Yeah. She was never someone who would easily believe in love poured out unconditionally without conditions. At times like this, her rational, efficient, and excessively Rustica Genesis-centric mind creatively devised various retaliations against Carlos after the game was over.
“Why ask such a question when you’re so beautiful?”
To him, loving Loo was so natural that not loving her would be abnormal.
“Oh, do you like my face too?”
Sitting with a Parisian face, Loo made a joke in the midst of this. No, was it not a joke?
Even in this situation, Hayden confirmed that Loo genuinely liked him and lowered his head to kiss her.
In the place where children play, it is not visible through the bushes and the number of garden trees. Under the sunken shade, Loo, who had been trembling faintly, closed her eyes and received the most affectionate kiss in the world.
“…I like you. When I first saw you, I thought you were an angel.”
The one who pulled him up while his head was submerged in the water and patted his back was a dazzling green-eyed angel. Hayden kissed her angel’s cheek.
“Your voice is pretty too.”
“I’ve never heard such a thing.”
“Everyone only saw your face. Moreover, your voice is even prettier when it clings to me.”
The murmuring voice approached her ear. The one with a good voice was Hayden. Loo pushed him away, hunching her shoulders.
“There are kids.”
“They won’t come. Icarus is starting to wake up and play, so they won’t come near.”
“I sweated. It smells.”
“Even better.”
“Pervert?”
“Why state the obvious?”
As Hayden began to make Loo laugh, he finally relaxed and hugged her tightly.
“If something happens, call me. Even if you’re anxious, scared, or don’t want to do something troublesome, call me. It’s okay. Curses can be lifted easily, so it’s really okay.”
Even though Loo tried to push her away a bit, she couldn’t escape from his tight embrace. She thought he was a bit heavy, but she just gave up and nestled into his arms.
The warm heat, the tightly clenched muscles, the persistent touch that grabbed her—she didn’t dislike any of it. Inside, Loo strangely felt a sense of comfort as well. Even if she momentarily freed herself, she knew it was a place she would eventually return to.
“Will it get worse from now on?”
The English translation of the provided Korean paragraph is as follows:
“You are the one who bound him with curses the most. Carlos has been playing for 430 years, but not entirely. Since the most wise and powerful Ophelia’s power was also taken away, there must have been countless studies he could have conducted with that power.”
He seated Loo on his lap entirely. It felt awkward for a sturdy knight wielding a sword to be restrained in someone’s arms like this, but Hayden’s large build with aches, biceps, and thighs being very thick made up for it.
When alone, the robust Loo still seemed significantly smaller next to Hayden. She simply leaned her head on his shoulder.
This was the secret garden where the emperor stayed. It was a place full of laughter where children did their best to pet Icarus. No one could step in lightly. So, it was okay to be embraced by him.
“Was it because I’m a Southern Sage?”
“You wouldn’t be different even if you weren’t a Southern Sage. You’re someone who amazingly recognizes value.”
Just because of that, he set standards with his unsocialized mind, handling things recklessly. While holding Loo, Hayden whispered.
“So, the level of curses set here is on a different dimension from Matapju.”
He tied it with all his heart, very delicately. Loo also knew it.
“Since I’m using your power, feelings are shared at times like this. Solving the Monster Wave this time seems quite challenging. Doors have been opened even on the walls…”
“Do the walls matter too?”
Hayden nodded.
“Yes. He paid the most attention to them, and they are the most resilient defense walls, carefully maintained. Besides, I hung two doors there.”
“Oh, so the influence on the walls has decreased accordingly. And he must be trying hard to regain it.”
Hayden immediately understood and pulled Loo closer, leaning against the backrest. Loo followed suit, completely relying on his body.
“Since I only took away his power, it’s time to take away his as well, Loo.”
The affectionate words and gentle caresses were tender.
“I’m planning all the attacks on him according to the speed of your magic.”
“No need for that…”
“There is.”
He was very firm, quite uncommonly.
“I’ve done a lot, and he has suffered that much, so vision and senses are shared. So, don’t worry.”
“A good sign.”
“A good sign indeed.”
Hayden, who reassured her multiple times, hugged Loo, confirming her sense of relief.
“If anything happens even a little, tell me, Loo. If you feel worse, be sure to tell me. I’ll always be by your side.”
He looked into her eyes and said once more, as if engraving it.
“I will make you happy until I help you and die. So, trust me. Even if you can’t trust me, don’t fall away from me. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Anything else making you uneasy?”
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.”
