When Carlos left the castle, he rode a horse, but when he returned, he rode a carriage.
Having strained himself repairing the western castle walls, his left hand had become semi-transparent, making it impossible to properly hold the reins.
While he could use his shadow ability like his left leg, Dewey strongly advised against using his powers, so Carlos reluctantly took the carriage.
“……”
Carlos took off his gloves and looked down at his faintly disappearing left hand.
“…Time seems to be running out.”
Otherwise, using such a minimal amount of power wouldn’t have caused his left hand to end up like this.
The left leg was problematic as well.
How long would it take for everything to return to normal?
Was it even possible to return to the way it was?
With her assistance, he would surely return to normal, but…
“Not now.”
Let’s wait until she wakes up.
We should avoid the worst-case scenario that might happen in the meantime.
“We’ve arrived at the castle, my lord.”
While lost in thought, the carriage had already arrived at Esper Castle.
Putting on his gloves again, Carlos got off the carriage, and when an unexpected figure approached, he widened his eyes in rare surprise.
“Miss?”
Dewey, who was also surprised, responded in a similar manner.
Although she had hidden herself a bit and appeared when Carlos got off the carriage, both of them were genuinely surprised. Irene scratched her cheek a bit awkwardly.
“Was I not supposed to come out?”
Dewey, who regained his composure first, extended his hand.
“No. No, not at all. I didn’t think you would wake up… Oh, of course, it’s not that we didn’t want you to wake up. We were earnestly hoping for you to wake up more than anyone else.”
Although his torrent of words sounded like an excuse, his sincerity was clearly conveyed.
“Thank you.”
Irene expressed her gratitude with a faint smile.
Then, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, Dewey coughed and turned to Carlos.
“……”
The eyes that had widened were back to normal.
Approaching Irene, Carlos looked her up and down, asking, “When did you wake up?”
“A little while ago. I don’t know the exact time, but…”
“You woke up around 9.”
Jessie, who was standing behind Irene, answered.
After glancing at Jessie, Carlos turned to Irene again.
“Even if your body hasn’t fully recovered yet, why did you come out?”
“I wanted to show His Excellency directly that I’m fine.”
Saying the same words as Jessie had, but for some reason, it felt more tense.
After taking a brief breath to calm her trembling heart, Irene spoke.
“I apologize for causing you to worry.”
Carlos might not have worried about himself, but still, she politely apologized with her hands clasped.
Her gaze naturally dropped down.
“……”
Then, as a large coat rose over her shoulders, she raised her head again.
Carlos casually remarked, “If that’s the case, you could have waited inside the castle rather than being out in the cold.”
“Oh, until a little while ago, I was inside the castle. I came out when I heard Your Excellency had arrived.”
“Despite that, your face is pale.”
Maybe. Irene brought her fingers to her cheek as if to say that she didn’t know if her face was pale, but it was cold.
Feeling cornered into being a liar, Irene sought help from Jessie.
“Did we really stay inside the castle until a little while ago?”
“Yes. It hasn’t been even 10 minutes since we came out.”
Jessie provided the exact time, lending credibility to Irene’s words.
When Carlos looked at Irene as if to say, ‘See that?’ he gave a satisfied smile.
Then, adjusting his disheveled coat, he said, “I’m not pointing out that you lied; it’s just that your condition doesn’t seem good yet.”
“My condition is fine.”
Irene retorted softly, but Carlos didn’t acknowledge it and buttoned up the front of his coat.
Although she had dressed up so nicely, Jessie inwardly sighed as Irene was covered by the rugged coat.
“Have you had breakfast?”
Irene nodded.
“Yes, I had breakfast.”
Even if it was called breakfast for something eaten around 10 a.m., Irene didn’t find another expression and didn’t correct herself.
But that was a mistake.
“Then, I suppose we should have lunch.”
“What?”
She had barely digested what she ate earlier, and now lunch? Unexpectedly, Irene’s eyes widened in surprise.
Carlos tilted his head slightly and asked, “Don’t you want to have lunch with me?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that, but…”
Irene was about to honestly say that she wasn’t hungry yet, but she swallowed her words as she looked at Carlos’s expression.
Perhaps because of her mood, Carlos seemed somewhat disappointed.
Moreover, until a moment ago, she wasn’t hungry at all, but now, she felt a little hungry.
Would it be okay to have lunch in this case…?
Lunch usually meant something simple like a sandwich.
“I’ll eat with you.”
Carlos’s mouth lifted slightly at Irene’s response.
“I should tell them to prepare.”
Indeed, he must have been disappointed.
Quick to sense his mood, Irene felt fortunate that he accepted her suggestion.
It takes time to prepare lunch.
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.”
