Trampled and Broken (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 27
Hestia stared at him blankly before lowering her gaze.
Her wrist, held firmly by Aslan, caught her eye.
How strange—it felt incredibly reassuring, that strength of his.
“…Of course. I already knew.”
“Then why.”
Aslan urged her reply with a dry, impatient voice.
After a brief pause, Hestia lifted her chin once more and looked up at Aslan, her eyes wide with surprise.
The moment he met that smile—utterly devoid of any hidden intent—Aslan felt his body stiffen like stone.
“It’s just… you were the first person who came to mind.”
She knew it wouldn’t be enough of an answer for Aslan.
But she couldn’t explain it any other way.
Hestia gently twisted her wrist and pulled her hand free from his grasp. Despite the firmness of his hold, the restraint released far too easily.
Leaving behind only that bewildering reply, she turned away from Aslan.
Her expression appeared utterly indifferent—but not his.
He had to suppress a fierce urge to pry open that small head of hers and see exactly what thoughts swirled inside.
“I hope you have a good night. I’ll take my leave now.”
Aslan knew full well it was a futile nighttime farewell.
His mind was already so filled with thoughts of her that he’d toss and turn all night long.
[This is the timeline separator]Hestia returned to the palace before sunrise and spent the day in quiet solitude.
The next day, she requested a private audience with Yorgos.
“What on earth do you need to say that requires us meeting alone?”
Clearly irritated at having his rare moment of rest disturbed, Yorgos’s words came out sharp and prickly.
To avoid further offending her uncle, Hestia began by expressing her gratitude.
“Thank you for making time for me.”
Despite Yorgos’s continued grumbling, Hestia smiled faintly without so much as a frown.
She hadn’t expected much from him anyway, so his attitude caused her no real hurt.
“Your Majesty, I recently received an oracle.”
“…What did you say?”
Yorgos immediately straightened his posture and fixed his gleaming eyes on Hestia.
“Then why hasn’t the temple announced it yet?”
“The content… concerns a deeply personal matter.”
Hestia calmly informed Yorgos that she would die in one year’s time.
“Is that truly the case?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
She nodded with perfect composure. Fortunately, it seemed she could deceive Yorgos just as successfully as she had the archdeacons.
“Huh…”
Yorgos clicked his tongue repeatedly, his expression clearly troubled.
“Well, thank you at least for telling me in advance.”
Her uncle fell silent for a moment.
He simply couldn’t decide what to say—or how—to a niece who already knew the day of her death.
After struggling for some time to find suitable words, he abruptly asked an unrelated question.
“Tell me, Hestia—must you really resign from your position as Saintess?”
His underlying dissatisfaction was evident.
His intention was transparent enough:
Make sure you serve as a bridge between the royal family and the temple right up until your final breath.
Hestia quietly drew in a short breath before replying in a calm tone.
“There’s already a new Saintess at the temple—Anetsa. My absence surely won’t be missed.”
“Hmm.”
“Therefore, I believe it would better preserve the royal family’s dignity if I were to voluntarily step down from the role myself.”
“Well, that does make sense.”
Yorgos roughly stroked his jaw as he grumbled in discontent.
“Those temple folk ought to show a bit more cleverness.”
After clicking his tongue again, he turned his question back to Hestia.
“Alright then—what do you plan to do after leaving the temple?”
“For now, I only wish to spend my remaining days in peace.”
“That wouldn’t be bad at all. How about retiring to the estate you inherited?”
“I’ll consider that as well.”
“Very well. You may go for now. I’ll think it over myself.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After bowing politely, Hestia returned to her room and collapsed into a chair, all strength draining from her body. Tilting her head slightly, her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall under gravity’s pull.
In that state, she took several deep, ragged breaths to steady herself.
Her stamina had vanished almost instantly.
‘It’s time I made a decision.’
Aslan, who had ultimately rejected her proposal, would never change his mind—not even if the world collapsed around him.
She felt powerless, knowing that while her existence might stir his anger, it held no power to reverse his settled decisions.
Hestia swallowed a sigh and tucked her tangled hair behind her ears.
“Who should I marry?”
Her voice was heavy with frustration and exhaustion.
