It was quite a distance from Dietrich’s mansion to the Empress’s quarters.
Given how vast the palace grounds were, it was inevitable to encounter palace staff along the way.
The gardener trimming the thin branches of a leafy tree, as well as the chattering maids, all stopped what they were doing and stared at a single point.
“!”
It was an exceedingly rare sight.
The man with ebony-black hair had a flawlessly beautiful face.
His smooth forehead, sharply defined nose, firm jawline, and lips that seemed incapable of smiling appeared not merely indifferent, but almost ascetic at a glance.
His broad back and rock-solid build looked so dependable that one might instinctively want to rush into his arms.
It was Dietrich.
Among the maids serving in the palace, there wasn’t a single one who didn’t admire Dietrich. Yet he remained utterly impartial, showing interest in no one.
True to his reputation as the Emperor’s mad dog, he remained faithfully by the Emperor’s side alone.
Even during palace banquets, when countless noble ladies expressed their affection toward Dietrich, he kept his lips tightly sealed.
It was a well-known anecdote that Ileon’s younger sister had openly confessed her feelings to Dietrich, only to be harshly rejected. Indeed, even if the person approaching him belonged to one of the Three Great Dukes, Dietrich never allowed them near.
The handful of maids serving under Dietrich were women born blind, cast aside even by their own families.
There were even foolish women who had gouged out their own eyes, thinking they might be hired if they were blind. Of course, Dietrich never hired such a woman.
And yet, this Dietrich was now walking beside a woman, matching her pace.
People couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Their gazes naturally shifted toward the slender woman walking beside Dietrich.
She wore a dull, unfashionable gray dress, starkly contrasting against the golden palace.
Under the fractured sunlight, Celia’s long silver hair fluttered gently in the breeze.
Her cheeks, pale and translucent like snow, bore a faint dimple. Her delicate eyelashes, fine as butterfly wings, fluttered open and closed, revealing fresh green eyes—an ethereal beauty that seemed otherworldly.
Though they had never seen her before, they instantly recognized that this woman was the so-called angel of Brillion, the criminal imprisoned for the crime of attempting to assassinate the Emperor.
The saying “clothes make the man” was wrong. Whatever she wore, it appeared angelic because an angel wore it.
Even those who had scoffed at the rumors stood dumbfounded, staring at Celia.
Could such a fragile, delicate body truly have attempted to assassinate the Emperor? The absurd rumors circulating outside the palace might, after all, contain some truth.
Outside the palace walls, people whispered that Celia had been wrongfully framed by someone who truly wished to kill the Emperor, and that she had never actually attempted the assassination.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman caught in the whirlwind of palace intrigue.
But why, of all people, was she walking side by side with Dietrich?
Not just anyone—Dietrich.
The woman accused of attempting to assassinate the Emperor, and the Emperor’s mad dog.
People looked at them, unable to comprehend, yet simultaneously thought they suited each other perfectly.
Both were unrealistically beautiful.
Men gazed at Celia with lustful thoughts, while women stared at her with eyes mixed with admiration, jealousy, and envy.
Men stared at Dietrich with eyes full of longing, jealousy, and resentment, while women dreamed of being held in Dietrich’s arms.
“How on earth is the Duke Calypso walking with that woman?”
“…I heard from a friend who works in the Empress’s quarters that the Empress personally summoned her.”
“Goodness. She was accused of attempting to assassinate the Emperor, yet released without any charges?”
“I don’t know either. But she really is as beautiful as a doll.”
The maids lowered their voices, sending curious glances.
“But what exactly are they talking about?”
Though the maid whispered as quietly as possible, Dietrich, with his keen hearing, caught every word. He looked down at Celia with a dry expression.
“Could you walk faster?”
“…Are you bragging about your long legs? Can’t you at least hold my hand?”
Celia extended one hand. The pale, delicate hand held before him was much smaller than Dietrich’s. Seeing it, Dietrich’s brow furrowed.
A memory he had momentarily forgotten resurfaced. It was that same hand that had grabbed and refused to let go of his face when he tried to pull away.
Recalling how she had sucked his lips fiercely, making them numb, while smiling happily, a wave of disgust rose within him.
“….”
Dietrich did not take Celia’s hand. Instead, he silently began walking ahead.
“Follow me. Unless you want to get lost.”
“!”
Dietrich was already far ahead. With legs so long, Celia struggled just to keep up.
Even at his normal pace, Dietrich was moving far too quickly. Though he was merely walking, how could he be so fast?
Celia started running to catch up. She ran until breathless, barely managing to reach him. The broad back standing before the grand palace looked infuriatingly smug.
“You little bastard.”
Celia muttered a small curse toward his back. In response, the corner of Dietrich’s mouth lifted slightly, a sneer-like smile flickering across his face.
The knights guarding the Empress’s quarters froze in place—they had never seen Dietrich smile, not even a mocking one.
Dietrich rarely showed expression. His perpetual blank face had led some knights to wonder if he even had emotions at all.
Yet the hint of a smile on Dietrich’s face vanished as quickly as it appeared. The knights blinked, wondering if they had imagined it.
Soon, a maid emerged from the Empress’s quarters.
