It was Dietrich who interrupted Jeremy’s words.
“The Emperor’s would-be assassin entering Your Highness’s palace will surely invite gossip.”
“Hah!”
Jeremy let out a bitter laugh, as if utterly incredulous. He glared at Dietrich with wide, furious eyes.
“Do you think I’d listen to the words of a mere dog?”
“…….”
Jeremy twisted his lips and lightly tapped Dietrich’s cheek.
“A dog’s role is to protect its master. It should never argue against its master’s words.”
Celia disliked this situation.
Not because the Crown Prince was mistreating Dietrich, but because she found it absurd—and laughable—that someone of such filthy blood, responsible for destroying her kingdom, dared act so arrogantly.
Moreover, moving into the Crown Prince’s palace while the Empress sought her life was dangerous.
With the Empress’s eyes already upon her, killing the Crown Prince would only hasten her own death.
She couldn’t die yet. Not until she uncovered Dietrich’s true identity, and learned how he knew about her ability.
“Your Highness, I’d prefer to stay at Duke Calypso’s estate.”
She interjected.
Dietrich was not only the only person aware of her ability, but also the only man with whom she could actually communicate.
Hearing Celia’s words, Jeremy showed signs of displeasure.
“Why would you wish to stay at that man’s estate instead of mine?”
“Everything the Duke has said is correct. Staying in Your Highness’s palace for no reason and provoking Her Majesty the Empress would only bring you trouble. How could I possibly remain under your roof?”
“…….”
At Celia’s reply, Jeremy, who had just shown irritation, now smiled contentedly, as if he had never been upset.
“You have my gratitude for thinking of me. Very well, I shall follow your words. I’ll send you an invitation to my birthday celebration soon—do make sure to attend.”
Jeremy even pressed a kiss onto the back of Celia’s hand, unaware that she was already thinking of rushing to her room to scrub the spot with water.
The moment he saw Dietrich, the smile vanished entirely from Jeremy’s face.
“This is an order. You—never so much as look at her again.”
Dietrich said nothing. It wasn’t worth responding to.
Seeing Dietrich’s emotionless expression, Jeremy furrowed his brows deeply. He abruptly turned his head away and left for his palace.
Without a word, Dietrich began walking ahead. Celia quickly grabbed the hem of his robe, afraid of being left behind.
“Walk a little slower.”
“…….”
Dietrich’s gaze fell from the robe he was being held by, to the handkerchief wrapped around Celia’s wrist. He silently stared at it for a moment, then flicked his sleeve and turned his back.
Celia stared after his retreating figure with a bewildered expression.
“I’m in pain, you know.”
At those words, Dietrich stopped.
“Where does it hurt?”
“My head is spinning….”
Celia pressed her hand to her forehead as if she were truly unwell. Dietrich slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
“…Hold on.”
He extended one arm. Celia wasn’t actually in pain at all, but thought this was perfect, and quickly grabbed his arm.
She smiled faintly, thinking he seemed easy enough to handle.
Only belatedly did Dietrich realize she had been faking it, and his brows furrowed.
“If it’s not my imagination, you seem perfectly fine.”
Celia responded only with a soft smile. Dietrich let out a deep sigh. He looked down at Celia, who clung to his arm and wouldn’t let go, with an indescribable expression.
“…Don’t cling so much.”
“You’re the one who offered your arm.”
Celia smiled brightly. Dietrich looked down at her with a dry expression.
As Celia walked, holding Dietrich’s arm, she felt a sense of calm settling over her mind and body.
Why was that?
Could it be that she felt at ease precisely because her ability had no effect on him?
‘How strange. Not long ago, this man tried to kill me, and now here we are, walking together like this.’
Celia found it odd, but didn’t voice her thoughts aloud.
Dietrich had something he wanted from her, and Celia had her own desires from him.
Most likely, he wanted her ability. What she wanted was information—how he knew about her ability, and why her ability didn’t work on him.
Just as no relationship exists without exchange, theirs was no different.
Though she considered it a strange alliance that could break at any moment, Celia found it bitterly amusing that this fragile bond was the very thing keeping her alive.
‘Originally, I planned to die after killing the Emperor.’
Would the man before her actually reveal the truth? Celia was waiting for her chance. If Dietrich refused to speak, she was determined to search his office, no matter what it took.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Dietrich’s gaze had settled on her once more. Celia smiled brightly at his expressionless face.
“Something you don’t need to know.”
Dietrich didn’t seem to expect an answer as he continued walking.
Throughout the entire return to the estate, Dietrich remained silent. He appeared lost in thought. Celia stared at him blankly.
