Returned to her room semi-coercively by Astin, Siena stared out the window, lingering.
‘If only there was a victim… No, if I can discreetly handle even one young maid.’
Due to severe hunger, Siena’s sanity was gradually unraveling.
She didn’t care about the consequences; she just wanted fresh human blood and flesh immediately.
‘But if I do that…’
Her true identity as a zombie would be exposed. In the worst possible way.
Undergoing the humiliation of not even being able to follow ‘Father’s’ orders and being dealt with.
If that happened, Kieran would never let Siena live again. He wouldn’t care even if the corpse had any significance.
That was Siena’s greatest fear.
Although all zombies revered Kieran as a caster of magic and their new creator, they loved him at the same time.
‘Father.’
She couldn’t disappoint her father.
Siena bit her tongue hard enough for it to be partially severed, even as a numb zombie, when she suffered a physical blow, her body focused on physical recovery. Thanks to this, she could temporarily postpone the boiling hunger in the background.
‘As Father said, I have to eat something.’
In Astin’s watchful eyes, it was challenging to secretly catch and devour a person.
So what should she do?
While pretending to gaze at the scenery of the mansion, Siena’s eyes caught something.
It was the stable and the animal pen.
In the Kitten Duchy’s stable, glossy horses were gathered, and in the converted barn, piglets brought in for reasons such as territory reclamation and supply deliveries were huddled together.
Next to them was a small chicken coop, all due to the strong will of the duchess, Elizabeth.
〈Self-sufficiency is the most crucial element in survival!〉
Although it was unclear where the aristocratic lady picked up such an idea while dominating the social circle… everyone agreed since Elizabeth had never been wrong in what she said.
At that time, Siena, who had no particular thoughts, tasted the flavor while looking at the living livestock.
‘Even if they’re not human… they’re alive. How can I substitute for that?’
If she could buy some time and provide energy to maintain her sanity…
It didn’t seem so bad.
After all, whether human or beast, weren’t they all just chunks of flesh made up of blood and flesh? She didn’t know if it would taste similar. Even if a lion turned into a herbivore, it would be fine as long as she could endure it.
Capturing just any survivor in the mansion to eat was a dangerous thing to do, but facing livestock was something a mere wildcat could handle.
‘Hungry.’
She was too hungry.
Siena, who had made a decision, took action as the day darkened.
Leaving a message for the maid who was monitoring her room that she wasn’t feeling well and would go to bed early, Siena easily slipped out of the terrace like a cat.
As Kitten Duchess was still in a deep sleep, having fainted like Elizabeth, the confusion prevailed. Astin and four other men guarded her, allowing Siena to move freely. With the apprentice priest, who should be the most vigilant, circling around Elizabeth without knowing what to do, it was a perfect opportunity.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-cock-cock-cock…”
“Be quiet.”
Thud.
The chicken, whose neck was instantly twisted, took its last breath. Without hesitation, Siena sucked its fresh blood.
“Ah… I feel alive now.”
Siena continued to devour the remaining flesh of the chicken until it contorted like a mirage. Although only about a third of her hunger as a zombie was alleviated, it felt somewhat satisfying.
After finishing the meal, Siena decoratively arranged the surroundings as if a lynx had attacked and buried the chicken carcass in any secluded corner of the land.
To avoid drawing attention, Siena quickly returned through the window, washed off the dirt on her hands and feet for evidence elimination, and brushed off any dirt from her dress. She threw the soiled dress into the fireplace and burned it.
“Well done…”
Muttering to herself, Siena crouched like a shrimp, flipped the blanket over herself on the bed, and lay down.
‘Strange.’
Unnecessary emotions seemed to be clawing up her heart.
The trash-like emotions that she had completely discarded when trying to resurrect ‘Father’ Kieran were now creeping back. Why?
To Siena, who had eaten a chicken like a beast, unfamiliar yet familiar emotions subtly raised their heads.
Those were feelings of shame, guilt, and self-pity and compassion.
‘Why?’
It was an inexplicable phenomenon. What mistake did Kieran make when resurrecting her?
Unable to find out, Siena couldn’t sleep.
Zombies didn’t need sleep, even if they pretended to sleep. Throughout the sleepless night, a faint dampness seemed to have gathered around her eyes.
Astin, who quietly looked down at Elizabeth sleeping soundly in bed, turned his gaze to the window.
A suspicious movement was happening inside the mansion.
“Is it Siena?”
A casually thrown remark by Astin made the eyes of the other three men widen like lanterns.
“What?”
“You mentioned Siena, Your Grace?”
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.”