“Your Grace, Duke Calypso, Her Majesty the Empress awaits you in the reception hall. I shall guide you.”
Dietrich and Celia followed the maid.
The maid stopped before a large chamber. At the center of the golden door, red rubies were embedded in a row. Celia thought those red rubies strangely resembled the color of Dietrich’s eyes.
“Your Majesty, I have brought Duke Calypso and the criminal.”
“Enter.”
As the maid flung open the door, a woman seated on a plush sofa came into view.
The Empress, with voluminous golden hair and blue eyes, appeared younger than her middle-aged years suggested, thanks to excellent care. Yet the fine lines around her eyes and deep nasolabial folds clearly revealed the passage of time.
Upon seeing Celia standing beside Dietrich, the Empress’s expression instantly stiffened, but she quickly masked it with a faint smile.
“So you’re the criminal.”
Celia instinctively realized that the Empress disliked her—deeply.
“I was curious whether you were as beautiful as the rumors claimed, so I summoned you…”
The Empress’s gaze swept over Celia completely. The beautiful woman with long silver hair like scattered stars, fair soft skin, and fresh green eyes could easily be called the first love of everyone.
Celia was extraordinarily beautiful. She seemed to radiate light from her entire being. Yet no matter how beautiful Celia was, the fact that she was a criminal would never change.
Even if she had escaped prison with the help of countless men, she would forever live as the woman accused of attempting to assassinate the Emperor.
The Empress would make sure of it.
She raised one corner of her mouth, openly mocking Celia.
“Now that I see you, all that talk about angels and first loves seems like pure exaggeration.”
“….”
“You’re utterly ordinary. I wonder what’s lacking in men that they’re blinded by a criminal who isn’t even particularly beautiful… Tsk, tsk.”
Celia silently agreed with the Empress. In truth, she had always thought the same. Ever since she was a child.
Even during the time when Celia was a princess of the Shan Kingdom, there were those who desired her. At an age not even ten, men had tried to take advantage of her—it was truly horrifying.
Once, a resentful Celia complained to her mother, the Queen, who gave a most peculiar reply.
—Asha, it’s because you’re too beautiful.
Asha was Celia’s childhood nickname. Celia’s real name was Anastasia.
—Mother, does being beautiful mean anyone can covet me however they please? Do you know what happened this morning? My Popo, that’s what!
Popo was the name of Celia’s pet parrot. She adored the red-feathered bird that could mimic her words quite well.
She cherished it so much that she always brought Popo with her whenever she went outside.
That the beloved youngest princess cherished the red parrot gifted by the King on her birthday was something no citizen of the kingdom didn’t know.
One morning, however, Popo suddenly began shrieking strange words Celia had never taught it.
—Princess Asha loves blue eyes! Loves blue eyes!
Instantly, her heart sank.
Since Celia always brought Popo with her, the number of people who could access the bird was extremely limited.
Aside from her personal guard and maids, no one was allowed to touch it, so the culprit was quickly caught.
The culprit was Dylan, her personal guard. Dylan had blue eyes.
Celia couldn’t believe it—her own guard, the one who had always driven away men who approached her with ill intent, had done such a thing.
Dylan was extremely quiet and performed his duties exceptionally well.
Believing him different from those men who leered at her, Celia had trusted him with Popo, never imagining he would do something like this behind her back.
As a result, Dylan was dismissed from his post, but Popo kept repeating the same phrase.
—Princess Asha loves blue eyes! Loves blue eyes!
Relentlessly repeating the words Dylan had taught it.
Seeing Celia’s melancholy, her mother gently stroked her hair and said,
—…Don’t worry. Someday, your true destined partner will appear to protect you.
Celia pouted her lips and replied,
—Mother, what if that partner is weaker than me? Yesterday, Father taught me how to use a dagger, and he said I showed surprising talent.
—What? He taught you that?
—Ah, Father said it was a secret.
—How dangerous! Teaching a child such things!
Her mother frantically checked her hands. After confirming there were no injuries, she let go and added,
—Remember this. Your destined partner will protect you—from every danger that threatens you.
Her mother had spoken with conviction, her green eyes sparkling brightly, uttering words that could never come true.
Just as Celia had expected, her mother’s words never came true.
The peaceful kingdom was reduced to ashes by the destructive kingdom of Abelon, her kind mother and father were beheaded, and she remained, once again, an object of men’s desires.
Celia had killed the Emperor entirely by her own strength.
After the kingdom’s destruction, she hid her identity, squeezed herself into a cargo carriage, and entered Abelon.
After enduring hardship upon hardship—from adapting to life in the back alleys, to being adopted by the Brillion family, to entering the palace—she had survived solely by her own strength, driven by vengeance.
Even if a so-called “destined partner” miraculously appeared now, to her, broken in body and living on borrowed time, Celia would politely decline.
Recalling these memories, Celia’s mood instantly darkened.
Lowering her gaze so the Empress couldn’t read her emotions, Celia concealed her feelings. Dietrich silently watched her as she stared at the floor, her lips twisted in cold disdain.
The Empress, following Dietrich’s gaze, bit the soft flesh inside her cheek. Forcing a fake smile, she issued Dietrich an order to leave.
“You may go now. I have matters to discuss alone with this criminal.”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
