The Substitute Princess Becomes the Empire’s Most Beloved

Art_lapsa Translation Team Art_lapsa
Alternative titles
贄姫の婚姻 身代わり王女は帝国で最愛となる

Princess Luscia of the fallen Shanonban Kingdom was raised in confinement following a coup. Suddenly, she’s forced to replace her cousin Marguerite as the emperor’s wife. Though given the role of a political pawn—with no affection expected—she experiences motherhood and love for the first time. But an assassination attempt ends her life—only to awaken her in the past, before everything began. Determined to protect her child and rewrite fate, she returns to the emperor’s side, discovering warmth beneath his cold façade... A riveting time-reversal romance filled with redemption and devout love.

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katakatakara

Yoo I'm a sucker for stories like this! Beaten down FL rediscovers herself and her strength with the help of taciturn ML letsgooi

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i wonder why did the emperor didn't suspect the fml identity in the first loop since they already made out


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neko.chan

Maybe he's on high alert because of the last assassination attempt? Moreover they don't really interact much and I guess he's respecting her decision?

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Silvu S

This. Not like FL was any healthier in the first timeline and they actually had the wedding night. That should have been enough to notice.

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Kinkaiser
Chapter 21

FL has generally been depicted as having a bit of a more elongated head and features, which really stands out from the average cutesy FL. But this chapter had her often depicted with very rounded features, and I questioned if it was her or someone else being depicted a few times.

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paulman34340

It's obvious Marguerite. She's OBSESSED with wanting to REPLACE FMC and when you look at it, they share a hair color, she has shown herself to be a sociopath not above COPYING FMC if need be (though still ANGERED that the one thing she CAN'T copy of FMC is her BLESSING......and of course it's IMPERFECT as her disguise falls apart as you said by her facial features, that SADISTIC smile and face she always makes "gives her away HEAVILY" because it's her NATURE, it's easy to see how that is one thing she'll NEVER overcome! Her true nature!

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Kinkaiser
Chapter 20

I hate this arc. They have absolute power over the princess and her kingdom, she has already broken part of the treaty before, she entered the country illegally, and they know she's involved in espionage and ordered an assassination on the Empress (getting pushed down stairs is often lethal). Yet they've decided to just let her take as much time as she wants carrying out her schemes, ingratiating herself with people in the castle and the country, and working with a corrupt minister who is also not being deposed (and is definitely behind the riots, either to draw the Emperor away or to attempt assassination). Its like the MCs want to be victimized.

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paulman34340

Sadly FMC HAS to endure it BECAUSE FMC wants to know "who helped her!" (Remember the bitch's OBSERVER back in the other kingdom said "someone helped her sneak out the castle and get through the border to the Imperial Castle with such ease!) Don't forget FMC DIED by her hand BECAUSE she was able to sneak in so easily "with so many HELPERS" she already ID's Edda obviously as the one who let her in, but the bitch had "free-leeway" to waltz into the Imperial Royal Castle WITH Assassins and NO ONE stopped her as she easily endangered the Royal Heir and MURDERED the Empress! The only way you can GUESS she survived the attempt was using the Child as a Bargaining Chip because you KNOW the ML would kill her and EVERYONE who helped her infiltrate and murder the FMC like that! Even SHE knows this WILL result in her death, hence her CONFIDENCE that she WOULD get away with FMC murder and get everything she wanted! Note the guy she was talking with, her co-conspirator! Is likely the Reason all of that even SUCCEED (even IF Edda)


As annoying as it is, sometimes this type of shit happens! FMC HAS to be submissive BECAUSE she knows her sister is a Sadistic Bitch who "will know something is up if she doesn't FEED her ego." The sister's GREATEST weakness is her Cruelty! As in she does ALOT of needless things for the sake of it and to get off on it! She didn't HAVE to GLOAT to FMC when she murdered her, but she did, she didn't HAVE to do alot of things, but she did! Hell this INFLITRATION resulting in her not being PUNISHED as you said is one big giant "counting on her ALLY and FMC acting in the manner she HOPES she will continue to act, remember she's been using Edda and is 100% unaware Edda has TURNED on her! It's like what happened between Mai and Azula in The Last Airbender! Azula is too use to people FEARING her that she can't even FATHOM she herself can be played! Comes with ARROGANTLY winning TOO MUCH! It creates a BAD sense of Invincibility! Plus she's in a VERY dangerous position as you pointed out, she is a Princess to a VESSAL KINGDOM! She may THINK she has her "ally" outwitted, but he's in a PERFECT position to throw her under the bus and she has YET to full understand her father WILL throw her under the bus if the Kingdom and more importantly to him HIS HIDE are on the line! His fault for INDULGING her sociopathic tendencies and sadism and then FOOLISH believing she'd "take it lying down and be COWED by him EASILY if he demands it! The largest reason WHY i jut her BRAZEN she was to be involved in CONTINUING her bad behavior with FMC despite everything! Lets not forget, the moment FMC became Empress, her little GAMES with her was finished, Continuing them would result in a VERY BAD ENDING for her because FMC is HIGHER in the food chain then her now! But you KNOW Sadistic Bullies NEVER accept these outcomes! And the only reason she hasn't SUSPECTED the jig is up and she's been ENTRAPPED is BECAUSE FMC "bit her tongue and played HELPLESS!" Even if ML has to "save her" the fact she shows "Weakness" makes the bitch lower her guard because "just like old times" kicks in and it makes her do and think VERY STUPIDLY! She's still on guard, but not as onguard that she WOULD have been if not for all these tricks! FMC admitted a part of her "mercy" to Edda was less her FELLOW VICTIM status to her sister and more because she "KNOWS" her sister well. She KNOWS she has a bad habit of indulging in STUPID EVIL if she thinks she can get away with it. And after her horrible behavior to Edda for all those years that she HAD HER HUNTED DOWN WHEN HER PARENTS FAKED HER DEATH TO SAVE HER FROM THE TORMENT JUST TO CONTINUE TO TORMENT HER, SAME WITH FMC! It shows she hasn't CHANGED, and can be prone to stupid mistakes if she lowers her guard and she WILL lower her guard if FMC allows it! She still HAS to pretend she has a "LIMB" around the bitch BECAUSE she knows it brings her JOY that "she arranged that DESPITE her being EMPRESS!"


