I Will Live for Your Death (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
Before Rivel even picked up his pen, several cheques bearing the Emperor’s signature were laid out on the table.
Rivel silently scanned the amounts written on the paper and signed without hesitation. His brow twitched faintly, but Claudius failed to notice. The contract proceeded swiftly and smoothly.
“I’d like you to come here as soon as possible. We must discuss what comes next.”
“Understood.”
The moment he received the signal that he could leave, Rivel rose and exited the room. Only after confirming Rivel had gone did Kaelum finally speak.
“Not just the officers of the Imperial Guard—even within the palace, there will be considerable opposition. After all, they’re mercenaries from the North…”
“Who within the palace?”
His question carried absolute certainty—a confidence born from the belief that no faction within the palace dared oppose the Emperor.
Most of the imperial relatives had already been eliminated under the Empress Dowager’s watchful eye. Following the Late Emperor’s passing, it was she who had purged those pressuring Claudius and anyone vying for the throne.
She had not hesitated to secretly poison or assassinate any imperial kin she deemed a threat to Claudius’s power. Kaelum still vividly remembered her imposing yet chillingly cold figure from behind.
“The Empress Consort wouldn’t care about such matters, and as for the Empress… surely our grieving Empress wouldn’t conspire with these foreigners.”
A beautiful doll showing no emotion. Claudius stared at the ashes in the long-dead fireplace.
Dead embers could never reignite. No matter how hard one blew or fanned them, without a new spark, it was impossible.
“His image still lingers in my mind.”
“Why?”
“They say that by looking into a person’s eyes, you can tell what kind of life they’ve lived… He’s someone who has seen the end of life.”
“There’s something about those eyes I truly like. He seems the type who, once he sinks his teeth into something, will never let go.”
He looked like a loyal dog bound by money—yet one who would never bite his master first. Of course, the one who would ultimately cut the leash would be the Emperor himself, his employer.
“And… those mercenaries are perfect for using and discarding.”
Since they were so easily bought with money, discarding them would pose no difficulty.
Claudius’s position was immutable, and Rivel would simply have to struggle beneath it.
Would a dog driven solely by money ever dare bite its master’s throat? Claudius smiled contentedly. Kaelum understood the meaning behind that smile and merely bowed his head in silent acknowledgment.
**
The next day, front pages of most newspapers prominently featured articles about the Licas Mercenary Company—news that a mercenary unit had joined the Imperial Household, and from the North no less.
The palace’s official statement declared the war an absolute necessity to win and that hiring them was a pragmatic decision.
At the end of the articles, opposing editorials were also included, criticizing the audacity of inviting external forces into the nation.
Amidst all the debates, the incident caused by the Imperial Guard received no proper coverage and was quietly buried—mentioned only in a brief article by a single newspaper.
Ilyd was carefully reading that article while sipping deeply brewed black tea.
She had long ago stopped reading past the bold headlines on the front page. Whether from chronic indigestion or the hot tea on an empty stomach, her stomach wall trembled faintly.
“Your Majesty, are you drinking tea on an empty stomach again? I’ve told you time and again it’s bad for you…”
The moment Lynette entered, she launched into a worried scolding. It was a habit Ilyd ought to break, yet nothing quite woke her mind so effectively in the early morning. Ilyd sheepishly set her teacup down.
“Please eat this first.”
“Thank you, Lynette.”
Bite-sized bread and neatly cut sandwiches were arranged on silverware. Ilyd slowly chewed as she resumed reading the newspaper article. Lynette glanced at the headline and quietly added,
“Everyone’s in an uproar about this today. The mercenary unit entering the palace—they’re the same ones who clashed with the Imperial Guard at that tavern, remember?”
“Of course. It’s practically unprecedented. Thanks to this, the Imperial Guard’s incident has been buried.”
“I was hoping this would finally knock some arrogance out of them… They act as if they earned their positions through merit alone. They get bonus points just for their family name, pass with bribes slipped under the table—and rumor has it some even hire substitutes to take exams for them. Honestly.”
“…Surely not.”
“It’s true. That’s what’s being whispered around the Academy.”
Lynette’s voice grew softer, as if afraid someone outside might overhear.
Rumors had spread of secret dealings between the Military Academy and the Imperial Guard. Where there was smoke, there was usually fire.
Where demand existed, supply naturally followed. Brokers had even emerged, connecting nobles with exam proxies. Ilyd looked down at the newspaper and murmured to herself,
“More things to worry about.”
“Your Majesty?”
“…Never mind. At any rate, since they’ll be living in the palace with us, things will get busy. There’ll be more responsibilities to manage, one by one.”
“As members of the Empress’s household, we likely won’t be summoned unless it’s truly urgent.”
Lynette shrugged. She’d probably be busy cleaning and preparing quarters for the newcomers for the next few days.
Though many men would suddenly appear in the palace, she wasn’t particularly concerned—they’d be stationed far from the Empress’s residence and unlikely to cross paths often.
Ilyd folded the newspaper and placed it back on the desk. The churning in her stomach had gradually subsided. She had to remain as calm as possible.
