Received the Obsession of a Chaste Dark Lord (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
Earlier, when I saw Lloyd Alois in the temple, something came to mind.
I needed a firm vow that I would not fail this life, and a mechanism to make it even more certain.
I intended to live this life entirely for Leopric.
During my time as Crown Princess, I would turn every memory I held to serve the stability of the imperial throne.
But Leopric does not know that I have returned from a past life.
He will surely have many questions about the things I will do next.
And if he realizes that those actions will ultimately destroy his own cousin Lloyd, he may become furious.
At those moments, I will only be able to move my lips without offering a proper explanation.
Perhaps he will come to distrust me and choose a path toward his own ruin.
To prevent these things in advance, I felt I needed to have a deep conversation with him.
To do so, I had to draw a card he could not refuse.
By any means necessary, I had to make him accept my proposal.
As I was pondering what to ask of Leopric, I heard the door open behind me and turned my head.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
A slightly hurried voice entered through the door.
Sorry for being late?
I never imagined I would hear such an impolite remark from him.
“It’s fine. Were you occupied with something?”
“Yes. An urgent report came in all of a sudden, and I was delayed for a moment. I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
He walked over with slightly larger steps and, in that instant, brushed past me to sit on the opposite side.
The edge of his robe fluttered lightly, releasing a faint musk mixed with the heavy scent of a forest into the air.
‘Did Leopric always enjoy wearing perfume…?’
As I tried to recall, I noticed something odd about his tone.
It felt strangely familiar.
If my memory served me right, before our marriage, we had met only two or three times.
Even those encounters consisted of only brief, simple exchanges.
Beyond a few necessary decisions regarding our union, we had never truly spoken at length or looked each other in the eye.
Yet now, he was treating me with such ease.
It felt exactly as if we had known each other for years.
“Oh? The palace attendants were bustling about this room since morning, arranging it all.”
Leopric glanced around and sat beside me.
Seeing the room filled with decorations unmistakably meant for a blissfully in-love newlywed couple, he gave a faint smile.
“Do you like it, Amelia? I had them decorate it this way, since women are said to enjoy such things.”
He leaned toward me, eyes half-closed in a smile.
The perfume grew stronger as he drew closer.
No matter how I thought about it, this was not the kind of scent he would normally wear.
Rather, it was the sort Lloyd—ever charming the women around him—would douse himself in…
As I struggled to recall, Leopric’s hand suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Before I could speak, he gently placed his hand on my shoulder.
“…Your Highness?”
In my past life, we always maintained an appropriate distance.
We never shared a bed, nor even the same bedroom.
Even holding hands was limited to brief, formal touches during public occasions.
So why, suddenly, had he closed this distance so drastically?
I froze in place, immobilized by the intense musk tickling my nostrils.
“Shh, it’s fine. It’s nothing.”
His whisper came right beside my ear, soft and low.
The perfume was far heavier and richer than Lloyd’s, and the voice, barely above a murmur, was right next to me.
I stopped breathing, unsure what to do.
Could it be that I was about to…?
“Oh. That’s enough.”
That was the moment.
I felt every sense sharpen to its peak.
And I was hesitating whether I should push him away.
Leopric stood up with a fresh tone.
The instant he moved away, I unconsciously gasped for breath.
Between the small distance now opened, I noticed…
“It seems I didn’t finish tidying up earlier, Amelia. There was still a hairpin left in your hair.”
…The pin that had held my hair in place during the wedding.
A pin so small I hadn’t even realized it was still there.
I stared at the tiny hairpin in his hand, still dazed, then looked up at him.
And in that moment—
ridiculously—I thought I had stopped breathing.
Had he come straight from his bath? A faint sheen of moisture glistened on his golden hair, catching the dim candlelight.
Below it, his sharply chiseled jaw cast a deep shadow.
His red eyes, fixed entirely on me, seemed strangely damp.
Along the line of his wet neck, the slight parting of his robe revealed…
“Amelia?”
“Uh.”
Good heavens.
I turned my head sharply, remembering what I had just done.
What on earth?
What had just happened?
I felt as if I had been bewitched.
His gaze, his slightly damp form, the exposed skin—I had been utterly spellbound.
I had never been this foolish even when I was with Lloyd.
While I was still bewildered by the sudden situation, he set the pin down and moved closer to sit beside me.
“I’m sorry if I startled you. Your complexion doesn’t look good—are you all right?”
His voice brought me back to myself.
Yes. This was no time to be lost in thought.
I took a small breath and met his gaze.
“…I’m fine, Your Highness. The pin was so small I didn’t even notice it was still there.”
“I suspected as much. With so much to do today, you’re probably exhausted, which makes it worse.”
Shall we rest now?
Leopric offered a gentle smile.
Unlike in my past life, where he only slightly curled his lips into a forced smile, now he closed his eyes fully, shaping a pleasant curve at the corner of his mouth.
Today has truly been filled with too many strange things.
I forced myself to ignore the feeling that my gaze was being entirely stolen by that smile and nodded.
“Yes, Your Highness. Before that, I’d like to speak with you for a moment—is that all right?”
“If you’re not tired. Are you certain you’re well?”
This time, he asked with a tone of concern.
I was somewhat tired, but if not now, I might never get another chance to speak. So I nodded.
Then I subtly shifted my posture, creating a slight distance between us.
“I wish to propose a contract to Your Highness.”
After slowly inhaling, I began.
