It was right after the ceremony had ended.
Housekeeper Hans approached the stage where the Duke, I, and Arcadia were. In his hand, he held an invitation bearing the golden Lucella seal.
“Your Grace, a royal messenger from the palace has just visited. This is an invitation from His Majesty the Emperor to attend the royal ball the day after tomorrow.”
‘The royal ball.’
Arcadia asked, “Is it perhaps to introduce that woman who recently appeared as the Emperor’s granddaughter?”
“Have you found out something, General Mobius?”
The Duke inquired.
Eh? To General Mobius?
General Mobius’s eyes shone as he responded, “There’s a market near the palace frequented by high-ranking nobility’s servants. I heard there that the Emperor’s affection for the woman claiming to be his granddaughter is unexpectedly strong. The nobility, especially those of baron rank and above, are abuzz with rumors that she might truly be his granddaughter. There were whispers about a possible ball, and it seems that’s what it is.”
“……What about Baron Schumael?”
Baron Schumael is the one who brought the woman claiming to be the Emperor’s granddaughter to the Emperor.
At the Duke’s question, Sir Emils stepped forward.
“Baron Schumael holds a small estate in the central outskirts and doesn’t have significant connections to the royal family. He’s not desperately poor nor has his family’s status significantly declined. It’s not clear if he has direct ties with Duke Rahert, but.”
Emils paused briefly before continuing, “It’s said that Baron Schumael recently clashed with Duke Rahert at a defense council meeting.”
“Is Baron Schumael a member of the defense committee?”
The Duke tilted his head, and Erugo, in charge of the armory, spoke up.
“It’s been barely two months since he joined. It was when our north was heavily engaged with barbarians. Despite being a new and low-ranking member, he had opposed Duke Rahert over the selection of a guild for arms supply to the royal guard.”
“Arms supply guild…”
“Yes. Baron Schumael opposed because Rahert chose a guild that wasn’t reputable. Rahert was reportedly quite angry about it. It’s unofficial information from the Imperial Weapons Association, where I serve as chairman, so it’s reliable.”
Erugo is the chairman of the Imperial Weapons Association?
I looked around anew at the people surrounding the Duke.
Who are these people?
Quite, or rather, very trustworthy.
This is the North I didn’t know.
“How long will the ball last, Hans?” the Duke asked.
Hans replied, “Three days, Your Grace.”
“What about Rahert’s movements?”
“Our ‘Imperial Housekeepers Association’s’ current vice-president is the housekeeper of Duke Rahert’s estate in the capital. According to a few sources, Duke Rahert has attended several luncheons with His Majesty and the ‘granddaughter.'”
“Several times? That’s quite unusual.”
The Duke commented.
“Unusual? What does that mean, Your Grace?”
I couldn’t help but ask, inadvertently interrupting. Surrounded by people, the Duke turned his gaze to me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No, it’s fine. Unusual means unexpected. Rahert has kept his distance whenever such women have appeared. Attending a luncheon together suggests he might believe she could be ‘the Emperor’s granddaughter.’ Or… the opposite.”
“……The opposite?”
“If the Emperor wishes her to be believed as ‘his granddaughter.'”
‘!’
An intuition struck me.
That’s it.
Rahert killed my parents, likely the same person who handed me over to Medea. He knows I am the true princess. He and Medea have been hiding this secret. A man who was always ready to kill me.
So, Rahert’s true intention aligns with what the Duke mentioned last.
The purpose of the luncheon is likely, with high probability, to persuade the Emperor to believe she is his ‘real granddaughter.’ The reason behind this is still unclear, though.
The Duke asked.
“Why do you ask, Estelle?”
“It’s nothing.”
Despite my response, the Duke did not avert his gaze from me. After a moment, he issued a command.
“Everyone has worked hard. The South and the Imperial Court have often turned their arrows towards the North whenever there’s a significant failure. We must be cautious this time too.”
“Do you believe that woman is a failure, Your Grace, a fake?”
Arcadia asked, genuinely curious.
“Yes,” the Duke replied.
“Why?”
“Green hair and golden eyes. It feels too contrived. Of course, she could be real, but until now, there has been no one in the direct Delphast imperial lineage who wasn’t silver-haired.”
“Ah, now that you mention it.”
Arcadia whistled.
“Sir Nougente.”
“Yes, Hans?”
“You know you shouldn’t whistle at the ball. Right?”
At this, the Deputy Commander of the North’s knights, Arcadia, who resembled a cold blizzard, grumbled like a rebellious young son at his father’s reprimand.
“I know. I won’t do that there.”
“Good to hear,” Hans replied with a smirk.
I couldn’t help but smile quietly at this warm scene.
The Imperial Ball. A glamorous yet treacherous festival where the Empire’s elite nobility gather.
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.]
