Surely he was the one from the Clover Tavern, so he shouldn’t have been unfamiliar. But it was strange. Had they met before? Iliad sifted through her past memories, but they seemed blocked from a certain point and wouldn’t surface.
Suddenly, the man approached the three people inside the banquet hall. He kneeled gracefully before the noble figures and spoke.
“I am Rivel, the commander of the Ricus mercenary group.”
After finishing his words, Rivel lifted his head, his eyes focused solely on one person.
Iliad felt a chill rise from her legs. It was as if a knife made of ice was sliding down her. Rivel’s gaze was cold yet burning, seemingly filled with an indescribable emotion.
The feeling of trembling started from the inside as the gaze intensified. It reminded her of the clear resonance of a water-filled glass jar lightly struck by a court musician.
Iliad quietly closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. When she opened them again, Rivel had risen as if nothing had happened.
“I appreciate your cooperation. You must be tired from the long journey. Rest today, and we will talk again tomorrow.”
Claudius spoke with a soft voice, as if bestowing a favor.
Selina observed Rivel with a mixture of fear and curiosity in her eyes. It was an impolite behavior, but her curiosity was hard to suppress.
This was her first time facing a man from the North. The power emanating from Rivel was different from the man beside Selina.
If Claudius possessed a noble and beautifully shining charm, Rivel was the opposite.
He was like a cold and heavy, unbreakable mountain, a blue star shining in the dark of a winter night.
Ignoring Selina’s curious gaze, Rivel glared at her coldly. Startled by his murderous look, Selina trembled and burrowed into Claudius’s embrace.
‘Why is he looking at me with such eyes?’
After casting a glance at Selina, Rivel bowed briefly and left the banquet hall. His departure was so chilly it seemed to bring a cold breeze with it.
Claudius clicked his tongue as he watched Rivel’s retreating figure. He might recognize Rivel’s skill, but his attitude was far from pleasing.
“Annoying guy…….”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Oh, are you still scared?”
Claudius soothed Selina, who was still clinging to his waist, and looked at Iliad. Iliad, who had appeared unsettled moments ago, now looked as cold as ever.
“Aren’t you afraid, Empress?”
“He came to assist His Majesty. Why would I be afraid?”
“I heard… those mercenaries tear the flesh off their prisoners raw. They’re notorious for walking around with bloodstained mouths from the battlefield.”
Selina squealed and clung even tighter to the Emperor. However, Iliad remained unmoved. Were these just baseless rumors picked up somewhere?
‘Rumors about mercenaries are so abundant they practically roll on the ground.’ Most were just exaggerated stories spun by those returning from battlefields.
“……Is the person in front of me any less cruel?”
The memories of the butchers in the manor and her brother’s gruesome torture and execution still haunted her as nightmares.
Claudius had committed such brutal acts but never showed any remorse or apology.
With that, Iliad left the banquet hall. There was nothing more to say or discuss.
Selina, not Claudius, reacted to Iliad’s words. She looked at Iliad’s departing figure with eyes filled with anger as if she had been insulted to her face.
“Her Majesty is really too much. How could she say such harsh things to His Majesty?”
“That’s the demeanor of an Empress. So don’t push her too hard.”
Claudius gently stroked Selina’s pink hair, calming her. Selina relished the happiness of being in the Emperor’s embrace.
However, Claudius’s gaze followed Iliad as she walked away. He stared blankly at the closing doors of the banquet hall, unable to take his eyes off the Empress’s retreating figure.
As Iliad walked to the Empress’s palace, she was absorbed in her past memories.
But the once vivid memories had faded. Were they just a brief encounter during her happier times? Linette, noticing Iliad’s pensive look, spoke up.
“Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?”
“Feels like I’ve met him somewhere before.”
“The mercenary commander? Perhaps it’s because you met him at the tavern last time.”
“No… much before that.”
Maybe a fleeting encounter before she became the crown princess. But the man seemed to know Iliad already. Otherwise, how could she explain his intensely burning gaze?
It must have been nerves from their first proper meeting. Iliad calmed her trembling heart. Now that they had successfully entered the palace, all that remained was to fully win them over.
Luck and the surrounding circumstances were in Iliad’s favor. It was a hard-won opportunity she didn’t want to miss.
Claudius’s attention seemed to wane inside the palace, and it was easier to convey minor instructions within the palace rather than outside.
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.]
