The only duke of the empire, the lord of the North, which constitutes half of the territory of the kingdom of Elsword. Despite his noble status, Aslan was more commonly referred to as a “barbarian” behind his back.
There was no issue with his birth or lineage. If anything, it was because he lived in the ‘outside’ of Elsword’s convention, slaughtering demons on behalf of the people of the South and facing the winter.
Of course, no one thanked him for his sacrifices, at least as far as Hestia knew.
‘Why did he come?’
〈May you live your life in misery, as much as the despair you inflicted on me.〉
His sharp words from their last proper conversation were still vivid in her mind.
‘Didn’t he hate me?’
That’s why she deliberately didn’t send him an invitation.
‘His expression doesn’t seem like he’s here to congratulate me.’
The reason for Aslan Kalati’s attendance at her wedding was baffling to Hestia.
Swallowing a sigh, she forcibly averted her eyes from him. The focus right now should not be on this man but on another.
Stefan Chiretto, who had not yet arrived at the venue, her soon-to-be husband.
‘When will Stefan arrive?’
She dared not even harbor the thought of wanting him to arrive soon. This marriage was, after all, a union where Hestia had no choice but to rely on Stefan’s sacrifice.
Therefore, people loudly praised Stefan’s courage for Hestia’s sake.
As these thoughts continued, Aslan still looked at her.
Feeling her cheeks burn, she lightly sighed, prompting Angela to glance in Aslan’s direction and whisper.
“Princess, should I have the guards throw him out?”
Hestia shook her head.
“No, that’s not necessary. He must be busy; he’s come all this way to congratulate us.”
Angela responded in a grumbling voice.
“You say that because you can’t see properly under that veil. Ask anyone, that is not the face of someone who has come to congratulate.”
“You do exaggerate.”
Hestia laughed off the reply and glanced sideways.
A hourglass caught her eye. The sand inside was the same purple as her eyes.
‘Not much time left.’
The sand remaining at the top was now less than a trimmed fingernail.
Watching it, Hestia felt her heart constrict.
‘There’s only about 20-30 minutes left.’
Within that time, Stefan had to arrive and complete the marriage for her to survive.
The situation was so tight that most of the planned ceremony might have to be skipped, jumping straight to the vows.
Was it the tension? Hestia felt a churning in her stomach, a burning deep within.
‘What if he doesn’t come…?’
Just thinking about it made her mouth dry.
As Stefan continued to be absent, the guests started to sense something was amiss and began to murmur.
“A wedding where the bride waits for the groom first, unheard of.”
“It can’t be helped. The princess is the one in a hurry.”
“Shh! Keep it down. She’ll hear.”
Despite their caution, they couldn’t stop talking.
“Why isn’t Stefan coming? Could the ceremony be delayed?”
“If he doesn’t come, it’s over.”
“Really? Is that true?”
“Would a false oracle have been given?”
A year ago, through Annetta, the deity declared it would take the life of Hestia, the ‘misguided being’.
However, after Annetta’s fervent prayers, a way was discovered for Hestia to live.
She had to marry a partner and live according to his life’s span.
It meant if Hestia’s partner died, she would also lose her life.
‘Is it really alright to live this way? Won’t my life feel parasitic to Stefan?’
She briefly held her breath to hide her bitterness.
That’s when it happened.
Bang! The door of the chapel burst open.
Naturally, everyone’s eyes turned to the source of the loud noise.
But the figure that appeared was not the awaited Stefan Chiretto, but a messenger.
Breathing heavily from running, the messenger seemed agitated.
Hestia’s uncle and the king of Elsword, Yorgos, stood up abruptly.
He angrily shouted at the messenger, “What is this commotion on such an auspicious day?”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. But there is an urgent matter I must report.”
“Speak.”
“Lord Chiretto has…”
Just hearing that much, it wasn’t hard to imagine what was to follow.
Hestia closed her eyes tightly.
And despite already sensing it, she hoped. Hoped it was an accident.
Please. Please. Please.
But as always, the deity did not heed Hestia’s desperate prayers.
“Lord Chiretto has declared annulment!”
Gasps of shock came from everyone present.
Their eyes, like arrows, simultaneously fixated on Hestia.
Expected to be the most shocked, Hestia remained calm.
Instead, Yorgos erupted in anger.
“What do you mean by that!”
The messenger, unable to raise his head, nervously continued.
“Lord Chiretto has been in turmoil. Wondering what truly is the will of the deity.”
“And then!”
“On his way to the ceremony, Lord Chiretto encountered Saint Annetta leaving the temple, and then he finally realized his calling.”
Hestia let out a bitter laugh.
Having experienced similar events over the past year, she could guess the rest without hearing more.
“Lord Chiretto followed her and knelt before her, swearing to become her faithful disciple.”
Everyone sighed deeply at the messenger’s words.
King Yorgos, having barely opened his eyes, asked furiously.
“And Saint Annetta just let that happen?”
“There was no time for her to dissuade him.”
“Ah! How preposterous!”
Yorgos, red-faced with anger, cursed before issuing a new command.
“He hasn’t been officially listed in the sacred register, so it’s invalid! Therefore, captain of the guards, take your men and bring him here immediately!”
The guards hurried into action at Yorgos’s order.
“Oh, how pitiable.”
The murmuring grew louder.
But Hestia remained motionless, just hollowly smiling.
‘Right… You were never on my side.’
She gazed resignedly at one side of the chapel.
The massive statue of the deity El Rapha seemed to loom over her.
‘Is Annetta your only faithful servant? Was my time with you truly unnecessary?’
Knowing well that no answer would come, she let her gaze fall.
Quietly, she stood up.
‘It’s better to leave.’
She didn’t want to face her end in front of so many people.
As she moved to go into the inner chamber.
Suddenly, without warning, a dark red blood burst forth from Hestia’s lips.
“My goodness! Princess!” Angela exclaimed, her voice filled with alarm.
“I’m fine… ugh.” Hestia tried to reassure her, but she couldn’t finish her sentence. Another wave of nausea hit, and more blood spilled forth.
Her pristine white wedding dress was quickly stained with blood. The support holding her up crumbled.
Her body collapsed.
As she saw the last grain of violet sand drop in the hourglass, she realized, ‘This is the end.’
Thud! Her body hit the cold floor of the chapel.
“Ah! Princess!”
“Hestia! Hestia, come to your senses!”
“Sister!”
The hemorrhaging didn’t stop, even as she lay collapsed.
With each breath, she continued to cough up blood.
‘Everything’s spinning…’ She felt increasingly lightheaded due to the lack of air. Her vision started to blur.
People gathered around her, forming a circle.
“Sister! Can you hear me?” The High Priestess tried to send sacred energy her way, but Hestia’s body couldn’t absorb it.
Hestia knew better than anyone else that it was futile. But she no longer had the strength to tell them to stop.
As foretold by Annetta’s oracle, Hestia’s allotted time in this world was rapidly coming to an end.
As the blood she could vomit out dwindled, so did her breathing.
“Make way.”
Suddenly, Aslan Kalati, the man she never invited, pushed through the crowd to her side.
He knelt on the blood-soaked ground and lifted her into his arms.
“Princess. Open your eyes, now.”
Aslan’s voice was fierce.
‘But strangely…’
It didn’t feel entirely harsh.
It seemed more like the cry of a wounded beast.
In her last moments, Hestia forced her eyelids open and thought, ‘Am I going mad at death’s door?’
‘Why are you making that face?’
His expression seemed both furious and holding back tears.
‘You always wished for my death.’
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.]
