As soon as we descended underground, a nauseating smell brushed against my nose. The captain didn’t stop at the entrance but continued walking inward. Silently following him, I glanced around with a sidelong look. The inside of the prison was remarkably quiet and eerie. That was understandable since there wasn’t a single person imprisoned; only the captain, me, and a few knights who followed. ‘Is there really no one here?’ I thought just as I noticed a woman confined in a nearby cell. At first, she was difficult to see in the darkness, but as we approached, her face became clearer. As a result, I instantly recognized who she was. It was the maid of the empress, the one whose eyes met mine unexpectedly at the tea party. ‘No way.’ The same maid who accused me of being the culprit and claimed to have poisoned the empress’s tea. It seemed plausible. No, it was correct. If it weren’t for her, there would be no reason for someone to be imprisoned here. Moreover, the moment she saw me, she was visibly surprised, bowing her head deeply. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as I slightly slowed my pace. After a few steps, the captain suddenly stopped. “Open the door.” Pointing to the cell where the maid was confined, the captain instructed a knight.
It seemed correct.
No, it was correct.
If she wasn’t the maid, there was no reason for her to be imprisoned here.
Moreover, the moment the woman saw me, she was visibly surprised, bowing her head deeply.
I didn’t take my eyes off her as I slightly slowed my pace.
After taking a few steps, the captain suddenly stopped.
“Open the door.”
Pointing to the cell where the maid was confined, the captain instructed a knight.
Following the captain’s order, a knight quickly moved, unlocked the door, and swung it open.
“Please go inside.”
Not wanting to exert any more strength after coming this far, I didn’t offer any response, just glanced at the captain once and entered the prison.
As soon as I stepped inside, I heard the clang of the door clos
“I’m not sure about that either. Once the date is confirmed, I’ll inform you. If you know anything, it’s best to be prepared. Now, I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
Before I could say anything else, the captain and the knights distanced themselves from me.
I quietly watched their retreating figures and then turned my head to survey the prison.
Inside, it was much colder than the slightly warming weather outside.
It’s bearable for now, but how will I endure through the night? The future
“And somehow, he’ll find a way to rescue me from here.”
Reaffirming my trust in him, I lifted my head.
Then, I looked at the maid trapped on the opposite side.
However, she still avoided eye contact, turning her head away from me with a desperate effort not to meet my gaze.
“Why did you do that to me?”
My voice echoed throughout the prison.
Perhaps she didn’t expect me to initiate a conversation, and the maid seemed to flinch.
She continued to turn away and did not respond.
“You know I wouldn’t have done that.”
Inside this prison, there were only the two of us, and no on
Raising my head and looking in that direction, two knights were approaching this way.
After a while, the knights handed something round, wrapped in a handkerchief, to the maid and me.
“It’s a meal.”
At a glance, it didn’t seem like a proper meal setup.
As expected, when I unfolded the handkerchief, a single potato revealed itself.
Just one potato, a truly meager meal.
They handed us the potatoes and quickly disappeared.
Apparently famished, the maid hastily put the potato in her mouth.
I glanced at her briefly, then wrapped the potato back in the handkerchief and placed it on the floor.
I didn’t have much appetite and didn’t particularly want to eat.
So, I was about to bury my head in my knees again.
“Oh.”
A faint scream suddenly came from the previously quiet maid.
I stared at her side to see what was happening.
As if sensing my gaze, she turned and faced away from me.
‘What’s going on?’
I didn’t give up and kept my eyes on her.
She seemed to be staring intently a
Witnessing the maid suddenly burst into tears, I felt a moment of bewilderment and spoke to her.
“Hey… Are you okay?”
“Sob, h-huuhuh…”
As I tried to converse, her crying intensified, soon turning into a near-wailing sound.
“Hey…”
I continued to talk to the maid, bewildered, but she just kept crying incessantly.
‘What’s going on here?’
I eventually fell silent because it seemed like she couldn’t hear
I overturned the potato and quickly picked out what was inside.
As I unfolded the dried paper, a familiar handwriting caught my eye.
It was Kaern’s handwriting.
Herena.
The letter, starting with my name, was densely filled with small characters.
Given the limited space, it seemed like the writing was made as small as possible.
I brought my face close to the paper and began reading the letter from top to bottom.
Even though I could read it quickly, I didn’t want to.
So, I started reading the letter very slowly, savoring each c
With confusion, I continued reading the letter, and indeed, it seemed to be related to the Hasper family, whom I had encountered in the past.
Kaern briefly informed me about who Sierra Hasper was and what had happened before and after.
You won’t be there for a very long time.
So, it will be tough until then, but I hope you can endure a little longer.
With the last words of concern for me, the letter came to an end.
After quickly reading the letter again, I carefully wrapped it in my hand, closed my eyes, and took a moment to think about Kaern.
Then, I opened my eyes again, put the letter
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.”
