Chapter 691

Chapter 691

Hi, please check out this patreon link /al_squad to support the translation, ad-free chapters, up to 21 chapters per week of BL novels and up to 516 additional chapters of BL novels!!

Chapter 691

After the door closed, Kishiar relaxed his posture and tilted his head back. Through his inverted hair, his red eyes playfully twinkled toward Yuder.

"You still look impressive upside down, my assistant. I noticed the First Princess of Herne seemed quite interested in you. Did you catch that?"

During the conversation, occasionally Myra glanced at Yuder, who was standing behind Kishiar. However, that was mostly out of caution towards an unknown person listening in on her personal matters. She might have guessed his identity by his proximity to Kishiar and his demeanor, but without a formal introduction, there was no reason to acknowledge it. That was the extent of her interest.

Knowing this, Kishiar's teasing words were just his habit. Listening to him, one might sometimes think everyone in the world had a significant interest in Yuder. As usual, Yuder pretended not to hear and moved on to the main topic.

"The proposal of the First Princess of Herne doesn’t seem bad, but what are your plans?"

Yuder’s nonchalance didn't bother the man who smirked and straightened up.

"It's not a bad proposal indeed. The Second Prince might come, but there's an equal chance he won't. If nothing major changes, I might accept the First Princess’s offer."

Kishiar then explained why he had asked for a day to think.

"I asked for time to think because it seemed you already knew the First Princess."

Silence.

"The biggest variable in our current situation is only the 'previous game'. Have you met Myra El Herne before?"

Quick-witted as always. Yuder moved to sit opposite him, intending to share his story.

"Yes, I have seen her before."

"Indeed. What role did she play then?"

"There was nothing noteworthy about her role, if that counts as noteworthy."

Yuder recounted his memories of Myra El Herne, or rather Myra La Orr, from his past life.

The Empress selection battle after Katchian became the Emperor, and Myra, the noble daughter of Herne who won that position. But her misfortune on the first night meant she never saw the light of day again, locked away in the palace. That was all there was to her previous life's story.

"Thereafter, I never saw her again. Remembering it feels strange."

Yuder knew only so much, but Kishiar deduced much more from those scant details.

"That means Myra in the previous game didn't become a successor. And despite years of humiliation, her family completely abandoned her, even though she was an extremely rare legitimate girl in Herne. This would have been unthinkable under normal circumstances."

"I had simply thought her family was extremely cautious... Is it that serious?"

At Yuder's question, Kishiar explained with a gentle smile.

"You might have heard, but Myra is the first legitimate daughter born in Herne in 35 years. Despite the southern tradition of passing wealth to the eldest, connections to the second, and titles to the youngest, her birth as a girl instantly made her the strongest successor candidate. This shows how highly she was valued as the First Princess of Herne."

The mention of this southern tradition brought back a faint memory.

'...Did I hear it from Gakane?'

Originally, First Princess Myra was not the eldest but the third child born. However, as a child, she inherited the title of First Princess after her elder siblings died. Many within the current Herne Duke's family consider the Second Prince, originally the fourth and youngest, a more traditional successor. However, there are not a few who highly value the First Princess's abilities and the rarity of her being a legitimate daughter. The First Princess herself seemed to have a great ambition for her title, making it a fight worth seeing.

"...I understand. It is indeed strange that the First Princess was not in a position to be unilaterally overwhelmed, yet ended up in a situation where no one sided with her."

Yuder, despite having enjoyed a position of envy in his past life, was inevitably ignorant of such information. Intimate, personal information among the high nobility is difficult to know unless one is born into that world. How could one know that the Herne Duke's First Princess was the first legitimate daughter born in decades, and due to this, she held a position that could even shake the traditional inheritance system?

Nobles tend to tightly conceal even the smallest of matters amongst themselves as great secrets. Only those within their accepted circle are deemed worthy of knowing these secrets.

Despite serving as the Commander of the Cavalry for over ten years, Yuder realized anew that he was outside their circle. He didn't feel bad about it, as he too had pushed others outside his own circle.

"So... Do you remember who the Herne Duke was in the previous game?"

At Kishiar's question, Yuder dredged up a faint memory. As he recalled, after Emperor Katchian's imperial power increased, the dukes couldn't strut around, and Herne was especially reclusive.

‘No... Even when Emperor Katchian's imperial power was weak, Duke Herne didn't show his face much. It's the same now.’

The Duke of Herne, who always stayed in the south for health reasons and rarely appeared in the capital, died of illness after the southern earthquake. There was no direct successor to inherit the title immediately, leading to a period of discontent.

Eventually, a young cousin inherited the title, with most affairs being handled by his parents. They, not having been prominent among the nobility before, were mocked as having reduced Herne to a rural backwater. Whether they knew it or not, the new Duke and his family showed their faces in the capital only once before returning south, never to come back.

What was his name again? Yuder struggled to recall, as they were not well-connected.

‘It sounds familiar, but...’

Hearing Yuder's explanation, Kishiar's eyes deepened.

"That means, the current Second Prince also passed away early, failing to inherit the ducal title."

"Yes."

