Raising my head, I saw a handsome man with a gentle smile, as if he had never been harsh to anyone.
At first glance, his face seemed harmless, but I knew those eyes well. It was the face of a ruler coveting talent.
…This was much more attention than I had intended to draw. But now that it’s done, I couldn’t undo it, so I ordered Tulla to bring some tea and sat opposite the Emperor.
“…Please, take a seat.”
Initially, my plan to attract just a cursory glance in the hall was because I wasn’t confident of achieving more.
Exceeding my expectations to the point of a private audience with the Emperor was an incredibly precious opportunity and a great honor, but…
My mind wasn’t working.
I barely managed to stop my hand from instinctively going to my forehead. Whether due to fatigue or fever, I wasn’t thinking clearly, but I couldn’t show that.
“It is a great honor to see the sky of the Empire.”
“Ah, we’ve heard your courtesy before, no need to repeat.”
He wasn’t saying that for my sake but to save time.
I was frustrated in that moment but couldn’t say so, so I kept my mouth shut.
“That thing you said earlier. Was it sincere?”
Realizing that sidestepping the issue would be futile, I didn’t pretend to misunderstand.
“It is sincere.”
What the heck, I can sacrifice my tongue. With hands, I can write to communicate. If my tongue can save a subordinate’s life, it’s actually a gain.
The Emperor, either impressed by my spirit or my honesty, smiled quite pleasantly.
I hoped the Empress had more sense. The way things were going, it looked like a fine tyrant would emerge within five years.
As I thought this, the Emperor spoke to me.
“Then speak up more. I need to consider whether or not to cut your tongue.”
It seemed like an offer to let me off without punishment if I said something witty.
“Do you need a jester?”
I felt the Emperor scrutinizing my face. His young face, still showing signs of youth, contrasted with his eyes, those of a complete sovereign, assessing people only by their ability and utility.
…Perhaps it would have been better if I hadn’t been so competent in the Emperor’s eyes? I regretted it too late.
“Well, that’s not bad, but I had hoped for something more useful.”
His remark seemed like he knew the inside wasn’t just a three-year-old. A normal three-year-old sitting quietly without crying would be considered remarkable enough.
However, the speaker being the Emperor of a powerful country and me a princess of a minor nation, I just had to quietly listen to his nonsense.
“Do you know I have a brother?”
“I did not know, Your Majesty.”
I answered honestly, not wanting to risk raising unnecessary suspicion by lying about trivial matters.
It took a month to get here, and the information I could gather was extremely limited.
There was no one in my party who knew about the Empire. Even Tulla, the next highest in rank after me, didn’t know how strict the Empire’s class system was. If she didn’t, who would?
I didn’t even know the Emperor’s age, let alone his family relations.
“Then you can learn now. I have a five-year-old brother.”
Apparently. He understood my hard-to-understand pronunciation not by guessing but because he was familiar with it due to his brother.
“Anyway, I am fortunate that my brother is quite precocious.”
“Here lies your Majesty’s fortune,” would be the perfect moment for a flattering remark, but since he said it himself, I was left without words.
“A sharp awl reveals itself even when hidden in a pocket. I was worried about that,” he said.
I was just waiting for an order to come down, but seeing him deviate from the norm, it seemed he wanted me to analyze the situation myself.
So, this is what he meant by ‘using my tongue’? As Tulla brought the tea and left, leaving us in silence again, I finally spoke.
“Do you wish me to become friends with His Highness, the Prince?”
The Emperor gazed down, seemingly enjoying the aroma of the tea. Even my underdeveloped sense of smell could tell it wasn’t particularly fragrant.
“That would be nice,” he replied, a brief flicker of affection for his brother in his eyes.
Perhaps because I’m only three, he momentarily let his guard down, revealing a more human side of the young Emperor. I quietly lowered my eyes, knowing he would never let his guard down in front of me again.
“But, my brother is special. I can’t just place anyone beside him. You understand, don’t you?”
I really didn’t want to understand. I dreaded the continuation of his words.
“So, Princess. Prove to me what you can do.”
The Emperor’s face, now smiling at me, had already erased any trace of emotion.
…Intellectually, I knew this was a tremendous opportunity. If I could form a bond with the Grand Duke, no one among the hostages would dare touch me.
But I was worried. Should I consider an Emperor who engages in such political dialogue with a three-year-old sane?
And is it truly safe to be near a powerful madman?
“Though I am grateful for your high regard, I have no exceptional talents…”
“Princess.”
The Emperor interrupted me before I could continue.
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.]