[This is the timeline separator]“Regardless, we are married, and I have sworn to live for Your Highness. Therefore, I intend to assist you in every way possible.”
I told him I would contribute a portion of the profits from my Janet Trading Company to the imperial treasury.
Along with the proposal that I would spare no means to strengthen the imperial authority until he became Emperor.
And I begged him not to question me more than three times about anything I did.
The current Emperor had only one child: Leopric.
His ascension was inevitable, yet that very fact made everyone hyper-vigilant.
Because even the slightest hint of disqualification in the sole heir could not be permitted.
Thus, to eliminate unnecessary disturbances before or immediately after his ascension, strengthening the imperial authority was absolutely necessary.
And if I could gain a suitable advantage during this process, all the better.
After all, this marriage itself was merely one move in the plan to strengthen imperial power.
I intended to make the most of this opportunity.
But Leopric seemed to think differently.
“…We’ve only just married, Amelia. Today is our wedding night.”
He sighed, his expression somewhat dark.
My proposal—or perhaps the timing of bringing it up—had clearly displeased him.
But what of it?
Wasn’t this marriage a political alliance?
After all, we were never meant to be compatible companions.
I tilted my head, silently questioning his reaction.
“That applies only to love marriages, Your Highness. This marriage has a clear purpose.”
He wore a bitter expression as if acknowledging the necessity of clarifying the situation.
After gazing at my resolute face for a moment, he finally spoke, as if surrendering—or resolving himself.
“If I accept your contribution of the Janet Trading Company’s profits to the treasury, what do you gain from it?”
I assumed he had accepted my terms and continued.
“Forty percent of the Vermilian family’s wealth comes from the Janet Trading Company. Giving only ten percent of that will not significantly harm me. And for Your Highness, it is hardly a trivial sum.”
“Why must you ask me not to question you more than three times?”
“You may have heard from my father—I have a good instinct. But I cannot always explain the reasons behind my instincts.”
Having a good instinct was convenient in many ways.
Since I had returned, I knew many things without needing to explain them.
“The more questions you ask, the more my judgment becomes clouded. That’s why I’m asking.”
Leopric carefully questioned each of my conditions.
I answered calmly and steadily.
It was a rather cold exchange for a newlywed couple, but what did atmosphere matter in a marriage built solely on conditions?
“Then, in exchange for you doing all of this, what do you ask of me?”
He asked cautiously.
There was something almost expectant in his tone.
I looked at him and replied clearly.
“It’s simple. Five years from now, after you become Emperor, please send me away from the palace.”
“…That is your condition?”
Leopric’s voice caught, as if his throat had tightened.
His gaze burned into me with intense, unreadable emotions swirling within.
Had this man always been so expressive?
“I mean exactly what I say, Your Highness. While strengthening imperial power, you must remain mindful of public opinion. But once you hold absolute power, you will no longer need to care.”
“So why should a husband and wife, who are meant to be faithful to each other, be concerned with the eyes of others?”
“Because by then, you will be free to take whomever you desire as a concubine without anyone objecting.”
And by then, even if I asked for a divorce, I would suffer no loss whatsoever.
I swallowed the decisive truth and began with a more general statement.
“And I wish to be free—to live without being tied to any single place.”
In my past life, he gave me only as much attention as strictly necessary.
Whenever I had a moment, I rushed off to meet Lloyd.
I imagine his marriage to me was quite unhappy as well.
Now, of course, I need the name and wealth of my house to bolster imperial power. But beyond that?
I hoped that, when he no longer needed to watch others’ eyes, he might find some happiness.
Not beside a wicked woman blinded by love and who murdered her husband—but beside a woman as warm and lovely as sunlight.
That final condition was for that very purpose.
“Concubine?”
His brow furrowed deeply.
Yes. Hearing such talk on the very first night of marriage was hardly pleasant.
But he was, at least, a man of sound character.
Perhaps he felt such talk was inappropriate here.
I calmly spoke again.
“I understand that the path you must walk is too difficult to tread alone, without someone you’ve given your heart to.”
“…”
“While most nobles enter political marriages, you will be able to maintain imperial authority even without one. So then.”
Leopric stared directly at me.
As if asking, What are you trying to say?—with a touch of resentment.
But my words were already decided.
“If you’re going to keep someone beside you, wouldn’t it be better to keep the one you love?”
“…Amelia, we married today.”
“Yes, I am well aware. But our marriage is still, at its core, a political alliance.”
“But, Amelia. Not everyone is like that.”
“Of course not. But I know it is rare to have a marriage as harmonious as the Emperor’s and Empress’s. So if you have someone in your heart, wait a little longer—and after five years…”
“Do you not find me appealing?”
“Whether as concubine or Empress… what?”
My words stopped.
The man before me, whose face had twisted moments before, now wore one utterly deflated.
I blinked, confused, having recited my prepared lines and failing to understand the phrase that had slipped in.
Leopric looked at me again, his eyes drooping.
“I have heard well that you enjoy managing the Trading Company. But isn’t that something you can still do beside me?”
“…”
“So I can only think this: that I do not meet your standards.”
“Standards? Your Highness, what do you mean by—”
“Just because a marriage is political does not mean emotions cannot arise.”
“What?”
He closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again.
Eyes brighter than the finest ruby filled my vision.
And within them, a clear, unmistakable longing.
“I want you beside me. Is that not allowed?”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[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)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
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)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)