Chapter 05
“Yeah!
Do you know how much I went through hell and back just to bring Blake back to life?
The male lead dies, and now the female lead goes missing?”
Lily looked at my shocked face and gave a wicked smile.
“Maybe it’s a good thing. At least we won’t have to watch her clinging to His Highness the Crown Prince like they’re some lovey-dovey couple.”
“…Lily, if someone heard you, they’d think you were the crown princess.”
At my remark, Lily just shrugged.
She was clearly enjoying this, watching the drama between me and Blake like it was a soap opera.
But the thing was—they really were a loving couple.
Well, maybe not yet. At this point in the original story, they were still just good comrades…
But in the end, the one Blake ends up with is Saintess Seira.
“So, do they not know why Saintess Seira disappeared?”
“If they knew, it wouldn’t be called a disappearance, would it? That’s what the temple officially announced. They said she’s been missing for about a week now.”
“Could it have been kidnapping? Or maybe…”
“Hm, I think she disappeared on her own.”
“Why?”
“They said there were absolutely no signs of forced entry.”
At Lily’s words, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
First the male lead suddenly dies, and now the female lead vanishes without reason.
I prayed she hadn’t ended up like Blake—dead.
Because she was supposed to be the male lead’s greatest ally, and eventually, his lifelong partner.
“…Ah, come to think of it…”
Did Blake… see my divorce papers?
He had left as soon as morning came. He must’ve gone straight to his office to work.
Maybe he saw the papers before he died—or while I was passed out.
But since he hasn’t said anything, maybe he still doesn’t know…
Wait a second. If we do divorce, what happens to his body?
He said he can’t even fall asleep unless I’m nearby…
With such an unstable body, what if there are more problems when I’m gone?
Should I just ask him to delay the divorce?
…Yeah right, like he’d ever agree nicely.
Even if he did, I can’t keep putting it off forever.
The only real solution is to find a way to restore him to a complete body as soon as possible.
“Oh, by the way, Your Highness. I ran into His Highness the Crown Prince earlier.”
“Mm.”
“I almost forgot to mention it—he told me to tell you he wants to have dinner together tonight.”
“…What?”
Why? Why dinner, of all things?
I’ve never once shared a meal with my husband. Just the thought of it made my pupils tremble.
“Maybe His Highness has really changed since coming back from the dead. He’s finally taking care of you now.”
Lily chirped on in her lively voice, blissfully unaware—or maybe pretending not to know—just how dangerous those words sounded if anyone overheard.
“Blades, silver, holy water… What’s next?”
Blake spoke, not even bothering to hide how annoyed he was.
“This—this doesn’t make any sense! Dominic—no, the crown prince—he was dead. Everyone saw it with their own eyes!”
Another prince, Alec, shouted, his face pale with terror.
Blake stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking quietly at the terrified Alec before asking,
“Do you really need more proof when I’m standing here alive?”
His voice was lower than before he died, his complexion deathly pale.
The emperor looked at his son—who had “resurrected”—but couldn’t hold his gaze for long.
He didn’t want to admit it, but there was something unnervingly chilling about this son who had come back to life.
Only Empress Lucia clung to her husband’s side without restraint.
“Your Majesty! I don’t mean to doubt His Highness, but… what if some wicked faction resurrected him by foul means?”
“What are you so frightened of? Isn’t he the hero of the prophecy? Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing a prophesied hero should do?”
Blake answered lazily, his tone devoid of humor.
The empress bit her lip hard, glaring at him, her fury barely contained.
It was bad enough that her own son Alec was pushed aside so Blake could become crown prince, all because of some prophecy.
But now—resurrection? Who could’ve seen that coming?
She would never forget the moment Blake returned to the palace, his voice calm as he announced he had risen from the dead, his face pale as a corpse.
The emperor, as if facing an immortal being, hesitated before asking,
“Then what on earth was your death all about?”
“Well… a trial, maybe?”
Blake replied with a bored look, as though the whole matter was tedious.
In the end, the emperor decided thinking too much about it would only give him a headache.
He frowned and waved his hand dismissively.
“Fine, fine. Since the crown prince has returned alive, his position will be reinstated… No, better yet, we’ll erase any record of his death entirely.”
“Your Majesty! That’s impossible! It’s clear necromancers brought him back—”
“Empress, look. His mind is sharp, he speaks, he remembers everything. Necromancers don’t revive people like that—they only raise mindless monsters.”
“There must be something suspicious about this…”
“Enough. What if it was the saintess who revived him? The one who’s said to be missing. Wouldn’t that fit the prophecy neatly enough? The prophesied hero resurrected—doesn’t that tie everything together?”
“…”
The aged emperor had no desire to stir up more discord.
The prophecy did not merely speak of a hero who would win battles, protect the empire, or usher in a golden age.
It spoke of the end of the world.
The emperor knew he wasn’t a perfect ruler, but he did love his empire and people.
If this hero was truly meant to save not just the empire but the entire world from destruction—
And if that hero, though born of a mere maid, was his son—
Then there was no reason not to keep him as heir.
“Very well, enough of this. Derrick, give the report on the Orion territory to the crown prince.”
So this was the real reason for the meeting.
Blake ignored the stares of the furious empress and the trembling Alec as Derrick, the emperor’s aide, handed him the document.
[Division of the Orion Territory Absorbed into the Crown’s Domain]
Tedious. Utterly tedious.
Just as he had expected, everything was boring beyond belief.
So while the emperor spoke, Blake’s mind wandered.
To things like the dinner awaiting him tonight with his wife.
“Wife, huh…”
That tiny head of hers—what on earth was inside it? She clearly feared him, but she’d still poke at his throat, utterly fearless.
“Uh, I just… wanted to check if your pulse really wasn’t beating.”
And whenever their eyes met, hers would go wide like a rabbit’s, and she’d shrink back.
But he knew better than to think she was soft inside, just because her face was cute.
He’d already been burned by that mistake once.
Burned so badly that even the memory still made his bones ache, twisting his lips into a crooked smile.
“And as for this matter, you and Alec will divide the assets of the absorbed lands—wait, what’s wrong with you?”
The emperor frowned, bewildered by Blake’s sudden sour mood.
Blake touched his lips lightly before replying, his tone cold and resolute.
“Your Majesty, I understand your orders well enough. May I request that all related documents be delivered directly to my office today? I’ve been absent for several days, and my work has piled up.”
“…”
His words were polite, but the emperor found himself unable to respond right away.
For a fleeting moment, he realized—he was afraid of his own son.
This son, still only the crown prince, was already exuding a suffocating pressure.
Unwilling to admit it, the emperor coughed awkwardly and waved to Derrick to handle it, turning his head aside.
“Then, I shall excuse myself.”
Blake bowed formally, then left that stifling chamber without another glance.
Behind him, he heard the empress and Alec pestering the emperor to reconsider, but he no longer cared.
His head was filled with other thoughts.
“Gasp—His Highness the crown prince… truly—”
“Silence! The prophecy said he would rise again.”
“I can’t believe it’s real…”
Blake ignored the shocked and fearful stares of courtiers all the way back to his office.
But once he arrived—
“Ah, Your Highness! You’ve returned from His Majesty so quickly!”
His aide chirped brightly, but Blake walked past him without a word and opened his desk drawer.
Inside lay the pure white envelope and papers that had been bothering him endlessly.
“…”
He stared at them for a long moment.
Then, with a crooked smile, he tore them to shreds without mercy.
The words Divorce Papers disappeared into nothing.
