It wasn’t a lie. Since her mother’s death and the Baron’s decline, she had grown up without proper nourishment.
Roselia forcefully pulled her wrist from Esteban’s grasp.
Esteban still looked suspiciously at her wrist.
“Even for that, it’s too slender… and you seem quite short for a man too…”
Too astute for his own good!
Roselia replied coldly, “I stopped growing early.”
“Hmm… What’s your name?”
Why ask for my name now?
Suddenly recalling a scene from the original story, Roselia swallowed dryly and responded to Esteban’s question.
“Antonio.”
“Antonio…”
Hearing her name, Esteban smiled slightly.
“Nice name. Doesn’t seem to suit you, though.”
Roselia felt strange hearing Esteban’s words, which were similar yet different from the original story.
“I don’t believe you would lie in front of the Prince. But next time, if you can’t give me the answer I want, I can’t guarantee what will happen to you.”
Whether it was trust or a threat…
Roselia looked at the Prince in disbelief and realized that staying any longer with him would do no good. She bowed quickly and hurriedly left the scene.
Esteban’s golden eyes intensely followed the retreating figure of Roselia.
Roselia walked through the dark corridors, holding the envelope containing the 1,000 Verang cheque she received from the Princess. She had been summoned by Klaus late at night.
Since she had already planned to visit Klaus to repay his debt, Roselia left her room without hesitation. However, as she approached Klaus’s study, her steps grew heavier.
Was it because of the way he treated her, worrying about the Princess and treating her like a mere stone in the way?
Although she was upset, did that justify her reluctance to meet Klaus?
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Roselia confidently knocked on the door of the Duke’s study.
“Come in.”
Inhaling deeply at Klaus’s familiar and cold voice, Roselia opened the door and entered the study.
Klaus, seated at his desk, put aside the papers he was examining, and looked at her intently.
“Better tell the truth.”
His abrupt demand made Roselia’s eyebrows twitch.
“Don’t give me that nonsense about delivering Clozette’s regards to the Princess. What was your real intention in approaching her?”
His tone, assuming her a potential danger to the Princess without proper inquiry, irked her.
“It wasn’t me who approached; it was Her Highness who summoned me.”
Her defiant response seemed to irritate Klaus, who twisted his mouth in disdain.
“The Princess summoned you? Why would she want to see you?”
“Well, I can’t disclose Her Highness’s private matters.”
Roselia’s unyielding reply seemed to further unsettle Klaus, who stood up, his towering presence imposing.
Roselia tried to remain unfazed, keeping a calm facade.
Klaus moved closer, his face nearing hers threateningly.
“I don’t know what you’re scheming, but don’t even think about using the Princess.”
Roselia was taken aback by his audacity.
Not use the Princess?
Wasn’t it him who used her in the original story, drained her dry of all usefulness, and then discarded her?
In the original story, Klaus didn’t even show up when she was sent to the gallows. She must have waited for him, that damned Duke.
But hearing such words from him made her feel unjustly aggrieved, as if she had experienced those events herself.
Roselia glared at Klaus’s face, now close to hers, and leaned in even closer.
“Is it wrong to use someone?”
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.”
