The Empress' Scandalous Paramour (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 10
“…It’s strange, indeed. Something like this.”
As I drew closer, a faint yet pleasant fragrance wafted from the woman.
Heart pounding, Meriem hastily pulled away and roughly rubbed his lips.
“Eldaim. Keep the sub-space stable until she wakes up.”
— Very well. Shall you return right away?
“I must.”
To a place where no one would welcome him.
Meriem removed the bracelet he was wearing and placed it beside the woman. And that was all.
Without looking back, he stepped forward.
It didn’t matter who she was.
After all, fate had already decreed he would return here soon.
‘We’ll meet again.’
Next time, he’d ask her name.
For the sole reason that there existed at least one person in this world who wished for him to live, Meriem, for the first time in his life, no longer feared staying alive.
[This is the timeline separator]“Huh.”
How many times had I tossed and turned, drifting in and out of sleep?
I struggled helplessly in my dreams for what felt like ages, utterly unable to resist the suffocating sensation that someone was dragging my consciousness out of me.
By the time I came to my senses, the boy was already gone.
All that remained were my cleaned fur coat and a single golden bracelet.
“What is this…? Wait, this is a magic artifact?”
There was once an era when magic flowed through the mortal world as naturally as breath—the age of the Great Mage Empire, when the entire continent was unified under a single nation.
Back then, countless magical artifacts were developed and circulated, and even street children commonly used them; magic was that ubiquitous.
But not anymore.
‘This has to be at least a thousand years old.’
As I examined the bracelet, I murmured the ancient script inscribed on its inner surface. Instantly, it hummed to life, glowing softly as it began fulfilling its purpose as a magical artifact.
“Oh. A holy barrier.”
Ordinary barriers protected against physical force, magical attacks, or spirit assaults—but this one blocked holy energy itself.
Unless someone unleashed holy power strong enough to shatter the artifact, most holy energy would pose no threat to me.
“To leave behind something this precious… He must have barely enough for himself.”
I clicked my tongue but had no intention of refusing it. After all, an item that shielded me from holy energy was precisely what I needed right now.
‘As long as I remain Empress, I’ll inevitably have to visit that damn temple a time or two—to pray for the Empire’s prosperity or whatever. And I’ll have to meet with priests too.’
Only Enrique possessed holy power potent enough to surpass this artifact.
But how likely was it that Enrique would notice the bracelet was a magical artifact and destroy it?
‘Not at all. This era doesn’t even recognize the concept of magical artifacts.’
Since I’d received such a valuable gift, I’d treat him well the next time we met.
Humming a tune, I stretched—and then froze as I stepped out of the Spirit King’s sub-space.
‘Huh? Why is dawn already breaking?’
How much time had passed?!
[This is the timeline separator]Cold sweat trickled down my spine—my instincts had been right all along.
“Your Imperial Majesty!!!”
Soldiers of House Achilo, tasked with guarding the Empress’s quarters, were frantically scouring the area for me.
Once found, I was escorted back to the palace with utmost care, where Mrs. Bertolt awaited me, her face haggard from sleepless worry.
“Your… Majesty.”
Derek had gone as far as the forests surrounding the imperial palace searching for me and returned only after hearing the news—his appearance utterly disheveled.
“I’m sorry, everyone.”
I’d clearly told them to wake me an hour later—but that damn spirit ignored me. I really shouldn’t have trusted something like a spirit.
I kept those thoughts to myself; I didn’t want anyone questioning my sanity.
With an awkward smile, I submitted to the physician’s examination, and afterward endured a flood of anxious scolding from the palace staff.
“Where on earth have you been? Do you have any idea… any idea how worried I was…!”
“I, uh… just fell asleep. Not sure where exactly—some empty room, I think. Was crying and then just drifted off.”
“You were crying? What… what happened? Who dared make Your Majesty cry!!!”
Charlotte, my lady-in-waiting, cried out indignantly. Only then did I recall how I’d ended up meeting that boy.
‘Good heavens—I’d completely forgotten about Enrique.’
The shock of seeing the Sun God’s bloodline here must have wiped it from my mind.
Slightly embarrassed, I scratched my cheek.
“I saw the Emperor.”
“……!”
“He was with the Holy Maiden.”
“Your Majesty…….”
Charlotte’s eyes immediately welled with tears. Mrs. Bertolt looked equally devastated.
Glancing around at them, I remembered something I needed to address.
“Why wasn’t I informed about the summit?”
Mrs. Bertolt dropped to her knees before me at my calm inquiry. The other ladies-in-waiting followed their head maid’s example, bowing deeply.
“I’m deeply sorry, Your Majesty. That incident… was partly why we couldn’t bring ourselves to tell you. After you lost your memories, seeing you so happy… I kept telling myself I’d speak up tomorrow… and so I stayed silent.”
