I Will Live for Your Death (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 14
There wasn’t much to call luggage anyway. Rivel carried the least baggage even among the mercenaries—a small privilege afforded to someone who could leave at a moment’s notice.
He stepped out of his quarters and slowly surveyed the encampment. Though quite distant from the palace’s center and surrounded by aging buildings, he didn’t even bother to care.
‘The place where you are. And where I must inevitably come.’
If he inhaled the air here, it felt as though a part of her breath would seep into his body. At last, he would see her. How long had he endured, clung on, and survived?
“Captain, aren’t you heading to meet His Imperial Majesty the Emperor? Then the Empress and other high-ranking figures will surely be present—shouldn’t you dust yourself off and tidy up a bit? I’m worried you’ll hear complaints about looking shabby.”
“Now that you mention it, I heard His Imperial Majesty himself is quite the character.”
“Eddie, remember this: no matter how handsome or charming another man may be, our captain is the best. Just look at that perfectly balanced face and chest—enough to draw admiration even from another man.”
Had Rivel heard this, he would’ve kicked Lailo’s shin for such absurd nonsense. Lailo tensed briefly, glancing around nervously, but their captain had long since vanished to wash up.
**
Ilyd wore simple, unadorned attire. As always, a thin scarf was wrapped around her neck. Claudius stood some distance away, but she didn’t spare him even a glance.
The vast banquet hall was nearly empty—only two people present to welcome her, making for an intimate reception. The silence was as deep as the emptiness of the space.
Strangely, the quiet comforted Ilyd. How could she possibly converse casually with him?
“Your Majesty!”
The banquet hall doors swung open, and Celina came rushing in. Her steps across the carpet sounded like crystals clinking against ice—still as radiant and dazzling as ever.
“You grow more beautiful by the day.”
“Your praise is too generous, Your Imperial Majesty.”
“How about resting a little before the investiture ceremony? You must be quite exhausted.”
“I’m about to ascend to the position of Empress Consort, so I thought it better to attend even small imperial events. Wouldn’t it burden Her Imperial Majesty the Empress if I remained completely ignorant?”
Celina smiled sweetly toward Ilyd.
“It wouldn’t pain me enough for your ignorance to matter, Miss Celina. For now, just focus on properly assisting His Imperial Majesty.”
Ilyd returned the smile, but her words carried an edge.
She meant: there was no need for you to know or interfere—just stay quietly by the Emperor’s side.
Though this was precisely what Celina desired, the more she pondered it, the more unsettled she became.
“…Does Her Imperial Majesty believe I’m inadequate in serving His Imperial Majesty? That’s truly too harsh. I’m doing my very best…”
Her voice trembled as she lowered her head, on the verge of tears. Claudius, who had been watching Ilyd’s indifferent expression, pulled Celina’s waist toward himself.
“Empress, there’s no need to make this child cry.”
Whether she cried or not mattered little to Ilyd. She silently gazed toward the doors, awaiting the next guest. Saying anything more would only entangle her in their words and actions. To her, indifference was the best defense.
Soon, the doors opened again. Footsteps echoed heavily into the empty banquet hall.
It was a man entirely clad in black—a figure so dark he seemed ready to merge with the shadows themselves.
His slow entrance was imposing, as if prepared to cut someone’s throat at any moment.
Claudius instinctively checked whether the man was armed. Of course, all weapons had to be surrendered at the entrance before meeting the Emperor, so he couldn’t possibly be carrying any.
Yet the man radiated an aura that suggested he’d bare his teeth and attack whoever stood before him when the time came—digging his nails into his enemy’s flesh even as a blade pierced his own vital points.
Raw wilderness enveloped him. Though this was only the second time Claudius had seen him, he still hadn’t grown accustomed to it.
‘I expected he wasn’t ordinary, but…’
Was this how one felt facing a difficult wild animal? A ferocious beast that, the moment you mistakenly believed your whip and leash had fully tamed it, would sink its fangs into your throat.
Still, he was merely a mercenary—once the contract ended, he’d simply be sent away. Claudius resolved to endure this uncomfortable coexistence only a little while longer.
Intimidated by the man’s dark aura, Celina shrank back and clutched Claudius’s sleeve. Her fingertips trembled faintly with tension.
She’d heard plenty about the people from the North—savages who ate raw meat and fish straight off the bone. With so many former slaves supposedly in mercenary companies, could this man be one too?
Unable to hide her curiosity beyond fear, she studied the black-clad man intently.
Everyone’s attention was fixed on the entering man, so no one noticed the Empress’s subtle shift.
He walked straight toward the Empress, locking eyes with her—not a vague glance, but a fierce, unwavering stare. Faint blue light grew steadily clearer. Ilyd’s unexhaled breath lingered inside her, missed its moment to escape.
Everything around her froze; only the dark, silent figure walking toward her remained perceptible.
