Chapter 590: Unwed in Life, Buried Together in Death

On a warm spring day when the flowers were in bloom, Cygnus, which had long ceased contact with Solara, suddenly sent an envoy once again.

The Princess of Solara received the envoy.

In a daze, she felt as if she were seeing the young Emperor of Cygnus.

She realized this was an Imperial Grandson—the grandson of the Emperor of Cygnus. No wonder the resemblance was so striking.

The Princess of Solara watched him, lost in thought for a long while.

She asked him his purpose for coming.

The envoy presented an item and replied, "I have come to propose a marriage."

The Imperial Grandson of Cygnus was to marry the Little Princess of Solara, the niece of the Crown Prince who had just come of age. The wedding was a spectacle of unparalleled grandeur, the likes of which had never been seen before and would never be seen again.

That September, the Emperor of Cygnus passed away.

Tucked away inside his royal bed was the same hand-painted portrait of a beautiful woman.

The woman in the portrait had bright, captivating eyes and a commanding, heroic air, just as she did on the day they first met.

The following spring, the Princess of Solara passed away.

The final wish of the Princess of Solara shocked the entire nation.

She did not wish to be buried in her homeland, nor even in the imperial mausoleum! Instead, she wanted to be laid to rest in a place chosen within the borders of Cygnus.

For Solara’s most respected Princess to make such a request upon her death was unthinkable.

"Though in life I was not your wife, in death my soul shall follow you." These were the last words the Princess of Solara uttered before closing her eyes for the final time.

When the new Emperor of Cygnus heard her request, he was deeply moved by the bond between the late emperor and the princess. He dispatched an envoy to receive her, organized a grand memorial ceremony, and posthumously named the Princess of Solara the Virtuous Empress of Cygnus, laying her to rest beside the late emperor.

"CUT!"

A crew member immediately rushed forward and helped Melody Monroe out of the sarcophagus.

This was Melody Monroe’s final scene. The silk draped before the sarcophagus was red, signifying it was to be carried to the Cygnus Imperial Palace for burial alongside the Emperor of Cygnus.

Her part in the production wrapped today.

"A perfect wrap! That was tough. Excellent work, excellent work." Director Walsh was the first to come over, patting Melody Monroe on the shoulder.

"Thank you for your hard work, Director Walsh. And thank you, everyone."

Over the past few months of working together, Director Walsh’s opinion of Melody Monroe had completely changed.

So had everyone else on the cast and crew.

That included those who had once sneered that Melody Monroe was a kept woman.

Melody Monroe had earned everyone’s respect with her professionalism and hard work.

Through all her scenes, she never used a stunt double once. She insisted on doing everything herself, from learning to ride a horse and practicing fight choreography to performing wire stunts. Nothing seemed to faze her.

Her success had everything to do with her effort, and nothing else.

Director Wallace’s praise for Melody Monroe had been an understatement. She deserved every bit of it!

"Melody, why don’t you go take off your makeup?" her new assistant, Miller, asked, gathering the hem of Melody Monroe’s costume.

Since she was playing the character in her twilight years, the heavy makeup must have been incredibly uncomfortable.

"Go get your makeup off. We can all celebrate properly tonight!" another crew member chimed in.

With Melody Monroe’s part wrapped, principal photography was officially complete. The project could now move into post-production.

"Okay. I’ll go get my makeup off now," Melody Monroe said, then looked around. "Where’s Ian? This scene ran much longer than scheduled. He’s had to wait an extra two hours." She couldn’t see him anywhere.

"He’s playing with Keith Coleman. They’re either in the trailer or the makeup room."

Gathering her costume, Melody Monroe headed for the makeup room.

"Melody, you have an interview in a little bit," Miller said, briefing her on the schedule. "They’ve set it up here on set. It should only take about half an hour, and it includes a Q&A with fans."

"Okay. Got it."

After removing her makeup, Melody Monroe quickly changed into a different outfit, applied a touch of light makeup, and headed to the interview.

Ian Monroe sat in the trailer, watching as his mother emerged, only to follow a few people into another room. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

’Mom works so hard,’ he thought. ’She’s been working for hours without a single break.’