DEDLB | Ch 01

Prologue

“Quiet down!”

Despite the commander of the knights shouting several times in a loud voice, the murmurs of the crowd didn’t die down.

“This is a sacred place! Everyone, quiet down. The Emperor and Empress are here. Please, be quiet!”

Thanks to the commander shouting until his voice cracked, the noise in the hall of the palace gradually started to fade away.

Yvonne stared blankly ahead, her expression unchanged, as if nothing mattered to her.

The Emperor and Empress, sitting in the high seats, were also looking at her.

Yvonne watched their shocked expressions with a cold face, then turned her head away.

Next to her, a tall man stood like a wall. His jet-black hair and piercing red eyes glinted as he, just like Yvonne, stared ahead. This man was Ricard, the Duke of Naha, known as the Wolf of the North.

He was hiding the wildness of a beast beneath his skin, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings with a predatory glare.

“If you want me to die, I’ll die. If that’s your command, I’ll gladly do it.”

On some day in the past, Ricard had sworn this to Yvonne. If it meant protecting her, he was willing to do anything.

Yvonne gripped his hand tightly.

In return, Ricard gripped her hand with equal force.

She trusted him completely. With Ricard, she knew he would never let go of her hand, even if they were in the fires of hell.

“Yvonne…”

Though he was far away, Yvonne could clearly see the Emperor’s trembling eyes. He was visibly shaken.

The former Empress of Sildron, the woman once dethroned and said to have been kidnapped, Yvonne.

The Emperor blinked repeatedly, as if he couldn’t believe his own eyes.

Frederick had truly believed that Yvonne was dead.

“…Ha.”

At the Emperor’s side, Empress Priscilla smirked.

Her golden eyes were filled with rage, staring at her husband, as if she wanted to tear him apart.

It was as though she were looking at a long-lost lover, her eyes watering with emotion… but with no dignity at all.

Priscilla muttered under her breath, nudging the Emperor with her elbow in a way that only she could feel.

The Emperor, dazed like he had just woken from a long dream, slowly nodded after a beat.

“…I thought she was dead.”

“The world is full of unpredictable things. Surely you know that by now.”

Yvonne spoke in a roundabout way, but the meaning was clear: don’t trust the Emperor’s judgment.

“You never imagined she’d return like this, did you, my Empress?”

He murmured, not even fully aware of where he was or who was sitting next to him.

“Didn’t you just say ‘Empress’?”

“Yvonne was deposed. She was never actually Empress.”

“Maybe it’s the stepmother you’re hearing, huh? Surely the Emperor will be struck by lightning soon.”

Indeed, it was true.

Priscilla, the new Empress, was known to harbor great jealousy and was secretly called the “stepmother” by the nobility and commoners alike.

The Emperor, unable to forget Yvonne, had ordered all traces of her to be burned—every painting, every small possession, even in the countryside.

This was the extent of Priscilla’s love and ambition.

With a creak, Priscilla gripped the armrest of her chair so tightly that the leather almost ripped.

“…Your Majesty.”

However, she couldn’t raise her voice to criticize the Emperor in front of everyone.

Priscilla forced a smile, staring at Frederick.

She gritted her teeth so hard that her words slurred, but Frederick only stared at Yvonne, oblivious to the situation.

“I’m here for a reason.”

Before the Emperor could continue his rambling, Ricard stepped forward, still holding Yvonne’s hand.

His expression was calm, unaffected by the Emperor’s reactions.

“Let me inform you,” Ricard continued.

“…What is it?”

Looking at their joined hands, Frederick asked, his face contorting in confusion. Ricard, however, didn’t hesitate.

“I’ve found a partner.”

Frederick’s eyes widened in shock, but Ricard didn’t stop.

“And at the same time…”

Ricard turned to Yvonne, a confident smile on his face, as he spoke just for her.

“The territory of Naha has now become its own nation…”

“…!”

“I, Ricard Ignacio Aldric, will be crowned King, and my wife, Yvonne Rosemary Ziegfried, will be Queen.”

Ricard’s voice rang out, his eyes scanning the shocked nobles.

“I, Ricard Ignacio Aldric, declare that Naha will exist as a sovereign nation, no longer a mere territory of Sildron!”

The hall erupted in chaos, but Yvonne remained silent, her expression calm as she stared straight ahead.

Frederick’s face turned pale as a sheet.

‘How do you feel, Frederick?’

Yvonne wanted to ask. She was curious about what it must feel like for him to face the woman he once loved, now coldly standing before him.

1.

A sharp pain cut through her neck, and a sudden blackout struck.

After what felt like an eternity, a faint voice reached Yvonne’s ears.

“Your Highness, Your Highness.”

Yvonne, drenched in cold sweat and groaning, finally opened her eyes.

The gentle voice, with a kind tone, belonged to…

“Your Highness, are you alright?”

Yvonne blinked but couldn’t say a word.

She saw the curtains of the ceiling gently swaying in the spring breeze coming through the window. It was a peaceful scene, so different from the terrifying one she had last seen before she died.

“You’ve been sick for a while, so I thought you were having a nightmare. I woke you up.”

Yvonne looked up at the worried face of Lucy, the head maid.

Gasping for breath, Yvonne sat up quickly, holding her forehead.

“Be careful, Your Highness! You have chronic low blood pressure. You shouldn’t move too suddenly.”

Chronic low blood pressure.

Yvonne rubbed her neck, where she had once slit it herself with a blade to end her life… yet now, she found herself in a peaceful, familiar palace room.

This was her fourth life.

She stared at the curtains, murmuring, “Lucy, what day is it today?”

“Do you mean the date? It’s March 17th,” Lucy answered, smiling as she opened the window curtains.

“Such a strange thing… asking about the date.”

If Yvonne were confused about whether this was reality or a dream, Lucy wouldn’t understand.

Yvonne had come back to life once again, for reasons beyond her comprehension.

“It must be confusing for you. There have been many big events lately. The coronation is also coming up soon…”

Lucy smiled with excitement, but Yvonne turned her head, covering her eyes with her hand.

If she remembered correctly, it was mid-March, a week before the coronation.

The coronation would surely be delayed once again due to the Emperor’s excuses.

“…Sigh.”

Yvonne Ziegfried was the Empress-in-name.

Some people called her the “eternal Empress-in-name.”

The nobles insulted her like this because she had never had a proper coronation, even though her husband, Frederick, had become Emperor.

In her previous life, she had secretly plotted a rebellion in frustration but had failed miserably.

‘I can still feel the sensation of the blade against my neck… but all of that was from my past life?’

She couldn’t believe it, even though she was breathing.

“Your Highness, I’ve brought you some tea. It’s from the highlands of Naha.”

But this wasn’t an illusion; it was reality.

Just like in her last life, Lucy brought tea and said the same things.

“And the Emperor has requested to see you. He wants to meet with you alone in his office…”

As in her past life, Lucy frowned, clearly uncomfortable.