After the duke left, I collapsed onto the sofa, my legs giving way beneath me.
“Sigh.”
With this, preparations to raise the curtain on the stage were complete.
‘To dethrone Enrique and become the Emperor myself, I need a justification.’
That justification, yes, Helene. I must seize what you possess.
Wouldn’t it be better for the Emperor of the Holy Empire to be a saint who receives direct revelations from God, rather than a mere paladin?
If I pretend to be chosen by God, I can create public opinion that God, unable to bear the wanton Saint, has birthed a new saint.
‘If my sisters have sent down a revelation in the desert nation, the nature of that revelation and why it led me here is crucial.’
It must be a message for me.
That was something I couldn’t predict.
What exactly would my sisters say?
Would they mock? Pity? Scold?
Still, if they were looking out for their youngest sibling, I was honestly grateful.
Even if it were a final farewell… I was happy to feel my sisters’ presence.
Ah, of course, this might just be my own expectation.
‘…Can I become a demon again?’
Even if I complete all this revenge, I might never return to my sisters’ side. A new youngest sibling might be born and take over the domain I ruled.
Such thoughts darkened my vision.
The future, once so clear, was now invisible.
‘I want to return.’
When no one was watching, I hunched my shoulders alone.
No human could understand this solitude.
How could a mortal empathize with the eternity I’ve lost?
‘If I return… I’ll never love anyone again.’
Never again.
Lost in these thoughts, I eventually drifted off to sleep.
I woke up around evening.
It was because Lady Bertolt rushed in, pale as a ghost.
“Your Majesty! The Saint… she collapsed just after leaving the Imperial Consort’s Palace!”
Helene, by nature, should have stayed quietly in the temple as a saint.
But her situation was unique as the Emperor’s childhood friend and his compass, and, above all, the Emperor couldn’t bear her out of his sight.
So Helene lived in a small, modest palace closest to the Imperial Palace.
It was the Chrysanthemum Palace, built by an emperor generations ago who adored his daughter and wanted to keep her close. But now, it’s filled with lilies for Helene and called the Lily Palace.
The atmosphere there today was dire.
The Saint had been found unconscious, barely breathing, after leaving the Imperial Consort’s Palace.
The symptoms – rashes around the mouth and swollen throat – typically occur when one consumes something they shouldn’t.
Fortunately, there was a priest in the palace chapel; otherwise, it could have been disastrous if discovered later.
“They said she had tea with dried peaches and ate peaches, right?”
“Mhm.”
“It seems the Saint must avoid peaches from now on. It’s not uncommon for a previously safe food to suddenly cause problems. Could be due to a major shock or stress.”
At the old priest’s instruction, Helene’s maids dramatically shed tears.
“Oh, if only Her Majesty the Empress Consort had been a bit more careful, this wouldn’t have happened!”
“Exactly! It’s a matter of life and death. The Saint must complain about this.”
Helene, however, smiled weakly, as if about to crumble.
“No, it’s not like Her Majesty did it on purpose. What can I do if I suddenly developed an allergy?”
“But still! How can you be so kind, really.”
Amid the maids’ fuss, Helene secretly smiled in satisfaction.
But outwardly, she remained the picture of sorrow.
After bowing her head for a moment and taking a deep breath, Helene let a single tear roll down.
“My goodness, why are you crying? What did Her Majesty the Empress say?”
“Don’t cry. Your beautiful eyes will get swollen.”
The maids gathered around Helene, fetching cold water and fanning her. After some time, Helene slowly opened her mouth.
“You know, I said I would help, bearing even the hurtful things and saying so. But… but she told me to know my place.”
“What?”
“You know how hard I prepared. How much I was looking forward to it…”
“Even if she’s the Empress, that’s too harsh to say!”
These maids were not from the temple but belonged to the imperial palace.
While ladies-in-waiting are tight-lipped, maids are a different story.
They might spread what they hear here and there.
Helene had never once asked the maids to be discreet.
“I never once coveted the position of Empress. But she misunderstood that. I tried to clear the misunderstanding, but now I’m too scared to go to the Empress’ palace.”
Tears like clear beads streamed down, soaking the bedding.
Her slender shoulders shook as she spoke, pitiful like a small bird in the rain.
The maids began to tear up as if they had been insulted themselves.
That’s when it happened.
“Everyone leave.”
A soft voice coldly sliced through the room.
Startled, the maids didn’t dare lift their heads and hurriedly exited the bedroom.
Only Helene and Enrique remained.
“Enri!”
When alone with the Emperor, Helene didn’t use honorifics. In their privacy, Enrique was simply Enrique.
Cold Male Lead Became My Clingy Husband (Female-Dominant)
Feng Bai Su transmigrated into a matriarchal novel, becoming the sister of the female protagonist and the Seventh Princess of the Feng Ling Kingdom.
After working herself to death in her previous life, finally reincarnating as a princess, she only wanted to be a lazy fish who could eat, sleep, and play.
Until she met the male protagonist from the book, Wei Jing Mo, and he took a liking to her!
Wei Jing Mo is the top young man in Feng Ling City, talented in both appearance and ability, from a prestigious family, with a cold and otherworldly appearance, a figure like the bright moon in the hearts of noble ladies. It was thought that only the most powerful and talented noble lady in Feng Ling City would be worthy of such a brilliant young man. Who knew that this young gentleman would secretly admire the infamous Seventh Princess?
Short scene 1:
Feng Bai Su looked at the young man crying like a pear blossom in the rain before her, and couldn’t help but doubt her life.
Wasn’t the male lead described as a cold and otherworldly figure in the book?
Then who was this poor little thing crying with swollen red eyes and tear-stained face?
Short scene 2:
Wei Jing Mo stared intently at Feng Bai Su who was about to go out, wanting to say, “Be careful on the road.”
Before he could speak, Feng Bai Su suddenly bent down and bit his cheek.
Her peach blossom eyes were full of disdain: “Tsk! You’re so clingy!”
Wei Jing Mo: “…”
A talented fox spirit female lead with a flirtatious appearance but actually abstinent VS A cold-looking but actually naive and clingy little jealous male lead
