“You probably heard the words of those ruffians. They’re targeting Roselia. If Roselia came here recognizing Rugvela’s writings just like you did, she would have been caught by them.”
This time, there was no choice but to admit Claus’s words. Trying to reveal Rugvela’s identity could have resulted in Roselia being captured by those men.
Listening to the conversation a while ago, it seemed that they were trying to catch anyone looking for Rugvela, not just Roselia…
Roselia lowered her head and spoke with a slightly choked voice, “I’m sorry. Since it seemed like Your Grace wasn’t concerned about Roselia’s affairs, I tried to find out…”
Claus, exhaling a light sigh at her subdued voice, looked down at her intently. “I just didn’t want you to get involved in this.”
Her gaze met Claus’s, and there was a sincerity in his expression that strangely shook Roselia’s heart. What could he be thinking about in a situation like this, where he simply didn’t want to create trouble?
Roselia vigorously shook her head, avoiding the gaze of Claus staring at her.
“I’ll contact Roselia and warn her to be careful.”
In response to her forced casual reply, Claus furrowed his brow and spoke, locking eyes with her, “If those guys find out you’re Roselia’s brother, there’s a high chance they’ll target you too. So, for the time being, it would be better if you quietly stayed out of sight.”
Staring at her as if seeing through her, he continued, “Consider this an order.”
Roselia didn’t want to put Antonio in danger along with herself. Whether she knew Claus’s thoughts or not, she reluctantly nodded.
While Claus was considering how to protect Roselia and Antonio, all Roselia could think about was getting away from the Duke as soon as possible. Each of his seemingly innocent words was shaking her. Moreover, becoming a subject of gossip and being targeted by someone unknown was all because of the Duke and the Crown Prince. The reasons for targeting Roselia were apparent, related to the Duke and the Crown Prince trying to blackmail them.
Whether Roselia liked it or not, she had to pay off the debt to the Duke and get away from the Duke’s residence as soon as possible to live a peaceful life.
In this complicated situation, the only way to escape quickly was to repay the Duke’s debt, prepare her own funds, and leave the Duke’s residence. Of course, to do that, she had to find the anonymous artists from the original work who had not yet appeared.
Roselia sighed deeply and stood in front of Nadia’s house in the state of Antonio. It was time to deliver the sponsorship funds from the Crown Prince.
The time had come to deliver the sponsorship funds from the Crown Prince, so she sought out Nadia. Of course, she usually visited as Roselia, but given the circumstances, it was dangerous to continue moving around as Roselia. Therefore, she had no choice but to visit as Antonio this time.
Standing in front of Nadia’s modest house, she hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door. Soon after, Nadia opened the door and scrutinized her up and down between the open door.
“Hello, Miss Nadia.”
“Who…?”
In response to Nadia’s suspicious and guarded voice, Roselia opened her mouth with the most gentle smile she could muster.
“I am Roselia’s brother. I’ve come to deliver the sponsorship funds on behalf of Roselia, who is not feeling well.”
Even with Roselia’s words, Nadia, who had been looking at her with suspicion, suddenly gazed intently at her face and exclaimed, “Oh~?”
As Roselia gauged the meaning of the exclamation, Nadia, who had unexpectedly opened the door wide, gestured for her to come in.
Entering the house in an instant, Roselia, now in Antonio’s form, inwardly smiled with relief as she looked around Nadia’s improved living conditions compared to before.
“We’re acquaintances, right?”
“What?”
Caught off guard by Nadia’s sudden question, Roselia stammered.
“Last time, I identified myself at the tavern where I work.”
“Ah… Haha, you remember. Actually, I happened to see Miss Nadia’s paintings and came to help.”
“Well… That’s settled. But, are you two siblings? You look quite alike.”
Nadia’s murmured words made Roselia tenser. Her eyes, leisurely scanning her with an unenthusiastic expression, were quite sharp, making her body involuntarily stiffen.
“Do you hear that often, that you look alike?”
“Well, sort of…”
In reality, Roselia and Antonio were not blood-related siblings, but since she didn’t feel the need to clarify, she just laughed it off.
“Hmm…”
In Nadia’s meaning-laden gaze, Roselia had to force a smile and stand stiffly.
“Well, fine. So, where’s the sponsorship fund?”
Contrary to her previous tension, Roselia became even more perplexed by Nadia’s reaction, which lacked any reluctance.
After delivering the sponsorship funds and exchanging brief updates, Roselia finally left the house.
As she was leaving, Nadia, through the door, casually commented with a leisurely voice to Roselia.
“Your appearance is quite eye-catching, and it’s not bad.”
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.”
