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Chapter 2

Penulis: Perfect Timing
My father's words unsettled even the Emperor, who had always been fond of me.

He looked from me to my father with suspicion. He didn't fully believe him.

Seeing the Emperor's doubt, my father grew desperate and came at me.

"Your Majesty, seeing is believing. I'll show you right now whether Elara still bears her chastity mark!"

Just as he had in my previous life, he lunged and tore open my sleeve. When he saw my arm, clean and bare without a trace of the mark, he was ecstatic.

"Look, Your Majesty! I told you Elara has been wanton. She's dirtied herself with some man. She has no right to enter the palace as Imperial Consort!"

The Emperor's face turned dark, and a vein bulged at his temple.

"Wretch! You dare make a fool of me? Guards, drag her to the palace prison-"

"Your Majesty, wait!"

He was about to be deceived by my father all over again. I didn't hesitate. I ripped open the sleeve on my other arm and raised it high.

"My chastity mark is still here. My father lied to you!"

My father didn't even bother to look. He just gave a confident snort.

"Impossible. Elara, for the sake of the bond between father and daughter, I'm begging you to confess to His Majesty now.

"As long as you admit your mistake and mend your ways, I'll give my own life if I have to so His Majesty will forgive you!"

He sounded so sincere, like a father whose heart was breaking for his child.

But I hadn't done anything. Why should I confess?

I ignored his act completely and crawled on my knees toward the Emperor so he could get a clearer look at the bright red mark on my arm.

The mark that had vanished was back, and even the Emperor was stunned.

My father sensed something was wrong and hurried over to look.

He grabbed my arm so hard his fingertips nearly sank into my flesh.

In disbelief, he pinched the bright red mark again and again. Only when he was sure it was real did he let go.

He kept muttering to himself.

"No, that's impossible. It was clearly..."

I got in first and threw myself on my knees before the Emperor, tears streaming down my face.

"Your Majesty, I don't know how I offended my father, but he's framing me!

"If I couldn't prove my innocence, my whole life would've been ruined by him!"

The Emperor already felt guilty over what had just happened, and now his heart went out to me even more.

He was about to order my father punished.

But my father came to his senses. Before the Emperor could speak, he dropped to his knees, weeping, and pressed his forehead to the floor in apology.

"I wronged you, Elara! I panicked. I was so afraid you really had betrayed His Majesty that I spoke up. Please forgive your father!"

I watched the old man kneel before me, tears streaming down his face, and felt no pity at all.

If I hadn't reapplied the chastity mark in time, I'd be the one wishing I were dead right now.

But my father was on his knees begging me. I was his daughter. If I refused him in front of the whole court, I'd be the one condemned. For now, I had no choice but to let him go.

The investiture ceremony had been ruined, so the Emperor would have to find another time to bring me into the palace.

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  • The Consort My Family Wanted Dead   Chapter 8

    With his last disguise ripped away, my father's smug look vanished. He stared at me in terror."No. How could you possibly..."My mother went pale and collapsed to the floor.Just imagining those tortures made her skin crawl.She didn't dare think about what would happen if they were used on her.Julian barely held on to his composure and turned the blame back on me."Elara, what nonsense are you talking? We are your father, mother, and brother!""Are you?"I looked at them coldly as a flood of thoughts rushed through my mind.Thinking back, my parents and Julian had changed after they returned victorious from a war against Valdmark.I'd been so happy to welcome my parents home, but they shut their doors and refused to see me.Julian didn't even come home. He stayed at the army camp day and night.Before that, every time he won a battle, he always brought me something special from the frontier.I didn't know why my family had changed. When I went to ask, my father impatien

