As the tense atmosphere lingered, Ollentia clasped her hands and swallowed nervously. Being with Dimitrius, who exuded a mysterious charm, made her more nervous than she expected.
Noticing her stiffness, Dimitrius walked up to her with heavy steps and stood in front of Ollentia.
His earnest gaze fell on her.
“What brings you here, Lady?”
He seemed genuinely curious. His voice slightly faltered.
Ollentia lifted her head to meet the eyes of the masked man.
“I’m the one with many questions. Why are you here alone? Do you have any idea how surprised I was?”
“First, answer my question. Have you become aware of your own power? Is that why you found these flowers?”
“What power? You know who I am, right? The niece of Count Odor, Ollentia of the Armenian Count’s family. I’m here because I’m his niece.”
But Dimitrius seemed to be looking for a different answer.
He asked again, seriously.
“Lady, you found these flowers without losing your way once. Think about how you were able to come here all by yourself through a dark forest where even left and right are hard to distinguish.”
“Wait, hold on! I have no idea what you’re talking about. These flowers?”
At Ollentia’s question, Dimitrius pointed with one hand to the cluster of white flowers that glowed like sunflowers.
Only then did Ollentia seem to nod and then her eyes widened in realization.
“Eh? The reason I came here straight? I followed the bright light emitted by the flowers. Isn’t it the same for you?”
Such bright and clear light made it impossible to lose her way in the forest. Of course, it might not be easy to find her way out now.
After a moment, Dimitrius chuckled in disbelief.
“Ha! Nonsense. Where do you see light here? Are you seeing ghosts or something?”
Confused, Ollentia felt a chill run down her spine. She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pursed her dry lips.
“Why are you saying that? Look over there. Those sunflower-like flowers are emitting light! It’s not sunlight or moonlight, but a clear and bright light!”
Frantically explaining and hopping around, Dimitrius seemed speechless for a moment. It felt like a winter night, although it was spring. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like he saw the white light of the Pietà bracelet.
Dimitrius then adjusted his mask with one hand and spoke in a solemn voice.
“Very well. There’s no reason for the Lady to lie.”
Ollentia approached the flowers again, rubbing her eyes. She stared intently and blinked several times, but the light was still there.
She bit her tongue and trembled slightly.
“Why can only I see it? Are your eyes wrong, or mine?”
Then, Dimitrius said something that scared Ollentia even more.
“When I was briefed about the hallucinatory flowers, I wasn’t told they emitted light. Perhaps it’s your eyes that are special.”
It was the first time she had heard that her eyes were special. She was often told her large, round, and gentle eyes were very attractive.
‘So, only I can see this white light? That’s impossible.’
Unable to believe it, she just blinked, and Dimitrius continued.
“Of course, few people know about these hallucinatory flowers now. They seem to grow only in this forbidden forest. I also recently learned about the effects of the hallucinatory flowers.”
It seemed odd that he kept talking about the hallucinatory flowers.
Ollentia continued to alternate her gaze between the glowing hallucinatory flowers and Dimitrius.
“Did you come here secretly without Uncle, I mean, Count Odor knowing? This area is off-limits to outsiders. Did you see me finding the hallucinatory flowers as soon as I entered the forest?”
Surprisingly, Dimitrius nodded in agreement.
Ollentia’s mind began to clear up.
‘So, Count Dimitrius came to Odor because of these flowers…’
Then Dimitrius spoke sharply.
“You can tell the Count anytime that I’ve been in this forest.”
He seemed to think she would do just that.
Ollentia frowned.
“So, what are these hallucinatory flowers? Why have you come all the way to the Count’s estate?”
Silence followed.
Dimitrius approached the flowers swaying in the breeze and knelt on one knee. Even with a mask on, his posture was so graceful that Ollentia couldn’t help but admire it. It was as if a deity had descended to earth.
He should not look this magnificent.
After a while, Dimitrius finally spoke.
“Yes, I need these flowers urgently. I’ve come for negotiations.”
Dimitrius reminisced for a moment.
Knock, knock!
The door to the office opened, and Chief of Staff Killian entered. Killian, a rugged man with a scar on his left face, had a profound look in his mismatched eyes.
“Lord Dimitrius, the rumor circulating in the information guild seems to be true. It is said that when the hallucinatory flowers bloom, they emit a strong sacred power.”
Dimitrius tapped his fingers on the desk.
“As I thought. It seems like the Odor family deliberately leaked this information. They have a flower with sacred power, and anyone who needs it should come to negotiate.”
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.”