Once the mercenary company entered the palace, even slightly, her long-laid plans might finally begin to move.
Ilyd clenched her trembling hands beneath the desk, out of Lynette’s sight. She’d think about what came next only after they arrived.
**
On the vast plain, nameless weeds rippled like waves in the wind.
Some called these grasses the fluttering hems of dancing people; others claimed they carried the spirits of those who’d starved during famines and found them frightening.
Pushing through the thick grass at a gallop, one would reach the Licas Mountains.
The mountain range began with gentle slopes—at least by mercenaries’ standards, they were low and modest. Amid the avoided mountains stood a small, desolate fortress, silently holding its ground.
Everyone living nearby knew the mercenaries were stationed at the abandoned castle near the mountain range.
The closer one drew to the cold, barren mountains, the sharper and drier the air felt against the cheeks.
Four horses slowed briefly on the plain. Just a little farther, and they’d reach the fortress where the mercenary company was staying.
Rivel looked toward the distant silhouette of the fortress. To a stranger, it would seem like a place ghosts might leap from, enough to make one shudder.
But the mercenaries held a creed: people were always scarier than ghosts—so it posed no real issue.
This abandoned fortress had become their base after former Captain Turgel retired. Yet they never intended to put down roots.
Since changing posts per contract terms was common, they were always ready to leave.
The moment they entered the fortress, Eddie boomed loudly with triumphant pride,
“Yaho! We’re here!”
“…Arrived.”
“Captain, you’re back?”
“But we’ve got to leave again right away! Pack up, comrades! From now on, we’re heading to the Imperial Palace!”
The Imperial Palace? Did he hear wrong? A murmur rippled through the fortress. Everyone looked skeptical of the words from Eddie’s mouth.
“You’ve all been fooled long enough—it’s true! The Captain signed a contract with the Astrid Imperial Household!”
“All members of the mercenary company, prepare to depart. We’re going to the Imperial Palace.”
The moment Rivel issued the order, the mercenaries erupted with brief cheers and sprang into frantic activity.
Only Lailo was the exception. Even while preparing his horse, packing weapons, and gathering belongings, his face remained sour.
Eddie, gleefully packing, noticed Lailo’s expression and asked cautiously,
“Lailo, are you thinking something unpleasant? Or do you have a complaint?”
“I’ve got a wife I’ll be leaving behind.”
“Oh… Right, Miss Grit. Couldn’t we bring her along?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. How would we take her? Even bringing her would be a huge ordeal, Captain!”
Lailo gave Eddie a light shove on the back and called out to Rivel. Rivel, who had just dismounted and was adjusting the saddle, turned toward him.
“I’ll go pay my respects to my wife before we leave!”
“Go ahead.”
Even as everyone prepared, no one voiced complaint or grumbled about Lailo going to visit his wife.
Sometimes, certain things were better left unsaid. Though the mercenaries were bold and rough, they all understood this much courtesy and tact.
The path behind the fortress was narrow and steep. Flat stones had been carefully laid and maintained, yet the occasional strong gusts made climbing difficult.
At the path’s end appeared the foothills of the Licas Mountains—the sunniest and least windy spot around.
There stood a single stone gravestone. Lailo approached it.
“Grit, I’m here.”
Weeds had already sprouted again in just a few days. Even in this cold, dry, windswept place, they stubbornly clung to life.
“These damn weeds—they wouldn’t even grow back in the old days when we were starving, would they?”
He chatted idly as he cleared the weeds near the gravestone. Right after their marriage, a failed harvest had forced them to worry over every meal.
Yet the couple never complained to each other, working hard together to survive.
Just as Lailo’s fortunes seemed to improve with mercenary work, his wife fell ill. He still vividly remembered her withering away day by day, the cause unknown.
One day, drunk, Lailo had shouted upward,
“Is Heaven truly indifferent? Just as we finally could eat properly, you do this to us? Must people like us suffer to even survive?”
Even years later, he’d received no answer to that question. If only he’d stayed by his ailing wife’s side—might her condition have improved, even slightly?
As if forcing the thought away, he flung the bundle of weeds he’d gathered off to the side.
“My dear, I’ll be traveling far away. I worry you might get lonely.”
Visiting his wife’s grave after each mission had long been Lailo’s habit.
He’d recount the hardships of battle, sometimes complaining that the Captain worked them too hard—so the wife buried below wouldn’t feel too lonely.
If he stayed away too long, only weeds would thrive, and that worried him immensely. Why did these grasses grow so fast? He carefully cleared the area around the gravestone as neatly as possible.
“It’ll be a long journey, so… don’t wait for me.”
Lailo ran his hand once over the gravestone. A life cut short in youth, full of unfulfilled longing. Nothing was sadder than the brief span of birth and death years carved into the stone.
He sorted through what he wanted to tell his buried wife, then firmly swallowed the words back inside.
“Just appear in my dreams sometimes.”
There were mountains of things he wished to say—but those, he wanted to deliver in person when they met in the afterlife. Lailo turned and walked away from the gravestone.
Wind blew again along the Licas Mountains. The weeds he’d thrown scattered one by one, carried off by the breeze, vanishing far into the peaks above.
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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