But again, She is a SMALL FRY compared to who is helping her, likely someone wanting to DETHRONE the ML and sees her as a valuable pawn for that! Likely assuring to keep NOT TO MUCH HANDS ON because he knows SHE is needlessly stupid Evil and it would risk his involvement being found out. Plus FMC is playing a DANGEROUS game as ONE mishap she's unaware of, and the bitch might play in a different tune she didn't expect! She NEEDS to conclude the investigation into her "co-conspirators" QUICKLY before she gets SPOOKED (And before ML finally has ENOUGH and goes "damn the consequences" to AVENGE what the bitch put his wife through and CONTINUES to try and put her through! He can only be PATIENT in keeping his SWORD ARM under control around the bitch!)

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Kinkaiser
Chapter 23

FL, consider this. What possible reason would this man, who you have had no prior connections with, tell you that your husband is having an affair? Its obvious he's trying to sow discord, which makes his information questionable.


Also, despite him saying the Emperor doesn't have enough to judge them as enemies...pretty sure he does though? Girl tried to assault him, so there is zero reason she shouldn't be dealt with, while the Emperor will certainly not see the dude as an ally after the whole telling FL the Emperor is a cheater thing.

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Silvu S

The one thing I can't get over with about ML...

FL was already severely malnourished etc. in the first timeline and ML still thought it was a good idea do the wedding night - and have a baby. I doubt FL looked healthy enough for that. And now without memory from past timeline he notices and cares? Did ML aim in the pitch darkness when they had their wedding night!?


Otherwise... The story is fine. The art, villains and actual side characters carry the story way more than the main couple, what makes it a bit boring. It's solid plot, but nothing that interesting. Maybe I come to continue it for later, but I don't feel much for the main characters for now.

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Kinkaiser
Chapter 17

So did the double agent maid just not report the princess saying she wanted to murder the Empress in order to marry the Emperor? Or does no one feel that's an important enough confession to just arrest her?

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AnimeRuleDWorld

I like this one so much. 250 coins well spent since those chapters are so worth it.

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Devil_01
Chapter 08

Thank goodness no one noticed the dress ripping.

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Also, I would love to say that they were careless to store the dress, but letting knights guard the dress would have been too weird, I think? Though any Queen's dresses would have been expensive enough to assign guards, so it kind if makes sense to guard the wardrobe room. Idk how they used to do it in the medieval times.

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Devil_01
Chapter 07

That naid is making me uneasy...like, what did she do to the dress, and why does all the smirking and acting suspicious 😭

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Tanooga13

interesting start

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Abused princess, sold off to another nation, treated much better over there. Added to that is a time reversal plot. If any of that sounds familiar then you'll see everything coming and wish you didn't. It's kind of hard to take this conflict seriously when the main antagonist is someone that could be and should be eliminated or at the very least imprisoned. The leads are in a position of power that could do whatever they want to remove the threat but they're playing along and artificially extending this plot when it should've been done with by chapter 12 or even earlier. Also there's the typical Artlapsa spelling, grammar, and format errors. Whoever these editors are must not exist because there's no sign of it with these many mistakes. Dear Artlapsa, hire me. I can do a much better job than whoever these "editors" are.

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Tempest

Yet another chapter of yet another series with multiple repeated panels yall doing it on purpose atp

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narnochka
Chapter 30

Does this mean we’ll get a flashback to the first timeline 👀 👀

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sumipe

For someone considered tyrant, MC letting the FMC's sister alive way too long

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paulman34340
Chapter 14

Oh I see, basically since we know her father doesn't really love her that he'd HAPPILY hand her over to the Emperor in exchange for FMC back. I'm sure "Red Flag" moved to replace FMC AND deny her father his wishes! Going to go on a limb and guess the Emperor found out after FMC death and ended Marguerite! Turns out she GREATLY underestimated him because of the amount of spies she was able to put in! Hope he didn't kill her instantly and tortured her in the dungeon for a good LONG while! Bitch REALLY deserves it

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