"It's not unusual in Herne for people to have short lives. Even the current Duke wasn't originally in line to succeed, but ended up in that position after all his brothers died early. But... if Myra El Herne had not become the Empress and stayed in Herne, it could have been avoided."

"Then..."

"It's plausible to suspect that Myra lost all her support and became the Empress due to some machinations within Herne. The current Duke of Herne has been criticized for not appearing in public for years, likened to a fox digging its burrow. Along with this, we should investigate those who might have been contenders for the succession of the ducal title."

"And if possible, it would be best to help Myra El Herne keep her name as she wishes." Kishiar expressed this sentiment succinctly with a single phrase.

"To prevent the same outcome from repeating."

This held the same meaning as what Yuder had said while playing a strategy game with him.

Despite it being his own words, Yuder felt a renewed pang in his heart as they came from Kishiar's lips.

As Kishiar spoke, the door opened and a person entered. Removing their luxurious traveler's robe, platinum blonde hair, nearly identical to the Empress's, cascaded down.

At first glance, the lady appeared nobly raised. Her strong features could intimidate the viewer, yet the freckles around her eyes and lips softened the harshness. The riding outfit she wore under her robe suited her perfectly.

Yuder recognized her immediately upon her arrival.

'Myra El Herne.'

Yuder had seen her in his previous life. She was the candidate for Empress from the Herne family, proposed to Emperor Katchian.

Emperor Katchian, an adopted son, had ascended to the throne unusually quickly after only a few years as the Crown Prince, becoming Emperor without having had an Empress to be. Of course, there were whispers during his time as Crown Prince, but Emperor Keilusa's early demise reset everything to a blank slate.

The four great ducal houses fiercely contested who would sit beside the Emperor. The Diarca family naturally proposed someone from their line, while the other three houses openly criticized Diarca's excessive greed and nominated their own candidates.

Among them, the Herne family boldly proposed a direct descendant, with clear logic.

'The previous Empress was not truly our making. Herne suffered greatly due to her extravagance and various incidents, and we have struggled to cope ever since, so it is only right to give us another chance.'

Despite various events, it seemed Diarca eventually stepped back, allowing Myra El Herne to become the Empress. Naturally, her marriage to the Emperor was anything but smooth.

For reasons unknown, Emperor Katchian had suffered wounds on the night of his wedding in the Empress's Palace, similar to those of claw marks. Hushed rumors circulated the palace, suggesting a physical altercation between the two.

Thereafter, he never visited the Empress's Palace again. Whenever advised to produce an heir, he would erupt in anger, accusing the adviser of harboring treasonous intentions due to his youth.

The House of Herne was displeased, but the House of Diarca and other families were quite satisfied. This situation allowed them to propose their own candidates for the position of concubine or legal wife.

After Emperor Katchian began to cunningly assassinate or manipulate the power holders of other families, including the House of Diarca, Empress Myra's situation worsened. Since she was out of favor with the Emperor and virtually exiled, no one dared to visit her.

The Empress's Palace was always famously quiet, as if empty.

No one knew how she lived there.

Yuder, too, had almost never seen her until his death.

'I never expected to see her here again.'

To be honest, until just moments ago, he had nearly forgotten her name. But upon seeing her face, the memories of her from the wedding resurfaced vividly.

Kishiar, noticing Yuder's subtly furrowed brow and blinking, glanced at him discreetly yet keenly before turning his head with a smile.

"Well, this is a surprise, such an illustrious guest has graced us with their presence."

"You must have known I would come, yet you jest so well."

Myra El Herne retorted coldly.

Read up to chapter 759 (93 additional chapters) for just 5$ or up to chapter 1069 (405 additional chapters) for just 10$ on /al_squad

[Select the $10/month plan or the Foundation Establishment tier to access the chapters]

Hi, if you like the story, please rate and review this novel on novelupdates. Thanks!

Check out the latest chapter 1099 in /al_squad [Patreon members can access ad-free chapters, up to 21 chapters of BL novels per week and up to 436 chapters of Turning for a total of 516 chapters of BL novels!!]

Support us on Patreon to enjoy ad-free content, with more than 21 chapters of BL novels released weekly and access to an additional 40 chapters per novel (up to 436 chapters of Turning for a total of 516 chapters of BL novels!!)!

For those who find it difficult to subscribe via Patreon, PayPal is also an available option.

Please ensure you have read the tier information on Patreon before proceeding with a subscription through PayPal.

Once you have subscribed, please send your Gmail address and PayPal ID to . I will then verify your account on PayPal and share with you the Google Doc containing the chapters that correspond to your subscription tier.

Please use the Patreon subscription first. Only if that route is hard then use the PayPal subscription.

Select your tier Qi Cultivating Stage $5.00 USD - month(s) Foundation Establishment $10.00 USD - month(s) Xudan $20.00 USD - month(s) Jindan $50.00 USD - month(s) Yuanying $100.00 USD - month(s)

Check out the new project 1:

[BL] Bermuda

Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.

Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.

"Since when have you been watching me?"

Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.

"From the very beginning."

Check out the new project 2:

[BL] Cloudless Sky

Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'