Until just moments ago, Dietrich’s expressionless face had twisted horribly.
He glared down at her with a sharp gaze tangled in rage and resentment.
His crimson eyes, which had seemed empty, now overflowed with such intense killing intent that the very air appeared to be sliced apart.
Even though that murderous intent was directed straight at her, Celia felt no fear toward Dietrich.
Was it because death held no terror for her? Or perhaps because he was the only man who didn’t look at her with lustful eyes?
Or could it be… because her ability didn’t work on him?
“You.”
Dietrich stepped into the cell. Bending forward, he roughly seized Celia’s shoulder.
The force of his grip made her wonder if her shoulder might tear off at any moment.
Yet, before her shoulder could be torn apart, Dietrich released her hand.
“Do you think I can’t sense your intentions? Do you believe I can’t read your thoughts—your desire for me to grant you death?”
Dietrich, who had withdrawn his killing intent, lifted one corner of his mouth.
Smiling with only his lips while his back faced the torchlight, he resembled a dazzlingly beautiful demon.
It was said that demons lured people with seductive and beautiful appearances.
Celia had never seen such a stunningly handsome man in all her life.
In a tragic world that sought only to exploit her, the only person she could truly communicate with was Dietrich, the so-called mad dog of the Emperor.
Still, Celia believed he would kill her if he chose to. Wasn’t that precisely why people said he bit everyone?
Regardless of how handsome he was, Celia did not trust the human race.
Yet, what came from Dietrich’s mouth was the exact opposite.
“I won’t kill you.”
Celia looked up at him, her eyes wide open.
“Why? There’s nothing beneficial for you in keeping me alive.”
“……”
“While you look like you could tear me apart any second, what’s your reason for deliberately sparing me?
What could my ability possibly have to do with you?”
Instead of answering, Dietrich stared intently at her face.
His gaze slowly traced over her round forehead, her fresh leaf-like green irises, and her red lips.
“Reason?”
He murmured lowly. At the same moment, a thick uniform was tossed onto Celia’s body.
It was black, like his hair, and adorned with numerous clinking medals.
It was the uniform Dietrich had just been wearing.
Celia glanced back and forth between Dietrich and the uniform, her face filled with confusion.
“Why are you giving me this…”
Before she could finish speaking, he stood up and answered.
“Your life belongs to me. That is the one and only reason I’m sparing you instead of killing you.”
…As if. He’s keeping me alive because he wants something from me.
Celia gripped the uniform he had given her.
The oversized garment wrinkled in her hands.
“How do you know about abilities?”
Dietrich, now only in his shirt, had his pupils briefly constrict.
“If you want to know…”
Trailing off, Dietrich leaned forward.
He took the uniform from her hands and draped it over her shoulders.
His gaze paused momentarily on her nape.
There, the bright red marks from his earlier grip still remained.
Dietrich said nothing. Instead, he began carefully fastening each button of the uniform with his own hands.
Celia stared at him, utterly bewildered by the man meticulously buttoning up her clothes with dry, emotionless eyes.
Only after securing the final button did he step back from her.
The large uniform, tailored for Dietrich’s frame, more than fully covered Celia’s entire body.
“Do as I say. Everything—what you eat, what you do.”
With those words, Dietrich stood up straight.
Turning his back, he locked the cell door where Celia was imprisoned, then turned once more to face her.
“You’d best not take off the uniform.
As long as you wear it, no deranged fool will look at you and immediately think of doing what they did earlier.”
Celia had already been thinking of taking off the uniform, having unfastened a few buttons.
Disgust flared in Dietrich’s eyes as he looked at her.
“…If you want to endure the same treatment again, go ahead and stay in just your chemise.”
“Who’d think you were my husband?”
Dietrich’s scornful gaze now carried added hatred toward her.
Under that sharp, needle-like stare, Celia inwardly clicked her tongue.
Either way, he seemed to know far more about abilities than she expected.
Angering him further would bring her no benefit.
Just as Dietrich had something he wanted from her, so did she from him.
“Fasten the buttons properly. Don’t make me touch you again.”
He looked as if he might step back into the cell if she stayed still.
“Fine. I’ll wear it properly, okay?”
Celia shrugged and refastened the buttons.
