“That book is just nonsense. Who on earth wrote it?”
“I’ll find out the author!”
Well, since there’s no one who knows about the Goddess Semula or the World Tree, reading the book won’t be helpful.
‘Just ask Muse directly if I’m curious later.’
But where did this guy go again? It seemed like he had been somewhere for a long time even when I was absent.
‘The god seems to be the most relaxed.’
Phoebe lifted the comb again and began to comb my hair.
As night fell, Revanpell came. I greeted Revanpell with a fist bump.
Seeing me with my fists clenched, Revanpell smiled.
“Let’s not let it slide today.”
“What?”
“You said there’s a lot to talk about when you come back. Remember?”
“So, is that why you’re making such a cute face now?”
“C-Cute! I won’t change back to my original form until you tell me.”
“That’s scary.”
Revanpell tilted his head and sat next to me.
“Yeah. What would our Empress like to hear?”
“Just… about you. I originally planned to wait until you told me. You haven’t said much yet.”
“I think I mentioned it before. If you have any questions, don’t hold back and ask me right away.”
“…”
“But well, it’s a good thing if the Empress is interested in me and curious.”
Revanpell rested his chin on his hand and turned to look at me.
“So, where should I start? Well, how about the fact that the names of the two cats raised in the palace are ‘Bunny’ and ‘Fel’?”
“Oops!”
Crazy. How does he know that too?
“Maybe you forgot that Clint stays as a guard.”
“……!”
“Even if I can’t be seen, I’ve been following behind the Empress all the time. Don’t forget that.”
“…C-Clint.”
Crazy. I really forgot.
‘Forgetting to report it is one thing, but why report that?!’
As if he heard my inner scream, Revanpell lightly laughed and said,
“Don’t worry. Nothing else has been reported to me. Clint mentioned it because of the chef.”
“The chef? Why would the chef?”
“The chef is debating whether to allow calling the cats by their names. That’s all Clint told me.”
“That’s a bit… And why are you suddenly holding my hand?”
“Even if I stay like this, my changed appearance can’t be cured. It’s better than having a fist. Holding hands here is better than having a fist.”
Revanpell skillfully transitioned and approached me. I could easily remove my hand if I wanted to. However, pretending to lose, I held my chin with my other hand and held Revanpell’s hand.
“Revanpell, when are you going to tell me your story?”
Actually, I’ve never told anyone my story while I’m alive. I’m still figuring out what to say first and how to bring it up.”
“Even to Jaelim or Clint?”
“Of course. They didn’t even know I was a victim of the Perdix experiment.”
… Right. I knew more about Revanpell’s physical condition than Jaelim and Clint. I found out only a year ago.
“So, tell me what you’re curious about. Teriella. If you want, I won’t hide anything.”
If he says that…
I hid my hot, flushed face under the palm of my hand and thought.
“How far can I approach? Into his past and his wounds. How much can I handle? And how much responsibility can I take? I glanced at Revanpell with a hint of hesitation. In that brief moment, he had transformed into silver hair. Seals began to appear on his chest between the open clothes, much larger than when we first met, perhaps due to his mood. The expanding seals seemed to devour his body.
“…The Perdix experiment. When did that happen?”
I opened my mouth as if enchanted while observing him. Perhaps this was a past he didn’t want to talk about the most.
As my gaze, initially on Revanpell’s chest, moved upward, our eyes met directly. Even though it might be a difficult past to talk about, he was still smiling.
“The Perdix experiment, right. That’s true. The Empress who hides my secret every night has the right to know.”
“…If it’s too hard to talk about, you don’t have to answer.”
“No. It’s in the past, so what. The difficult part was back then.”
Revanpell leaned back comfortably as if relying on his hand and took a deep breath.
“Did you know Clint was my swordsmanship instructor?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Well… I was trapped back then.”
“What? You were trapped?”
This was the first time I heard this story. At the same time, I remembered the parts that seemed strange when I heard Jaelim’s story.
Clint ‘discovering’ Revanpell. Revanpell unable to come out.
There were a few confusing parts in the conversation back then, and now I seemed to understand why.
“Yeah. I wasn’t even in the line of succession, so no one cared about me.”
“W-Who? Why did they lock you up?”
“My mother.”
“…!”
There was no warmth in Revanpell’s cold voice.
“My mother wanted me to become the successor to the throne. She kept me locked up, hoping I would follow her education and wishes. She thought if that happened, Your Majesty would pay attention to me. But she was mistaken.”
“……”
“Even though I was trapped, learning swordsmanship from Clint, and when Jaelim came to visit, those were somewhat enjoyable. The real hell was after the war ended.”
“…….”
“……After the war, Clint, who heard that something happened to my family, went to the mansion. He constantly demanded to know what happened to my family, but my mother stopped him.”
This was a story I heard from Jaelim.
“Betrayed by the imperial family, Clint returned everything and went down to the mansion. I was left alone.”
As Revanpell turned his head, our eyes met. He was still smiling, but there was no warmth in his golden eyes, unlike a moment ago.
“And when I was alone then, I…”
“…….?”
“I was betrayed by my mother.”
My heart pounded. The moment I saw the empty expression on Revanpell’s face, as if he were recalling that time.
I tightly held Revanpell’s hand. Otherwise, he might disappear right in front of my eyes.
I desperately hoped that the words “betrayed by my mother” were not what I understood. However, Revanpell’s subsequent words shattered my expectations. “The one who conducted the Perdix experiment on me wasn’t Generva.” Revanpell exhaled deeply. It seemed like he was feeling anger and recalling the past with pain. Revanpell covered his face with his other hand. The golden eyes flickering between his spread fingers resembled those of a beast. The eerie atmosphere involuntarily made my body tremble. “The one who made me like this was…” “….” “It was my own mother.”
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
