Several seconds of silence passed before Evenel Istella, suddenly aware of her close proximity to Shuher, hastily stepped back.
“Ah, my apologies. I was momentarily startled.”
“Startled over this little thing?”
“It’s unnecessarily spacious here. In reality, only the two of us live here.”
“By that logic, the situation seems similar to before.”
Shuher spoke knowing that she had been living alone in a separate wing.
“No, it was just the right size to live with my younger sibling…”
“Younger sibling?”
At his question, Evenel stopped climbing the stairs. Realizing she had inadvertently mentioned the past, she quickly brushed it off.
“It’s more modest compared to this palace. It was smaller, anyway.”
Shuher didn’t question Evenel’s words too much, knowing that there was another young noble in the Istella estate.
“Oh, by the way, has there been any movement in Aodin? They should have heard about me by now.”
Evenel, who brought up the topic of the noble house, then remembered Aodin, which had been suspiciously quiet.
She hadn’t paid much attention to it, busy as she was adjusting to her new surroundings. If they had known about her abilities, they wouldn’t have stayed quiet.
“They did reach out.”
“Really?”
Shuher didn’t explicitly say so, but the truth was that Aodin had been eagerly sending letters ever since before Evenel left for her mission.
Naturally, the letters requested her return. After all, she was originally from Aodin.
“So what did you say? They won’t back off easily.”
“Do I really need to say anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“I simply ignored them.”
Upon hearing Shuher’s words about ignoring them, Evenel couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Thinking about how furious and irritated those in Aodin must be felt refreshing.
“Why are you laughing?”
Shuher couldn’t help but ask her why she suddenly burst into laughter. What could be so funny?
“Well, they must be regretting sending me away by now. It’s utterly satisfying.”
She had no good feelings toward those who judged her to be useless and sent her to Carius.
“Anyway, aren’t they likely devising some sort of plan there?”
“They’ll manage somehow.”
“You say that with such confidence as if anything they do won’t matter.”
As Evenel had said, with what she had in her hand, Shuher had dismissed the people of Aodin as unworthy opponents. All that remained was to tighten their breaths.
For Evenel, that part had been delegated to him since she decided to stay in Karies, so she decided not to worry too much about it. After all, there was nothing she could do while here.
Seeing that he didn’t probe any further, Shuher asked the question he had been curious about.
“Have you ever thought of going back to Aodin?”
At that question, Evenel, who had just entered the corridor, stopped her steps. After a brief silence, she countered his question with one of her own, as if trying to challenge him.
“What if I have?”
“I would have already answered.”
In the face of his still unyielding gaze, Evenel showed a refreshing smile.
“Why did you ask me in the first place if you’re going to say that?”
It was amusing that he talked as if he would simply let her go, when it wouldn’t have made a difference whatever answer she gave.
“If Your Majesty answers like that, then my answer remains the same as before. I belong to no one. Does that answer it?”
Evenel’s mindset remained unchanged. She would not simply be swayed by the wills of Aodin or Karies.
“Then I will go.”
As she was about to return to her room, Shuher stopped her once again.
“Take a day off from training tomorrow.”
“Why?”
“I have a place to go.”
“Where exactly?”
“Outside the imperial palace.”
Even in the face of Evenel’s curious gaze, Shuher seemed to have no intention of elaborating.
“It would be wise to cover your face in front of people. Rumors about your grace are quite widespread.”
Annoyed by the troublesome situation, Evenel simply nodded her head.
With that, Shuher walked away, and Evenel, returning to her room, lay on her bed, blankly staring at the black ceiling.
“Why does time go by so quickly?”
A month had already passed since she arrived in Karies. Thinking back on all that had happened, a forgotten figure crossed her mind.
“Right, the female protagonist.”
Given that she was originally supposed to die near the beginning of the novel, it seemed like time for her to appear, yet she was nowhere to be found. In fact, she knew nothing about this person.
What her name was, where she lived, how she would meet Shuher.
“Well, if I knew, I would have found her myself and brought her right before my eyes.”
If she appeared, Evenel would be free. That way, there would be no need to lend her abilities in Karies.
“Everyone would be happy if the female protagonist appeared.”
‘And then I’ll be unnecessary. I should think in advance about what to do after that.’
Caught in various thoughts, Evenel soon closed her eyes to the incoming thoughts.
In a secluded alley.
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.”
