“When is the Crown Prince expected to return to the imperial palace?”
“He should return by today.”
“…I see. You may leave now.”
It was then that the Empress, pressing her throbbing forehead, waved her hand at the attendant.
A knock on the door was followed by Joshua’s voice.
“Mother, I have returned.”
Only then did the Empress’s furrowed expression clear up.
The attendant, who had been watching the Empress’s mood, quickly opened the door, and Joshua entered.
Joshua glanced at the attendant bowing deeply and asked,
“Did anything happen while I was away?”
The Empress’s expression was bright. However, he seemed to have read from the attendant’s restless attitude that the Empress was in a bad mood.
“What could have happened? There’s never a peaceful day in the imperial palace. Anyway, how did it go? Were you able to resolve the matter?”
“As expected, it wasn’t easy, but I don’t think it was a wasted trip.”
It sounded like he was telling her not to have high expectations, but Joshua’s eyes were saying something different.
The Empress’s expression brightened even more at her son’s eyes, which were more intelligent than ever.
“…Is that so?”
While he had told the Emperor and everyone else that he was going hunting with the nobles as usual, in reality, Joshua had led the Crown Prince’s knight order to the Ernesto Kingdom in the southern part of the empire.
“I’m glad there was a positive response, but… Don’t you think it might be better to postpone that schedule a bit?”
The Empress asked carefully. Her voice was caring, and her tone was gentle.
Although she had been considerate not to upset her son, Joshua’s brow immediately furrowed.
“Postpone… the schedule?”
Joshua felt as if he had been doused with cold water.
The reason he had gone all the way to distant Ernesto was to take revenge on Duke Cardia.
Now that the opportunity for revenge was right in front of him, she wanted him to postpone the plan?
“What’s the reason?”
Joshua asked as if demanding an answer. The Empress, who had been contemplating for a moment, soon shook her head.
“I don’t think I can explain the reason right now.”
“Ha…”
A scoff finally escaped Joshua’s lips.
“I think you know, Mother. That since becoming Crown Prince, no, even before that, I haven’t achieved much.”
“…”
“So I need to show them. I need to prove my abilities!”
He was also aware that the nobles were quietly questioning the Crown Prince’s qualifications.
But there was a big difference between known facts and the truth.
The reason Joshua hadn’t been able to step up easily until now was largely due to the existence of his half-sister Trinity and the influence of the prophecy.
The first prophecy that if the first child was a prince, he would threaten the Emperor’s life.
Even the Empress wouldn’t have known that this prophecy would end up holding Joshua back as well.
“There’s no need for that.”
“…?”
“You are the legitimate bloodline of His Majesty the Emperor, and a descendant of the heavens. Who dares to evaluate you?”
The Empress continued with a solemn expression.
“Joshua, you are someone who doesn’t need anyone’s approval. Rather, everyone in the empire, commoners and nobles alike, will seek your approval. That’s what it means to be Emperor.”
It sounded plausible at first glance.
However, he wasn’t young enough to be easily fooled by the Empress’s honeyed words.
“No need for everyone’s approval… Is that certain?”
At Joshua’s question, the Empress’s lips trembled for a moment. But the Empress smiled, curving her lips that were about to stiffen, and said,
“Of course. If only His Majesty the Emperor were to disappear…”
The Empress suddenly covered her mouth with an expression of having made a mistake. Then she quickly added,
“I misspoke. Please forget what I just said. You know the Emperor’s temperament well, don’t you, Joshua? There will never be an abdication while he’s alive. …Besides, I’ve endured too much.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Anyway. What I was trying to say was that we should take some time. Not to undo the plan you’ve made, but…”
It was just a short answer, but it seemed to have improved the Empress’s mood considerably. The Empress’s tone became affectionate as usual.
“Come to think of it, you’ve just arrived in the capital, so you probably haven’t heard yet. Marquis and Marchioness Ratse recently had an accident.”
“Were they badly injured?”
“They died.”
“…Pardon?”
The Empress explained the situation to Joshua, who asked again in surprise.
Apparently, they were attacked by bandits while trying to negotiate with the western barbarians under the pretext of a vacation.
“It was truly an unfortunate accident…”
The Empress lowered her gaze slightly with a grief-stricken face. Joshua briefly consoled the Empress who had lost her close associates.
“It seems only my son cares about me after all.”
The Empress, who quickly composed herself, smiled and continued.
“You must be tired. Go and rest now.”
“Yes… You too, Mother.”
As he turned to leave after saying that, the thought that he had been trapped by his mother suddenly flashed through his mind.
