“Ugh…”
At that moment, Celine, with a furrowed brow, mumbled something. As she spoke very softly, Delina couldn’t hear well. However, Celine’s lips didn’t stop moving, and suddenly, her face became more serious. Alarmed, Delina quickly approached.
“I don’t like it, it’s hot… don’t kill me…”
Hearing Celine’s words, Delina’s eyes widened.
“Mom… Dad… Teacher…”
‘Teacher?’
Celine’s complexion gradually worsened. Delina, witnessing Celine sweating and breathing heavily, shook her to wake her up.
“Celine!”
At Delina’s shout, Celine’s pupils flickered open. Seeing Delina in front of her, Celine, greatly surprised, tightly clenched her arms.
“I don’t like it! Go away!”
“…”
“I said go!”
“It’s me, it’s me, Delina.”
Though her gaze was directed at Delina, what Celine was looking at wasn’t Delina. Then, as Celine slowly regained her senses, her arms dropped.
“…Delina?”
Only then did Celine, with a bewildered expression, quickly speak.
“Well, you see, this is… I couldn’t sleep at night, and I think I unknowingly fell asleep here. I had a nightmare…”
“…Ah, is that so?”
Seeing Celine so flustered for the first time, Delina didn’t know how to react. Celine suddenly stood up.
“I, I’ll go first.”
Without looking at Delina and in a hurry, Celine left. Delina, still not considering catching up with Celine, stared blankly at Celine’s disappearing back.
In the quiet corridor of the Duke’s residence, Velion stood in the middle.
“…”
Velion’s gaze was fixed on a portrait of a woman. The woman with a kind smile was named Marien, Celine’s mother and Velion’s sister.
[Thank you and sorry, Velion. I’ll live well.]Before leaving the Duke’s residence, Marien smiled and said her farewell. The conversation with Marien was the last. What she left behind was the necklace she handed over at that time and her daughter.
“…Were you happy?”
Marien, who never showed any signs of difficulty in front of him, was a bit of a shock to Velion when she decided to live as a commoner. However, wishing for his sister’s happiness, Velion didn’t stop her.
The moment he paid even a little attention, there was a possibility of being noticed in the palace, so he had lived pretending not to know for the past few decades. Therefore, when he heard the news of her death, it didn’t feel real. Even now, it seemed like she was living somewhere and would smile at him soon, saying it’s alright.
“Your Excellency.”
But now was the time to face reality. Hearing Felic calling him, Velion turned his gaze away from the portrait.
“A message has come from Duke Diamon. They say that the investigation you requested has been completed and will be sent soon.”
Upon Felic’s words, Velion’s eyebrows lifted. There was something odd about it.
“Are they coming in person rather than sending a letter?”
It was Edwin, who rarely visited the Duke’s residence unless there was something unusual. Knowing Edwin’s personality well, Velion asked, and Felic replied.
“Yes, but it’s not the Duke who is coming.”
“Then… there’s only one person who could be coming.”
Velion immediately understood who was coming. Shortly after, the sound of carriage and the trotting of horses became audible.
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.”
