At that moment, the High Priest’s eyes widened.
“What does that mean! Stealing power! Even lies have their limits!”
The High Priest, shouting furiously, turned to the Empress with a pale, ashen face.
“Your Majesty! You must not be swayed by the witch’s words! No matter what this woman says…!”
But the Empress’s gaze was colder and more sunken than ever before.
“Edan’s woman?”
Henzela, struck by those words, recalled the pink-haired woman Siela had mentioned.
She had clearly ordered Hillstain to investigate, but no satisfactory answer had come.
If Killian hadn’t interfered with the arranged marriage, she should have known about Edan’s woman long ago.
Henzela scrutinized the High Priest. Seeing his overly quick reaction to the witch’s words and the cold sweat dripping down, it was clear he had been lying to her.
“High Priest, who is Latieana Merigold?”
“Well, that’s…”
“You clearly told me no Great Saintess had appeared. Yet this witch says her power was stolen?”
“…”
In the end, the witch had exposed it! The High Priest, lips tightly shut, glared at Ivy with murderous intent.
That venomous witch! She’s the one who deceived the temple and pretended to be the Great Saintess, so why am I the one bowing my head as if I committed a greater sin! Damn it.
The Empress, coldly staring at the High Priest frozen in place, unable to move, turned her gaze back to Ivy.
Ivy was smiling brightly.
“Now do you understand, Your Majesty? I didn’t do anything wrong. Latieana, that wretch, stole my power and is pretending to be the Great Saintess! I’ve been unjustly imprisoned!”
Ivy’s breathing grew ragged with excitement, her bloodshot eyes spitting out words.
“Then you’re saying you’re not a witch?”
“Of course. I’m not a witch!”
At the icy tone, Ivy stammered slightly.
“If you’re not a witch, then you’re of no use to me. I’ll ask again, are you saying you’re not a witch?”
Ivy’s face, puffed up with a thread of hope, twisted strangely. The Empress’s question, as if hoping Ivy was indeed a witch, felt utterly bizarre.
Ivy let go of the iron bars she was clutching and answered weakly.
“What… what do you want from me?”
It wasn’t a direct answer, but it was as good as admitting she was a witch.
The Empress’s eyes finally curved into a smile. Latieana’s identity could be investigated separately after leaving the prison. The reason Henzela had come to the prison was to use the fact that Ivy was a witch.
“It’s a small matter. Something only a witch like you can do.”
“I’ll do it. If you let me escape this place, I’ll do anything.”
“Ivy Violet.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“When begging for your life, you should bow so low your nose touches the ground, looking at your opponent’s feet.”
For a moment, a cold glint flashed in Ivy’s eyes. But soon, she slowly curled her back and bowed.
‘If I can escape this place, if I can see Latieana, whom I want to kill, just one more time, I’ll do anything.’
Her emaciated body, little more than skin and bones, easily touched the floor.
“Please spare me, Your Majesty. I’ll do whatever you command.”
“Your attitude pleases me. Raise your head and come closer.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Empress covered her mouth with a handkerchief, leaned in close to Ivy, and whispered. The words were so soft that those around could barely hear.
“Can you do as I say?”
The corner of Ivy’s mouth curled up as if amused.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
“Then this will be easy. Do exactly as I command, and I’ll grant you freedom. I’ll erase your past as a witch and even have that ruined skin of yours treated.”
At the sweet temptation, Ivy hurriedly nodded.
The Empress squinted at Ivy.
Even with skin rotting to the point of flesh peeling off, she struggled desperately to survive. It was foolish beyond mocking.
How could that filthy skin be treated? It’d be a miracle if she survived until the task was done. Even if she did, she’d be discarded in the end.
“I’ll do as Your Majesty commands. But there’s something you need to get for me.”
“What is it?”
Ivy grinned slyly.
“Give me a human heart. A sweet, fresh one. For example, the heart of a saintess.”
Edan, who had said he’d check the mirror in the desert cave, immediately set out.
Despite the busy days preparing for the harsh winter about to hit the north, he quickly finished his backlog and headed to the desert.
“It’s scorching hot.”
Edan, crossing the portal, irritably tossed off his robe and furrowed his brow.
“I like it warm.”
The south felt like a completely different country, so much so that he considered sunbathing in the desert when the northern winter got too cold.
Heat shimmered over the sand dunes under the blazing sun.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
Edan gave a slight nod in response to Dante’s welcoming greeting.
