In her clear blue eyes, there was no loyalty or awe that should be shown to her master.
Strangely, Nikolai liked that look in her eyes.
“Having no loyalty to the Imperial Sword is something to be cautious about… But she won’t be someone to play tricks or manipulate.”
Nikolai wanted to meet Claudia.
It was because of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth feared a person referred to as “Radia.”
Upon investigation, Elizabeth and Claudia were not as close as to use nicknames for each other.
In fact, they seemed to dislike each other.
Elizabeth, as a deputy for the duel, singled out Claudia for some reason.
I remember a pair of shining black eyes.
The cheek that burned brightly.
Elizabeth danced around like a girl who met a prince in her dreams.
Nikolai realized he could be jealous of a woman.
“Elizabeth must be receiving someone’s help.”
“Your friend Douglas has disappeared.”
“I see.”
“Aren’t you surprised?”
“I know his character well.”
Claudia furrowed her brow.
It was the first emotion she showed.
Suddenly, the thought crossed her mind that Douglas might mean more to Claudia than just a friend.
The strongest knight and a novelist.
They seemed incompatible.
But Claudia’s subtly wavering eyes were familiar.
Like facing oneself in the mirror.
“Aiding and abetting escape carries a minimum sentence of 5 years. You could be banished to the northern mines.”
“If you genuinely assisted a real criminal.”
“Do you believe Elizabeth is innocent?”
“I don’t trust her.”
“Then?”
“She is as clever as a fox playing with hunters. Much smarter than the blind pigs obsessed with power.”
Nikolai chuckled lowly.
Claudia, with an unexpected tone, asked, “Are you okay? Your lover has escaped, hasn’t she?”
“Do you think I consider raising an army to turn the Empire into a pirate haven?”
“My apologies.”
“There’s no need to apologize. I’m maintaining composure beyond what you might expect.”
“May I ask for the reason?”
“Curiouser than I thought.”
“How can one who seeks the truth spare any questions?”
The truth, indeed.
Nikolai raised the corner of his mouth.
Claudia had a different honesty than Elizabeth or Caresse.
It conflicted with the rules but was refreshing and clear.
He didn’t blindly adore her as an emperor.
Person to person.
It was oddly not unpleasant.
“Am I generally drawn to rude women? Although I don’t feel Claudia as a woman.”
Nikolai swallowed his sarcasm.
Claudia spoke, “Your Majesty, did Elizabeth escape after consultation?”
“If I knew, I would have stopped it. However…”
“?”
“Elizabeth told me she would come back.”
Nikolai read the last part of the letter again.
“Please send my regards to Franz one last time.
Stay healthy until I return.
I’m sorry.
I’ll miss you.
Maybe a lot.”
Without that passage, he might have lost his sanity.
He would probably have slaughtered the knights who missed Elizabeth first.
He might have tortured the maids and gatekeepers severely.
Certainly, he would have prevailed against Douglas and his family.
But.
“Elizabeth misses me. She’s leaving temporarily due to unavoidable circumstances.”
“Do you believe her?”
“She is not a woman who breaks agreements.”
“…”
“I’m not a man who doubts my woman. Although I have no intention of waiting until Elizabeth returns.”
“Will you personally track her down?”
“Not track, but welcome her.”
Claudia’s blue eyes widened for a moment.
Had she realized something?
She uttered words, whether in admiration or soliloquy, it was unclear.
“Your Majesty genuinely… loves Elizabeth.”
Nikolai completed Claudia’s unfinished sentence.
“He is in love.”
Claudia shuddered, shaking her shoulders.
For some reason, her reaction was amusing.
“You want the truth. Listen. Nikolai Lop Evreinov sincerely loves Elizabeth Amster with all his heart. As a man to a woman.”
When the word ‘love’ slipped through his lips, a feeling of longing for Elizabeth swelled up, burning like a fierce flame throughout his body.
Why had he hidden it until now?
Why had he hesitated?
For her, he could give up his life.
For her, nothing was too precious.
“I didn’t know I would be telling you for the first time. It’s okay to practice in advance. Is that your answer?”
“Yes.”
“Judge the rest for yourself.”
“As you command.”
“There’s no need. I have something to command you.”
“Please command.”
Claudia knelt and bowed with one knee.
Nikolai also reverted to the emperor’s face.
She wasn’t a loyal servant.
However, she differed from parasites who neglected duties, ingratiating themselves to those in power.
Nikolai, aiming the best sword that could be drawn at anything, said, “Claudia Royce is appointed as the Commander of the Imperial Guard. Assume your post immediately.”
Chase teams surrounded us.
Douglas and I decided to leave the capital as quickly as possible.
The hired carriage Douglas secured swayed from side to side.
It was somehow hard to hold back laughter.
“My portrait will be posted on every street. There’ll be a hefty bounty on me.”
“Then my portrait will be next to yours. How much will my bounty be?”
“It’d be great if it’s high. If things get tough, I might sell you out, Douglas.”
“Will I just stand by and take it? The mastermind is Elizabeth.”
Douglas wore shabby clothes like a servant.
I also shed the cumbersome dress, wearing black pants and a dark brown jacket.
Did I look like a boy only to my eyes?
The conspicuously red hair was neatly hidden under a hunting cap.
I hoped Douglas didn’t know that every time I wore the hunting cap, shadows cast over my face.
To him, it was a story not easily revealed.
But in the narrow carriage, I couldn’t escape Douglas’s gaze.
“Elizabeth, what are you thinking?”
Douglas came close.
Instinctively, I turned my head.
The reason was that his scent was too close, and he had become too familiar.
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.]
