I Will Live for Your Death (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 54

The records retrieved from the archives were as numerous as the long and storied history of the Empire itself. A faint sigh escaped Ilyd’s lips as she flipped through the pages one by one.

Perhaps it was her own greed that brought trouble—she had carried so many records that they not only covered her desk but piled up beside it as well.

There was a hint of stubborn pride, too. She was determined to uncover any record related to the Empress’s “shadow.” She had no desire to relive the humiliation of receiving Claudius’s full mockery again.

Every time she recalled that serpent-like smile, she silently reaffirmed to herself, over and over: if she endured once, another opportunity would surely come.

The opportunity now lay before her, but grasping it precisely was no simple task. Though reading, writing, and analyzing were as routine to Ilyd as breathing, poring over such documents for hours on end was unbearably tedious.

Most of the records, including budget proposals, were flawless.

“They must have hidden it well—after all, it’s the sort of thing the noblest among us would do.”

Ilyd held this conviction for a specific reason: a story her mother had once told her in childhood suddenly came to mind.

“It’s said that noblewomen—and even members of the Imperial Family—kept secret mistresses known as ‘shadows,’ entirely hidden from the world, never to be revealed.”

Upon hearing this, the nanny had panicked and clamped her hands over Ilyd’s ears.

“My lady! How could you speak such things to the young miss…?”

“Ilyd has grown up quite a bit. She’s already been chosen to become Crown Princess—surely she’s old enough to hear this. She needs to know what she must know.”

Her mother truly was refreshingly frank. A shadow of worry fell over young Ilyd’s innocent face.

“What if… my future husband brings in a ‘shadow’? What should I do then?”

Limres, who had been quietly observing from the side, snapped his book shut audibly. Was the very thought so infuriating? A deep furrow formed between his brows.

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