The day of Jeremy’s birthday celebration.
By this time, the accusation against Celia Brillion for the Emperor’s assassination had been completely cleared. Although those seeking the truth were powerful, the main reason was that the late Emperor had extremely little popularity.
Normally, the mourning period for a deceased Emperor lasted over a month, during which members of the royal family traditionally wore black mourning clothes.
However, Ileon Gredrick, one of the Three Dukes, suggested skipping the mourning period—since the throne could not remain vacant for long—and instead proposed holding a grand celebration for the Crown Prince’s birthday.
Jeremy, eager to ascend the throne, had no reason to reject this proposal.
The fact that Celia, accused of killing the Emperor, faced no punishment despite being discovered at the scene was due largely to Dietrich Calypso’s testimony.
—An intruder took advantage of the lax security, assassinated the Emperor, and fled, framing Celia Brillion, who was present at the scene. All evidence was deliberately made to point toward her.
This was not just anyone’s claim, but the word of Dietrich, the Emperor’s closest confidant and commander of the Imperial Knights. His statement carried immense weight.
Though criticized for failing to protect the Emperor, the nobles could not bring Dietrich down over this alone.
After all, the Emperor always dismissed his guards whenever he allowed a woman into his private chambers.
With everyone who had confessed to the Emperor’s assassination already executed, no one chose to pursue the matter further.
Thus, Celia faced no punishment for the Emperor’s murder.
Moreover…
‘What is that?’
Celia leaned halfway against the window, gazing outside. Since early morning, a single knight had been placing a ribbon-wrapped gift box in front of the mansion.
Dietrich exchanged a few words with the knight in front of the estate, then turned to listen to a man who appeared to be his aide.
‘…Does that man even sleep?’
Though he couldn’t possibly have read her thoughts, Dietrich suddenly looked up and stared directly at Celia.
When their eyes met, Celia curtly drew the curtain shut.
A few minutes later, Dietrich entered the room. He placed the gift box on the floor and said,
“The Crown Prince has sent this to you.”
Celia blinked in surprise at Dietrich’s words.
“Why me?”
“You’d know better than I.”
As Dietrich untied the ribbon and opened the box, its contents were fully revealed.
……
A pristine white mermaid dress, deeply cut at the back and neckline. Expensive pearls were densely embedded along the hem of the dress.
It was a gown fit for a bride on her wedding day.
“It seems the Crown Prince intends to make you his bride after all.”
Dietrich mocked her, but Celia showed no reaction. She had experienced such things countless times before—nothing surprised her anymore.
Even the unrelated male members of the Brillion family had been desperate to take her as a wife. Their actions, like breaking into her room in the dead of night just to defile her purity, were clearly not normal.
‘The only difference now is that the man pursuing me has shifted from a noble lord to the Crown Prince.’
He wouldn’t dare do such things openly in the royal banquet hall, but once outside, who knew what he might attempt.
Clearly, people believed she posed no threat whatsoever.
‘Otherwise, why would they send me such a dress?’
Celia unfolded the mermaid dress. The form-fitting design excessively emphasized the curves of the body.
Thud—
That was when a letter slipped out from inside the dress.
Both of their gazes fell upon the words written on the note.
—Jeremy, future ruler of Abelon.
You must wear the dress I gave you and come.
Dietrich twisted his lips in disdain.
“The Empress won’t stand by and watch this. How short-sighted.”
Celia casually shot back at Dietrich’s remark.
“But if anything happens, you’ll protect me, won’t you?”
Dietrich narrowed his eyes, staring intently at her.
Though she had spoken those words, Celia found the entire situation—how things revolved around her while he stood by—utterly strange.
People weren’t even questioning her for the Emperor’s murder; instead, they shielded her.
Dietrich’s help certainly played a part, but there was something else that couldn’t be explained by that alone.
Celia glanced at Dietrich’s profile, lost in thought. The slightly darker shadows beneath his usually indifferent eyes hinted that his mood was far from good.
“…The Three Dukes you mentioned—they’re coming today too, right?”
Since Dietrich had once said they were his true enemies, Celia intended to see them for herself at today’s birthday celebration.
“Hmm. They are exceedingly high-ranking individuals.”
“Wait—does that mean they might not even come today? That contradicts what you said earlier!”
“You think they’ll appear just because you wish to meet them?”
“…You!”
Celia grabbed the hem of Dietrich’s robe. His gaze slid down to her hand clutching his sleeve.
Thanks to proper rest and meals, Celia’s complexion had noticeably improved recently.
It felt like only yesterday she had been gasping for breath, on the verge of death.
Unlike her frail former self, she now had healthy color and overflowing vitality.
“By the way, your blood-related family is also attending this banquet.”
The Brillion Viscount’s household had never once been invited to a royal banquet before.
Since Gabrielle had been singing endlessly about wanting to visit the palace, Celia couldn’t possibly have missed it.
