The High Priest’s pupils trembled.
His eyes screamed, “What kind of lunatic woman is this?”—but who cares? I’ve been backed into a corner too. Since things have come to this, I might as well throw my weight around a little.
“What—what did you say? Huh! Acting as if you’ve already been officially confirmed as the Grand Holy Maiden…!”
“I really am the one.”
“That…!”
“You heard the conversation between His Highness the Crown Prince and His Grace the Duke.”
His thin, long nose bridge twitched.
“You can bring the artifact right now and verify it if you want. My physical condition isn’t great, so my healing power might be a bit weaker than usual—but I can still demonstrate it clearly enough. My power is incomparably stronger than Ivy’s.”
Faced with my confident attitude, the High Priest frowned as if deep in thought.
He seemed to be recalling the conversation between Killian and Edan. While artifacts play a major role in verifying healing ability, the sensory judgment of other psychics is even more accurate—he couldn’t deny that.
“Hmph! Hmph! I’m not saying you’re not the Grand Holy Maiden—I’m just saying we must verify it first. We must proceed with caution.”
“Understood. I get it. But let me go home today. Stop always taking Crown Prince Killian’s side.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I want to go back today.”
Hah. The High Priest sighed, his white corn-silk beard wriggling along with his lips—so annoying I wanted to yank it out.
“What nonsense is this stubborn refusal? The Empire is in crisis without the Grand Holy Maiden! Precisely now, you must come to the Temple more than ever…!”
“Crisis my ass—I’m telling you, I don’t want to stay right now.”
“What—what did you say…?”
“I’m leaving for today.”
“What is this…!”
Seriously, he just doesn’t get it.
“High Priest.”
I slowly blinked, lowering my voice slightly.
“Ivy told me something.”
“…?”
The High Priest furrowed his brow in confusion, deepening the wrinkles on his face.
“You’ve been manufacturing and selling expensive pills to nobles, right? Even if I overlook the fact that you’re deceiving them by selling ineffective pills as effective ones… I’ll eventually sit in the Grand Holy Maiden’s seat, won’t I? You sure you don’t want my help?”
Of course, claiming I’ll take the Grand Holy Maiden’s seat is a lie—and I actually heard this from Maximum, not Ivy.
“I heard the sums involved are quite large. Are you really okay with losing that revenue stream?”
“Revenue stream? How dare you insult me like that!”
“Insult my ass. What if, after I become Grand Holy Maiden, I tell the nobles, ‘I never made such pills—don’t buy them’?”
“…!”
The High Priest’s eyes widened as if about to split open. Still receiving no answer, I turned away briskly, as if to leave without hesitation.
“Oh. So you don’t need my help after all? Fine. Understood.”
“Ah! No!”
At the High Priest’s desperate cry, I stopped walking, as if reluctantly forced to.
He marched straight up to me. The old man sure had energy.
“What? Do you need my help?”
After several lip twitches, the High Priest finally surrendered.
“Just for today! You must promise me you’ll return!”
“Yes. Of course. I will.”
I grinned sweetly.
The High Priest clearly didn’t like me—but since the Empire’s two greatest psychics were obsessed with me, he had no choice but to acknowledge I was the Grand Holy Maiden.
He also knew about Butterfly Grass, and couldn’t possibly be unaware that Ivy had been constantly searching for me.
He seemed to have roughly guessed what dark magic she’d used against me.
“And about persuading His Highness—what will you do now?”
The High Priest swept his beard once with a haughty expression.
“Not necessarily because of the pills! But since the future Grand Holy Maiden is pleading this earnestly, I’ll exert myself a little on your behalf.”
We concluded our non-conversation and returned to Killian and Edan’s side.
“Hmph! Hmph!”
The High Priest cleared his throat twice, fist pressed to his mouth, then addressed Killian.
“Your Highness, considering the Temple is in turmoil and Holy Maiden candidates may be unsettled, it would be better to send Miss Latieana home for today.”
After speaking, the High Priest glanced at me and gave a subtle nod. At this point, I was genuinely curious how much money he’d made exploiting Ivy. His sudden change of stance was no joke—I’d have to dig into his affairs later.
“Who said we needed the High Priest’s permission? Latieana isn’t leaving here.”
“Yes, of course… what?”
“If I say no, then no.”
“What! How can you…!”
Power? What power? All bluster and noise, yet utterly useless at the critical moment. I shot the High Priest a sharp glare.
Loud voice alone won’t help!
Though the High Priest quieted down, Killian clearly had no intention of yielding.
“I’ll say it again—give up on Latieana Merigold. If you do, I might forgive and release you.”
At Killian’s command, Edan let out a cold chuckle.
“I’ve already said it. I can’t leave without Latieana.”
“So you’ll ultimately raise your sword against the royal family?”
“Yes. I have no limits.”
At Edan’s firm reply, Killian’s lips hardened into a tight line. Edan tightened his grip on his sword—and
“No!”
Just as the atmosphere threatened to erupt into violence, I stepped between them and shouted—
“Of course not. It’s unacceptable.”
A familiar figure appeared, striding across the garden.
We all turned to look at him simultaneously.