He was unmistakably the man from Clover Tavern—there was no reason for him to seem unfamiliar. Yet something felt odd. Had they met before? Ilyd mentally sifted through past memories, but her recollections hit a wall somewhere, refusing to surface.
Before long, the man reached the three people inside the banquet hall. He knelt smoothly before the nobles and spoke.
“I am Rivel, Captain of the Licas Mercenary Company.”
When he lifted his head after speaking, his eyes sought only one person.
Ilyd felt goosebumps rise from her legs upward, as if brushed by a knife carved from ice. Rivel’s gaze was cold yet burning—brimming with emotions words couldn’t capture.
His stare pinned her so thoroughly she felt trembling start deep within her body. It was like the clear chime of a glass filled with water, struck lightly—the same pure resonance now filling her veins one by one.
Quietly, Ilyd closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. When she opened them again, Rivel had already risen as if nothing had happened.
“I appreciate your cooperation. You must be tired from your long journey—rest for today, and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”
Claudius spoke gently, as if bestowing a favor.
Celina examined Rivel curiously with fearful eyes. Though impolite, she couldn’t suppress her curiosity.
This was her first time meeting a man from the North. The aura Rivel emitted was fundamentally different from the man beside her—Claudius.
If Claudius shone with noble, elegant charm, Rivel was its complete opposite.
Cold and heavy like an unshakable mountain of snow—like a winter night’s blue star glowing quietly beneath darkness.
Ignoring Celina’s inquisitive stare, Rivel fixed her with an icy glare. Startled by the killing intent in his eyes, Celina shuddered and burrowed deeper into Claudius’s embrace.
‘Why is that man looking at me like that?’
After giving Celina one sharp glance, Rivel offered a brief bow and left the banquet hall. His departing back seemed to carry a gust of icy wind.
Claudius clicked his tongue, watching Rivel’s retreating figure. He didn’t care about the man’s skill, but his attitude was thoroughly displeasing.
“Annoying fellow…”
“Your Majesty?”
“Nothing. Oh—still frightened?”
Claudius stroked Celina’s pink hair as she clung to his waist, glancing toward Ilyd. Ilyd now appeared icy cold, belying her earlier moment of disturbance.
“Aren’t you afraid, Empress?”
“He came to assist Your Majesty. Why would I fear him?”
“I’ve heard… they tear raw flesh from their prisoners and devour it. They’re famous for wandering battlefields with blood-stained mouths.”
Celina let out a squeak and buried herself even deeper into the Emperor’s arms. But Ilyd didn’t flinch. Where had he even picked up such baseless rumors?
Gossip about mercenaries was so abundant it practically rolled on the ground. Most were just embellished tales spun by soldiers returning from war to spice up their exploits.
“…Could anyone be crueler than the man standing before me right now.”
The horrific images of her estate’s slaughtered servants and her elder brother, who had been tortured mercilessly before execution, still haunted her nightmares.
Yet Claudius showed not even a hint of remorse—let alone an apology—for those atrocities.
With those words, she left the banquet hall. There was nothing more she wished to say, no conversation left to have.
It wasn’t Claudius but Celina who reacted to Ilyd’s words. Furious, as if personally insulted, she glared at Ilyd’s retreating back.
“Your Imperial Majesty the Empress is truly too harsh! How could you speak so severely to His Majesty?”
“That’s a very Empress-like demeanor. Don’t be too hard on her.”
Claudius gently stroked Celina’s hair, calming her quietly. Nestled in the Emperor’s arms, Celina savored overwhelming happiness.
But Claudius’s gaze followed Ilyd’s footsteps. He watched the banquet hall doors close, unable to tear his eyes from the Empress’s back.
All the way to the Empress’s quarters, Ilyd was lost in memories of the past.
But those once-vivid recollections had already faded into dimness. Had he merely been a fleeting presence during her happier days? Linette, noticing her deep in thought, spoke up.
“Your Imperial Majesty the Empress—what are you pondering so deeply?”
“It feels as if I’ve met him somewhere before.”
“You mean the mercenary captain? You met at the tavern last time, so he naturally seems familiar.”
“No… long before that.”
Perhaps they’d briefly crossed paths before she became Crown Princess. Yet he seemed to already know her—if not, there’d be no explanation for that fiercely burning gaze.
Surely it was just nerves from their first proper encounter. Ilyd calmed her trembling heart once more. Now that they’d successfully entered the palace, all that remained was to fully bring them under her influence.
Fortune and circumstances alike favored Ilyd. Having barely seized this chance, she was determined not to let it slip.
Claudius’s awareness dulled while inside the palace, and delivering minor instructions was easier from within rather than outside.
Covertly orchestrating affairs within the vast imperial palace had now become Ilyd’s greatest strength. Resolved not to waste the time she’d endured thus far, she vowed to wield this ability to its fullest.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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