However, the Emperor declared she would not marry. And true to her word, she had children with some nobles but only bestowed royal status to her children, not showing the slightest affection to their fathers.
After giving birth to Princess Louibel, she had not shared a bed with any man.
Therefore, Duke Hamilton had no choice but to abandon his hope of becoming the Emperor’s consort and instead devoted his life to placing Orent on the throne.
He had been one of the most opposed to the Emperor giving the Acestor Great Sword to Louibel at the recent birthday ball.
However, his admiration for the Emperor, dating back to his youth, remained unchanged, which is why he dreaded showing his bald head to her.
“I greet the brightest sun of the Acestor Empire, Your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Yes.”
Emperor Christine responded indifferently, her demeanor showing her lack of interest in a lengthy conversation.
Already displeased with the Duke’s behavior at the ball, she was further annoyed that he had postponed their scheduled audience.
The Duke presented a gift he had prepared in hopes of appeasing the Emperor.
“It’s modest, but I’ve prepared it for Your Majesty.”
Although she had received birthday gifts just two days prior, the Emperor usually did not refuse gifts.
The Emperor’s chief steward accepted the gift on her behalf and opened the box.
And out of it came…
“A horn flute?”
“……!”
Duke Hamilton felt his heart sink.
The gift box, which was supposed to contain ordinary jewelry, now inexplicably held a horn flute.
Putting aside how the gift box got switched, this was the last item he wanted the Emperor to see.
The horn flute, obtained through reliable sources, had the ability to summon weak monsters.
He had used the horn flute to summon monsters in the borderlands, and then had Orent and the knights of the Hamilton family slay them, thereby strengthening Orent’s position.
If the Emperor were to learn of this, not only would Orent’s succession to the throne be jeopardized, but both father and son’s lives would be at risk.
“What’s this?” the Emperor asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement at the rather worn and unimpressive-looking flute.
It seemed odd to present such a thing to the Emperor, but Duke Hamilton couldn’t admit to preparing the wrong gift either. It was, after all, a gift for the Emperor. Admitting a mistake could be construed as disrespecting the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, this is a horn flute carved from the bones of a beast vanquished by Prince Orent.”
Fortunately, Duke Hamilton was quick-witted.
“Your Majesty, as Orent’s mother, would surely appreciate his trophy…”
He blurted out something to avoid the situation.
Indeed, the Emperor’s raised eyebrow returned to its place.
“But if Your Majesty finds it too insignificant, I can prepare a new gift…”
“No,” the Emperor replied briefly and signaled to the chief steward.
“Is there a suitable place to display the Duke’s gift?”
“The third reception room has space,” the steward replied.
“Then have it moved there for safekeeping.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The steward moved Duke Hamilton’s gift elsewhere.
Hamilton, preoccupied with the horn flute, ended his audience with the Emperor without discussing the Acestor Great Sword, his original intent.
‘If the Emperor finds out the true purpose of that horn flute, it will be a disaster.’
The Emperor was a perceptive woman.
She seemed not to have realized the flute’s true nature yet, so Hamilton needed to retrieve it quickly.
After the audience, he immediately sought out Orent.
“We’re in trouble, Orent. The horn flute…”
Orent was equally shocked and stood up abruptly.
“How could you make such a mistake with the item’s handling!”
“This isn’t the time, Orent. We must retrieve the flute before the Emperor discovers its nature.”
Eventually, the father and son embarked on a risky act to retrieve the flute.
They infiltrated the third reception room, accessible only to royals.
The room, officially used by the Emperor for meetings with non-direct royal relatives, had been almost unused for twenty years since her siblings were sent far from the capital. The security was lax.
Orent’s status as a prince helped them infiltrate without much issue.
The gifted horn flute was neatly displayed on a shelf.
They quickly pocketed it and left the room.
It was surprisingly smooth compared to their anxiety.
Just as Duke Hamilton and Orent were catching their breath in the corridor…
Tap, tap.
Footsteps echoed from the opposite direction. More than one person was approaching.
Hamilton and Orent hurriedly tried to turn away.
“Orent brother?”
But it was too late. A stunning woman with cherry blossom-colored hair recognized Orent.
Princess Louibel, and…
“Duke Hamilton? What brings you here?”
It was Emperor Christine.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
