The Empress' Beast Selection (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
“This place is reserved for members of the imperial family only.”
Currently, aside from Sophia, there was only one other woman in the imperial household.
That was Princess Rudien, the Red Fox beastkin, famed in her youth for her fiery red hair that burned like a flame.
However, Rudien had already married a foreign dignitary and left the country before Sophia arrived in the Beastkin Empire.
Thus, Sophia was now the sole woman remaining in the imperial household.
She thought that saying this might require revealing her identity.
If that happened, they would no longer be able to maintain such a relaxed atmosphere.
‘A bit of a shame.’
In truth, even more than that.
Just as Sophia was waiting for his reply—
“Then let it be our little secret.”
His golden eyes sparkled playfully.
Watching the smooth curve of his lips gently lift, a fleeting thought crossed her mind.
Perhaps he was deliberately pretending not to know she was the Empress.
‘What a strange feeling.’
Would it be odd if even that thought brought her comfort?
It was an oddly soothing and nostalgic sensation.
Though she felt slightly guilty for continuing to deceive him, perhaps it was alright for now.
“Just this once, shall we?”
“Yes. Just this once. On my way in earlier, I noticed a spot over there where the autumn leaves have turned beautifully.”
Roxan pointed toward the opposite side of the lake.
When she came to her senses, she realized she was naturally strolling alongside him.
Upon reaching the place he mentioned, she saw that the yellow and red autumn leaves were indeed vividly ablaze with color.
‘How lovely.’
Though the willow leaves trailing in the breeze were pleasant to behold, this spot undoubtedly felt more vibrant.
Sophia stood beside him, admiring the autumn foliage.
Though they exchanged no particular words, the silence felt so comfortable that her previously restless heart settled as if it had never been troubled.
Swishhh.
Amid the autumn wind scattering like a sudden shower, colorful leaves drifted down in a gentle cascade.
She absentmindedly held out her palm, but nothing landed in it.
As she looked down at her empty hand with a pang of disappointment, a small, crimson maple leaf floated gently onto it.
Roxan had placed it there.
She turned her head and their eyes met.
How long had he been watching her?
When their gazes locked, Roxan smiled. He spoke as if confiding a secret.
“In truth, I’ve only recently returned to the capital. I’ve spent a long time living on the battlefield.”
Just as Sophia had suspected, Roxan had indeed been part of the suppression forces.
The joint campaign between the Beastkin Empire and its allies against the barbarians had deep historical roots.
The barbarians were a race born of beasts and humans, yet devoid of reason—driven only by instinct—and for generations, the lands between them and the Beastkin Empire had been stained with blood.
The very first person to finally end that ancient war was none other than Duke Leofort.
‘A full ten years.’
She’d heard no reinforcements had been sent during that time, so Roxan must have endured those long years on the battlefield as well.
From the outset, it hadn’t even been a war meant to be won—merely one of suppression.
Yet Duke Leofort had wrought a miracle from barren wasteland.
Though they ultimately triumphed, both he as commander-in-chief and all those under his command must have suffered immense pain.
An indescribably long period.
Sophia genuinely wished to comfort him.
“You must have endured a very difficult time.”
“It would be a lie to say otherwise.”
His reply was calm and matter-of-fact. Sophia could faintly sense the emotion hidden beneath his words.
As Empress, she was indeed scheduled to bless the victory brought by the suppression forces.
But with Roxan, she wanted to help in a different way.
Her heart moved before her mind could catch up.
Yet she didn’t know how she could possibly assist him.
Just then, Roxan’s eyes softened into a gentle curve.
“In that spirit… would you consider becoming my friend?”
“…Your friend?”
Taken aback by his unexpected words, Sophia’s eyes widened.
“Yes. Having returned after such a long absence, I find myself without a single acquaintance—it’s terribly lonely.”
Of course it was.
He must have been away from the capital for over ten years.
‘A friend…’
Sophia herself had no one she could truly call a friend.
Her childhood playmate, Demios, had become her husband, and neither in her homeland nor in the Beastkin Empire had anyone ever asked to be her friend.
She’d always believed such a presence would forever be missing from her life.
Suddenly, her heart fluttered.
‘Maybe it’s alright.’
Though neither of them had fully opened up to the other yet, she felt it might still be okay.
It was purely intuition—but perhaps that was precisely why.
“Alright.”
“It’s an honor.”
He bowed deeply, offering an exaggeratedly formal gesture.
His humorous demeanor made her laugh.
“But isn’t the proper order to first ask who someone is, rather than immediately requesting friendship?”
