Jeremy’s words seemed inconsequential at first, but they were laced with a trap.

If Dietrich agreed that Seliya was as beautiful as the rumors suggested, he would risk implicating himself in the Emperor’s assassination; if he said she wasn’t, Jeremy would go to see Seliya himself to verify the truth.

Dietrich didn’t fall for the wordplay.

“A criminal who attempted to assassinate His Majesty hardly warrants your curiosity. Furthermore…”

“Furthermore? Speak, finish your sentence.”

“What value could the beauty of a mere criminal possibly hold?”

By this point, Jeremy could no longer hide his irritation.

“Your dullness exceeds even my lowest expectations.”

“…”

“Do us both a favor and focus on preparing a grand funeral for His Majesty. No more talk.”

Having said his piece, Jeremy left. The ladies-in-waiting and knights who followed him passed, stealing glances at Dietrich.

Dietrich, who usually wore his uniform, was today clad only in a thin shirt, revealing his well-built upper body.

His well-defined muscles strained against the white shirt, rising and falling with his breath.

The knights looked at Dietrich with eyes filled with a mixture of admiration, envy, and respect. The ladies-in-waiting couldn’t take their eyes off him until they left the corridor.

Dietrich himself paid them no attention and moved to the room connected to his office.

The room was large and spacious but modest, befitting a knight commander who held sway in the royal court. It contained only the essentials: a wardrobe, a bed, a table, and bookshelves.

He always focused his efforts where they mattered, but giving his uniform to Seliya today had been unexpected.

Dietrich furrowed his brows, the earlier scene coming to mind.

For a moment, he felt a pang of sympathy for Seliya, who had looked as startled as a rabbit, her white shoulders exposed.

With her healing abilities that emitted the scent of hyacinths, Seliya would have been fine even without his help.

But why had he intervened and sent the knights into the prison to assist her?

“It was an excellent opportunity to confirm her abilities.”

Was it because he felt momentary pity for her, given her life was limited to about a year?

For a moment, Dietrich felt pathetic for letting sympathy lead him to even give Seliya his uniform.
However, negative thoughts were of no help in life, only detrimental. Dietrich quickly changed his mindset.

‘…There are plenty of opportunities to confirm anyway.’

Dietrich had no intention of killing Seliya. At least not yet.

Her life was his to claim; it was also for him to decide when to take it.

Even if Seliya was fated to die a year later, Dietrich could keep her alive for much longer if necessary.

There was one thing Seliya didn’t know: Dietrich also possessed supernatural abilities.

Dietrich intended to keep the fact that he had such abilities a secret until the moment Seliya died.

If she were to discover that he had these powers, Dietrich planned to kill her without hesitation.

After all, he had spent a very long time preparing to topple the three Dukes who were the leaders of this Avalon. He could not afford any disruptions to his plans.

‘If she turns out to be useless even with her abilities, then she’s expendable.’

Dietrich’s eyes were calm. He decided to immerse himself in cold water to clear his mind. He took off his shirt and started to unbuckle his trousers.

As he removed his cumbersome clothing, his muscular, unadorned body was revealed.

His back was filled with scars from numerous assassination attempts. Some were from poison, others from burns.

Though Dietrich had the power to erase these marks without a trace, he chose not to.

Because his abilities manifested through his bodily fluids, except for his blood.

“It’s about time someone dethroned the emperor. This will save me some effort.”

The man with silver hair said in a velvety voice. With long hair that covered his back and smooth, pale skin, he looked down at the chessboard, one hand cupping his chin.

A clacking sound was heard. It was the sound of him moving the ivory white knight.

“Isn’t that right, Balt?”

Across from him, the man named Balt raised his head. With brown hair and dusky skin, Balt appeared as formidable as a wild beast.

In contrast to the silver-haired man, who exuded a relaxed, priestly demeanor, Balt emanated a primal allure.

Balt looked at the silver-haired man with restless eyes.

“Ileon.”
The silver-haired man called by that name gently closed his eyes. His inscrutable blue irises curved within the depths of his eyelids.

It was a charming smile that never ceased to be praised by nobles. However, regrettably, Balth was not a noble youth but a noble sage.

Furthermore, he was the head of one of the three ducal houses that supported Avalon, the Portman family, and one of only two Swordmasters in the empire.

“Put away that disgusting smile. It makes me want to vomit. Can’t you see I’m focused on chess right now?”

Despite his grand status, his mouth was quite foul.

Male lead is a Divorced Husband

She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”

Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.

After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.

She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.

But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…

Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!

――

This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!

The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.

That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”

Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”

The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”

That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”

Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”

The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.

Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.

“She was originally a ‘she’!”

At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.

The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”

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