“I didn’t invite them.”
“Then who did?”
“The Empress, most likely.”
Dietrich placed his hand over Celia’s, which still gripped his robe. His rough hand, accustomed to wielding a sword, completely covered her small one.
Dietrich’s fingers tightly encircled Celia’s as he stared deeply into her eyes.
“You’re getting into the habit of grabbing my hand.”
Celia said nothing, and Dietrich replied casually.
“Is that a problem?”
Ever since he had threatened to put a leash on her, Dietrich had repeatedly taken Celia’s hand so casually.
Yet, he had revealed nothing about his true identity or abilities—nothing important at all.
What was even stranger was that Celia didn’t entirely dislike this act of holding hands.
It felt like pouring cool water into a suffocating chest, bringing a sense of calm to her restless mind.
‘Is he some kind of walking sedative? How strange.’
Celia silently stared at Dietrich.
Dietrich never engaged in any other actions beyond holding her hand.
Finally, Celia voiced a question she had long kept inside.
“Is there… some meaning behind this act itself?”
……
“Could it be… that you also have an ability, like me?”
Dietrich’s indifferent gaze turned toward Celia.
“That’s impossible.”
He abruptly released her hand. His fingers slipped away and gently rested upon Celia’s shimmering silver hair.
“If I had an ability, I wouldn’t have any need for someone like you.”
It was a barbed remark. A clear warning: stop recklessly speaking of abilities around me.
Celia laughed. All that talk about leashes was clearly false. She hadn’t expected anything anyway, but she was actually grateful for how bluntly he had made it clear.
“Isn’t that right, Master?”
If a dog is always ready to bite its master, you could still call it a fine, mad dog.
Celia realized it now. The reason Dietrich was called the Emperor’s mad dog stemmed from his own will.
Even as the Emperor’s closest confidant, he had always harbored ulterior motives.
……Why?
Had he been plotting revenge like her? Or had he climbed to the Emperor’s inner circle with the intent to stage a rebellion, earning a dukedom along the way?
If the Three Dukes were truly his enemies, then using her to oppose them would make sense.
Dietrich was clearly not normal. A sane person would never even consider infiltrating Abelon’s palace and seizing military control.
[This is the timeline separator]The royal banquet hall was packed with people.
It had been a long time since such a celebration was held, and everyone wore faces brimming with anticipation.
Among the attendees, none harbored resentment over the death of the incompetent Emperor. They only cared about gaining favor with Jeremy, the next Emperor.
Well-dressed guests tilted their wine glasses and conversed with one another.
“Do you think the Crown Prince will announce the date of his coronation during this banquet?”
“Of course he will. The throne cannot remain vacant any longer.”
In the conversations of noblemen dressed in crisp, immaculate formal wear, Celia’s name inevitably surfaced.
“Now that the accusation of regicide has been cleared, the Angel of Brillion no longer needs to remain in the palace.”
“I don’t know the circumstances, but if we’re lucky, perhaps we’ll actually see her today? I wonder if she’s truly as beautiful as her reputation claims. Rumors are often exaggerated, after all.”
Noble ladies nearby eavesdropped on the men’s conversation and scoffed.
“For all the world, it sounds less like the Crown Prince’s birthday celebration and more like Celia Brillion’s event.”
The women didn’t particularly like Celia. In the fiercely competitive marriage market, Celia’s value was the highest.
Yet, Celia herself was merely a street orphan with a humble family background.
If she had come from one of the Three Dukes’ families, or even a viscount or count’s household, they wouldn’t have disliked her so intensely.
All their daily training in etiquette and refinement became meaningless before the name Celia.
“They say she was sent to the Emperor’s bedchamber… Surely her purity wasn’t left untouched? Even if she was held in the Emperor’s arms, an impure woman has no value in the marriage market.”
A man who had silently gulped down several glasses of wine suddenly erupted in anger.
“Watch your tongue! How dare you speak of her with such filthy words!”
His face was already bright red from drinking, even before the banquet officially began. His mustache trembled spasmodically.
“Stay silent if you’ve never seen her yourself! The Angel of Brillion is more pure than anyone present here!”
Though a commoner, he was a renowned merchant who supplied goods to the royal household, which earned him repeated invitations to imperial banquets.
He had once offered his entire fortune to a viscount’s family just for the chance to see Celia once—and she had truly been breathtakingly beautiful, like someone not of this world.
Smitten at first sight, he had gone to great lengths to make her his mistress, but the sad truth was that men like him were not few.
When he learned she had entered the Emperor’s chamber, his heart had shattered.
Hearing such words from another’s mouth now filled him with outrage. When Celia was arrested on suspicion of regicide, he had been the first to bribe people and spread rumors that she had been used.
Drunk as he was, he didn’t realize someone had approached from behind. A soft, gentle male voice settled by his ear.
“Have you, a wealthy magnate, actually seen the Angel of Brillion in person?”
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
