The Deposed Empress and Her New Husband (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
“To visit the Seiren manor so early in the morning—was there something terribly urgent?”
Renev deliberately turned her gaze away, pretending not to see Lucius’s outstretched hand.
His offered hand ought to have felt awkward—after all, hardly anyone ever refused his kindness. Yet Lucius simply clasped his hands behind his back and began walking half a step ahead, as if nothing had happened.
“I was strolling through the imperial palace gardens when that flower caught my eye. It reminded me of you, so I hurried over.”
What an abundance of nonsense.
Renev clenched her fists tightly as she stared at his familiar back and the back of his head. She felt an overwhelming urge to smash a pot over Lucius’s skull right then and there.
Just then, Lucius turned his head slightly to look at Renev.
“My lady?”
“Thank you for the flowers, Your Highness. I shall display them in my bedroom.”
“It’s merely a small, insignificant gift—there’s no need to treasure it so.”
A satisfied smile settled on Lucius’s face.
He strolled through the Seiren manor gardens for a while, chatting idly about various matters—clearly here to persuade Renev to abandon her decision to go to Vaschker instead of becoming the imperial princess.
As they walked, they came upon a small villa that was no longer in use.
Lucius halted before its quaint, fairy-tale-like facade.
It was the villa the late Seiren Marquis had built for Renev’s deceased mother.
“I had no idea such a place existed within the manor.”
In her previous life, she’d shared her first kiss with Lucius right here. Back then, she’d been so flustered she couldn’t sleep. To be fair, Lucius truly was exceptionally handsome.
“My lady?”
Lucius gently roused Renev from her brief reverie.
“The sunlight is growing stronger, Your Highness. Shall we head back now?”
Renev tore her gaze from the villa and turned toward Lucius.
“……!”
She startled in surprise—Lucius had somehow drawn right up to her nose.
“……Your Highness?”
Their eyes met, and Lucius slowly tilted his head toward hers. His narrowed, deep blue eyes fixed steadily on Renev’s lips.
‘Ah, so instead of a few words, you’ll try to persuade me with your body?’
Renev gazed for a moment into Lucius’s intense eyes.
Then—
“Huh—tchew!”
She faked a sneeze to defuse the situation. Lucius’s perfectly straight eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly frustrated by the abruptly ruined atmosphere.
“You must be coming down with something. Let’s return to the manor.”
“Your Highness speaks wisely.”
Renev bowed slightly, her face expressionless, offering a formal courtesy.
Lucius, who had been walking half a step ahead toward the manor, suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
Just as she tried to slip past him, Lucius abruptly seized her wrist.
“Renev……”
“Don’t lay a hand on me!”
Renev reflexively raised her voice and yanked her wrist free.
In that instant, she regretted it. She’d forgotten she needed to keep her claws hidden and had carelessly revealed her true feelings.
But having Lucius so close—breathing beside her—felt like a trial, and she’d finally reached her limit.
“Renev, why are you acting like this all of a sudden?”
Lucius tightened his grip on her wrist, his expression slightly weary.
“Ugh……”
“Three years—it’s certainly not a short time. You know that well enough, don’t you?”
“Your Highness, do you have any reason I shouldn’t leave for Vaschker?”
Renev answered Lucius’s question with another question. Lucius ran a large hand over his face and spoke.
“Renev, you know royal marriages happen sooner than those of ordinary nobles. Can’t you try to understand my position…? Hah.”
As he spoke, anger seemed to swell within him, and he gripped Renev’s wrist even tighter.
“Ah!”
She’d tried not to show weakness, but his grip hurt terribly.
There was a stark difference between her frail frame and Lucius’s sword-trained strength.
“Please let go.”
“You’ll never escape me, Renev.”
With those words, Lucius yanked her wrist and pressed his lips to hers.
‘You insane bastard.’
Renev twisted her body, trying to resist Lucius’s rough advance.
But his strong embrace made it difficult.
He roughly seized her jaw, causing her lips to part slightly.
“Ghk……!”
Seizing the opening, Renev bit down hard on Lucius’s lip.
Though her mind burned with fury, she still held back—she had no desire to die this life for assaulting royalty. Still, a bead of red blood welled up on Lucius’s lip.
“Renev! What is this…?!”
Lucius raised his hand, his expression twisted in shock—just as Renev reflexively prepared to knee him in the groin.
“……?”
Something flew between their faces. Lucius spotted the small pebble rolling on the ground and shouted.
“Lewin! Lewin!”
Imperial knights rushed over immediately.
“You called, Your Highness?”
Lucius knelt on one knee, picked up the pebble, then turned his head toward the direction it had come from.
“Search the area.”
“Yes!”
The knights swiftly surrounded Lucius in perfect formation. Some dispersed to scour the surroundings.
