“So the rumors that Madame Brien might not be the real culprit weren’t just baseless gossip?”
“There were such rumors?”
“Well… within the industry.”
Hmm, a deep furrow formed between Killian’s brows. He seemed to be deep in thought. Killian spoke again.
“All the evidence points to her being the culprit, but somehow I have a feeling she’s not.”
“Hah…”
Onyx sighed in disbelief while simultaneously bursting into laughter. In response to Onyx’s reaction, Killian said in a leisurely voice,
“You know, don’t you? That my intuition is exceptionally good.”
Onyx’s eyebrows twitched as he looked at the grinning Killian. He was well aware that this was a statement praising his own intuition that had believed Veronia was alive for the past 5 years. Since it was true, Onyx couldn’t refute it.
Killian handed over the vision stone he had brought to Onyx. The vision stone contained traces of a small blue magic circle remaining on the floor.
“It was found in the side room next to the bedroom where the late emperor stayed. As soon as it was discovered, I recorded it on the vision stone and used preservation magic on the scene. But someone tampered with it, the magic was dispelled, and the faint traces that remained disappeared without a trace.”
“You suspect it was an inside job.”
“That’s right. That’s why I’m entrusting this to the Ashmore Information Guild. The fact that new evidence was discovered has never been announced externally.”
“Then who knew about this evidence?”
“Two investigators from the Magic Tower, myself and my aide. And His Majesty the Emperor.”
Hmm, Onyx crossed his arms and let out a shallow sigh. His expression was serious, but his eyes sparkled with interest.
“Alright. I’ll accept the request. But our fees are quite high, you know?”
“As it happens, I’ve come into quite a bit of money myself.”
“You know what? You’re really annoying.”
“If you’re referring to a perfect person who lacks nothing as annoying, then I agree with your opinion.”
Every word that came out of Killian’s mouth irritated Onyx.
And the most annoying thing of all was that even at this moment, the smile on Killian’s lips looked quite charming. Onyx gritted his teeth and spoke.
“If you’re done talking, would you kindly get lost now, Lord Prime Minister?”
“When are you going to visit the crime scene? How about now?”
“Now? Sounds good.”
It was an unexpected proposal, but quite an appealing one. Onyx immediately nodded in agreement. As soon as he heard his answer, Killian pulled out a teleportation scroll from his pocket.
“Well then, shall we go?”
[This is the timeline separator]The state of the mansion where the late emperor had spent his last sleep was terrible. Half of the building had collapsed to the point where its shape was unrecognizable, and the other half was blackened with soot.
Killian and Onyx headed to the third floor where the late emperor’s bedroom was located. The state of the bedroom was not much different from what they had seen outside.
After scanning around the bed, they went to a small room connected to the bedroom. It was a room used as a maid’s room, and although there were burn marks, it had maintained most of its original form.
“It was here. There were traces of a magic circle here. They’re gone now, though.”
Onyx carefully examined the room, comparing it with the image in the vision stone he had received from Killian.
“So… the forces trying to frame Madame Brien weren’t meticulous enough and left traces of the magic circle?”
“Or it could be a completely different force.”
“What other force?”
“That’s what I’d like you to find out.”
Onyx thought that Killian’s grin was truly annoying.
[This is the timeline separator]Empress Sandra was reading a letter she had received from the Grand Duchess of Drea.
“A party? A party at the Drea mansion. How long has it been?”
The content was that they would soon hold a party and requested her presence to grace the occasion. In the end, it was tantamount to politely turning down Sandra’s visit.
However, Sandra was more interested in the party at the Drea mansion than feeling upset about being rejected. Because as far as she could remember, there hadn’t been a party at the Drea mansion in the last 10 years.
“There really is something going on! Could it be… is the Duke of Drea really getting married? To that commoner woman with a child?”
No, that can’t be. He’s the Duke of Drea after all! Sandra shook her head, dismissing the absurd hypothesis. Then she ordered the maid standing beside her.
“Contact Tate immediately and tell him to come to the palace.”
She thought Tate would surely know more accurate circumstances.
[This is the timeline separator]The annex of the Drea mansion, which had been empty for a while, was bustling again after a long time. This was because Princess Espine and her maids, who had gone on a trip to the coastal city of Crawford in the western part of the empire, had returned.
