To drop one’s nose in the rice that’s already cooked.
Leoprick thought this as he galloped his horse towards Weins Castle.
Really, really, the goal was right before his eyes.
Eradicating the illegal gambling den itself was important, but eight-tenths of the reason for proceeding with this task, even disrupting his honeymoon schedule, was undoubtedly because of Isolde’s Tear.
Because of that jewel, which is a treasure of the imperial family and symbolizes abundance and prosperity, even signifying the qualities of emperors and empresses throughout history.
It was just a few months ago that Isolde’s Tear, which had been safely kept until now without any problems, suddenly disappeared from the imperial family’s treasure vault.
The empress visited the imperial treasure vault to wear it for the imperial banquet, and there she discovered that Isolde’s Tear was missing.
The treasure vault was absolutely off-limits to anyone who wasn’t a member of the imperial family or someone with a permit issued by a member.
To think that the country’s treasure would disappear from such a place.
His mother, the empress, immediately ran to the emperor and secretly reported that the treasure had disappeared.
His father, the emperor, while comforting his mother, issued a gag order to all those who spoke about Isolde’s Tear after the imperial banquet.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, they had been secretly searching for the whereabouts of Isolde’s Tear for months.
He was delighted that he could finally place the jewel in his mother’s hands, who had been grieving over it.
“The lord of the castle is waiting.”
As soon as he arrived at Weins Castle, Leoprick was immediately guided to the lord’s office.
And there, he faced the gloomy-looking lord of Weins, several knights, and his escort, Daeon.
Despite carrying out most of the tasks assigned to him, they all wore heavy expressions due to the guilt of not securing Isolde’s Tear, the one thing they failed to do.
This wasn’t why he had come all this way.
Leoprick entered, slightly furrowing his brow.
As the door closed and everyone began to bow to him, he gestured for them to stop and sat down in the empty seat.
“What happened here? How is it that you failed to secure only the last jewel?”
“We apologize, Your Highness. We’re certain we confiscated and brought all the items that were in the auction house, but just that one item is nowhere to be found…”
The lord of Weins replied with a gloomy expression to Leoprick’s calm question.
They certainly swept up everything, but when they arrived, it wasn’t there.
He leaned back in his chair, lost in thought for a moment.
“Is there a possibility someone pocketed it in transit?”
“No, sir. The people who transported the items have all worked at the castle for a long time, and Sir Daeon was with them as well.”
“Are you certain?”
“It’s true. Even if someone had harbored suspicious intentions, how could they have known about today’s unplanned event to position themselves?”
Leoprick nodded silently at the lord’s words.
The matter of the auction house and the jewel wasn’t something prepared months in advance, but an event that occurred in the day or two since he arrived with Amelia.
The lord’s words did have a point.
Especially since the order to raid the auction house and take all the items wasn’t a planned event.
Then, who, and how?
“What’s the likelihood that Isolde’s Tear wasn’t among the items brought back from the start?”
“…From the start, you say? But they clearly said they collected all the items!”
“Who said that?”
The lord’s face showed a hint of indignation at Leoprick’s words.
Saying that the people he worked with weren’t ones to be suspicious of.
Even Daeon Hendrick, whom he had sent personally, was too upright a person to betray him.
Then, isn’t it correct to say it wasn’t there from the very beginning?
When Leoprick asked again, the lord fell silent.
Seeing his face, mouth agape, Leoprick turned his gaze to Daeon.
Daeon, too, wore a surprised expression.
“It’s true that I participated in the search operation. All those present were knights of Weins Castle, and after checking multiple times, several people confirmed that nothing was left behind…”
It had been a while since he had seen the usually meticulous Daeon Hendrick looking so flustered.
But Leoprick didn’t have the luxury to appreciate this new side of his long-time subordinate right now.
It wasn’t bad to trust the words of those who went in together, but as Daeon said, it was difficult to fully believe it just because everyone repeated the same thing.
“Everyone who moved with you was in plain clothes, but did you think they were all knights just because they wore plain clothes and carried swords?”
“…It was my oversight. I didn’t have enough time to memorize all the knights’ faces, so I assumed everyone moving together was a knight. I deserve punishment for handling such an important matter so carelessly.”
When Leoprick pointed out the possibility that everyone present at the time might have been mistaken, Daeon rose from his seat and knelt on the floor with a thud.
Such an upright character, as always.
Whether others were surprised to see it or not, Daeon lowered his body as if he was about to press his forehead to the floor.
Leoprick clicked his tongue softly.
“Stand up. You’re not the only one who made a mistake.”
“But Your Highness. I was the one who received the order, so I should have been more careful. Ruining the task with such careless thinking deserves a hundred punishments.”