Joshua, who had momentarily stopped in his tracks, soon left the reception room. He thought there was no point in arguing further with someone grieving over the loss of a cherished maid.
Soon after Joshua left, the Empress, who had been lost in thought for a while alone in the reception room, had her eyes flash with a strange color.
[This is the timeline separator]In the carriage returning from the imperial palace to Duke Cardia’s residence.
Jieselgrante, who had been deep in thought for a while, turned her head feeling a gaze. She then met eyes with Cabelased.
“You have the look of someone plotting something.”
Jieselgrante shook her head and said,
“It’s just… I thought something was strange.”
Cabelased gave her an intent look as if telling her to speak.
“Hmm…”
Jieselgrante hummed lowly as she chose her words.
The Emperor’s somewhat casual attire, slightly disheveled hair.
Both felt too unfamiliar to her.
Hadn’t he always said that the Emperor should always be perfect and worthy of admiration?
As if to prove those words, he had always shown an impeccable appearance whenever and wherever. It wasn’t much different even in front of family.
However, today’s Emperor had a somewhat more human appearance.
Even though Cabelased and she were persons of interest to the Emperor.
Which means…
Just as she thought that far, Cabelased urged her in a rather kind voice.
“Jiesel.”
“…His hair was a bit disheveled. His clothes also looked a bit casual, and his sitting posture wasn’t straight either.”
Cabelased, who had been looking down as if lost in thought for a moment, turned his gaze towards her and said,
“Now that you mention it, it does seem so.”
Cabelased, who had paused for a moment, soon stared into her eyes and continued.
“But you’re the one who’s clearly a bit strange, Jiesel. …It’s as if you’re talking about someone you’ve been observing for a long time?”
“…”
Jieselgrante only swallowed dry at Cabelased’s sharp observation.
In fact, the reason she had hesitated briefly before bringing up the Emperor to Cabelased was precisely because of this.
The connection between Jieselgrante and the Emperor prior to this.
It was highly likely that the two had no relationship at all.
That’s why she anticipated that this question would inevitably follow if she mentioned the Emperor’s change.
“My father always used to say. That throughout long meetings, His Majesty the Emperor always maintained a correct posture.”
“…”
“He also said that regardless of time and place, he always wore perfect formal attire. But today wasn’t like that.”
Suddenly, a recent memory flashed through Cabelased’s mind.
After the meeting about nullifying the salt business ended, the Emperor had called him aside and asked if he was the one who reported the embezzlement of the Antares family.
Looking back, the Emperor at that time also exuded a subtly different atmosphere while seeming the same as usual at first glance.
‘I’m getting old now. It’s too much for me to handle such energetic young people.’
That had bothered him inwardly.
‘You’ve grown old too. You even know how to compliment me now.’
Even a person as solid as steel sometimes had moments of weakness.
If it was a situation where one had to punish their own family members, it would be even more complicated.
He had thought that much and let it go, but…
Of course, he hadn’t noticed that the Emperor had become careless about his appearance until Jieselgrante mentioned it.
“You have keen eyes.”
Cabelased’s eyes curved roundly. But the position of both corners of his mouth was subtle.
Strangely, he felt twisted whenever Jieselgrante showed interest in someone else.
Even if it was the Emperor.
“…You flatter me.”
He had tried to express his dissatisfaction, but she seemed to have taken it as a simple compliment.
[This is the timeline separator]It was the same morning at the imperial palace as yesterday.
The only difference from usual was that the Emperor was waking up late.
“Is His Majesty still sleeping?”
The head attendant approached the knights standing guard and asked.
“It seems so.”
The knight’s answer was somewhat unsatisfactory.
Inwardly criticizing the knight for not giving a clear yes or no answer, the head attendant knocked on the door of the Emperor’s bedroom.
Knock knock.
“Your Majesty, it’s the head attendant.”
But there was no response from inside.
“Surely he hasn’t forgotten about the morning meeting…”
Muttering to himself as he knocked on the bedroom door a few more times, an ominous thought crossed the head attendant’s mind.
The Emperor’s health had been rapidly deteriorating recently.
He kept his mouth shut because the Emperor had threatened not to tell anyone, but he was a bit worried.
Nevertheless, thinking it was probably needless worry, he walked into the bedroom.
“Your Majesty, it’s the head attendant. As there was no answer despite knocking several times… Your Majesty?”
The head attendant’s brow furrowed as he approached the bed, mumbling excuses in preparation for a rebuke for entering the bedroom without permission.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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