A letter had arrived from Empress Venica just as full winter had settled over the capital. It said that since preparations for the wedding dress fitting were complete, it would be nice if she came to the imperial palace.
“Edan, is your schedule free?”
“Yeah.”
At Latieana’s single sentence, Edan willingly postponed all his appointments and headed to the imperial palace.
And not long after, Edan found himself trapped on the sofa in the Empress’s dressing room.
“This is the fifth dress.”
As the maid spoke, Latieana appeared, clad in a pure white gown. The dress, sleeveless and barely covering her chest, left her collarbones and arms fully exposed; her snow-white skin shimmered even more vividly thanks to the diamond-dusted bodice. Moreover, the voluminous, billowing white skirt accentuated her slender waist—her most striking feature. Objectively speaking, among all the dresses she had tried on so far, this one suited her best.
“How about this one?”
Latieana twirled once in place, lifting her long hair with one hand as she asked. Though his eyes briefly narrowed at the sight of her wing-like shoulder blades, Edan obediently nodded.
“Beautiful.”
It was an effortless reply, yet utterly sincere. Of course, they had been choosing her wedding dress for three hours now, but he hadn’t answered quickly out of any desire to escape the situation. He swore—it was genuinely entertaining to watch Latieana change dresses like a doll, beam at him adorably, and proudly show off each one.
“Really? Then why that expression?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
It was just that he was slightly bothered by how much skin was showing. Still, Edan maintained a calm smile and continued with the words she wanted to hear.
“You’re beautiful no matter what you wear.”
Even though he told her she was beautiful until it became routine, Latieana’s face still flushed crimson every time—just like now—like a perfectly ripened fruit.
Shouldn’t she be getting used to it by now?
But considering she only reacted this way around other people, never when they were alone, Latieana apparently felt shy under the gaze of others.
She remained utterly unpredictable. One moment she acted recklessly, as if ready to bite if touched; the next, she blushed over something as trivial as this. Today, with several unfamiliar imperial maids hovering around, she seemed even more self-conscious.
Which only made her cuter.
Edan subtly lifted the corner of his lips.
Latieana stared at the large mirror against the dressing room wall, scrutinizing her reflection from every angle. Meanwhile, the Empress, who had briefly stepped out, reentered the room.
“Oh my! Princess! This dress looks absolutely stunning on you!”
Venica, who had grown very close to Latieana over the past few weeks, squealed with praise. Latieana’s reaction grew even more animated in response.
“Do you think so? I feel like my shoulders are showing too much…”
Edan silently agreed with that remark—but kept it to himself. More precisely, he’d been about to say something, but Venica cut him off.
“Nonsense! Exposed shoulders make you look even more alluring! Honestly, this is the best one you’ve tried on so far.”
“Actually, I like this one the most too. Above all, it’s light.”
“Since the wedding’s in spring, light is best. Goodness, you’re just too beautiful.”
At Venica’s continued compliments, Latieana beamed brightly.
What? Does she look happier hearing it from Venica than from me?
Edan clicked his tongue silently and felt a tiny twinge of regret.
If I was going to shower her with “you’re beautiful” anyway, maybe I should’ve clapped too.
As he was thinking this, a weary-looking designer with a pen tucked behind her ear stepped forward to explain.
“Your Highness, your neck is long and your skin is so flawless and fair—the shoulder-baring design suits you exceptionally well. I’d personally recommend this dress too.”
“Absolutely. I agree completely. You look so beautiful!”
While observing the trio’s enthusiastic fuss, Venica suddenly turned to Edan.
“And what about you, Duke? What do you think?”
“Yes. Beautiful.”
Once again, Edan answered promptly. Venica let out a soft chuckle.
“Duke, do you realize you’ve been saying the same thing for hours?”
“…”
The Empress let the comment hang there. Humming a light tune, she turned her attention back to Latieana.
What’s the problem? I just said she’s beautiful because she is. Truthfully, he hadn’t planned to throw around “beautiful” so casually.
During the time Latieana had been gone, Edan had done a lot of thinking.
If you ever come back alive, I won’t hesitate—I’ll give you everything. I’ll tell you you’re beautiful, I’ll tell you I love you, without holding back.
Even if people around me start calling me crazy. And just now, Venica’s glance had seemed to hint at exactly that.
