“Um, well…”
“Everyone in this empire, including myself, calls such an act ‘theft’.”
Oliver sarcastically said this as he reached into Baron Billius’s pocket.
Finding a sparkling diamond there, Oliver glared at the baron with cold eyes and shouted.
“Arrest this man immediately.”
“Yes, Deputy Commander!”
At his order, knights rushed over and restrained Baron Billius.
“This, this is a misunderstanding! I’m being wronged! I didn’t steal anything! Believe me!”
The baron cried out desperately, but it was useless. He was soon dragged out of the ship by the knights.
Sir Oliver took a handful of grain that had spilled from the sack the baron had torn earlier and scattered it on his palm. Then, among the handful of grain, dozens of sparkling diamonds glittered brilliantly under the candlelight. Oliver swept them up, pushed them back into the torn grain sack, and then said to Roger standing beside him.
“Sir Roger, report this fact to the Duke immediately. Also send letters to the Imperial Court and Duke Klein. So that a trial can be held as soon as tomorrow. However, don’t inform the judge and the Duke that we found the jewels.”
“Yes, Deputy Commander. I’ll send a messenger right away.”
Roger bowed and went outside.
[This is the timeline separator]Last night, an incident occurred where a quarantine officer was caught by Haven Duke’s White Knight Order trying to steal grain loaded on Duke Klein’s ship at Callis Port.
When the news spread, the social circles of the imperial capital were turned upside down. To think that a quarantine officer directly appointed by Empress Maria was caught stealing grain from Duke Klein, the father of Crown Princess Meredith, the emperor’s daughter-in-law. It was an unprecedented scandal for the imperial family.
Upon hearing this news from a baron of the Privy Council, the empress immediately held a secret trial, and Duke Klein, the victim, was summoned to the courtroom.
The empress, blue with anger, harshly shouted at the criminal, Baron Billius, kneeling before her.
“There’s a limit to insulting the imperial family and me! How could you do this!”
“I… I have committed a crime punishable by death, Your Majesty.”
“Because of the baron, everyone in the social circles of this continent is mocking and pointing fingers at me, calling me ‘the miserly empress who doesn’t even pay enough salary for her directly appointed officials to buy grain’! Because of you, the honor of myself and this imperial family has hit rock bottom! How will you take responsibility for this!”
She kept slamming her palm on the armrest of the imperial throne, venting her anger.
Still seething with unabated anger, the empress turned her head to look at Duke Klein, the victim of this incident, and said.
“I’m sorry, Duke. It seems I’ve made a grave error in judging people.”
“Not at all, Your Majesty. How could this be Your Majesty’s fault? It’s all my negligence for not keeping a close eye on the administrator’s actions.”
The elderly Duke Klein, with his white hair neatly swept back, replied in a kind voice. At this, malice crept into the eyes of Baron Billius, who had his head bowed. The baron cried out as if possessed by evil.
“Your Majesty! You mustn’t believe everything the duke says! I may be a criminal, but the duke is no less of a criminal who has deceived Your Majesty and the imperial family!”
“Oh my! Has this man truly gone mad! How dare he utter such nonsense before the great Empress!”
Duke Klein shouted, glaring at him fiercely. Empress Maria looked down at Baron Billius with a cold gaze and said to the imperial guards standing nearby.
“He seems to be a man who knows no remorse until the end. Sir Angelica, Sir Luzier. Take this man to the underground prison immediately. We shall decide on his punishment through a trial later.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The imperial guards grabbed both arms of Baron Billius. He twisted his entire body and screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Your Majesty! Please listen to me! I’ll reveal everything! Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
“Tsk, what are you doing! Take him away immediately!”
“Please wait a moment, Your Majesty.”
It was at that moment when the empress was issuing orders again in an irritated voice. The doors of the hall opened, and Duke Haven, dressed in the uniform of the White Knight Order, entered.
The empress’s hardened expression softened a little at the appearance of her beloved grandson. She looked down with an affectionate gaze at Duke Haven, who was bowing respectfully on one knee before her, and said.
“Duke Haven, welcome.”
“I apologize for being late, Your Majesty. I was delayed in securing evidence to reveal the truth of this incident to Your Majesty.”
“The truth? What do you mean, Duke? The baron’s crime has been clearly revealed.”
She said, tilting her head. Then Duke Haven replied in a meaningful voice.