“We don’t have time to waste punishing you now, so get up quickly. If punishment is necessary, we’ll discuss it again after this matter is resolved.”
Leoprick exhaled, almost like a sigh, towards Daeon who showed no signs of getting up.
Only then did Daeon seem to realize what he was doing and hastily rose to his feet.
“I apologize, Your Highness.”
“Enough with the apologies. Now, let’s talk about what we should do next.”
Someone knew about the plan for the crown prince couple and Weins Castle to raid the auction house together.
And they disguised their subordinates as knights to send them into the auction house, and among them, they pocketed the most important item, Isolde’s Tear.
“Then the culprit must be someone who knew about this plan in advance.”
“That’s right. But wasn’t this something only you and I knew about? I did send Sir Daeon instead of getting involved myself, though.”
“The knights didn’t know the detailed inside story until they arrived at the auction house. They had only received orders to change into plain clothes and wait discreetly.”
“And then they arrived at the auction house, met Daeon, and heard the whole story.”
“That’s correct.”
Leoprick went over the events that had occurred, as if summarizing the situation.
The lord helped him by providing additional explanations or agreeing with him.
And as Leoprick continued to organize the situation in his mind, one hypothesis formed.
If everyone who knew about this matter couldn’t be trusted, who could be suspected first?
And as if he had been expecting all of this, the face of one person came to mind.
…The face he wanted to trust the most but could trust the least.
“…For now, continue the search. If anything additional comes up, report it.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Then I shall take my leave now. Sir Daeon, I’d like you to remain here and assist with the investigation.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Thinking of his wife, whose inner thoughts he still couldn’t understand now as before, Leoprick let out a long sigh.
The poker face honed in social circles had never once revealed its true face to him.
He thought things could change, but are they still heading in the same direction?
As he left the lord’s office, Leoprick thought.
Perhaps the one who really needed to change wasn’t her, but himself.
* * *
“…So, this is the current state of affairs up to now.”
“You’ve done well. You’ve proceeded thoroughly without missing anything.”
“You’re too kind.”
As soon as I arrived at the Janet Guild’s Weins branch, I headed straight for the branch manager’s office.
It seemed she had come into the guild, as I followed Betty walking with familiar steps, and I felt some suspicious gazes.
I immediately turned my gaze to see if anyone around was looking at me, but no one was visible.
I followed Betty with an uneasy feeling I couldn’t shake off.
For now, completing the task within the time limit was the top priority.
Even as I met with the branch manager and received reports about today’s events and recent activities in Weins, the feeling that someone was watching continued to trouble me.
Is there a spy in the branch?
“Ah, and may I ask one more favor?”
“Anything you say, miss… I mean, Your Highness.”
Jennifer, the Weins branch manager whom I was meeting for the first time today, hurriedly bowed, treating me with excessive politeness.
Not only does she keep calling me “miss,” but such an overly polite attitude makes me even more suspicious.
We clearly said we were meeting for the first time today.
Why is she acting like someone overjoyed to meet me?
I looked at her for a moment before finally speaking what I had prepared.
“I’d like you to quietly gather and store in the warehouse, little by little, all the grains and foods that could substitute for grains coming into Weins port from now on.”
“Grains… you say? Are you asking us to stockpile food?”
“Yes. It would be good to gather some food. The production in the north has been gradually decreasing recently, and although it’s still manageable for now, there could be fluctuations soon.”
“But Your Highness. The decrease in northern production isn’t a recent issue.”
Jennifer tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“The northern production has been continuously decreasing as its population decreases, and because the population is decreasing by that much, it wasn’t a matter of great concern, but…”
Yes, that’s correct.
The northern production has always been decreasing, and as the population is also declining, it wasn’t a big worry.
But if this coincides with natural disasters, the story changes.
I know about the future where sudden natural disasters and various uprisings in a few years will greatly impact not only the north but the entire empire.
So now, we need to prepare in advance for that time.
I smiled gently at Jennifer, who was looking at me with a face that couldn’t understand.
“I’ve received reliable information. So, without asking anything else, would you do as I say? It won’t be detrimental to the Weins branch.”
“Ah, no, I trust Your Highness’s judgment. It was just my foolishness to ask, so please don’t worry too much.”
Jennifer waved her hands and hurriedly bowed her head.
“We will quietly buy and gather all grains, fruits, and everything else that can be stockpiled as food coming into Weins, little by little.”
“Thank you.”
Afterwards, I gave Jennifer a few more points to be cautious about when buying and gathering grains.
And I repeatedly emphasized the need for thorough security.
“If anyone happens to notice, you just need to say that orders came from above. That you’re just following orders and know nothing else. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Don’t worry.”
After conveying everything I needed to tell Jennifer, it was soon time to leave.
I could see Betty fidgeting, looking at her watch.
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.]
