Long Live the Emperor, Minus Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
“Is the tea to your liking? Are you alright?”
“Yes, I like it.”
“Here, there are macarons too. Is there anything you can’t eat?”
“Yes, thank you… (Not really…)”
“Oh my, how admirable.”
Though something had been missed, Blanche’s intention had nonetheless succeeded splendidly—perhaps even overly so, just as it had when she first captured the Emperor’s curiosity.
Liana had never been able to properly dote on children, as much as she adored them and animals alike, because whenever she approached, children would burst into tears and animals would faint.
Only two young children had ever met the Empress’s gaze without crying: Berken, Liana’s husband, who had borne the Emperor’s dignity since birth, and Melchizedek, who had greeted the world with a cynical gaze and rattled his rattle.
But since Berken was her same age, Melchizedek was effectively the only child Liana had ever truly been able to pamper.
Now before Liana, who had only ever been able to stroke the head of a dark-haired little boy whose eyes looked like those of an elderly sage, appeared a sweet-looking, gentle, well-behaved little girl who never cried.
It was only natural that Liana was utterly smitten.
“The garden is beautiful. Thank you for inviting me.”
She was so utterly charmed that upon hearing this polite greeting, Her Majesty the Empress herself rose immediately to pluck a flower for her.
“Oh my. Your moon-like silver hair truly suits these hibiscus blooms.”
Blanche… no, Lee Baekryeon, too, couldn’t help but be flustered. In the Zhen Empire, flowers bestowed by the Emperor or Empress were known as “Eosa flowers,” gifts traditionally granted only upon passing the imperial examinations.
Moreover, when Lee Baekryeon had become an official, the examination system hadn’t even existed yet—he’d received flowers carved from jade, but never fresh ones.
Now, having received a fresh flower—something he’d never gotten even in his previous life—simply for saying the blooms were pretty, Lee Baekryeon was thoroughly bewildered.
And when flustered, Lee Baekryeon’s tongue, normally quite nimble, became twice as fluent.
“Your Majesty’s beauty is so radiant that even flowers and the moon grow shy and hide their faces.”
If a ten-year-old had said this, others might have grown wary—even if Liana wouldn’t—because such eloquence was far too polished for a child’s speech.
But Blanche was only three, and even the maid standing right beside her to pour tea couldn’t fully understand Blanche’s words beyond recognizing them as praise, thanks to her pronunciation. Liana, meanwhile, was utterly enchanted by the sweet, shy little girl uttering such endearing compliments.
No trouble arose. When the Empress, still exuding her usual untouchable grace, blushed and smiled, the awe in everyone’s eyes toward Blanche only deepened.
Indeed, having captured the Emperor’s attention in a mere three-minute audience before, Blanche was now poised to become the darling of high society through just a few hours of tea party.
It was an absurdly efficient feat—one even Lee Baekryeon in his past life had never accomplished.
*
It was widely known throughout the Letail Empire that the Imperial couple cherished the Grand Duke, despite the age gap between them being nearly that of parent and child.
Thus, whenever their schedules permitted, the Emperor, Empress, and Grand Duke always shared dinner together. That evening, however, the Empress arrived at the table looking unusually cheerful.
Was there anything particularly pleasant in Her Majesty’s schedule today? Weren’t all her appointments just tedious diplomatic obligations?
Before Melchizedek could voice his curiosity, the Emperor spoke first.
“Something good happen?”
The servants had all been dismissed to allow for a private family moment, so instead of scolding Berken for his casual tone, Liana replied just as informally.
“Yeah! I met an incredibly cute child at the tea party today.”
She must have found someone quite articulate—or perhaps a prodigy with exceptional knightly talent…
Reading their brother’s identical thoughts, Liana declared proudly, “There’s a princess from the Ramore Kingdom named Blanche Loa Vandaluin—she’s just so, so adorable and sweet!”
Both were surprised, but Berken’s astonishment far exceeded Melchizedek’s, who didn’t even know who Blanche was.
Wait—so that princess was extraordinary, yes, but she caught Liana’s eye the very day after I noticed her? A mere three-year-old?
As Berken wondered whether he’d perhaps underestimated her talent, Liana delivered a second shock.
“She’s only three, yet surprisingly mature and clever for her age. Melchizedek, don’t you think you two could become good friends?”
