The Emperor was murdered by a woman who entered his chamber.
This turned the Imperial Palace into chaos.
It was outrageous enough that the Emperor had died, but the woman who assassinated him was none other than the famous Celia Brillion.
Celia Brillion.
There was no one in the Empire of Abelon who did not know her name.
She was the woman who transformed a viscount family barely clinging to its title into one overflowing with wealth.
Everyone praised her unanimously as the woman crafted from all the beauty in the world.
It was a well-known anecdote that a priest, famed for his strict asceticism, fell madly in love with her beauty, cast aside his priestly robes, and ardently proposed to her.
With silver hair like captured starlight, skin brighter than freshly fallen snow, large doe-like eyes, and a warm, gentle temperament, she was the first love of countless men.
The Imperial officials knew well that the Emperor had long desired Celia.
It was strange that the lustful Emperor, who could even charm men who preferred men, had left Celia untouched.
However, the Viscount Brillion’s family had refused to hand her over to the Emperor, resisting firmly. Though not a drop of blood connected them, she was cherished more than a real daughter, and they could not willingly give her up.
The Emperor gnashed his teeth but dared not protest. Celia’s reputation was too lofty—those who adored her outnumbered the grains of sand in the desert.
If rumors spread that he had forcibly taken her, the already precarious imperial authority would sink into the mud.
Yet, it was only recently that the Viscount’s family, which had adamantly refused to send her, suddenly announced they could not defy the imperial decree and would finally send Celia to His Majesty.
The Emperor rejoiced greatly and bestowed upon the Viscount’s family riches enough to last generations without labor.
He never imagined he would die by the hands of the very woman he had so long desired the moment she entered his chamber.
The deceased Emperor, Sekret Basileus, could not even be called a decent ruler in the loosest sense.
He was the very embodiment of incompetence—indifferent to duty and barren, yet obsessed with women. Naturally, those who supported him were fewer than a handful of sand.
It was problematic enough that someone so unfit had become Emperor. Yet no one dared to object.
After all, it was the Three Great Dukes of the Empire—the ones called the heavens above heavens—who had placed this utterly incapable man upon the throne.
The reason a small frontier nation had grown into a vast empire was precisely because of the three powerful ducal houses.
The Servantes Dukedom, ruling the Northern and Western Territories; the Portman Dukedom, ruling the Eastern Territory; and the Gredrick Dukedom, ruling the vast Southern Territory, warm all year round.
These three families were the brain, the sword, and the true Emperors of Abelon.
More than the fact that the Emperor had died, the officials were worried about how the Three Great Dukes—who had installed the Emperor—would react. Surely, word of the Emperor’s death had already reached their ears.
Yet there were also those who saw the Emperor’s death as an opportunity.
Holding various thoughts, the Imperial officials convened an emergency discussion.
In heavy silence, seated around a long table, the eldest among them broke the silence.
“The Emperor has passed away. What are we to do?”
Despite the lamenting tone, not even a speck of sorrow could be seen on the speaker’s face.
His eyes, like those of an old serpent, gleamed with the sharpness of an opportunist.
“What exactly was Count Dietrich doing instead of attending to the Emperor? He was supposedly the Emperor’s closest confidant, yet only discovered His Majesty’s death after it happened!”
The old official skillfully feigned anger. The deep wrinkles of sorrow and trembling white beard made him appear genuinely furious.
The other officials, startled, exchanged only glances, unable to utter a word.
But they were not shocked because the Marquis Tailo—the longest-serving official—was angry, but because of the content of his words.
Count Dietrich?
That was a highly disrespectful term. If he truly respected him, he should have addressed him as Duke Calypso, not merely “Count Dietrich.”
This was a statement possible only because Dietrich Calypso was not present. Dietrich held a higher rank than any of the Imperial officials gathered here.
Having received the title of Duke just one month ago, Dietrich was the only duke in the empire aside from the Three Great Dukes.
Yet no one dared to object, for his origins were lowly. It was the Emperor himself who, on a whim, had taken in Dietrich when he was nearly sold into slavery.
Everyone had assumed he was dull and foolish, predicting he would die in the palace within a year.
But Dietrich surpassed all expectations. He clawed his way up from the bottom, ruthlessly crushing those who schemed against him.
Possessing a natural talent for swordsmanship, he was the only living Swordmaster in the empire aside from Balt Portman, head of the Portman Dukedom.
The Emperor had pleaded with the Three Great Dukes to grant Dietrich the dukedom, and so Dietrich had risen from the brink of becoming a slave to the rank of Duke.
The officials feared Dietrich, notorious for his foul temper, but their resentment ran even deeper.
The deceased Emperor had favored Dietrich above all others.
