I Will Live for Your Death (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11
There are several entrances into the palace: gates for nobles and royalty, and others for servants and laborers.
Of course, the mercenary company belonged to the latter. Their status was ambiguous—too insignificant to be considered guests, and since they hadn’t received a formal invitation, this treatment was perhaps only natural.
“The Emperor summoned us himself, so why are we sneaking around like this?”
“Shh, keep quiet. Don’t go looking for trouble.”
“Still… it’s kind of exciting. The Emperor of an entire nation wants to meet us in person. Isn’t this an honor for our family?”
“Some families even have one to honor?”
“…I don’t.”
Ruth patted Eddie’s slumped shoulders in reassurance. Eddie blinked back fake tears and began grumbling toward Lailo.
“Right… I have no family to bring honor to, and no parents…”
“No, Eddie, that wasn’t what I meant…”
“…Lailo, you’re the worst.”
While they were deep in this pointless chatter, they had already reached the inner part of the palace.
It felt as if they’d circled a large wall once already. Kaelum walked silently ahead, glancing back occasionally. Everyone seemed formidable, but the one who stood out most was undoubtedly their captain.
Rivel—a man with no surname, only a given name.
Those who bore only a name always had something: either a past too grim to speak of soberly, or a secret that must remain hidden at all costs.
It was impossible to know which category Rivel fell into. Kaelum guessed he’d probably discarded his birth name and taken a new one during his mercenary days.
‘Or… perhaps he was once a slave.’
Though slavery had been officially abolished in the Empire, illegal slave trading still persisted in various regions.
While trading humans for money was banned on humanitarian grounds, many still believed slaves were the cheapest and most discreet form of unpaid labor.
‘If he climbed all the way to that position from slavery, he must’ve endured like a relentless beast.’
Kaelum clicked his tongue inwardly. Nothing was confirmed yet, but he certainly didn’t believe that man had lived an easy life.
Rivel kept scanning his surroundings as he walked—not routine vigilance, but the focused scrutiny of someone searching intently for something. At one point, he even took a deep breath in and out.
Lailo had never seen Rivel act this way before. Within the mercenary company, he was famous for never showing any change in expression.
Even as a child, Rivel had been different from other kids.
When Turgel first brought him into the mercenary company, he wore a face twisted by bitterness day after day—until, at some point, even that vanished. At most, he’d occasionally let out a deflated, humorless chuckle, never showing genuine happiness.
So much so that a joke once spread among the ranks: “If Rivel ever smiles, the world will be filled with light.”
The mercenaries had already fallen slightly behind Rivel and now paused briefly to wait for him before matching his pace again.
“Um, Lailo… Captain doesn’t look to be in a very good mood…”
“Eddie, pay attention. That’s his ‘extremely happy and excited’ face.”
“Huh?”
It looked exactly the same as always—what was different? Eddie stared helplessly at the captain’s expression. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn’t spot any difference. Every expression Rivel had ever shown, from joy to anger, had always looked identical.
“Just when I think I understand, I realize I don’t…”
While they were busy analyzing Rivel’s expression, Kaelum suddenly stopped walking. He stood before a secluded, empty pavilion deep within the palace grounds.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Kaelum entered the pavilion. Though not extravagant, the interior was neatly arranged. The outer garden appeared tended, yet it felt utterly devoid of warmth—as if no one had lived here.
“But why call us all the way to the imperial palace? Is there some hidden agenda?”
“…A quiet silencing.”
“If it were just to silence us, he’d call us separately and hand us money, telling us to keep our mouths shut. We’re mercenaries—if paid, we’ll shut our eyes and ears too. Why bother summoning us before the Emperor himself?”
After an uncertain wait, Kaelum emerged from the doorway. Without glancing at anyone else, he gave Rivel a subtle nod.
“Captain, come in alone.”
“How can we trust you to send only the Captain inside? We should go together…”
Eddie, overwhelmed by emotion, stepped forward—but Rivel stopped him with a single hand. In that instant, Eddie’s hair stood on end at the sight of Rivel’s face.
He’d never seen the Captain like this before. Even in the thickest battles, where life and death hung in the balance, Rivel had always remained calm.
His expression now wasn’t that of someone going to meet the Emperor—it was the face of a man finally confronting a grudge long buried for years.
If he looked at the Emperor with eyes like that during their first meeting… wouldn’t he be executed on the spot? Eddie began worrying in entirely new directions.
Before anyone could say another word, Rivel vanished through the doorway. After a brief silence, Eddie’s legs gave out, and he slumped to the floor.
“What’s wrong with you? What did you see?”
“That wasn’t a human expression… I’ve never seen the Captain like that before.”
He looked ready to slit the throat of whoever stood before him at a moment’s notice. With Lailo and Ruth supporting him, Eddie barely managed to stand back up, his knees still trembling.
“There’d better not be any trouble…”
**
Inside the pavilion, little sunlight filtered through. Every window was covered with curtains or screens, and white cloths draped over the unmoved furniture suggested it had long been unoccupied.
