Delve - Chapter 63: Assessment

Theodora is the Queen of Polis, a city-state that lost the war against the most powerful empire in the continent.

She is sure that they'll execute her immediately but, somehow, she survives the meeting with the Emperor, and she finds herself... Married?

Tossed in a new world without connections and allies, she has to either accept her fate or lose the chance to help her people once again.

She soon finds out that her new husband knows more about her than she does herself, and that his purposes are often far from what she expects.

A fallen queen that doesn't know how to be anything else. A handsome Duke who's the cause of her ruin. And their efforts to find some happiness in a marriage that's been forced on them.

WARNING: there are contents not suitable for a sensitive audience.

The smut scenes are half-censored at the beginning, but the amount and details will increase after a few dozen chapters (according to the Queen's mood .-. )

***

«I'm sorry for lying to you, your grace...»

«You're a Duchess. No one will dare to consider your words a lie: if you say that you were painting souls, then it's the truth.»

«I will remember it.»

«No, you have to understand it, Theodora. You're not a prisoner, but my wife. I'll protect you when you need it, and I'll help you with any issue you have. You're not just a Duchess in the name. You're my Duchess.»

«It's hard to believe in such a short amount of time.»

«For now, stop shaking like a chicken. I won't hurt you.»

***

The hearse with the weird odor slowed to a stop before the entrance. The sound of pebbles could be heard bouncing on the ceiling. There were footsteps coming from the corridor, and there seemed to be someone sawing next door. The door knob to the room rattled slightly, and the faucet in the bathroom kept dripping even though it had been screwed shut. There was a rubber ball that rolled on its own underneath the bed. Wet footsteps started to surface one after another on the floor.
At 3 am, Chen Ge held a cleaver in his hand as he hid beside the room heater. The call he was trying to make was finally answered. “Landlord, is this what you meant by ‘the house can be a little crowded at night’‽”

- Description from Novelupdates

I became the childhood friend of the protagonist in a novel. The childhood friend who died from taking drugs.

“An Ice Dragon with a legendary bloodline? Yeah… I tamed it.”Killed in an explosive lab accident, Liu Feng thought his story had ended. But fate had other plans. Reborn in a world where magic reigns and beasts dominate the wilds, science is no longer his weapon —magic is.[DING! You have been reincarnated!][DING! You have received a Talent!][Talent: Eye of the Beast King][Rank: SSS][Abilities: Speak to beasts. Control without bonds. See into their souls. Heal their wounds. Break their will]Gifted with one of the rarest talents in the realm, Liu Feng —now reborn as Aiden Aswald— seemed destined for greatness.But with power came a price: a cruel curse of immortality, one that chained him to an eternity of pain.At twelve, Aiden regained the memories of his past life —and with them, unlocked his beast-controlling powers.His first tamed creature? A terrifying Ice Dragon with a legendary bloodline, feared even among apex predators.Taming it should've been impossible. Surviving it? Even more so.But that was just the beginning.Now, Aiden walks a perilous path, forging bonds with magical beasts while uncovering the truth behind his curse. To break it, he must seek out the Essence of the Chronos Fire Dragon Beast.In a world where beasts rule, contracts are sacred, and survival is earned fang by fang... will Aiden rise as king —or fall as prey?