It was precisely the thought Berken had just been entertaining.
“…Three years old?”
Melchizedek was a dignified, intelligent five-year-old gentleman, and he knew well how sadly Liana lamented her inability to connect with children and animals.
So a three-year-old held a conversation with Her Majesty without bursting into tears? He bit back the question.
“Haha. However mature and clever she may be, she’s still only three. What could I possibly do with a child half my age?”
It was a remarkably fresh way to describe someone just two years younger. Had the listener not known Melchizedek was five, it might have sounded like a plausible excuse.
Unfortunately, Liana knew his age perfectly well.
“And she’s so beautiful! With moon-bright silver hair and jet-black eyes like obsidian—she looks just like an expensive doll crafted by a master artisan!”
From Melchizedek’s perspective, playing with an actual expensive doll sounded far preferable to playing with a three-year-old who merely resembled one.
At least a doll wouldn’t cause trouble if left alone.
But Blanche had clasped Liana’s finger with her tiny, soft hand and declared, “If you invite me again next time, it will be the honor of my life,” sealing her promise of future meetings—leaving Liana utterly elated and completely unconvinced by Melchizedek’s reservations.
In any case, he had no intention of dousing his sister-in-law’s joy at finally bonding with a little girl. While Berken enthusiastically agreed, Melchizedek quietly nodded along.
“Really? She said that? She must have liked you an awful lot.”
“Right? Oh, should I invite her to dinner sometime? So Melchi can meet her too!”
Just as the quietly nodding Melchizedek opened his mouth to speak, Berken beat him to it, silencing him with a glance and offering a gentle smile.
“Of course that’s fine. Though… dinner might be too much pressure. Let’s make it lunch instead.”
“Lunch? But that’ll push the schedule back too much.”
Liana’s lunch appointments were fully booked for the next month—unlike her dinners, which remained free precisely because she always reserved them for family.
Seeing Liana’s disappointment at the thought of not seeing Blanche for a whole month, Berken reassured her.
“The schedule will shift a bit, but we could hold it in the greenhouse for lunch. Wouldn’t inviting her straight to the main palace for a second meeting feel a bit overwhelming? In many ways.”
“You’re right.”
Melchizedek quickly seconded Berken’s suggestion.
He’d suddenly felt a pang of anxiety that, if things went wrong, a three-year-old might be seated at their family dinner table tomorrow.
“Oh, you’re right about that! Now that you mention it, she did seem to really enjoy the greenhouse today—”
Thankfully, Liana changed her mind. Having successfully postponed the meeting with Blanche by a month, Melchizedek waited until Liana left the table—complaining that the unexpectedly long tea party had left her no time for paperwork—and then declared flatly:
“No.”
Berken smiled gently.
“Why are you telling me that?”
“Because you encouraged her!”
“Encouraged? I just changed dinner to lunch.”
There was a limit to playing dumb. Berken, of all people, would never permit inviting a child he barely knew to a family meal.
To Melchizedek, it was clear that Princess Blanche had won not only Liana’s affection but Berken’s as well.
“Anyway, no. I don’t care if it’s lunch or whatever—just leave me out.”
He didn’t actually expect Berken to agree. True to his prediction, Berken seemed to disregard his opinion entirely—though he did look mildly intrigued.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, ‘why’?”
“You haven’t even seen Princess Blanche. Why are you refusing outright?”
“Well, because every girl you’ve tried to set me up with has been utterly unsuitable!”
Had Melchizedek been ten years older, this would have been a rather complicated statement. But the problem was, Melchizedek was only five—and the only “girl” Berken had ever “set him up with” was his nanny.
The other children he’d played with weren’t personally selected by Berken, so it felt inaccurate to say Berken had “set them up.”
“Where on earth do you pick up such things?”
No matter how exceptional Melchizedek was for a five-year-old, this was simply too absurd to take seriously.
So Berken burst out laughing and simply ruffled his little brother’s hair affectionately.
“Oh dear, I’ll have to remind everyone to watch their language. Our esteemed Grand Duke is speaking like a common ruffian.”
“Ah, Brother! I’m not joking—”
Well, around age five, boys usually found playing with other boys more fun than with girls. That must be why he was acting this way. Once he actually met her, his mind would surely change.
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.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)