She wanted to say: If you ask, I’ll answer.
And that she wished to learn about him as well.
‘Even if he already knew.’
It was possible he sought her out only to exploit her position.
Yet she wanted to trust him, just once.
Unlike their first meeting, this time it was Sophia who asked about Roxan.
Perhaps he liked that—Roxan’s eyes brightened with interest.
Just as he was about to reply—
“I am…”
“Oh my! Isn’t that Her Majesty the Empress?”
A high-pitched voice rang out from beyond the bushes.
On the other side stood Titié, holding a parasol and gazing at the two of them.
‘Why is Titié here?’
This was a secluded spot behind the Empress’s palace.
Titié had no reason to come this far.
Sophia instinctively glanced sideways at Roxan.
‘He must have heard it too.’
Whether he knew or not, she hadn’t wanted her status revealed by someone else’s words.
But as Sophia had anticipated, Roxan remained composed.
Only his golden eyes had noticeably darkened.
‘He seems upset.’
It might have been her imagination, but that’s how it felt.
While Sophia watched him, Titié approached.
Behind her, a maid followed, holding up her parasol.
At Sophia’s gaze, the maid shrank back—her small frame and timid demeanor resembling that of a gentle herbivore.
Soon, Titié arrived with light, graceful steps and stared directly at Sophia.
“I never expected to encounter Her Majesty in such a place.”
Her cheeks, dusted with rose-colored powder, and her bright smile looked especially fresh and youthful.
How could she appear so carefree now, after having shown such a wounded expression earlier?
“What brings you all the way here?”
“His Majesty instructed me to mention any place I particularly liked. I suppose he intends to gift it to me.”
Titié’s eyes widened as if she’d been waiting precisely for that question.
Her cheeks flushed pink, reminiscent of Demios, looking especially shy.
“So I’ve been touring the palace grounds and ended up here.”
She chattered excitedly, her demeanor no different from a woman deeply in love.
But Sophia couldn’t take her words at face value.
‘Even so, coming all the way to the rear of the Empress’s palace?’
All for the sake of finding a favorite spot?
That alone made no sense—and how had she even discovered this lake?
Behind Titié stood the maid, holding a map of the imperial palace.
This lake behind the Empress’s palace was originally created solely for the imperial family’s private relaxation and wasn’t even marked on official palace maps.
Unfazed by the silence, Titié stood there, taking in the lake with appreciative eyes.
“The lake is truly beautiful. If we neatly clear away those reeds over there and plant camellias for winter and cherry trees for spring, it would be perfect.”
Titié already behaved as though the lake belonged to her.
Imagining how she was mentally rearranging every detail of the lake made it even harder for Sophia to stay calm.
“That’s impossible.”
“Why?”
Titié blinked her large eyes.
Her naturally clear violet eyes, shaded beneath the parasol, appeared unusually deep.
She lowered her gaze, looking profoundly disappointed.
“Ever since we first met, Your Majesty has only ever told me ‘no.’ That truly… hurts my heart.”
Her snow-white eyelashes trembled delicately.
Biting her lower lip, tears welling in her eyes, Titié looked as fragile as if she might collapse at any moment.
A herbivorous albino.
Before such a creature—considered the weakest in the ecosystem—Sophia always found herself cast as the aggressor.
“…This area is behind the Empress’s palace and reserved exclusively for the imperial family. That’s why it isn’t even marked on the imperial palace map.”
“Really? I didn’t know. No one stopped me. Isn’t that right, Luna?”
Titié, who had just swallowed her tears in surprise, turned to her maid.
The maid, addressed as Luna, nodded her head vigorously.
Without even being asked by Sophia, Titié explained why Luna had answered with a nod instead of words.
“Please forgive Luna, Your Majesty. The truth is, this child cannot speak. She was an orphan doing menial chores in a count’s household, and I took her in because she seemed so pitiful.”
She linked arms with Luna, her expression full of sympathy.
The maid quickly lowered her eyes, flustered by her mistress’s excessive familiarity.
“It’s not her fault she can’t speak. Besides, I’ve never blamed her for it.”
At Sophia’s words, Luna’s shoulders twitched.
Titié gently pushed the maid behind her and offered a bright smile.
“I only mentioned it because I worried you might take it to heart.”
It was a subtly loaded remark.
Before Sophia could even address it, Titié’s violet eyes sparkled as if spotting her target.
“But…”
Titié’s gaze turned toward Roxan.
After meeting his eyes, she shyly turned her head and asked Sophia,
“Who is this gentleman? I’ve been wanting to ask since earlier.”
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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