Marriage with the Younger Brother of the Man Who Betrayed Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
Preparations for tackling the fourth rift were in full swing.
Martin sat at his desk, his face grave as he skimmed through documents.
They were research materials on mind-controlling monsters.
He was already familiar with these monsters, having dealt with them several times in the past, yet he still meticulously reviewed every page of the documents.
He knew that thorough preparation against the enemy always increased one’s chances of survival.
Thus, deeply absorbed in reviewing the documents, he was interrupted.
“Captain. I’ve brought back your sharpened weapon.”
Simon, Martin’s attendant whom he’d personally brought from House Havicht, entered the tent.
In Simon’s hands was a well-sharpened halberd.
It was a weapon featuring a long shaft with a sharp, heavy axe blade attached.
Martin took it and carefully inspected the blade.
“It’s well sharpened. Your skill seems to be improving.”
“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you, Captain. You keep making me go outside to sharpen it, even on days this cold…”
“Huh. You’re grateful for the strangest things. Should I give you even more tasks, since you’re so thankful?”
“…I’ll pass.”
Having grown up together since childhood as duke and attendant, there were no barriers between them.
They could say anything to each other without hesitation.
Thus, Simon once again spoke words to Martin that others would never dare utter.
“But are you really going into the rift alone with that woman?”
“Yulia?”
“Yes. The only person I’d ever call ‘that woman’ is her.”
Though Yulia came from a marquis family and was a renowned knight, Simon always used this unusually bold term when referring to her.
That woman.
Martin didn’t bother correcting him, even though the term clearly carried hostility.
After all, when they were alone, it was common for Simon to refer to Yulia that way, given his open animosity toward her.
Instead, Martin simply replied to Simon.
“We have to go in alone. After all, it’s a mind-controlling monster.”
“What if it’s all a trap she’s set up?”
Simon’s suspicion—that Yulia might have orchestrated a trap—was not entirely baseless.
He cautiously voiced his reasoning.
“You know full well… that woman, Yulia, is the Emperor’s right hand.”
Simon deliberately avoided using an honorific for the Emperor in his anger, lowering his voice lest anyone overhear.
“The Emperor is still watching for any chance to harm you.”
“…”
“If she received orders from the Emperor to eliminate you… then the claim about a mind-controlling monster appearing in Rift Four is likely a lie. She’s fabricating this to get you alone inside the rift, then attack you when no one else is around. It’s a trap.”
“…”
“Look how the Emperor knows your every move. That’s all because she’s been secretly watching you and reporting everything back to him—”
Thud! Martin forcefully closed the thick document he’d been reading, making a deliberately loud noise.
Simon immediately understood it was a silent warning to stop talking.
Though their relationship was undoubtedly close, there was still a final line neither could cross.
Simon sensed he’d just stepped over it.
Martin glared at Simon with sharp, furious eyes.
“The Vice Captain is undeniably nobility. She’s not someone of your station to speak of so carelessly.”
“…Th-that is…”
“And she’s also a knight. She wouldn’t commit such a dishonorable act.”
In truth, Martin already had a rough idea that Yulia spied on his actions and reported them to Ernant.
He also knew that Yulia’s blind devotion to Ernant stemmed from something deeper than mere loyalty.
Yulia was in love with Ernant.
It was genuine, heartfelt affection.
Yet despite that, Martin could assert one thing with certainty:
Regardless of anything else, as long as Yulia was a knight, she would never stoop to a cowardly betrayal like attacking him from behind inside the rift.
“Even if, against all odds, Yulia forgets her honor and does something so despicable, it doesn’t matter. I’m not weak enough to die by her hand. If anything, her open hostility would finally reveal her true intentions, which would actually be helpful.”
Having said that, Martin turned his gaze back to the documents.
He left only a single warning for Simon, who stood frozen in shock.
“Stop worrying about pointless things.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
Simon, having offered advice only to be scolded, replied meekly.
He wanted to explain further just how dangerous Yulia truly was, but he knew Martin wouldn’t tolerate it.
Before further upsetting Martin, Simon fled the tent like a fugitive.
[This is the timeline separator]As far as I knew, Captain Martin wasn’t the type to hesitate once he’d made a decision.
True to form, he swiftly issued orders to prepare for entering the rift.
Thanks to that, all preparations were completed in just three days, and now the two of us stood before Rift Four.
“Haa…”
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.
Even after nearly ten years of entering rifts to deal with monsters, standing before one still made me break out in cold sweat and tremble.
And no wonder—the rifts were immense.
They were like holes carved into the sky by a god, so vast that humans standing before them felt no bigger than ants.
And beyond that enormous opening lay an entirely different, dangerous world.
The world of monsters.
Monsters crossed over into our world through rifts created by twisted space and time.
Thus, our duty as the Silver Knights was to go to their side first and destroy something called a mana stone to close the rift before any monsters could come through.
I turned to the Captain, who would accompany me on this mission, and said:
“Though it feels belated to say this now… thank you for believing my words.”
“That really is belated. You acted so desperately back then, as if you’d hand over your life if I didn’t believe you.”
“Haha.”
I’d only tried to ease the tension with a light remark, but fortunately, the Captain responded smoothly.
As I took another breath to settle my lingering anxiety, the Captain called out to me.
“You know this already, but I don’t particularly like you.”
“…”
“Still, as a knight, I hold you in high regard. Your death would be a great loss to the Order. So keep your wits about you once we’re inside, and make sure you survive till the end.”
Hearing those words brought back memories.
Back before my regression, as I lay dying from poison, the Captain kept repeating:
“You won’t die today. My men will bring the antidote soon.”
“Don’t give up—just hold on a little longer. I’ll stay by your side.”
“Yulia! Snap out of it! Yulia!”
Even as I hopelessly faded away, you never stopped giving me hope.
You grieved my death more than I did myself.
So how could I ever doubt your sincerity?
“I know too, Captain—that you truly value my life. So… no matter what happens, I will survive.”
“…Stop with the unnecessary talk and let’s get going.”
I nodded, and the Captain began walking.
I followed closely behind his broad back, as his dependable subordinate.
And so, we stepped into the monsters’ world beyond the rift.
Peeee—
As we crossed the boundary between worlds, a ringing filled my ears.
This was a natural phenomenon that occurred whenever entering another world, nothing to worry about.
What truly demanded caution were the pervasive toxic miasma and monsters filling this place.
The air, water, and even plants here all contained substances harmful to humans—fine to endure for a short time, but extremely dangerous if one stayed too long.
Because of that, we needed to act quickly, so I swiftly surveyed the world beyond the rift.
My impression after glancing around was this:
It’s exactly the same as before my regression.
Nothing had changed at all.
The barren purple sky, the gray, desolate land stretching beneath it…
Even the solitary fortress inexplicably standing in the center of the vast plain was identical to what I’d seen before.
I had no idea why a structure like that existed in the monsters’ world.
Perhaps humans once lived here long ago?
Maybe they, like us, fought monsters spilling out from rifts until they were ultimately wiped out?
If so, that distant fortress must be one of their sorrowful remnants.
Lost in such thoughts, I heard the Captain mutter beside me.
“First, we need to locate the Queen.”
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.
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Yulia is exceptionally intelligent and always finds creative solutions to difficult problems.
Took you so long!! I suspected him when he sneek up on you at the river and finally confirmed my suspicion of him since the Ball!!