“Indeed, the Empress’s quarters made no preparations whatsoever to receive distinguished guests.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Has the Holy Maiden been in charge of every court banquet so far?”
Mrs. Bertolt answered only with silence.
I let out a quiet sigh and extended my hand.
“Stand up, Suzanne. I understand you kept silent for my sake. But if this happens again, I won’t be able to trust you.”
“I am truly, truly sorry.”
“So tell me—how much influence does the Holy Maiden currently wield within the palace? What is the standing of the Empress’s quarters? What duties are scheduled for the Empress going forward? And how much has the Holy Maiden taken from me? Tell me everything.”
Life span and vitality are one and the same.
How could someone with so few days left muster any vigor?
Just yesterday, I could barely walk—but today, I was different.
Thanks to absorbing that boy’s essence in full, my voice now carried strength, and my movements were brisk.
‘This is the perfect time to settle things.’
From what I’d heard, the summit would commence in about thirty-one days.
Because the Empress had supposedly been bedridden with a “severe cold” for a long time, paperwork remained unfinished, and thus no one had yet been assigned to oversee the banquet preparations.
Even if the Holy Maiden had always managed past banquets, proper protocol dictated she first seek permission from the Empress’s quarters.
“The Holy Maiden’s side did send inquiries about the banquet, but I pretended not to notice.”
“Well done, Suzanne. Because of you, we can now take charge of the banquet ourselves.”
“Yes, that’s—wait… what?”
Mrs. Bertolt’s eyes widened in shock. I chuckled softly and continued in a gentle tone.
“Why so surprised? It’s only proper for the Empress’s quarters to host the banquet.”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Of course, I won’t overexert myself, Suzanne. You’ll help me a great deal, won’t you?”
“I shall serve with all my heart, Your Majesty!”
Mrs. Bertolt cried out, overwhelmed with emotion.
Honestly, as head maid of the Empress’s quarters, she stood at the very center of immense power—yet until now, she’d lived quietly, never daring to assert herself.
But things would be different from now on.
I had always been a generous ruler to loyal subjects.
Those who served me faithfully deserved to share in what I enjoyed.
“I must attend the imperial council tomorrow. My father will be there as well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“It’s certain no one outside our trusted circle knows I’ve partially lost my memories?”
“That’s correct. Even the Duke is unaware.”
“Good. See that it stays that way.”
Mrs. Bertolt looked at me with eyes filled with both joy and bewilderment. My sudden reappearance followed by an announcement to oversee the banquet must have seemed utterly bizarre.
Since they might suspect me of being too dramatically changed, I let my rigid posture slump, sinking into the sofa. My voice softened as I whispered,
“I won’t relinquish my rights any longer. Let the Holy Maiden have the Emperor’s love—but I cannot afford to lose my authority as Empress. It’s all I have left now…”
My voice dropped slightly, creating an air of poignant resignation. Sniffling came from several directions as the maids wept quietly. I squeezed Mrs. Bertolt’s hand tightly and patted it reassuringly.
And the next day—
I attended the imperial council.
I’d planned to arrive an hour early to secure my seat and set the tone, gaining an advantage.
“Ah, Enri!”
But I stopped dead in front of the council chamber doors.
The lewd murmurs slipping through the crack left no doubt as to what was happening inside.
Even the Emperor’s royal guards exchanged uneasy glances, clearly flustered.
“How terribly busy the Emperor must be with state affairs.”
The guards averted their eyes guiltily as I murmured those words impassively.
“How… how could they be doing this… in the council chamber!”
Derek, standing behind me, ground his teeth with icy fury.
I shared his outrage completely.
“Judging by your reactions, this isn’t the first time.”
Should I fling the doors open right now and wring their necks?
My fists clenched tightly. Though I tried to sneer, the hollow, sinking feeling beneath my feet refused to fade.
How could I even describe this tangled turmoil inside me?
I was Enrique’s wife, bound to him by marriage rites. Though I had become human, I was still his wife.
I pitied Leonarda, who had lived without even the barest respect as a wife—and I felt furious on behalf of my past self, who had once loved such a wretch.
Just then—
“What is the Empress doing here?”
The doors burst open, and Enrique appeared, his clothes disheveled.
Peering over his shoulder was a pink-haired woman, her eyes wide with the same innocent surprise as before.
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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Leonarda really said “I’m done” and meant it 💀 queen finally clocked in and chose violence. Enrique only interested now?? too late bro.
Meriem down BAD already and bro hasn’t even met her again 😭 meanwhile Leonarda fighting the whole empire solo… yeah this banquet bout to be chaos fr.
She really said “fix yourselves or I will” 😭🔥 empress about to run bootcamp fr, Valkyrie redemption arc loading…