The officer was slightly puzzled. Wasn’t the Empress always composed? Her hesitant manner, struggling to find words, was unusually out of character.
“Yes, there was nothing significant.”
“I see. Thank you.”
The Empress pondering over so many matters, including a contract-bound mercenary corps, was indeed a stroke of luck for them. The officer grumbled inwardly but respectfully saluted Ilaiyd and left the room.
Ilaiyd revisited the list of casualties and wounded brought by the Imperial Guard.
Neither the list of the dead nor the wounded included the name of Riccas Mercenary Corps. There was no substantial coverage in the newspapers either. Were they all really unharmed?
Even after checking the newspapers again, there was no mention of the mercenary corps or of Rebel. A sigh of relief escaped Ilaiyd’s lips.
‘Thank goodness.’
Suddenly, Ilaiyd was startled by her own feelings. To her surprise, her first reaction was genuine concern. She had intended to use them solely for victory, calculating only their necessity and success. Hadn’t she resolved to erase such emotions?
‘What am I thinking…’
Embarrassed, her face flushed. She tried to hide behind the newspaper, but her agitation was soon noticed by Linette.
“Empress, your face is flushed. Are you feeling a chill or feverish?”
“No. Just tired thinking about future tasks.”
Ilaiyd briskly dismissed the concern. Claudius would soon demand a victory celebration. Preparing in advance was easier, and labor was one of the few ways to clear her mind quickly.
She sighed faintly and looked at Linette.
“Linette, we need to prepare for the victory celebration. We will be busy on various fronts.”
**
Emperor Claudius would arrive in three days. The palace staff, under the Empress’s leadership, was busy preparing for the victory celebration.
Ilaiyd went to the garden herself, intending to create natural floral decorations from the wildflower cluster there.
“Oh, Empress!”
Celina, seemingly out for a walk near the garden, approached with delight. Was she happy about the news of Claudius’s victory? Usually confined to the Queen’s palace, Celina now seemed joyfully liberated.
“Good afternoon, Empress. Have you heard? The Emperor has won!”
Celina’s joy seemed personal, even jumping with excitement.
Ilaiyd, carrying a basket in one arm, didn’t dampen the overly enthusiastic Queen. Unlike Celina, Ilaiyd spoke calmly.
“I’ve heard. It’s a triumph for the Empire. I’m picking flowers for the celebration. Would you like to join?”
“Yes!”
If only Celina was always so cheerful. Her maids exchanged knowing glances. Just days ago, she was gloomy, venting frustrations on the staff.
‘One day, she’ll face a harsh reality.’
The maids quietly followed, discontent in their eyes. The sky was cloudless, perfect for choosing flowers for the vases.
“Queen, please select flowers suitable for the Emperor’s palace.”
Ilaiyd handed her the garden scissors. Celina looked at the scissors, bewildered.
“To cut them myself?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Empress!”
Celina’s face beamed with an unrivaled sense of fulfillment. Both, with baskets on one arm and scissors in hand, headed into the garden.
Ilaiyd was troubled, watching Celina run excitedly into the garden toward the rose bushes.
‘Should I tell her the truth?’
Undoubtedly, Claudius was using Celina, hoping Ilaiyd would crumble in jealousy and anger.
Ilaiyd had grown tired of Celina’s reckless behavior and often felt no urge to enlighten her. Yet, being knowingly deceived and unwittingly so were worlds apart.
A warning seemed appropriate. A gentle word not to trust Claudius too much would suffice. After all, he was a man who would crumple and discard love for power.
But whether Celina heeds the warning was her choice.
Ilaiyd approached where Celina sat, engrossed in picking roses. Unaware of Ilaiyd’s approach, Celina’s basket was already full of red roses.
“I fear I’ve burdened the Queen with a tedious task. Be careful not to hurt your hands.”
“It’s for the Emperor’s victory celebration. Of course, I should help.”
The change in Celina was astonishing. She now seemed dignified, a far cry from her previous frivolity. At that moment, Ilaiyd thought, ‘If this is the power of love, it’s not too bad.’
“But Empress,” Celina paused to look around before leaning closer to Ilaiyd, as if to share a secret. “Since the union is imminent, perhaps consider ways to please the Emperor in advance?”
Ilaiyd instantly retracted her previous thoughts.
Instead, she concluded: finding genuine love in Celina was like searching for a beating heart in a corpse.
It was unusual for the Queen to bring up such a topic. With no attendants nearby, she boldly intruded.
Ilaiyd’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Despite its innocent guise, the suggestion was laced with malice.
“Thank you. Your concern is appreciated. Maybe there will be good news this time.”
Ilaiyd was used to biding her time and hiding daggers for the future.
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.]