“You’ve returned earlier than expected, Your Highness Princess Espine.”
“Yes. Lady Countess Miller said she was hurrying back to the capital, so we accompanied her.”
Countess Miller was the younger sister of the Grand Duchess of Drea and the lord of Crawford where Espine’s party had traveled.
When the Grand Duchess sent a letter calling Countess Miller to the capital, Espine’s party also ended their trip early and returned together.
“Oh my. I feel bad that Your Highness’s travel schedule was shortened because of me.”
The Grand Duchess showed an apologetic expression, but Espine shook her head.
“It’s alright. We enjoyed it enough, so we decided to return with Countess Miller. Besides, we met Prince Caspian there. That’s why I didn’t feel like staying longer.”
“Prince Caspian, who was supposed to be under house arrest, went all the way there? My goodness!”
The Grand Duchess’s eyes widened as she shuddered as if horrified. Espine and her maids also had the same expression, though they didn’t show it much.
“He did. He was so flirtatious it was unpleasant.”
“Oh dear…”
The Grand Duchess eventually frowned at the continued complaints. For a figure as high as an imperial prince to receive such treatment from a foreign princess. The Grand Duchess thought it was nothing short of a national disgrace.
It was then. A clear voice was heard from behind.
“Espine au-, no, Your Highness Princess!”
“Oh, Jediel! How lovely to see you here! You’re not calling me auntie anymore?”
“Mom said I shouldn’t do that anymore.”
Jediel glanced at Veronia before looking back at Espine with a bright smile. Espine patted Jediel’s head and said,
“I see. Our Jediel is such a good and smart child who listens well to his mother!”
Jediel chuckled happily at Espine’s praise. This time, Espine gently took Veronia’s hand standing beside her and said,
“It’s really nice to see you again.”
“Yes, it’s nice to see you too, Your Highness.”
Veronia responded to Espine’s smile with a smile of her own.
“And congratulations to both of you.”
“…Thank you.”
“I’m quite perceptive, you know. So I guessed this day would come soon when I saw the Duke unable to take his eyes off Ms. Nia throughout the dart game.”
“Ah… I see.”
It was quite unexpected to have this kind of conversation with Princess Espine. Veronia felt a hot flush on her face. At times like this, she was grateful that the veil covered half of her face.
“I was a bit surprised that things progressed much faster than I thought. But I’m still so, so happy for you.”
Veronia smiled back at Espine, who was offering her congratulations with a bright smile.
[This is the timeline separator]“Your Majesty, you called for me?”
“Yes, come in.”
The very next day after Sandra contacted him to come to the palace, Tate visited her.
“I heard there’s going to be a party at the Drea mansion soon. Have you heard anything about it?”
Sandra got straight to the point, like a thirsty person digging a well. She had been so curious that she even lost sleep over it. Tate’s eyes widened briefly at her question.
“Have you already received an invitation, Your Majesty? You’re as quick as ever. I don’t think the official invitations have been sent out yet.”
“I sent a letter of greeting, and in return, they invited me to the party. It was their way of politely declining my offer to drop by for tea.”
“I see.”
“There hasn’t been a party at the Drea mansion for nearly 10 years, and suddenly there’s a party! Don’t you think it’s a bit strange?”
Sandra raised her thin eyebrows, waiting for Tate’s answer. Judging by his reaction, he seemed to know something.
“It seems the Duke of Drea is finally getting married. There are rumors that this upcoming party is an engagement party.”
“Oh my! Is that true?”
Although she had somewhat expected this, it was still quite surprising to hear it from Tate’s mouth. Sandra’s eyes widened so much they looked like they might pop out as she asked again.
“Yes, it is. But about his partner…”
“Who is the partner?”
As Tate hesitated, Sandra swallowed dryly and waited for his next words. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Sandra immediately asked Tate about the thought that crossed her mind.
“Don’t tell me… is the partner that commoner woman staying at the mansion now? The one with a child?”
“Yes, that’s what they say.”
“Pfft, hahaha…!”
As soon as Tate’s answer fell, Sandra began laughing out loud.
“The Duke of Drea must have finally gone mad! No wonder the Grand Duchess might fall ill! Hohoho!”
Sandra laughed so hard she could barely breathe. But Tate looked at Sandra with an expressionless face.
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.]