“H-Hillstain Sir?”
“Hello, Miss Latieana.”
Hillstain grinned, his fox-like eyes curving upward.
With his red cloak fluttering, Hillstain walked leisurely through the chaotic garden, approached me without hesitation, and bowed respectfully.
“A hand kiss? Probably not appropriate, right?”
I shook my head vigorously. No way.
Hillstain gave a small, knowing nod and straightened his posture.
“Sir, what’s going on?”
At Killian’s question, Hillstain swept his gaze around the area, then fixed it on the corner where the mages had been dragged.
“I heard two royal mages disappeared, so I followed them here—only to find quite an entertaining scene unfolding. It’s been a while since I’ve seen both of you standing side by side.”
His eyes sparkled upon spotting the royal mages, while Killian’s brow twisted fiercely.
“The mages’ matter is resolved. Leave now.”
“No. That’s impossible.”
After glancing briefly at Edan, Hillstain walked over and stood beside me.
Opposite Killian—as if deliberately taking my side.
“Your Highness, have you only just realized?”
This guy’s truly insane. He casually tossed out a taunting remark directly at Killian, the Crown Prince.
Killian lowered his eyes, as if accustomed to Hillstain’s attitude.
“So you knew. That’s why you’ve been indifferent to Ivy lately.”
“Yes. Whatever.”
Killian smiled slyly.
“Gentlemen, why not just let her go for today?”
“Did I ask for your opinion, Sir?”
“I’m merely a loyal subject. It’s advice. I’d be delighted if she were officially appointed Grand Holy Maiden and came to the Temple—but the witch who enjoyed pleasure within the Temple is very different from Miss Latieana, isn’t she?”
Hillstain’s gaze landed on me. His cold, serpentine eyes swept over me from head to toe, sending chills down my spine.
“Miss Latieana isn’t the type to enjoy such things. Well, my skills are admittedly exceptional—if given enough time, I could make her lose herself completely in me. But I dislike sharing her with other psychic knights.”
Is he seriously on my side—or against me?
I silently mouthed at Hillstain, syllable by syllable:
“Do you want me to take your pepper away?”
Biting my lower lip and glaring at him, Hillstain merely shrugged playfully and withdrew his perverted gaze.
“So let’s compromise here. Many eyes are watching, and if it’s revealed that mages tampered with the wall, wouldn’t even Your Highness find it awkward? It’s not something easily dismissed as a mistake or prank by the future Emperor.”
Finally, Hillstain turned his gaze toward Edan.
“Moreover, if Your Grace becomes a traitor, we’ll also be inconvenienced—there’ll be no one left to defend the North. If you yield here today, I’ll keep secret the matter of the mage who broke the wall. Otherwise, even as Crown Prince, I’ll investigate this thoroughly. I have my duties too.”
Hillstain kept grinning until, after a moment, Edan was the first to drop his sword to the ground—and Killian turned away with a face frozen in cold anger.
“I didn’t do this for Your Grace, so no need to thank me.”
“Shut up before I rip your mouth open.”
“Yes, yes. Of course.”
Edan coldly snapped back at the grinning Hillstain, then turned away.
He grabbed my shoulder, slipped an arm behind my knees, and lifted me princess-style.
At his nod, his Northern subordinates dashed over on cue, and a portal opened.
As Edan and I prepared to step through, Hillstain called out:
“Miss Latieana, you’ll give me that pepper, right?”
That fox of a man.
Though I didn’t particularly like it, I nodded. After all, thanks to Hillstain, the situation had been resolved.
[This is the timeline separator]Northern Region, the highest floor of Duke Edan’s castle—the bedroom he’d almost never used since taking residence in the fortress.
I followed an elderly maidservant inside.
“Please wear this. The size is a bit large, but it shouldn’t be uncomfortable. The bathwater is prepared—feel free to use it.”
“Thank you.”
The maidservant showed me the bathroom location and where spare clothes were kept, then left.
I headed straight to the adjoining bathroom.
In the bright light, my injuries looked even worse. Arms, legs, shoulders, and back—the place most severely wounded was my back, probably because I’d curled up while Ivy beat me.
Red spots looked like clotted blood, and purple bruises were as unpleasant to see as they were painful.
Will all these wounds really disappear? Sighing, I washed up and waited for Edan.
He said he’d be back soon—right?
There were things I wanted to say, things I wanted to do for him.
Dressed in a loose cotton slip that slid off my shoulders due to its oversized fit, I stared out the window.
Pitch-black night sky, making the stars shine even brighter. Northern nights were beautiful.
The dawn was so quiet and peaceful, it felt as if everything that had happened today was a lie.
Hugging my aching body with both arms, I blankly gazed outside—when the door opened.
“Latie.”
I spun around—Edan stood there, wearing only a hastily changed tunic.
“Edan!”
I flung my arms wide and rushed to embrace him tightly. But Edan didn’t move an inch. Sensing something odd, I looked up—he was frowning with one eye.
“Why are you dressed like that?”
This sounds familiar—haven’t I heard this before?
“Oh, the clothes are a bit big. My shoulders keep slipping out…”
“Perfect. Take it off.”
What?
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