Only after confirming every button was securely fastened did Dietrich finally turn and disappear down the corridor from which he came.
After confirming Dietrich was gone, Celia looked down at the uniform she was wearing.
She half-expected it to reek of blood, but surprisingly, it carried a pleasant fragrance.
It reminded her of rose-scented soap, yet also evoked the woody aroma of lush forests and trees.
Frowning, Celia muttered to herself.
“…There couldn’t possibly be a scent less suited to that man.”
[This is the timeline separator]Having left the prison, Dietrich encountered an unwelcome figure in the corridor.
“Sir, where are you off to in such a hurry?”
The man before him was someone who, unlike the perpetually expressionless Dietrich, smiled every day with a talent for irritating others.
With neatly combed-back blond hair and violet eyes, he was also the sole heir left behind by the incompetent Emperor.
“…Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”
The Crown Prince—Jeremi.
Before, there had been many women and children fathered by the Emperor, but all had been killed by the Empress.
The Empress who bore Jeremi had fed the Emperor infertility drugs, and he died without ever realizing the truth.
Unlike the inept Emperor, his only son was cunning, just like his mother—certainly not incompetent.
“Looks like you’ve just come from the prison.”
Jeremi smiled broadly, openly scanning Dietrich from head to toe.
He showed no grief over his father’s death, as if it were of no concern to him.
“Where did you leave your uniform? It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you without it.”
“Your Highness’s attention is overly generous.”
At Dietrich’s reply, Jeremi lightly tapped Dietrich’s cheek with the back of his hand.
It was a gesture one might use toward a pet dog, yet Dietrich’s expression didn’t change at all.
“Yes. Generous indeed. Now that my father, your master, is dead, aren’t you just my dog now?”
“……”
“I’ll generously forgive you for not wearing your uniform. But there’s one thing I’m curious about…”
Jeremi trailed off, his eyes crinkling as he grinned widely.
Whenever he smiled like that, something unpleasant was always about to happen.
“You dared to lock that woman in prison without my permission? And you even strictly controlled access so that no one else could enter?”
Just as expected. Dietrich had anticipated Jeremi would seize on this.
He had successfully manipulated the weak Emperor to his will, but Jeremi was not someone as easily handled as the late Emperor.
Jeremi had disliked Dietrich from the beginning.
It was Jeremi who, shortly after Dietrich entered the palace, had ordered a male servant to kill him.
And at that time, Dietrich had shown no outstanding talent.
He had been targeted for assassination merely for being taken in by the Emperor—truly worthy of being called the Empress’s bloodline, one who left no future threat.
Yet, he had failed to assassinate Dietrich.
Despite countless attempts over a span of ten years, he had failed every single time.
The Imperial Knights followed Dietrich more than the Emperor.
Dietrich’s swordsmanship, innate leadership, and charisma had earned their loyalty.
Now that imperial authority had weakened to the extreme, for Jeremi—who would next sit on the throne—Dietrich’s military power was the greatest threat.
“By ‘that woman,’ whom do you refer to, Your Highness?”
Dietrich asked back, his face impassive.
“How can you pretend ignorance? I am speaking of Brillion’s angel, of course.”
“……Ah.”
Dietrich slowly closed and reopened his eyes, feigning belated understanding.
“It was clear that failing to imprison the woman who attempted to assassinate the Emperor would undermine imperial authority.
For the dignity of the royal family, it was an unavoidable action.”
“Unavoidable? Are you asking me to believe that right now?”
“Then, perhaps Your Highness would kindly instruct this inadequate one.
How should I have properly handled the woman who attempted to assassinate the Emperor?”
“So now you’re admitting you’re inadequate.”
The smile vanished instantly from Jeremi’s face.
“Truly, you’re nothing but a useless dog.”
Even at such an insult, Dietrich’s face remained unchanged.
Staring at Dietrich’s inscrutable expression, Jeremi furrowed his brows tightly.
Yet, he quickly smoothed them and smiled sweetly.
“Come to think of it, you must have seen Brillion’s angel yourself.
I’ve only heard rumors—I’ve never seen her in person.”
Dietrich gave no reply.
Instead, he smiled darkly and asked, seemingly uninterested in why she had tried to assassinate the Emperor:
“What’s she like? Is she as beautiful as the rumors say?”
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
