Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
“Eddanbeuteo na neung uni eopseotji. (Since forever, I’ve had no luck.)”
I muttered softly, resting my cheek on the desk. They say talking makes things worse, but since people would stare at me strangely if I said such things in front of others, I often talked to myself when alone.
After receiving the imperial decree from His Majesty and hanging myself, when I opened my eyes again, I had become Blanche Loa Vandaluin, the youngest princess of the Ramore Kingdom.
Since there was clearly a biography of Lee Baekryeon lying around, this wasn’t some dream—I had truly been reincarnated. And not only that, I retained all my memories intact.
Having already seen someone in my previous life who’d been reborn with full memories of their past existence, this new life didn’t surprise me much. I figured it must be something to do with bloodlines.
What actually shocked me was how strikingly similar this life was to my previous one.
Blanche Loa Vandaluin is the youngest princess of the Ramore royal family, yet she isn’t of direct royal blood. What this means is that Blanche was adopted from a cadet branch.
Lee Baekryeon, too, had been adopted into the prestigious Lee family from a cadet branch. In both cases, the adoptions weren’t out of pity for orphaned children—but because they were useful, and adopted specifically to serve a purpose.
Lee Baekryeon had been taken in by the childless head of the Lee family as a successor—someone clever and parentless from the cadet line. As for Blanche…
Blanche is a hostage princess.
To explain this “hostage princess,” I first need to describe the Ramore Kingdom’s geopolitical position.
The Ramore Kingdom is a small, weak nation squeezed between the Letail Empire and the Cartian Kingdom. Frankly, it’s so precarious that one might suspect the kingdom survives only because those two powers are too busy checking each other to bother annexing Ramore.
If either absorbed Ramore, they’d share a direct border with the other, causing defense expenditures to skyrocket. Neither the Letail Empire nor the Cartian Kingdom would risk such danger unless they intended to declare war on the other.
“Geoyamaleo gaedeuk… (Truly, a dilemma…)”
Being situated between two great powers and not yet conquered could be seen as a geographical advantage—but it also means constantly walking on eggshells with both sides. In fact, it might even be easier to simply belong to one of them outright.
And precisely because of this, the King of Ramore adopted me. The Letail Empire had demanded a hostage, and he wasn’t about to send one of his own precious children.
“Dyeondyeonsaeng-eseo kkeun dal-moseul hang ge bunmyeonghadi. (It’s clear I committed a grave sin in my life before last.)”
Just like my previous life, my fortune in early childhood this time is equally harsh. At age two, I lost both parents, and since I was adopted only as a hostage—destined to leave soon anyway—I was neglected for a whole year without receiving any real affection.
And so, today, at merely three years old, I must leave my homeland for the Letail Empire. And likely, I’ll never set foot on my native soil again.
“…Sar-gi sita. (I don’t want to live.)”
Truly.
In my previous life, I gave everything I had. I devoted my entire being for my clan and my country. I suppressed personal grudges and never hid my talents. Whether in civil or military affairs, wherever my abilities were needed, I went—and whatever I could do, I did.
Because I believed that doing so would make everything turn out well.
“Hadiman ani-eojji. (But it didn’t.)”
I already know how things end when you endure and suffer silently. I remember clearly what came of grinding myself down, thinking if only I worked harder or became better.
This life won’t be any different. Trying will only make things worse.
“Hadiman jug-eul sudo eopseo… (But I can’t even die…)”
Dying recklessly might land me in an even worse situation for a third life—but the bigger problem is that I’m only three years old. With these tiny hands, tying a strong knot would be rather difficult.
And there’s another thing…
“Your Highness, preparations for departure are complete. I’ve come to escort you.”
Just as I was sinking into despair over this obviously doomed fate, the person I’d been waiting for arrived.
Tula Delota. My nursemaid—who came to the palace with me after my parents passed when I was two, and who would now cross over to the Letail Empire with me once again.
“Shall we go?”
I stared at the child who smiled gently at me.
…Tula had often said I reminded her exactly of her daughter—the daughter she’d lost right after birth.
But it wasn’t only Tula who saw her child in the other. I did too. When I looked at Tula, I thought of my own daughter—my child from my previous life, whom I’d been forced to leave behind in death. The one who’d had to collect my suicide’s remains and lose her entire family by the tender age of twenty.
Just as Lee Baekryeon and Blanche share similar early misfortunes, so too do Tula and my daughter from before my death.
