The sight of Ashton speaking in a faint and lonely voice was like a masterpiece painting. A useless thought occurred to me that if I took a photo and released it under the title “The Sorrow of a Handsome Man,” it would sell like hotcakes.
Of course, I couldn’t leave a man of my taste crying out and then dying.
“……So, you’re saying you’re okay with dying here?”
“……? Your words seem to have shortened.”
“Skipping the trivialities. Are you prepared to die as you install these bombs, Duke Esper?”
His eyes flamed as if urging a response, unsettling Ashton’s emotionless face.
“Well, even so.”
“From now on, drop that miserable resolve! Why would you want to leave the world so early with such a handsome face and quite a decent character!?”
“……?”
My nonsense made Ashton’s expression strange.
「……What are you doing there? Proposing?」
Zero looked astonished as he struggled with the search bar, having heard my words.
‘Ah, no, not at all.’
I was embarrassed. But since I had already spilled the beans so refreshingly, I decided to add more.
“Duke Whitewood, if you make such a comment again, I will bury you alive with only your head sticking out.”
“……Duchess Keaton, that sounds more cruel than dying. Weren’t you incompetent?”
“Shut your mouth, Your Highness. Don’t you read the atmosphere?”
“…….”
Ashton looked at me like I was a talking monkey. Well, it was better than looking like a wax figure.
I got up, took the small magic bomb that Ashton had nearly monopolized, and diligently placed it here and there.
“Grrrr…… Grrrrrrrr!”
Outside, zombies were clamoring, struggling to get in. The sound of chairs bumping was noisy.
“Quiet down, all of you!”
“Grrrrrrrr!”
“Ah, geez, what’s the point of looking slightly sane! You don’t understand words!”
I yelled loudly and installed the bombs swiftly.
Michael, Ruth, and Benedict had also generously installed bombs everywhere as they went around the entire floor. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the moment I yelled at the zombies, my party members moved more quickly.
“All set up, Duchess.”
“Me too.”
“Same here.”
We filled the room with bombs, leaving only the area near the secret passage for our escape.
“Good. Although it’s a pity that we don’t have a remote control device… we can just throw a bomb to detonate them after we get into the secret passage.”
Ashton disagreed with my statement.
“That plan is risky, Duchess. If the bombs in this room go off, the flames will follow us into the secret tunnel and we won’t be safe. Someone has to stay in the room to….”
“Shut your mouth if you’re going to volunteer to die. Because I’ll really kill you.”
“……So in the end, we’re talking about dying, aren’t we?”
“No. When I say I’ll kill you, it’s not literally ending your life but beating you up really bad.”
“…….”
I knew how vain and contradictory my threats were.
Born as the incompetent Elizabeth Keaton.
The me who had taken over her body wasn’t good with guns, nor was I physically strong.
The only thing I could do was formulate strategies using the status window of my supporting probationary Holy Seat, Zero.
‘I should really ask Zero to increase my stats when we get the final party member recruitment reward.’
There was nothing I could do if Ashton decided to act sacrificial.
Still, still.
“Don’t talk about dying in front of me.”
“……”
I’d already lost precious family, my parents, in an accident when I was young.
I said it was easier to live alone, but that was an excuse.
If I found someone precious again and ended up losing them helplessly.
“Think of those who remain. Is everything solved by dying? Who would be pleased if you survived like that?”
“……Duke Keaton.”
I couldn’t stop my heart from crumbling into disarray.
That’s why I didn’t want to get close to anyone.
Even realizing this world, strictly speaking, existed separately, I deliberately ignored it as book immersion.
I’m going home.
So I shouldn’t grow attached to the people here. To go back to my solitary, comfortable daily life when I return.
A villainess? Rather, it’s good. Since people hate me, there’s no need to form bonds or feelings.
That’s what I had thought.
I grabbed Ashton by the collar and yelled.
“If you die, I won’t let it go. Got it? If you’re going to die, do it where I can’t see.”
I made an empty threat, but oddly, Ashton’s expression was quite… impressed.
A hint of a smile swirled within his perfectly proportioned features.
“……What? Why are you laughing?”
“……Yes.”
What did he say? His voice was too quiet.
When I leaned in and told him to speak up, Ashton flinched and pulled his head back.
“No, I never intended to mock you, Duke. Don’t misunderstand.”
“……Is that so? So, can you promise?”
Promise not to talk about dying in front of me.
As I glared, Ashton obediently nodded his head.
He was like a well-behaved, obedient puppy.
“Understood.”
With that comforting voice, I could be relieved for now.
“Good. And there are other sacrificial methods I’ve planned, so now…”
“Raaaargh. Aaaargh. Ahh!”
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.”
