Read Rewriting the Marriage Contract Novel Translation Chapter 7

(다시 쓰는 결혼 계약서)

Original: 백설홍 (White Snow) | Translation: Genie

#josei #drama #romance #contract-marriage #mature #fantasy

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The palace was in complete chaos.
Tension filled the air as imperial guards patrolled every corner, their faces grim. Whenever two or more people gathered, hushed voices speculated over the shocking events.

“When the court physician examined their bodies, their skin was already marked with dark red blotches…”
“Poison, then?”
“But all three of them? And they weren’t even in the same place!”

Rumours spread like wildfire. Some claimed the Empress had screamed herself hoarse and fainted multiple times.

As the palace bristled with unease, Laniakea could do nothing but remain silent and cautious.

The princes are dead? All three at once?

Such a scenario had never crossed her mind. Even if one prince had died in an accident or due to illness, there were still two other heirs. Technically, there was a fourth, but Hypherion was always excluded from discussions about the succession. Even Laniakea had never thought of him in that context.

And yet, the three contenders for the throne were gone in a single stroke.

As expected, everyone associated with the palaces of the second, third, and fourth princes was immediately rounded up for questioning—including the princes’ wives.

In the midst of this storm, Laniakea’s annex remained eerily untouched.
Her household was small, isolated, and maintained minimal contact with the outside world. Still, investigations were unavoidable, so Laniakea and Lucy were summoned to represent her annex before the imperial guards.

The questioning lasted less than an hour.

Laniakea’s quiet, unremarkable presence over the past three years and her lack of connections or influence rendered any suspicion moot. Moreover, the palaces of the second, third, and fourth princes were practically bursting with incriminating evidence.

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“His Highness the Second Prince said we’d have nothing to worry about if this succeeded! He… he even gave us the poison!”

This was the testimony of a servant from the Second Prince’s palace, accused of poisoning the Third Prince’s meal.

“His Highness the Third Prince told me to just mix it with the tea leaves. I didn’t know it was poison!”

A maid who had tampered with the Fourth Prince’s tea leaves, allegedly bribed by the Third Prince’s palace, gave this statement.

“His Highness the Fourth Prince was constantly mocked and ridiculed by the other two! I just wanted to help him. He promised he’d make me empress if everything went well!”

This came from a maid who was reportedly the Fourth Prince’s mistress.

The Empress herself interrogated the suspects relentlessly, bordering on torture. The conclusions drawn from their confessions were both horrifying and absurd.

Each prince had used poison to assassinate the others.

In a grim twist of fate, all three had executed their plans on the same day. Each had taken precautions—neutralisers or antidotes—to safeguard against their own poisons, but these were ineffective against the poisons administered by the others. The combination of toxins proved lethal, killing all three princes before they could receive help.

Their reasoning was clear. With Hypherion dismissed as a contender, the death of the other two would guarantee the throne. Even if the truth surfaced later, they could suppress it as emperor. With no rivals left, even the council would be powerless to act.

The problem, of course, was that all three shared the same thought.

The imperial funeral prepared for the Emperor, whose health had been failing, was abruptly repurposed for the princes. The sudden need for two additional ornate coffins created a flurry of logistical chaos, but this was the least of anyone’s concerns.

─── ･: .☽ . :･ ───

“This cannot be! This is impossible! Why have all my sons been taken from me?”

The Empress raged like a madwoman. Perhaps she already was.

The once-regal figure who had towered over others with her cold elegance was now dishevelled and broken. Her hair was a wild mess, and her mourning attire was haphazardly thrown on as she collapsed in anguish.

The second and third princesses-in-law fainted from the shock, leaving only the Second Prince’s wife to keep her composure.

At the funeral, the gathered nobles whispered among themselves with sombre expressions.

“What happens now?”
“Indeed. His Majesty is in no condition to produce an heir…”
“Will they turn to one of the Emperor’s brothers?”

As speculation swirled about which branch of the imperial family might inherit the throne, the Empress’s anguished voice rang out.

“You!”