It was expected, so he didn’t care.
Should I have been more passionately honest? But personally speaking, from the very first dress to this one just now, Latieana had looked equally beautiful in all of them.
“Shall we try on the next one?”
At the designer’s cue, Venica and Latieana disappeared behind the curtain. Giggles and chatter drifted out from behind it.
Edan glanced once at his watch, then impassively set his lips. With Latieana out of sight, there was no need to force a smile.
He lowered his gaze to the table before him. Several sheets of paper with dress sketches lay scattered across it.
Crossing one leg, he leaned back lazily against the sofa armrest and picked up three or four sheets.
Among them were sketches of dresses Latieana had worn earlier. Flipping further, he saw several designs with buttons running all the way up to the neckline.
Only then did his brow furrow slightly.
Why do all the ones she actually tries on show so much cleavage? These alternatives exist, yet they keep bringing out the revealing ones. Annoying.
Annoyed, Edan seriously contemplated the dress designs—then abruptly set the papers down.
Why was he so bothered? Because Latieana had never worn dresses like these before.
At the fortress, she always wore modest dresses that covered her shoulders appropriately. True, since moving north, her wardrobe had grown more elaborate—but never had she worn anything as revealing as today’s dress. That was because the dresses Edan had given her were designed for autumn and winter, suited to the region’s low temperatures.
Is it normal for wedding dresses to be cut this low?
Frowning deeper, Edan recalled Venica’s wedding dress from Killian’s ceremony a year ago.
He’d never cared one bit about other women’s attire—but since she was his brother’s wife, he’d watched her for quite a while. Remembering her dress now, Edan’s expression twisted further.
Wait—that’s not right.
Venica’s wedding dress had buttons fastened all the way to the neck. Moreover, she’d worn a long cloak trimmed with white fur, concealing her figure entirely.
What’s going on?
His brother had mentioned something about maintaining imperial dignity—but Edan couldn’t quite recall the exact reason, nor did he particularly care. Regardless, it had been drastically different from Latieana’s dresses. Then it struck him—he remembered a few dresses he himself had gifted her. Not as extreme as this, but still fairly revealing around the chest.
“…When I get back, I’ll have them all burned.”
Just as he reached that conclusion, the curtain opened again.
“The sixth dress.”
Latieana emerged wearing a soft pink gown that complemented her hair color beautifully. Reflexively smiling even before she asked, Edan spoke first.
“Beautiful.”
“What? Everything’s beautiful to you.”
Apparently, after so many repetitions, even “beautiful” had lost its credibility.
But what could he do? She really was beautiful.
Of course, internally, his mind was still screaming that other designs would’ve been better—but he suppressed it. The wedding would last only a day, a few hours at most.
“Wear whatever you want. You’re beautiful in anything.”
That was a well-intentioned lie.
If he were being brutally honest, the most beautiful moment of Latieana’s life was when she wore absolutely nothing.
But saying something like that aloud wouldn’t just make him seem crazy—it’d brand him a pervert. So he held his tongue.
Never mind the pervert label—the fact that only he knew that truth, and that only he could witness her like that, was his exclusive privilege.
***
And then spring arrived.
The moment the unusually harsh winter ended, the Season of Great Blessing began, and wedding preparations commenced immediately from March onward.
The ceremony was planned to be held outdoors at the White Fortress, with only the closest guests invited.
The magical floral decorations that once adorned the fortress had long since been completely removed. The freshly cleared outer walls and the sprawling garden, now sprouting fresh green shoots, were being transformed entirely into wedding-appropriate landscaping.
With a dozen or so gardeners swarming the grounds, the fortress garden rapidly filled with beautiful blossoms—especially cherry trees.
The cherry trees, transplanted root-and-all from a foreign land, were said to be uncertain whether they’d bloom this year. But the trees’ vitality proved remarkable—they were already laden with countless buds.
“Duke, it seems the wedding will take place at the very peak of the flowers’ beauty.”
“Is that so. Ensure the rest of the preparations proceed flawlessly.”
Though Edan merely nodded without visible reaction upon hearing the report, inwardly, he was deeply satisfied.
The wedding was scheduled for early April.
It would be the season when the beautiful cherry blossoms—perfectly matching the color of Latieana’s hair—would be at their most splendidly in full bloom.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
