I turned around, but there was nothing there. Only a peculiar cat was walking on the dull corridor.
The cat continued to circle in one place, occasionally sitting down on the floor and surveying the surroundings as if guarding something.
‘What’s with the cat?’
When I used Benedict’s spirit to inspect Rinstead Castle, I didn’t see anything.
The black cat, skinny to the point where its ribcage was visible, seemed like a twig. I wondered what it was doing in this desolate castle, where there was no one to take care of it. Without thinking, I asked the cat.
“Hey, do you happen to know where Kirie Warei is?”
I didn’t expect any particular answer to my question.
However, in response to my question, the cat widened its golden eyes, then hissed and ran away somewhere.
‘What…?’
As I puzzled over the disappearance of the cat, Aston tapped my shoulder.
“Lord.”
“Yes?”
“Look at this. There are traces that something might be hidden where the cat was.”
“!”
Indeed. Although faint, there was a rectangular-shaped outline on the spot where the cat had been sitting.
Even though the place had accumulated dust due to the lack of servants cleaning it, when I pushed it with my foot, it was evident that it was a secret passage leading down.
“It’s a passage connected somewhere! For sure!”
Zero cheered like someone who had won the first prize in the lottery.
“Let’s go down!”
“Isn’t it too dangerous?”
Even though it was a place hastily abandoned by the Warei Viscount family, Rinstead Castle might contain secrets from their lifetime.
Moreover, wasn’t Kirie Warei a lunatic who recklessly used forbidden magic?
‘If I end up dying in some pathetic way at the last gate…’
Contrary to my concerns, Zero was confident.
“It’s okay. The status window certified that it’s safe!”
“…Are you really sure it’s okay?”
“Heh. The prince is quite suspicious. I am, after all, a self-proclaimed god.”
“It’s such an important moment.”
Aston spoke in my place, making me feel relieved.
“What if I die?”
“Don’t say such dreadful things!”
Should I trust the selectively delivered information? What if my life was at stake if it turned out to be wrong?
Seeing me becoming increasingly doubtful, Zero sweated nervously.
“Ah, come on. Trust me. You also feel something around here, right? You can’t just leave this area immediately.”
“Ugh.”
It was true.
The uncomfortable aura from Kirie, felt in the illegal exploit code ‘¿Unknown_virus?’, was strongly detected from beneath.
“Could it be a trap?”
Aston nodded when I kicked the entrance of the passage with my foot. It was a question directed at Zero, but he answered instead.
“If it was a trap, something would have attacked us when we discovered that cat earlier. Considering the startled reaction when pronouncing Kirie’s name, it might have been an alert from the familiar Kirie was raising, attempting to evacuate its owner. Whether it’s a trap or not, we need to break through first.”
“Well then… let’s go.”
“I told you I’m fine! You don’t listen to me, but you listen to Aston! That’s too much!”
“Noisy. We’re going in.”
Strangely, the entrance presumed to be the passage had no handle. Therefore, we decided to break it and enter. Assuming it would be fine based on the empty sound it made when knocked.
I thought maybe we should bring out a magic bomb, but fortunately, Aston eased my concerns.
Crack.
“Oh…”
“This should be enough.”
Aston’s powerful punch made the entrance collapse. It wasn’t made of marble, but the broken appearance of twisted wooden parts was harsh.
Aston reached into the debris, found the seam, and soon threw the entrance away.
Then he extended his hand to me like an escort.
“Well, come in. Duke.”
“Uh… okay.”
Was it a good idea to pair up with Aston?
With that thought, I crawled into the dark passage.
“…I’ll discreetly illuminate the way.”
Zero gladly volunteered to be our makeshift flashlight, providing light in the dark space.
As soon as we entered the secret passage, a stronger presence was felt.
‘Maybe… we might encounter Kirie at the end.’
I asked a favor from Zero.
“Zero, please inform the other colleagues of our whereabouts.”
“Got it.”
In case we found Kirie first, we could have others follow immediately.
After taking such precautions, I felt relieved.
I tightly held Aston’s hand and walked through the wide passage, raising my sacred power just in case of any surprises.
The black cat was Kirie’s pet cat, serving as a posthumous familiar for Kirie’s afterlife. It had taken over the role of a service horse.
“Meow!”
The cat dashed toward the hiding place Kirie was using.
Aston and Elizabeth discovered the secret passage guarded by the cat. Feeling the sense of danger, the cat used another secret passage only it knew to head toward Kirie.
“Miaow! Meowow!”
As the loud meowing cat approached, Kirie became irritated.
As the loudly meowing cat approached, Kirie became irritated.
“What is it? Why are you here? Your mission was to sit there and continue guarding the secret passage, wasn’t it?”
“Meow!”
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.”
