Soldiers escorting a fancy carriage coming down from the Hevelt Mountains were a rare sight. Klaus, immediately thinking of the Crown Princess, calmly asked,
“Did the carriage have any insignia?”
“It seemed vaguely like the pattern of the palace… Would an ordinary hunter encounter such a pattern?”
“How were the knights dressed?”
“They were wearing red cloaks.”
Fortunately, it seems that the palace guards successfully rescued the Crown Princess… It was fortunate, but for some reason, a sense of disappointment crept in.
Was the Crown Prince really here to rescue the Crown Princess, as Roselia worried? With thoughts of Roselia and the people at the Duke’s mansion who would be concerned about him, Klaus lowered his feet to the floor, attempting to move despite the pain.
“Ugh…”
Seeing Klaus, who was still in pain, trying to get up from the bed, the hunter was startled and tried to stop him. “It’s still too much!”
Though it might be a lie if he said he wasn’t in pain, Klaus seemed capable of moving fairly well, thanks to the hunter’s skilled treatment.
Only then did Klaus realize he was wearing the old shirt of the hunter. Frowning, he asked, “Where are my clothes?”
In response to Klaus’s question, the hunter pointed to the well-folded clothes on the table.
Taking a 10-vera coin from the pocket of the clothes, Klaus tossed the coin toward the hunter.
It was the last coin left in his pocket, as larger coins and bills seemed to have scattered in the river.
Catching the coin unexpectedly, the hunter checked the amount and raised an eyebrow.
“Well…”
“Do you have a horse to ride, by any chance?”
Upon reaching the Duke’s mansion, Klaus, his shoulder wounds reopening, landed on the floor as if he were about to collapse.
At first, the approaching servant, seeing a shabbily dressed man entering the mansion, frowned. However, the moment the servant confirmed Klaus’s appearance, his eyes widened as if seeing a ghost. Only then, before the shocked servant, did the butler, Jeffrey, rush out of the mansion.
“My Lord!”
“Good heavens! The Duke has returned alive!”
The mansion turned upside down with Klaus’s appearance.
Alejandro, who belatedly rushed out of the mansion, approached with an almost tearful expression.
“My Lord!”
Butler Jeffrey quickly noticed that the Duke’s condition was not good, and urgently gave orders to the servants.
“First, let’s get him treated! The Duke is not in good shape! Bring the court physician!”
Only then, supported by Alejandro, Klaus, who had eased his mind a bit, looked around and asked, “Antonio…?”
“Well…”
Unable to continue the sentence, Alejandro, rolling his eyes, met Klaus’s stern gaze.
In response to Klaus’s gaze, urging him to speak, Alejandro reluctantly opened his mouth.
“Immediately after receiving the news of the Duke’s death, he disappeared from the mansion.”
“Disappeared?”
“He left a note saying not to search for him and disappeared…”
At Alejandro’s words, Klaus, who had tightly pressed his lips, spoke.
“Where is that note?”
“I put it in the Duke’s office drawer.”
Upon hearing the response, Klaus, who had slipped away from Alejandro’s support, rushed into the mansion.
“My Lord! First, let’s get you treated…!”
Without listening to the rest, Klaus dashed into the office. Alejandro, who sighed as he watched Klaus rushing in, quickly followed behind him.
Violently pushing open the office door, Klaus opened a drawer and checked the note.
Alejandro, who had rushed in late, tried to calm Klaus down, breathing heavily.
“My Lord, first, let’s treat the injuries…”
“No.”
“What?”
“This note is not written by Antonio.”
Klaus, who had seen her handwriting several times, recognized that the hastily written note was not in Roselia’s handwriting.
Only then did Klaus, realizing that the mansion’s security was looser than usual, glare fiercely at Alejandro.
“What happened to the shadows in the mansion?”
Caught off guard by his sharp remark, Alejandro opened his mouth with a troubled expression.
“Upon hearing the news of your disappearance, all personnel were sent to the Hebelt Mountains… we thought it was a true emergency.”
“Damn it! Why do things I didn’t ask for!”
With a harsh curse, Klaus crumpled the note in his hand. Alejandro, with an awkward expression, spoke.
“We prioritized your safety in all matters. We had no choice.”
Feeling conflicted, Klaus sighed heavily; he couldn’t entirely blame Alejandro.
“Disperse the shadows. Find Antonio!”
As Klaus left the office abruptly, Alejandro, looking flustered, shouted hastily.
“Where are you going? You need to receive treatment first!”
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.”
