Suddenly, Rogelia’s startled heart began to beat as if it would jump out at any moment.
It was different from the primal feeling she had experienced with Klaus during their previous physical encounters.
A fear that reaching out to him like this might be irresistibly drawn into something, combined with the exhilaration of the man who had been so cold showing such an expression only to her.
And the excitement of envisioning an impossible future…
Klaus seemed to feel the same thing in Rogelia’s eyes, as his hand slowly caressed her cheek.
It was different from the rough pressing he had done before.
As if seeking permission from her, Klaus looked at her with an earnest and affectionate gaze that made Rogelia’s breath catch in her throat.
The skin where their breaths touched seemed to tingle.
If Rogelia had shown the slightest sign of permission, he would have devoured her immediately.
Nevertheless, he endured and waited.
As if all choices were up to her, he didn’t rashly press or touch her, just stared at her like that.
And at the crossroads of that choice, Rogelia, who had been gazing at Klaus’s night-blue eyes like a night sky, was shocked and gasped as his breath reached the tip of her lips, then hastily pulled away from his embrace.
As she escaped from his embrace, her chest, freed from his hold, surged with the lingering tension.
Rogelia, seeming puzzled by her recent reaction, rolled her eyes in confusion.
“I-I’ll leave now.”
Saying that, Rogelia left without looking back.
Klaus, now sober from the earlier warmth induced by the wine, wiped his face against the wall with a self-deprecating air.
He didn’t want to catch the confused girl. He, too, had been taken aback by the emotions that had swept over him just a moment ago.
Closet, who appeared at the end of the corridor in a hurry, looked puzzled at the sight of the disoriented Rogelia.
“Rogelia?”
Rogelia, still in a state of confusion, didn’t even hear Closet’s words and ran out of the mansion.
She just called his name, but her body felt as if it had been struck by lightning, becoming stiff, and her heart was pounding like crazy.
No, it can’t be.
It must be because of the wine she had during the meal. Yes, she was intoxicated by the atmosphere illuminated by the gentle moonlight.
Running through the garden like that, Rogelia soon leaned against a wooden pillar, exhausted, and crouched down as if tired.
Rogelia, pull yourself together. You promised not to fall for the Duke.
This must be just a plot from the original work…
With her face buried in her hands, Rogelia wanted to cry.
Yet, feeling the temperature rising on her flushed cheeks, she was confused.
Even as Rogelia, it’s dangerous.
As a woman, she always seemed to be entangled with the Duke, as if being pulled by a magnet.
It was confusing whether this was because of the original setting or his true feelings.
Her emotions, swayed by him…
⭐️⭐️⭐️
While Rogelia was absentmindedly staring into space, Closet, who had been suspiciously observing her, jabbed her on the back of her hand.
“Antonio?”
“Yes?”
“You didn’t like the flowers that much?”
Only then did she realize, to her surprise, that she had unconsciously plucked the petals of the flowers she had asked Melda to put in the vase.
“Oh…!”
As she lowered her gaze absentmindedly, the carefully arranged flowers that Melda had brought were now reduced to just stems.
Lost in thoughts about her encounter with Klaus, Rogelia bit her lip.
“I’m sorry.”
“Did something happen between you and Klaus yesterday?”
Closet asked bluntly, leaning on her chin, making Rogelia startle and clap her hands awkwardly.
“N-nothing at all!”
Rogelia’s exaggerated reaction narrowed Closet’s eyes suspiciously.
“Did Klaus bother you again by following you there? You’re too kind. I’ll give him a piece of my mind sometime.”
Rogelia couldn’t help but awkwardly smile at Closet’s completely misplaced words.
“Thank you, Lady.”
“Well, don’t mind it.”
Grinning proudly at Rogelia’s gratitude, Closet suddenly widened her eyes and said meaningfully.
“By the way, I have a painting I did alone. Can you take a look?”
Did she draw another picture other than the one from Viscount Bernas’s mansion?
As Rogelia nodded, Closet excitedly ordered a maid to bring the painting.
When Rogelia checked the painting that the maid brought, her eyes widened in amazement.
“Did you really draw this, Lady?”
“Yeah! I tried drawing with the advice Grandpa Bernas gave me last time.”
Looking at Closet’s drawing, which had grown even more than before, Rogelia couldn’t close her mouth.
Closet seemed to have talent for drawing.
It was like not recognizing a gemstone right in front of her.
But why wasn’t this aspect of Closet described in the original work?
In fact, it was kept secret that Closet had a younger brother, and everything about Closet was mysterious.
Just as Rogelia was having these perplexing thoughts, their conversation was interrupted by Klaus’s coughing.
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.”