They had already resented giving the position of Commander of the Imperial Knights to someone of such low birth, and now the Emperor had granted Dietrich the dukedom before dying.
“Isn’t something strange? The Emperor passed away shortly after Dietrich received the dukedom. Is there anyone here who can definitively declare that Count Dietrich has no connection to the Emperor’s death?”
The officials fell into deathly silence. A few among them nodded in agreement. Shaping public opinion to his liking was Marquis Tailo’s specialty.
Though not openly named as the culprit, given the circumstances, Dietrich seemed unlikely to escape blame.
Though known as the Emperor’s mad dog, Marquis Tailo intended to cleverly pin the crime on Dietrich for failing to protect the Emperor.
Not a single official present liked Dietrich. In their eyes, a duke’s title was far too excessive for a man of such lowly, slave-born origins.
Now that Dietrich, who might have scavenged his way to power like a stray dog finding a scrap of meat, had seized such a prize, they intended to tear him apart mercilessly and corner him.
The corners of Marquis Tailo’s mouth curved upward.
With him steering the direction, public opinion flowed exactly as he desired.
“…I also agree with Marquis Tailo. Isn’t it suspicious? The Commander of the Imperial Knights was granted the dukedom only a month ago, and now this unfortunate incident occurs.”
Count Nathan, who usually kept close ties with Marquis Tailo, expressed agreement.
“Count Dietrich is not only the Commander of the Imperial Knights but also the Emperor’s closest confidant. Knowing the Emperor better than anyone, we cannot rule out the possibility that he was the assassin.”
The elderly official boldly voiced what others had only thought. With no one opposing and only supporters around, such words could be spoken freely.
“Of course, we must thoroughly investigate the details.”
Though he did not outright accuse him, he had left the door open to Dietrich’s guilt. Had one of Dietrich’s loyal subordinates witnessed this scene, such words might have put their life in danger—but the officials remained indifferent. They had something to rely on.
At that moment, the black curtain, clearly covering a closed window, flapped violently.
The officials momentarily feared someone had overheard their words, their hearts sinking like stones.
One official, seated closest to the window, abruptly stood and roughly pulled the curtain open. But there was not even a shadow where the curtain hung.
“…Upon closer look, the window was open.”
The meeting chamber was on the fifth floor. Who could possibly leap from such a height?
The officials dismissed their suspicion as overreaction and resumed their discussion.
None of them knew that Dietrich’s adjutant had overheard their words and vanished just as suddenly.
“By the way, what happened to the woman who assassinated the Emperor?”
[This is the timeline separator]“Y-Your Grace! Did you summon me?”
The Imperial Physician’s heart pounded at the sudden summons from the Commander of the Imperial Knights, infamous for his violent temper.
Dietrich glanced briefly at the physician’s face, then wordlessly began walking ahead.
The physician tread as lightly as possible, afraid of offending Dietrich. His legs were so long that merely following him caused sweat to pour down his back.
Soon, Dietrich stopped before the underground prison reserved for the empire’s most dangerous criminals.
“Enter.”
The physician wondered what he had done wrong, but no misdeed came to mind.
“Go first.”
Obeying Dietrich’s command without explanation, the physician swallowed hard and stepped into the prison.
“Ugh…!”
The moment he stepped inside, the physician gagged at the rotting stench. The dim prison was lined with iron cages resembling animal pens.
Each cage, barely large enough for one person, was reinforced with thick iron bars and multiple locks. Inside, prisoners lay limp, having given up on life, awaiting their imminent deaths.
“Move forward.”
Following Dietrich’s order, the physician endured the stench and walked on, guided by torches mounted on the walls.
Upon reaching the very back of the prison, strangely, there was no foul odor at all.
Inside the final iron cage lay a woman of breathtaking beauty, alone and unconscious. The physician stared at her, eyes wide.
Though he had never seen her before, he recognized her instantly.
“Examine her.”
After uttering the brief command, Dietrich unlocked the cage with a key and shoved the physician inside.
‘This person… is Celia Brillion.’
She was a woman famed for her beauty. There could be no one more renowned throughout all of Abelon.
There was even a joke that the wealth men of the Brillion family had donated out of love at first sight could sustain the capital’s citizens for generations without labor.
Seeing her in person, he immediately understood why.
Flowing silver hair, skin so pale and translucent that veins were visible, lips red as a crescent moon.
The physician, confirming Celia was unconscious, openly stared at her thin clothes, collarbone, and legs.
“What are you waiting for? Examine her quickly.”
The voice from behind snapped the dazed physician back to his senses.
“Y-Yes…!”
The physician hurriedly bent down to examine Celia.
Carefully rolling up one of her sleeves, he felt for her pulse at the wrist. Moments later, his face turned deathly pale.
“Y-Your Grace…”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
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