Dante turned to me, smiling brightly.
“Welcome, Lady Latieana.”
“Yes, Duke.”
I returned a light smile, just as a clattering sound came from the castle entrance, along with a cute bob haircut bouncing into view.
“Welcome, Prince Edan Dietrich.”
Noah, as if rushing through overdue homework, quickly placed a hand on their chest and bowed. It was hasty but quite polite.
“It’s been a while, Little Duke Noah.”
Edan smirked and returned the greeting, and Noah sharply raised their head.
For a child who had just given a formal greeting, their eyes gleamed sharply, though only for a moment.
“Sister!”
Turning vigorously toward me, Noah erased the slight hostility shown to Edan and smiled brightly.
“Sister! Sister!”
Every time we meet, the charm in that cute voice seems to grow. With chubby cheeks twitching and large golden eyes sparkling, Noah was just too adorable. Noah eagerly reached out to me.
“Yes, Little Duke!”
Recalling the last time we held hands, I naturally reached for Noah’s small hand.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Edan grabbed Noah by the scruff and yanked them back into place.
Noah, briefly floating in the air before landing, blinked in confusion, unable to hide their bewilderment. Meanwhile, Edan pointedly grabbed my hand.
“…!”
Noah’s already large, bright eyes widened as if they might pop out.
“Little Duke.”
“…”
Noah, lips puckered like a duck, didn’t respond, clearly shocked. Their eyes were fixed on Edan’s hand holding mine.
“Noah Ian, Little Duke.”
“…Yes.”
When Edan called out each name deliberately, Noah reluctantly answered. Their puffed-up cheeks were brimming with dissatisfaction.
Edan, finding it amusing, smirked and looked down at Noah.
“I’ll give you some advice that’ll be quite helpful in life.”
“What… is it?”
At Edan’s overly friendly tone, Noah looked up with curious eyes.
Then Edan, like a vile villain, raised one corner of his mouth and let out a mocking chuckle.
“Touch another man’s woman, and you’ll di—”
“Edan!”
Good heavens. Really. They’re just a kid! I hurriedly covered Edan’s mouth with my hand. Edan clicked his tongue lightly.
I know he’s jealous, but this man doesn’t care if it’s a child or an adult!
I quickly pushed Edan’s back toward Dante. After a brief scuffle, Edan finally walked ahead with Dante toward the portal room.
Noah, arms crossed and pouting, glared at Edan’s back.
“Sister, do you really like that scary prince?”
“Yes, I do.”
At my easy reply, Noah’s face crumpled. They looked deeply upset and displeased.
It was so cute that I hesitated, then gently patted Noah’s head, letting a bit of healing energy flow.
I don’t like touching other ability users, but Noah’s ability is almost gone. As if to prove it, Noah didn’t react much to my healing energy. A true ability user would’ve noticed it instantly.
“Little Duke, you don’t need pepper anymore, right?”
“Yes! It’s gotten so much better. Thanks to you, Sister!”
Good. As Dante hoped, Noah’s becoming an ordinary kid. Well, not exactly ordinary—set to become a rich, handsome duke.
Noah handed me a small circular box.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a one-time portal to our ducal castle. If you ever want to escape that scary prince, use it. Got it? I’ll hide you!”
“Thank you.”
I doubt I’ll need it, but Noah’s enthusiastic chest-pounding was so cute that I gave a small smile.
Only Edan and I headed into the cave.
“It’s really not visible.”
Standing before the mirror, Edan tilted his head and stared at it. He tapped the mirror a couple of times.
The sound of hard glass echoed.
“No matter how you look at it, it’s just an ordinary glass mirror.”
Edan furrowed his brow and began walking along the cave wall, carefully inspecting his surroundings.
Meanwhile, standing alone before the mirror, I felt my heart freeze.
The mirror still reflected only me.
After a moment’s hesitation, I touched the mirror’s surface with my fingertips.
At that moment, ripples spread as if I’d touched a water-filled surface.
The mirror had been hard when Edan tapped it.
“…!”
A chill ran down my spine. I didn’t want to easily accept that I might be “that” holy relic. I didn’t want to let go of the hope that it might not be true, so I wanted to check one more time. But the mirror was clearly reacting differently only to me.
I could hardly breathe!
I hurriedly pulled my hand away. And then—
“Latie.”
Edan’s cool voice accompanied his firm grip on my wrist, and our eyes met.
“What was that, just now?”
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.
_____
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