“Siena!”
“Uh…”
Siena, who barely opened her eyes, still had hazy red irises. And… her face was split by a golden crack, as if a fragile ceramic doll about to break.
“Oh no.”
Zero clicked his tongue.
“…Duke.”
“Are you awake?”
I shouldn’t cry, but tears threatened to pour as soon as I saw the conscious Siena.
“I, I’m sorry. To drive out Kirie, I ended up striking Siena hard…”
“It’s okay. It couldn’t be helped. I agreed too.”
From Siena, who smiled with a serene smile, I felt only relief. Although things had become a mess due to our fight against Kirie, she seemed to exude the fragrance of sunshine.
It was an exceedingly peaceful laughter. In contrast, her body gradually lost the appearance of a human and turned bluish like a zombie, returning to the state of a corpse.
“I’m sorry…”
“What are you apologizing for? I’m really okay. I didn’t feel any pain with this body. The scoundrel who controlled everything bad is gone. Duke, you helped me. You’re an unforgettable benefactor to me.”
Jjeuk. Every time she spoke, a golden line increased on Siena’s body. Her friends, Luce, Benedict, and Mihail, who were Siena’s friends, crawled awkwardly and sat next to her.
The smell of blood vibrated, and everyone looked miserable and sly, making the reunion pathetic and squalid.
But the gaze they exchanged was softer and warmer than silk, like a cradle.
“Siena…”
“I’m sorry for not being able to protect you.”
“While we were away from the capital, you went through such suffering…”
Their self-blame was filled with deep regret. It was regret for the days when they turned away from Siena, who had suffered the heartache of having to sort out the feelings she should have abandoned because she loved.
Siena just smiled. Bright and cheerful, just like the real her that I knew.
“It’s okay. We’re friends. You don’t have to apologize. The misfortunes that happened to me weren’t your fault.”
“Still, Siena. If only we were there…”
Siena cut off Benedict’s gloomy words.
“Assuming ‘if’ won’t change anything. It’s already happened. And I would have been even more miserable if you guys had been entangled in the same situation as me. I think it’s fortunate that it didn’t happen.”
Siena spoke abruptly in the arms of a woman.
“It’s not because of luck; it was possible because the soul loved by the gods from the beginning. The ‘original’ protagonist. Your originally assigned role and mission were that. Even though everything got distorted because of that guy Kirie, the essence remains unchanged.”
Zero flew smoothly and landed on Siena’s stomach.
“What are you doing, Zero? Come down quickly. Why are you sitting on Siena’s stomach?”
Perhaps scolding Siena silently for her sake, Zero preached to me with a plump expression.
“Heh. It’s all for this child’s last moments.”
“Last moments…?”
“Yeah. You also know. There’s no hope. Siena Evergreen is about to shatter into pieces soon. Because of the enormous side effects of the magic.”
Thud. My heart sank. Even though he was a character who had never appeared before my eyes, hearing that Siena, who had only suffered, would completely disappear was unbearable.
“…Is there no way to help?”
“There isn’t. I don’t have one.”
Facing the cruel verdict, I shook my head. Tears fell drop by drop.
“And now, Siena will see me. Completely out of that damn magician’s sight.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Check it out.”
Following Zero’s nod, I looked at Siena with surprised eyes. She was clearly looking at Zero.
“Oh, where did this cute hamster come from? The fluffy fur is so lovely.”
Siena wasn’t surprised even if there was an unfamiliar creature on her stomach. Is that the power of sunshine? Or is it the best attitude to consider us?
“…That’s a god. A little god who chose me as a saint. His name is Zero, still in training, but he’s a god anyway.”
“…Really?”
“Really.”
“Wow. This little one is also my benefactor.”
Seeing Siena smiling brightly, my throat tightened.
“…Duke?”
“…Sorry.”
No words of apology came out anymore. It was wasteful to say such words, and there wasn’t much time left for Siena.
Crackle. Crackle. Like dry bark, Siena’s fingertips slowly crumbled. The sound of crispy dry leaves came from Siena, who used to be like a spring fairy. Siena’s body was facing the winter.
“I’d like to give you a handkerchief… but I can’t do that with my hands like this.”
Siena made a bland joke, perhaps sensing her own end. No one could laugh.
No one could laugh when a person sacrificed by someone else’s selfish desires died and couldn’t find comfort even in death.
Even if it wasn’t green eyes, it didn’t matter. I… just wished Siena would live.
Even if it meant living not as a human, even if it was selfish and deserved criticism, I hoped she wouldn’t crumble like dust.
“…Zero.”
“Why.”
“Why is there absolutely no way to help Siena? For example… Can’t I seal my whole body like her memories were sealed?”
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.”
