressed? It’s confusing as hell
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Yuna
Is the male lead at all redeeming cause he seems like that ass of an emperor