Truthfully, doing nothing would be best.
Yet, to avoid being manipulated by the royal family and the temple in her remaining time, she saw no alternative.
Though she’d boldly declared to Aslan that she’d find another man, she had no real options—no other noble possessed the strength to shield her from both the royal house and the temple.
“In the end, Sir Stephan is most likely the one.”
Anetsa would surely bestow her blessing upon him.
Regardless of her own wishes, the marriage would proceed—and just like in her past life, she’d face betrayal and meet a hollow death on her wedding day.
“If I can’t avoid it, perhaps drawing Sir Stephan to my side wouldn’t be such a bad choice…”
The more she pondered it, the more convinced she became that, in her previous life, some sort of deal must have existed between him and Anetsa.
Perhaps this time, offering Stephan a more tempting prize than Anetsa would be the wiser move.
As she chewed absentmindedly on her lips, a faint metallic taste of blood soon filled her mouth.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
“Come in.”
At her permission, the door opened, revealing Angela’s face peeking through the gap.
“Your Highness, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, Angela. What is it?”
Hestia greeted her maid with a gentle smile, prompting Angela to push the door open wider and step fully inside.
After a brief, respectful bow, Angela spoke in an unusually cautious tone.
“I’m sorry to disturb you while you’re resting, but someone from the temple has arrived. They urgently wish to see you… What should we do?”
“From the temple? Who?”
Hestia’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in confusion.
Ever since Anetsa had taken center stage there, she couldn’t think of anyone at the temple who’d seek her out.
“It’s… Archdeacon Boswa.”
“Oh.”
Hestia slowly closed and reopened her eyes.
Seeing that Hestia showed no sign of welcome—and instead wore a distinctly displeased expression—Angela assumed her mistress wasn’t eager to receive Boswa.
Clasping her hands together, Angela spoke with solemn determination.
“Since he didn’t send word ahead, shall I tell him to return later?”
From Angela’s perspective, the archdeacon was a particularly difficult figure to deal with.
As a mere handmaiden, it would be nearly impossible for her to outright ask him to leave.
“No, it’s fine.”
Hestia quickly shook her head.
Gripping the armrests, she struggled to rise to her feet.
“Is he waiting in the reception room?”
“Yes. But are you sure you’re alright? You look pale.”
“I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong.”
After asking Angela to bring tea, Hestia headed alone to the reception room.
When she entered, Boswa slowly rose from his seat.
“Have you been well, Lady Hestia?”
Boswa greeted her with a smile.
Though seemingly polite, Hestia immediately sensed something subtly off in the atmosphere.
Still, she gave no hint of her awareness and welcomed Boswa in kind.
“Welcome, Archdeacon.”
A moment later, Angela brought in the tea.
After taking a sip, Hestia spoke first.
“Let’s skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point.”
“Heh heh.”
The archdeacon chuckled awkwardly.
Fidgeting with his interlaced fingers, he finally began with difficulty.
“After you moved your residence to the royal palace, Lady Anetsa and I had a long discussion.”
“I see.”
Since she could guess what was coming, Hestia merely offered a quiet smile and kept her eyes fixed on the area near Boswa’s jaw.
The archdeacon cleared his throat twice.
“She said she also received the same oracle as you mentioned.”
Then Boswa let out a series of sighs.
“Goodness… I truly can’t make sense of how things are unfolding.”
Hestia gave no verbal reply, only nodding as she sipped her tea.
Now that the oracle’s authenticity had been verified, the temple could no longer openly ignore her request.
Setting her teacup gently onto the saucer, Hestia finally met Boswa’s gaze directly.
Staring straight into the archdeacon’s eyes, she asked calmly,
“Now that the truth has been confirmed, you can accept my request, correct?”
“That’s precisely the issue, Lady Hestia.”
Boswa lifted the corners of his mouth in an uneasy smile.
“Lady Anetsa has received an additional oracle.”
Hestia drew in a sharp breath.
So, in the end, Anetsa had delivered the means of “marriage.”
“Lady Anetsa pleaded with the gods and discovered a way to extend your lifespan, Lady Hestia.”
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.]
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