The royal carriage arrived at the Duke’s residence the day before Tanshinje. Ashud, standing quietly in front of the carriage, wore a puzzled expression upon seeing the people buzzing around Delrina.
“What is she?”
“My stage assistant.”
“…And her?”
“Second stage assistant.”
Ashud looked incredulous as he eyed Zen and Callis standing behind Delrina. At that moment, a monkey appeared above Delrina’s head.
“Ah, this one will also help with the performance.”
“Chirp chirp!”
“…Although a little uncontrollable.”
Delrina hastily hid the mischievous monkey behind her head and explained.
“Fine, assistants or monkey, I understand, but…”
Ashud’s gaze shifted to Betty standing behind. Delrina spoke again.
“I’ve become so sensitive that now I can’t sleep without Betty’s help. I have to take her with me to give a better performance.”
Bellion didn’t say anything about sleeping in the royal palace. He had merely sent more people. And this was the result. Ashud didn’t object to them coming either. He simply uttered a single sentence.
“If she’s going as a maidservant, she can’t carry weapons.”
“Of course. Betty doesn’t even have any weapons.”
Then Delrina noticed. Quietly, Betty was pulling out various knives and weapons from her clothing.
“…Well, she may have some very small self-defense weapons.”
At the very back were Bellion and Felic. As Delrina prepared to leave for the royal palace, Bellion approached her and briefly greeted her.
“Clown.”
“Yes.”
“See you tomorrow.”
‘I wish you wouldn’t come…’
Delrina, who still disliked showing her act to those who knew her, responded with an awkward smile. Meanwhile, Felic, standing next to Bellion, also nodded slightly as if to say, ‘See you tomorrow.’
“…”
Next, Bellion’s gaze turned to Callis. Catching his gaze, Callis looked up at him.
“…”
“…Understood.”
Apparently, the House of Duke Ulprim was using a form of silent communication. The two exchanged glances and sealed their unspoken agreement with Callis’ answer. Lastly, Bellion’s gaze landed on Ashud.
“See you tomorrow.”
Knights of the royal palace surrounded them. Hence, Bellion didn’t engage in any further conversation with Ashud, but merely nodded. Ashud reciprocated and climbed into the carriage.
Although there was only one carriage from the royal palace, the increased number of people on Delrina’s side made it necessary to split into two. Riding alone with Ashud, Delrina clutched the hem of her clothes amid the awkward atmosphere.
‘How could a royal come to pick me up…’
The queasiness from the carriage grew worse due to Highr’s smothering attention. Noticing Delrina’s condition, Ashud gestured toward the window.
“If you’re going to throw up, do it outside. Not in front of me.”
“…It’s not that bad.”
‘Should I just puke on his lap?’
She felt she could survive doing so until tomorrow’s performance. As Delrina eyed Ashud’s lap, he spoke.
“So, what’s the plan for the performance?”
“I’ve prepared, but I don’t know if it will go well.”
She had practiced her abilities and contorted her body in various ways, but the outcome was uncertain. It was absurd for her, devoid of any proper skills, to perform in the midst of a royal palace banquet. But what could she do?
It was the Emperor’s command, and she couldn’t worsen the conflict between the royal and ducal families due to her disobedience.
“Will His Majesty also be watching during the banquet?”
“Yes.”
“…Then, would Your Majesty, perhaps help me during my performance…?”
“No.”
“Yes, I thought so.”
‘I guess that’s that…’
She’d consider herself lucky if they didn’t laugh at her performance tomorrow. Delrina glanced at Ashud, who sat silently in front.
‘The reason this man could become a tyrant…’
Last time she saw Noah, Delrina was convinced. There was definitely a reason the letters turned red. And she was almost certain it had something to do with why they were bringing ruin to the empire.
‘So Ashud must also have times when the letters appear in red?’
Ashud needed to be observed more carefully. Delrina scrutinized the area above his head where nothing had appeared yet.
“……What are you doing?”
Of course, Ashud wasn’t someone who wouldn’t notice her. He asked, seemingly perplexed by her odd behavior.
“I apologize. Your Highness is so striking that I can’t take my eyes off you.”
“……Well, I also can’t take my eyes off you.”
“Really?”
“I’ve never seen a young lady who exclusively exhibits such peculiar behavior.”
“……”
Delrina chose to remain silent in response. All the while, the carriage was getting closer to the imperial palace.
‘Yes, let’s first solve the immediate problems.’
Feeling the reality of tomorrow’s performance, Delrina steeled herself.
“Squeak!”
“Don’t! You can’t just roam around here!”
It was her first time sleeping in the imperial palace, provided with a room. There were no places where she could freely roam, yet she went for a walk at an untimely hour due to the monkey’s restless movements.
‘Well, I can’t sleep either because of tomorrow’s performance…’
She quietly observed the tranquil imperial garden.
“You really can’t roam around here. I don’t mind where you go, but that doesn’t apply here. Got it?”
“Squeak! Squeak!”
Whether the monkey was listening to Delrina or not, it was busy climbing trees. For a moment, Delrina watched the monkey and then spoke.
“……Listen, do you want to be friends with me?”
She hadn’t ignored Noah’s story from before. Delrina looked up at the tree and continued speaking.
“I roughly heard your story. How you got here and everything.”
“……”
“If the reason you’re avoiding me isn’t because you hate me, then I promise you, I won’t ever abandon you.”
“……”
“So let’s get along from now on.”
Just like their first encounter in prison, Delrina extended her hand toward the monkey again. The monkey stared at her hand for a moment, then leapt down from the tree.
“!”
Finally, a small hand overlaid on top of Delrina’s. Feeling the warm touch, she smiled at the nearby monkey.
“Yes. Let’s get along well… Aah!”
“Squeak.”
Before Delrina could finish her sentence, a bug appeared right in front of her eyes. The monkey, hanging a bug from its tail, chuckled. Annoyed, Delrina yelled, but the monkey hopped onto her shoulder.
“Hey, hey…! Climbing is fine, but leave the bug!”
“Squeak, Squeak.”
In the end, even the heartwarming scene of their bonding turned into a joke. Delrina didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. Amidst their nocturnal gymnastics with a bug, they sensed someone’s presence beyond the bushes.
“There’s someone here.”
Betty, who had been waiting, hurried to Delrina’s side. Delrina noticed too. Beyond the bushes, there was more than one person. Then a voice came from beyond the bushes.
“Who’s there!”
It seemed they had also sensed Delrina. The bushes rustled, and a knight emerged.
‘Imperial knight?’
Identifying the emblem on the knight’s clothing, Delrina instantly knew his affiliation. The knight seemed momentarily surprised upon seeing her.
“……Please identify your affiliation and status.”
Judging from her attire, the knight seemed to realize she was a noble young lady. He asked formally, but his cautious demeanor remained. That’s when Betty answered.
“Miss Delrina Floren, who is staying in the imperial palace today. I am her maid.”
“So it is. I apologize, but you must leave the garden now. Someone else is using this place.”
Being a knight of the royal palace, Delrina had a sense of the status of the ‘someone else’ he mentioned. Just as she was about to turn around in agreement, someone appeared from beyond the bushes.
“!”
Delrina’s eyes gradually widened upon seeing him.
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.”
