Did he truly want to become the emperor?
Was she so blinded by revenge that she didn’t fully understand his intentions?
Numerous questions floated over her head.
“I’m tired.”
Velia pushed Khaled’s hand away.
She had already danced the first dance with him. There was no need to dance a second time.
But Khaled, who hadn’t expected to be rejected, was momentarily speechless.
Velia pretended not to notice Khaled’s state and suggested while looking around.
“Would you like to go to the terrace? I want to rest a bit.”
At her words, Khaled smiled again and extended his hand.
“Let’s go to the terrace. I also wanted to go to a quiet place.”
“That’s nice.”
Velia overlaid her hand on Khaled’s.
She wanted to go to a place where Raul couldn’t see.
Every time she faced him, it felt like she smelled blood.
[This is the time separator]She entered the terrace, locked the door, and pulled the curtains.
Everyone must have seen them coming in here, so various rumors will probably spread.
Most of them will doubt Velia’s purity and degrade the dignity that royalty should show. But it didn’t matter. She had long given up on everything about herself.
“Did the research team leave for the south?”
“Yes.”
His research team had secretly moved to the location of the gold mine she told him about recently. She would soon be able to hear the results.
She had expected it to take at least a month, but it seemed that it would be confirmed sooner.
‘Their magical tools were much more advanced than I expected.’
It was something that even the reincarnated Velia had seen for the first time.
It was a magical tool with much more complicated equations than the searching magical tools used by the empire and kingdom.
Why did Khaled have such a thing?
But she decided to find out gradually. Anyway, shortening the time is a good thing for us.
“You need to stay here for at least two more weeks to hear the results.”
Velia leaned against the railing and said. The wind was cool.
The cheerful music playing inside the locked door leaked out.
But on the other side towards the garden, only a very quiet air flowed.
It felt surreal.
“Actually, I don’t like coming out to the terrace at parties.”
“Why?”
The terrace at a party was a place where unlikely words coexisted surrealistically.
It was noisy, dizzy, lonely, solitary, and desolate.
And all those words were aimed at Velia.
As if they were mocking her.
Look at the results of your choice.
In the end, you became alone.
Everything.
‘……I made it.’
Velia raised her head and looked up at the sky.
Countless stars shone in the darkness.
“When I stand on the border of such contrasting places, I feel weird as if I am detached from reality.”
Velia closed her eyes.
This place resembled her situation, included everywhere as the Empress of the Empire yet not belonging anywhere.
She had trusted Raul, hence she had not considered creating a power base for her future.
In the end, what remained was only the lofty title of Empress.
A mere title of Empress with no power, cast away by the Emperor, a foreign princess with nothing remarkable.
‘I should have borrowed the power of Ronica from the beginning.’
She should not have been stubborn.
She should have carried the name of the Ronica kingdom on her back and should have promoted herself.
Worried about being a burden to her family, Velia tried to solve everything on her own.
In the process, she didn’t even know what kind of situation her family was in.
By the time she realized she had been tricked by Raul, Ronica had already been invaded by the Empire.
The Emperor cut off all information to the Empress, and through a very covert operation, brought down the Ronica Kingdom. In the end, she had nothing left at her side.
“I often avoid those I dislike and stay on the terrace too.”
Prince Khaled, who had noticed the sudden change in Velia’s complexion, stood next to her.
He then nonchalantly looked up at the sky and spoke.
“There are so many annoying people around. Those who cursed me behind my back tremble in fear of being seen and flatter me when they face me.”
As if to comfort her, he calmly unfolded his story.
It was distinctly different from his usual joking tone.
It felt a bit warm.
Velia threw a playful remark at him with a slightly brighter voice.
“I have heard rumors about Your Highness.”
At her words, Khaled looked at her.
Velia opened her eyes that had been closed, turned her head, and met Khaled’s gaze.
“Ha. Having heard all those rumors, did you propose to me?”
“Those rumors meant nothing to me.”
Velia paused for a moment.
Then, with a soft chuckle, she opened her mouth.
“Well. The Second Prince I see now doesn’t seem as bad as the rumors.”
“Is that so?”
That was their last exchange for a while as they stood leaning against the terrace in silence.
Still, music flowed along with bright light from inside the window.
On the opposite side, silence flowed along with the darkness.
The breeze was cool.
The stars in the night sky shone.
They shared the strange feeling of being alone, as if they didn’t belong anywhere.
Although they didn’t express any deep feelings, they had the absurd thought that they could understand each other’s hearts.
The cool air blowing gently was refreshing.
Velia swept her fluttering hair with her hand and spoke to Khaled.
“Being here with Your Highness doesn’t make this place that bad.”
This was her first time staying on the terrace with someone.
It was not as uncomfortable as she thought.
No, it even felt a bit pleasant.
Velia turned her body and leaned against the railing.
“Really, it’s not bad.”
While murmuring words that could be addressed to anyone.
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