  • The Consort My Family Wanted Dead   Chapter 7

    Julian burst through the doors holding a bright yellow imperial decree high, glaring at me in disgust."By order of His Majesty: Elara Ashbourne has committed adultery, brought disgrace upon the imperial household, and bred hex beetles to harm her own kin. Her crimes are unpardonable. She is stripped of her rank as Imperial Consort and is to be beheaded publicly at once!"Julian rolled up the decree, drew the sword at his waist, and thrust it at my heart."You lying animal! House Ashbourne has no place for you. Die!"But the blade didn't pierce my heart as he'd expected.It was knocked off course and went straight through my arm instead.At the critical moment, the Grand Inspector had stepped in and stopped him.Julian turned on him furiously."Why are you helping Elara, sir? Do you intend to defy an imperial decree?"It was a heavy accusation.Anyone else would have been terrified and never dared cross Julian.But the Grand Inspector was different. He was one of His Majesty

  • The Consort My Family Wanted Dead   Chapter 6

    The Imperial Guard surrounded everyone.My parents were watched especially closely.Even with death staring them in the face, they still tried to fight back and frame me.They pleaded desperately with Grand Inspector Fenwick."Elara is lying to you. We're the real ones! What you don't know, sir, is that Elara had an affair with the coachman and bred beetles to hurt her own mother. We disciplined her, and now she holds a grudge and is slandering us!"Fenwick didn't care about any of that. He only looked at them coldly."Don't be afraid, Lord Ashbourne. We'll investigate everything you've said as well."Whether it's true or false, the Intelligence Office will find out. There's no need to look so guilty, Lord Ashbourne!"With no way to smooth things over, my parents couldn't keep up their act any longer. They glared at me as if they wanted to kill me on the spot.My father cursed at me."You little wretch! This is all your fault. Everything I've spent years planning is about to

  • The Consort My Family Wanted Dead   Chapter 5

    "You're not my parents. Who are you? Why are you pretending to be them? What have you done with my real mother and father?"His hand was crushing my throat and I was slowly suffocating, but I gritted my teeth and demanded answers.The man in front of me looked completely unashamed. If anything, he seemed even angrier than I was."What's this? You can't deny what you did, so now you accuse your own parents? You'd even spout madness like claiming we're fake?"Breeding beetles, sleeping with a servant. You did every one of those stupid things yourself. This is exactly what you deserve!"With that, he tightened his grip, desperate to finish it.His hand clamped around my neck like an iron claw. I thought I heard something crack.He was in a hurry to silence me.And that exposed a fatal flaw.Just before he could strangle me, I summoned the last of my strength and kicked him hard.He staggered back several steps, and his hand slipped from my throat.He glared at me, furious, his

  • The Consort My Family Wanted Dead   Chapter 4

    By the time I reached the coachman, the banquet guests had followed me there.I looked at the honest, steady man in front of me, my eyes full of hope."Bram, please tell them the truth. You and I have never had an affair. Right?"I was sure he'd speak up for me.Years ago, when his mother fell gravely ill and needed a rare medicinal root, my parents laughed at him for dreaming of something he could never have. I was the only one who gave him my own root and saved her life.Bram had always been grateful to me. Once, when our carriage nearly went over a cliff, he was ready to die to protect me.All I needed were a few honest words. Bram would never hurt me.But he avoided my eyes. He exchanged a look with my mother, then spoke slowly."Lady Elara has always been kind. I've truly never had improper thoughts about her..."I relaxed. At last, someone could prove my innocence.But the next moment, Bram pulled out a pile of silk undergarments and an assortment of jars and bottles. H

  • The Consort My Family Wanted Dead   Chapter 3

    When we got back to the estate, my father shut himself in and wouldn't come out. My mother, on the other hand, was overjoyed. She kept saying how blessed I was.This time, she threw a grand garden party in the name of the future Imperial Consort and invited every powerful noble family in the capital.When I tried to refuse, she looked at me with tears in her eyes."This is the last little bit of time we'll have together as mother and daughter. I just want one lively celebration!"But I'd never forgotten the sight of her on her knees, begging me in my previous life.So before the party, I swallowed dozens of anti-parasite pills. Then I even cut my own body open on purpose. Only after I'd made sure no beetles crawled out did I dare attend.At the garden party, everyone was busy flattering my mother and me. The place was bustling.After a few rounds of wine, my mother suddenly collapsed. She foamed at the mouth and shook uncontrollably.I held her in my arms and did everything I c

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