“If I may be so bold, Your Majesty. What I’m about to reveal is not the crime of Baron Billius.”
“What on earth do you mean, Duke.”
“Come in.”
The empress asked. Instead of answering her words, the duke turned around and shouted.
Then the door opened, and a servant carrying a large sack of grain entered nervously. Seeing him, Duke Klein’s face turned pale. The duke hurriedly shouted towards the empress.
“Your, Your Majesty! Baron Billius’s crime has already been clearly revealed! So there’s no need to listen to anyone else’s testimony…!”
Duke Haven, as if mocking the duke, cut off his words and asked the servant.
“You worked at Duke Klein’s mansion until a few days ago, right? What specific tasks did you do for the duke?”
“I… I was in charge of delivering letters or gold coins when the duke gave them to me.”
“Is that so? Who did the duke tell you to hand over those gold coins to?”
To the duke’s question, the servant answered while looking around nervously.
“He told me to deliver them to Baron Billius. He said it was in exchange for exempting the in, inspection of goods brought in from Roche Island to Callis Port.”
Hearing the servant’s words, a slight smile appeared on the duke’s lips. The duke shouted with a pale face.
“Nonsense! When did I ever say such a thing to you!”
“… So, does that mean you said it to someone else?”
The duke asked, as if catching his words. Duke Klein gasped hurriedly. The empress looked down at the duke with a hardened face and said.
“Duke Klein gave money to Baron Billius in exchange for exempting inspections? Why on earth?”
“That’s because Duke Klein didn’t just bring grain from the island.”
“What? Not just grain?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The duke nodded slightly in response to the empress’s question.
Then he took the sack of grain that the servant was holding and turned it upside down.
“This is!”
Then, from the gaping mouth of the grain sack, countless grains fell along with hundreds of sparkling diamonds.
At this sight, the empress slammed both hands on the armrests and stood up abruptly. Soon she shouted.
“What is the meaning of this, Duke Haven!”
Duke Haven calmly explained the details of this incident. As his explanation continued, anger towards the duke filled the empress’s once kind face.
Finally, when the duke finished his explanation, the enraged empress glared at the duke, whose face had turned deathly pale, and shouted.
“Ha! Now I see that I’ve been keeping not one, but two petty thieves by my side! Duke Klein, how dare you do such a thing!”
“Your, Your Majesty! Please forgive me! I have committed a crime punishable by death! I, I will pay the taxes immediately, even today, so please…!”
“Silence! You dare to insult me, deceive my customs, and now you try to make amends for your wrongdoing? It’s already too late!”
“Your Majesty!”
“Imperial guards! Take Duke Klein to the west tower immediately! I will personally question him about his other crimes!”
At the empress’s order, an imperial guard grabbed both arms of Duke Klein, who had frozen in shock. The duke was dragged away by the guards, still looking dazed as if he couldn’t grasp the situation. She collapsed onto the imperial throne, unable to calm her excitement, breathing heavily. The duke approached her side with a worried expression.
“Are you alright, Your Majesty?”
“…I’m fine. I’ve shown an embarrassing sight, Elliot.”
“Not at all.”
“You must have gone through a lot of trouble to uncover this incident. Once his tax evasion charges are officially confirmed, I will give you a great reward.”
The empress gently patted the duke’s hand. The duke bowed respectfully.
News spread in social circles that Duke Klein had been imprisoned in the west tower on charges of tax evasion.
Upon hearing this rumor, I visited the duke’s mansion, avoiding the eyes of the people at the Yusten mansion. Waiting for him in the reception room, as soon as the door opened and Elliot appeared, I said to the duke.
“You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you, Duke? As promised, I’ve come to receive half of the reward.”
“…Ha.”
The duke let out a short laugh, then pulled out the check he had brought and handed it to me.
I neatly folded it in half and pushed it into my glove, then said.
“I’m glad you’re a man who keeps his promises well, Duke. I was worried you might forget my contribution and claim all the credit for yourself.”
“I don’t have the talent to cleverly scheme and backstab or deceive others like some people.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Duke.”
I just smiled quietly instead of answering. The duke’s expression twisted strangely as he looked at me. I changed the subject and said.
“By the way, you must have already heard the rumors. That Duke Klein has promised to offer an enormous amount of money to appease Her Majesty’s wrath.”
“…I know. I hear it’s more than three times the amount of tax he should have paid if he had imported those diamonds officially without smuggling.”
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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