The room fell silent as all eyes turned toward Laniakea, who stood quietly in the corner.

The Empress’s voice was sharp, venomous.

“It was you! You wretched girl! You’ve pretended to live quietly and unassumingly, but it was all to deceive me! You and that Hypherion conspired to kill my sons, didn’t you?”

The Empress lunged at Laniakea like a wild beast.

“Your Majesty!”
“Please, calm yourself!”

Despite their cries, none of the attendants attempted to restrain her. They were utterly drained from dealing with the Empress’s madness all day—slaps, scratches, and relentless tantrums.

If only she’d vent her anger on someone else for a change, they thought.

Now that the Empress had found a seemingly easy target, the maids saw no reason to stop her.

“Bring back my sons!”

The Empress screamed, flailing her arms wildly as she tried to grab Laniakea.

But before she could succeed—

“Access denied!”

Lucy, who had been standing protectively behind Laniakea, stepped forward. With a single outstretched arm, she intercepted the Empress.

For Lucy, it was likely a gentle shove.

But Lucy’s strength defied human norms. The Empress’s body lifted off the ground and sailed through the air before crashing unceremoniously to the floor.

“Your Majesty!”
“What have you done?”

The faces of the previously indifferent maids turned pale.

Mad or not, the Empress was the most powerful figure in the imperial palace—a ruler in all but name. And now, someone had tossed her aside like a doll.

One of the maids, panicked, pointed a trembling finger at Laniakea and shrieked, “Your Highness the First Princess Consort! How could you commit such an outrageous act?”

Realising their own failure to protect the Empress could be blamed on them, the maids hastened to shift responsibility onto Laniakea.

“Me?”

Laniakea could only blink in disbelief. She hadn’t laid a finger on the Empress! Yet before she could say anything more, the Empress’s guards stormed in.

“It’s the Lupine maid!”
“She has monstrous strength—be on your guard!”

The guards encircled Lucy, who, despite her petite frame and youthful appearance, stood unfazed. A smirk played on her lips as she surveyed the armed men.

“Pathetic fools. I’ll kill you all.”

Her imperial speech, usually awkward, now flowed effortlessly.

Hearing this, Laniakea clutched her head in despair.

Lucy had struggled with speaking the imperial language, and Laniakea had often encouraged her to practise simple phrases.

Lucy, however, had insisted on mastering one particular line, bringing a mysterious book to her mistress.

“You’ll hardly ever need to say something like this…” Laniakea had remarked.
“Learning. Important. Must!” Lucy had replied with uncharacteristic determination.

Reluctantly, Laniakea had helped her practise the line over and over.

“Okay, repeat after me: Pathetic fools. I’ll kill you all.”
“Pa-thet-tick? Pff-thetic fools… keel you!”

Lucy had learned it frighteningly quickly.

And now, here it was. That very phrase.

“She tried to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress!”
“Seize the traitor!”

In the blink of an eye, Lucy had become a traitor. Resistance would only worsen the situation, and the Empress, unhinged, might even pin the princes’ deaths on her as well.

“Lucy! Stop! Stand down!”

Lucy, poised to charge the guards, halted at Laniakea’s shout.

At that moment, the Empress, supported by her maids, let out an ear-piercing scream.

“Aaaaaah!”

Overwhelmed by fury, she broke free of their grasp and lunged at Laniakea once more.

Lucy moved to intervene, but Laniakea shook her head.

It’s better to just let the Empress hit me and be done with this.

If taking a slap or having her hair pulled could defuse the situation, she was willing to endure it.

As the Empress’s outstretched hand neared her, a heavy sound reverberated through the room.

Thud!

Laniakea flinched, squeezing her eyes shut, bracing herself for pain—but nothing came.

When she opened her eyes, the Empress was sprawled on the ground, having been thrown yet again.

“Wh-what…?”

It wasn’t Lucy—she stood several steps away, surrounded by guards.

Who then?

Before Laniakea could process what had happened, a deep, unfamiliar voice spoke from above her.

“Are you unharmed, Madam?”