A chilly evening breeze swept through Dietrich’s black hair. She could feel people’s eyes turning toward them, but Dietrich seemed utterly indifferent.
Before long, they arrived at the estate.
Dietrich passed through the corridor and led Celia to an empty room. Once they were alone, Dietrich spoke.
“Did you use your ability?”
“…What?”
“I asked if you used your ability on the Crown Prince.”
Dietrich leaned against the wall, blocking her exit, having locked the door behind him.
“Your ability smells like hyacinth. Tell me exactly what it does.”
Ah, so he didn’t know everything about her ability after all. Celia narrowed her eyes.
This was a good opportunity to negotiate. There had to be give and take.
“What will you give me in return for that information?”
“Your life.”
Celia burst into laughter.
“To anyone’s eyes, that’s a deal where I’d be at a loss.”
“…….”
Dietrich’s gaze turned solemn.
“You consider it a loss to be granted life in exchange for revealing your ability? That’s absurd.”
“You know well enough—I have little attachment to life.”
Celia replied with a faint smile. Dietrich opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.
After a long pause, his lips finally moved.
“Is there something else you want?”
Exactly the words she had been waiting for. Yet she knew well that asking how he knew about her ability would earn her no answer, so Celia chose different words.
“Tell me your true plan.”
“…….”
“Why are you trying to save me? Do I hold such value to you? Is there something you wish to achieve through my ability? Isn’t that it?”
Celia gently stroked Dietrich’s cheek. The look in his eyes toward her overflowed with negative emotions.
Hatred, murderous intent, wariness.
Seeing the tangled red depths of his gaze, Celia lifted the corners of her lips.
“I need to know your plan before I can help you, don’t I?”
Dietrich seized Celia’s hand on his cheek, gripping it so tightly it nearly crushed her bones. The handkerchief tied by the Crown Prince dropped to the floor.
“…Do you even know what my plan is?”
“I’m asking because I want to hear it. After all, we’re in the same boat.”
Celia continued, trampling the handkerchief on the floor.
“As a crew member, I need to know what the captain intends to do—whether to row or drop anchor.”
“…….”
“How can I trust you if I don’t even know your destination?”
If he wouldn’t answer about her ability, she could ask something even more fundamental. Though her actions were less a question and more akin to a trade.
Celia had no intention of being passively used by Dietrich as he pleased.
Though her kingdom had fallen, she was still the princess of Shan, and her father had taught her to keep her claws hidden and never reveal her hand first.
Her father had also warned that if forced to reveal her hand, it would become her weakness.
Celia had never once forgotten her late father’s teachings.
Dietrich, still gripping her hand, leaned his body toward her. His raw, fierce gaze seemed ready to devour her at once.
“Know your place.”
Dietrich coldly muttered as he released her hand.
“You only need to do as I say.”
With those final words, he left the room without looking back.
Celia alternated her gaze between the handkerchief on the floor and the door through which Dietrich had exited.
Seeing Dietrich’s sharp reaction, Celia became certain.
He hated this empire.
Just as much as she did.
No. Perhaps even more.
[This is the timeline separator]A week had passed since then.
During that week, two royal officials and over ten royal knights, who had confessed to conspiring in the Emperor’s assassination, were executed.
—They tried to pin all the blame on that woman! All of this happened because His Majesty wished to take my niece into his bed!
There was a plausible reason, and evidence to support it.
Shortly after, all rumors claiming Celia had attempted to assassinate the Emperor completely disappeared.
Behind all this was Ileon’s careful arrangement, though the only ones who knew the truth were Ileon himself and those already executed, now lifeless corpses.
For Celia, it had been an unusually peaceful and quiet week—so peaceful, in fact, that it felt even more strange.
She sat on the edge of her bed, gazing up at the sky where the crescent moon hung in the early dawn.
Since testing Dietrich, he had not come to see her. Meals were delivered only through the maid, Ellie.
Celia had subtly probed Ellie, but the blind maid seemed completely unaware of outside affairs.
This dawn, Celia had decided to sneak out of the estate.
Since Dietrich had been avoiding her lately and revealing nothing, she intended to secretly gather information on her own.
Changing into a maid’s uniform she had prepared earlier, Celia tightly tied her conspicuous silver hair back with a rubber band.
As she was about to step out the door, suddenly, a knocking sound came from the other side.
-Knock knock.
‘Ellie?’
But Ellie had never visited at such an early hour. Celia wondered. Then, a low voice came from beyond the door.
“It’s me.”
It was Dietrich’s voice.
Celia immediately rose onto her toes and dashed straight to the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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