Jane always took care to ensure Ian took his medicine. She stressed the importance of diligently following the regimen to avoid shortening his life. Ian, too, disliked the intermittent bouts of pain, so he obediently took the medicine she provided. But now, there seemed no need.
A world without her held no meaning.
He neither ate nor slept, just stared at the glass tube containing Jane’s remains until he lost consciousness.
During these moments, he dreamt.
His dreams, previously ambiguous, became clearer since he stopped taking his medicine. Sometimes he saw the past, other times the future. Events that had occurred, and others that had not yet come to pass. Ian wished to remain lost in these dreams, as they were the only place where he could fully see Jane.
“But it’s strange. This charred lump is said to be Jane, but why do I see you smiling in my dreams?”
His latest dream during a brief loss of consciousness was particularly vivid, undoubtedly about an event yet to occur.
In the dream, Ian was at a royal banquet. It was a well-attended event, and he gazed blankly ahead. There was Jane, inexplicably kneeling at the emperor’s feet.
Ian was puzzled as Jane had never faced the emperor. If the dream wasn’t about the past, it surely foretold the future.
But how could Jane, who had died, be there, at the emperor’s feet? Why her?
Eventually, the emperor left, and Jane stood up. Their eyes met, and she looked surprised to see him.
Jane’s appearance differed from what Ian knew. Her usually tightly-bound hair was let down in curls, and she wore ornate pearl and velvet hairpins, a stark contrast to her usual attire of dark, coarse clothing.
‘Is she wearing funeral clothes?’
Normally, the deceased were dressed more grandly than in life. But her attire seemed more fitting for a ball than a funeral. It was peculiar.
Confused, Jane flashed Ian a bright smile. It appeared as if she was welcoming him.
“Am I dying to see you, or are you really coming to find me?”
If the charred remains truly were Jane, she couldn’t appear so intact.
Ian considered that the day he met her might be his day to die. His current condition suggested he might not last much longer.
“It wouldn’t be so bad.”
If she came to collect his soul, he would willingly take her hand. The thought of reuniting with Jane brought a smile to his face, and the piercing pain seemed to vanish.
“Your Highness, this could end badly. Please, at least have the soup I brought…”
Ian dismissed the tray Simon, the steward, brought in. The dishes clattered to the floor, but Ian ignored them and buried his face in the glass tube.
The servants worried if their prince had gone mad. His actions, digging through the fire site with bare hands, keeping the burnt corpse in a tube, and neglecting food and drink to gaze at it, could indeed seem insane.
Let them think so. Perhaps he had truly gone mad.
Ian didn’t care what they thought. Their opinions meant nothing to him.
The only person who mattered to him was gone, and with her, his sense of time had ceased too.
Engrossed in the increasingly stringent training, time flew by, and the day of the banquet arrived in a blink.
Preparations for attending the grand event at the banquet hall began at dawn. Although it was customary to change clothes and focus on grooming twice daily, today’s efforts were extraordinary. Given the scale of the royal banquet, there were many things to consider.
To follow current social trends, I got help from a maid to curl my pink hair into tight ringlets and adorned each side with pearl and velvet hairpins. I wore a dress made of soft silk velvet, intricately laced and ruffled, making the hips appear voluminous. A corset cinched the waist, painfully constricting my ribs to the point of nearly screaming.
Despite the discomfort, I couldn’t help but admire my reflection. The dress and accessories were so lavish that they nearly overwhelmed my face, but Claire’s features – her large eyes, nose, and mouth – asserted themselves well, enhancing the overall look.
“Could this be what a real fairy looks like?”
I found myself admiring the reflection in the mirror, though it was strange to be so captivated, considering I was still getting used to Claire’s appearance.
“You look truly stunning,” Elaina complimented, nodding her approval.
She, too, had put extra effort into her appearance. Her golden hair, reminiscent of a sun-drenched wheat field, was elegantly pinned up, complementing her pale skin with a light green dress. She emphasized a naturally light-colored mole near her lips, creating a seductive look with her red lips.
Her appearance was reminiscent of a succubus from men’s dreams, tempting even to me, a woman.
“We should leave for the carriage now. It’s not good to arrive too early or too late.”
Despite starting at dawn, the sun was already setting. I understood now why such early preparations were necessary for an evening event.
Once in the carriage, Elaina mentioned, “Mrs. Kayton said your dancing has improved remarkably. She said you move more naturally than before you lost your memory.”
Mrs. Kayton, who had been teaching me to dance, initially looked exhausted. She advised, “Perhaps it’s best to skip dancing? Even as a wallflower, Claire wouldn’t be out of place.”
Her reluctance to teach me dance, given her dedication to etiquette training, was puzzling. It seemed Claire was known for being particularly uncoordinated.
But when I requested to be taught slowly, like a child, Mrs. Kayton reluctantly agreed and patiently taught me every step.
“I didn’t expect to enjoy it, but it turned out to be quite fun.”
Surprisingly, despite my initial apprehension, I found the dance lessons easier than expected.
Jokingly, it felt like I had discovered a new talent I never knew I had, as moving my body to the rhythm of music and stepping in time with the beat was surprisingly enjoyable.
Mrs. Kayton even joked, asking if I had sold my soul to the devil, considering how well I danced. It seemed Claire’s dancing skills were notoriously terrible. I secretly hoped someone would invite me to dance today. After all the effort I put into learning, it would be nice to use it.
“We’ve also practiced a lot for the investiture ceremony, so you’ll do well.”
Preparing for the banquet, the investiture ceremony held even more significance than dancing. Receiving a title directly from the emperor required meticulous observance of proper etiquette.
This was the first time in the Calobanian Empire that a woman was being granted a title. Therefore, there was some debate about what protocol to follow.
Traditionally, title investiture ceremonies were events between the king and knights, involving the knight kneeling on one knee before the king, who would then tap the knight’s shoulders and head once each with a sword before handing it over.
Over time, even when non-knights were awarded titles for their merits, this procedure remained unchanged.
However, replicating these actions in a cumbersome dress was impractical. Therefore, it was decided to model the ceremony after the empress’s coronation instead.
In the coronation ceremony, the empress kneels before the emperor, bows her head, and a small crown is placed upon her. The idea of using a small tiara was suggested but scrapped due to time constraints.
Even a small tiara, being a royal creation, couldn’t be made hastily, and there were concerns about fairness and consistency.
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.]