Though it was impossible to tell who had stayed here before, the current purpose of this palace was clear.
This was a place for secret matters that must remain hidden—where no witnesses existed and no guards watched. Even if someone left as a corpse, wrapped neatly for burial, who would raise suspicion?
And the other party was none other than the Emperor, Claudius.
One wrong word could decide the fate of the entire mercenary company. If even a flicker of emotion crossed his face and was read by the Emperor, everything would be over. As Rivel walked down the corridor, he slowly calmed his mind.
“Your Majesty, I have brought the captain of that mercenary company.”
“Enter.”
Warmth filled the room. A fire burned in the fireplace—its flames low, suggesting Claudius had been waiting here quite some time.
“Come in, come in. I was about to lose my patience waiting.”
Claudius shifted slightly on the sofa where he’d been leaning lazily. Like a predator slowly assessing its prey—but Rivel remained unmoved.
“Show proper respect to His Majesty.”
Kaelum warned Rivel—but Rivel simply stared fixedly at where Claudius sat, without the slightest movement.
He showed not even a shred of courtesy. Anyone who refused to kneel before the Emperor had to be forced to do so. Kaelum reached for his scabbard, preparing to strike Rivel’s legs.
“Enough.”
Claudius intervened faster. Such audacity—to stand before the Emperor without bowing his head!
‘So my suspicion was right—he really is a former slave. He seems to know nothing of etiquette.’
Kaelum glared once more at the insolent mercenary captain before sheathing his blade again. Claudius watched the entire scene with amusement, his voice dripping with benevolent ease.
“Be magnanimous and forgive him. What would these rough lads from the North know of courtly manners?”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.”
Claudius clicked his tongue lightly and gestured toward the sofa opposite him. Rivel approached silently and sat directly before the Emperor. Only now could he clearly see the man’s face.
Another face Rivel knew he must remember forever smiled at him with perfect composure.
It had taken far too long to sit across from him like this. Rivel tightened his trembling hands, repeating silently to himself over and over: It’s not too late yet.
“You caused quite a commotion. The number of Imperial Guard members injured by you and your company… Kaelum, how many exactly?”
“Nineteen.”
“Ah, yes. Just four of you managed to injure nineteen—utterly shattering the dignity of the Imperial Guard. Truly regrettable.”
Claudius’s veiled sarcasm clearly didn’t sit well. He could have cut straight to the point, yet he deliberately avoided broaching the main subject, instead fiddling idly with his hands.
Once again, Claudius met Rivel’s gaze. The mercenary’s steady, piercing blue eyes stared directly back at the Emperor. For a nameless mercenary to lock eyes so boldly with his sovereign—without even a trace of fear or tension—was astonishing.
But in the end, they were just vulgar men driven by coin. Claudius continued.
“Your skills intrigue me. Have you ever seen real war?”
He was probing, pretending ignorance. At Claudius’s words, Rivel recalled a battle that had never been recorded.
Back then, the Grand Duke who’d hired them kept delaying their payment while exploiting their services—so Rivel and his unit had withdrawn without hesitation.
Not long after the mercenary company left, the Imperial lion banner flew over the duchy. The outcome had been inevitable.
“We once fought in Seradio.”
Rivel’s calm reply made Claudius flinch, sitting up straight on the sofa.
Seradio had been a small western duchy, the site of a fierce and memorable campaign—one that had troubled Claudius greatly in the early stages.
“So you fought on the opposing side.”
“That’s correct. Though we didn’t stay until the end.”
“Why?”
“Because we never received the remainder of our contract payment.”
Rivel answered as brazenly as possible—almost challenging Claudius to show distress.
Hearing this, Claudius slumped forward, his face buried in his hands, shoulders shaking faintly. Kaelum, startled, took a step toward the Emperor.
“Your Majesty?”
“Puhahaha!”
The Emperor burst into full-throated laughter, pounding the arm of the sofa as if something were terribly amusing.
Rivel watched Claudius’s antics without reaction, whether the man laughed or not. As the Emperor’s shaking subsided, he turned a crooked, sideways glance toward Rivel.
“You’re telling me you expect proper payment from me.”
He couldn’t stand the thought of paying less, or later, than what he’d offered to a nation already defeated and absorbed by the Empire—it would wound his pride too deeply.
What an odd man. Claudius felt a rare surge of competitive spirit. Before him stood someone far beneath his station—perhaps someone who should’ve been crawling in the dirt—yet boldly speaking his mind in the Emperor’s presence.
If this mercenary wanted money, Claudius could give him as much as he pleased. But if the man failed to deliver results matching his demands, he’d pay the appropriate price.
“Once you stood on the side that sought my death—this time, stand on the side that saves me.”
Claudius signaled Kaelum, who brought forth a contract. On the small table between them lay a document and a pen, placed side by side.
“I shall hire the entire Licas Mercenary Company. And I’ll pay a generous advance upfront.”
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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