“Your Highness, please allow us to escort you back in the carriage!”
Judging the situation dangerous, the knights urged Lucius to return to the palace.
“Renev, you’d best be careful. Today is the last time I’ll tolerate such outrageous disrespect.”
Lucius slowly licked the red droplet from his lip and gave a low warning.
Watching Lucius and the knights swiftly depart, Renev furrowed her brow.
“Who on earth has such audacity…?”
The moment Renev stepped inside the manor, she called out.
“Patrick! Patrick?”
“Miss, the young master has gone out.”
The butler, who had hurried over upon hearing her voice, informed her of Patrick’s whereabouts, but she still couldn’t feel at ease.
“Where is Father?”
“He went out with Master Patrick, but…”
If neither of them was responsible, then who had dared such a dangerous act?
Whoever had nearly harmed a member of the imperial family would have lost their life on the spot if discovered.
“Do you know where they went?”
“The master went to the palace, and the young master, I believe, went to the salon.”
“I see. Then please check if any servant was absent from their post just now.”
“…Yes?”
“Right away.”
“Yes! I’ll see to it immediately, Miss.”
After the butler hurried off, leaving her alone, Renev bit her lip.
Patrick and her father had alibis proving they’d been out, so they were likely safe.
But she needed to prepare for Lucius’s possible complaints later.
She wasn’t ready to reveal her hand yet—but now Lucius would surely suspect her…
Renev gnashed her teeth as she watched through the window Lucius’s loyal hounds rummaging through the manor as if it were their own home.
Just then, a maid approached carrying a bouquet.
“Miss, these flowers are so fresh and lovely! His Highness prepared them for you personally—he truly is so romantic…”
The chatty maid, sounding slightly giddy, swallowed hard when she saw Renev’s icy expression.
“…Shall I put them in a vase?”
“No. Just leave them there.”
“Yes, Miss.”
The moment the maid left, Renev hurled the bouquet from the table onto the floor.
Then she stomped on it fiercely with her boots—eventually even jumping on top of the crushed flowers.
The flowers themselves were blameless. Only the one who brought them bore guilt.
Only after thoroughly checking every movement of the manor’s staff did the imperial knights finally leave.
Fortunately, all servants had remained diligently at their posts, so the knights found no further grounds for suspicion.
By the time the knights departed, twilight had already fallen.
“If it wasn’t Patrick, Father, or any of the manor’s staff… then who could it have been…?”
Renev headed toward the scene of the incident, turning the matter over in her mind.
Half hoping she might find a clue, half seeking to calm her tangled thoughts.
Just as Renev reached the vicinity of the villa, a deep male voice sounded from somewhere nearby.
“To take a walk alone at such a late hour, without even a maid—truly, you’re a fearless young lady.”
Though startled, Renev calmly turned toward the source of the voice.
“…Who’s there?”
From a distant tree, a dark figure leapt down with ease.
He was a tall man, easily two heads taller than Renev. As he stepped into the light, his face became fully visible.
“……!”
Renev’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of his face.
‘The Emperor of Vaschker!’
She regretted coming out alone, without a maid or guard.
But she quickly realized it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
If someone could infiltrate the Seiren manor—renowned for its ironclad security—then bringing a few guards would have been utterly useless.
‘Why is he here, in the Seiren manor?’
She was bewildered.
Seeing Renev take a slight step back in fear, Ikar halted in place.
“There’s no need to tremble like that. I have no intention of harming you.”
Renev swallowed hard as she took in the man before her.
His black hair was tousled carelessly.
Eyes the color of sunset red, facial features of perfect proportion.
A long, thick neck exuding raw masculinity.
Broad, solid shoulders and thick forearms barely concealed by his black shirt.
True to his reputation as a warmonger, his presence up close was overwhelming.
“You wouldn’t tremble this much even facing a demon. Where has the bold spirit gone—the one who eagerly volunteered for overseas study?”
Ikar, arms crossed, tilted his head slightly as he asked.
Though she already knew who he was, she couldn’t pretend familiarity without prior acquaintance.
So Renev acted as if she didn’t recognize him.
“…State your name and rank.”
She didn’t want to show how terrified she was, but she couldn’t stop her voice from trembling like a lamb’s.
“Me? I’m… your guard, assigned to ensure your safety until you reach Vaschker.”
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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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (85)
She is only interested in staying rich, happy and single
Poor horses!! But even with your past life as an empress, you know surprisingly little
I am actually with Ikar on this one! If you knew you are helpless without maids, should have brought atleast one along
Inline Comments (1)
It felt familiar yet warm—somehow.
How an already 30 chapters in without anything significant happening?!
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VKotaku28
Ikar, you should have waited until she kneed that scum