Not just in age—but in how both must endure danger simply because of me. Exactly.
My daughter was endangered merely for being my child—put at risk of falling out of His Majesty’s favor. Tula, merely for being my nursemaid, had to leave behind her beloved hometown, her family, relatives, and friends, to journey alone to a foreign land.
Thus, whether as Lee Baekryeon—who chose suicide to protect her daughter—or as Blanche—who lost her parents at two and was raised by her nursemaid—I couldn’t help but feel deeply for this child.
Because of her, I can’t bring myself to end this unwanted second life. I don’t know what would become of her—this child who reminds me so painfully of my own daughter, whom I failed to protect until the end—if I were to die now.
“Tula.”
So, before embarking on this long journey, I made her one solemn promise.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“…Neoneun naega jikeo-duma. (I will protect you.)”
Words I never dared say to my own daughter.
In my past life, Lee Baekryeon, despite wielding power enough to make birds fall from the sky, still chose death—and couldn’t even protect her child.
But put another way, that also means that no matter how dire the circumstances, I should be able to protect at least one person. Unlike my previous life, where I rose to the very peak, this time I’ll start from the very bottom—without even revealing a tenth of my abilities. As long as I’m willing to stake my life.
So I’ve decided: unlike my past life, where I was torn apart by slander and envy, this time I’ll reveal only the bare minimum of my talents—just enough to survive.
And in doing so, I’ll protect this child who raised me and will share my fate—even if, unlike my daughter, she shares no blood with me.
“Yes?”
Tula, who knew nothing of my past life, blinked wide-eyed, clearly baffled by why I’d suddenly utter something so solemn.
Since I hadn’t spoken those words expecting her to understand, I simply held out both hands to her.
“Gadya, gidarigo ikkekkuna. (Let’s go—they’ll be waiting for us.)”
Just as she’d always brushed off my mutterings before, Tula seemed to take this as mere babbling, smiled gently, and lifted me into her arms.
“Shall I bring that book too?”
At my age, I couldn’t even climb down from a chair, so there was no way I’d placed the book on the shelf myself. I glanced at the cover of my biography, bound in fine cloth, and shook my head.
“Ani, dwae-eotta. (No, it’s fine.)”
Now that I know how my end was recorded, I no longer need that book. After all, what’s written there isn’t the truth.
*
The journey to the Letail Empire was long. Already a great distance, it felt even longer because we couldn’t travel quickly on my account.
During that time, I calmly decided my course of action once we arrived at the empire. With nothing to do but ride in the carriage, I had plenty of time to think.
“Onneun saramdeul-i aju man-tatjana? Geureom naega isseul jari-ga isseulkka? (They said many people are coming, right? Then will there even be a place for me?)”
For starters, I wasn’t the only hostage arriving in the empire this time.
Last year, a new emperor ascended the throne in the Letail Empire and requested that every nation on the continent send “peace envoys.”
It was the coachman who’d told me how this same request had even been sent to Cartian, briefly straining relations between the two powers.
Using the “princess-like” speech I’d practiced during my year at the palace, I asked the cook, who burst into cheerful laughter.
“They say the imperial palace is enormous. There’ll surely be plenty of room for someone as small as Your Highness.”
So they weren’t building new quarters just for the envoys. If they’d constructed an entire new building for the flood of visitors from across the continent, news of it would certainly have spread.
Therefore, it’s highly likely I’ll have to share accommodations with others. No matter how vast the grounds, there can’t possibly be dozens of separate buildings.
That means I can’t choose to live quietly and invisibly—those sharing the palace with me will never forget I exist. In this case, staying meek would only invite bullying.
So my only option is…
“It must be very hard for you, Your Highness? We’ll arrive in just two more days—please hang in there a little longer.”
Pulled from my thoughts by this voice, I turned my head. Tula was looking at me, worried I might be exhausted from the long journey.
“Gurae?”
“Yes. After we arrive and you have your audience with His Majesty the Emperor, you’ll be allowed to rest properly.”
An audience with the Emperor immediately upon arrival, exhausted from a long journey. Most people would faint in shock—but for me, this was an opportunity.
“Jal-daetnae. (That’s good.)”
If I can’t live unnoticed, then I must show them I’m not someone easily pushed around. But how can a three-year-old princess from a weak nation—barely clinging to survival thanks to geopolitical convenience—possibly make such an impression?
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[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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