Before our departure, we bid farewell to the Lobero family once again.
The lord had yet to recover fully and couldn’t leave his sickbed.
“I wish I could keep both of you by my side for a few days, or even a few months, but I understand that you’re both busy. I’ll really miss you.”
“I will too. I’ll miss you a lot. Thanks for letting me relax here.”
“Yeah, Goddess of the Sun. I’ll send you a letter.”
Terminos tightly held my hands. Idreesh slipped between us naturally, and our hands were released.
“Don’t send the letter,” Idreesh said.
“Idreesh, you can’t stop me from sending Sila a letter. She has the right to be happy with me.”
“Her and me?”
“Yes, both of us.”
“If it’s for Sila, I’ll tear it to shreds before she gets it.”
“Oh, Idreesh, you have a passion that’s like the sun when it comes to moments like this, don’t you? Right, Sila?”
It was a teasing remark about Idreesh, but for some reason, I felt embarrassed, so I just smiled awkwardly.
“Then, my friends, goodbye. We’ll meet again with smiles on our faces before you know it. We’ve walked through the thorny path of distrust and shared a genuine and perfect friendship. I’ll miss you. Goodbye.”
Receiving Terminus’s grand farewell, we departed from Lovero. So, it was true that the 13 days began in the confined space with Idrish.
“Cecilia, come here right now.”
“Um, just a little longer.”
“You said that an hour ago.”
I absentmindedly fiddled with the carriage door.
What was I thinking? I said riding in the carriage alone with Idrish was torture.
Until now, I had been pretending to sleep or acting tired all the time. But that was only for a day or two. I had slept too much, and now my eyes sparkled like clear glass beads.
Idrish told me it was time to lift the curse.
Come to think of it, after that kiss, I never had a chance to break the curse again. It’s because I deliberately avoided it.
Why, you ask?
Because it’s too embarrassing!
I liked Edriche before too. But after we shared that intense first kiss, my feelings for him grew beyond compare.
The moment I put my hands on Edriche’s body, I’ll probably see that level of intensity with my own eyes. Wow. I’m not confident at all.
Surely, black marks will go wild like crazy.
What if, in the process, Edriche discovers the connection between the curse and my feelings?
I shouted into Edriche’s ear, how much I liked him!
Hey! I like you a lot!
Oh no! I can’t do it!
I was afraid to even imagine what expression Edriche would make.
Will he tease me? Probably. He’ll definitely do that.
So, I wanted to at least postpone breaking the curse until the memory of the kiss faded a bit and the aftermath disappeared.
But somehow, as the days passed, the memory of that day became clearer, and being in the same space as Edriche put even more strain on my heart.
“Have you forgotten our promise to actively cooperate in breaking the curse?”
I knew I couldn’t run away from that day forever. After all, if I didn’t do it, Edriche would only suffer more… I should do it… “You said you would actively cooperate. Don’t you trust me? I will do it, just not right now.”
“When? A little later? After the meal?” Edriche nibbled on skewers, not answering.
“Um… tomorrow?”
“Why?”
“I’m tired.”
“You’ve only been riding and sleeping for two days straight.”
“Well, just being on a carriage is tiring, you know? Ugh.”
I stretched dramatically, but before I could fully extend my arms, Edriche grabbed my wrist.
“Whoa!”
I let my guard down. As he pulled, my body followed suit. Inside the cramped carriage, there weren’t many places for me to land gracefully.
I ended up sitting on Edriche’s lap.
“Uh…”
I held my breath as Edriche’s face suddenly became too close.
Our eye levels were exactly the same, which made me even more flustered.
“If you don’t want to do it voluntarily, I’ll have to force it.”
“What, what?”
A kiss?
“What is it?”
Oh, I just got distracted. You’re so forceful that I had a momentary lapse in thought.
Idrish made a face like an annoyed cat. It seemed that my attitude of avoiding him wasn’t to his liking at all.
He seemed to think I might run away, so with one hand, he held onto me, while with the other, he unbuttoned my clothes. A thick, long neck and well-built shoulders led to a curvy chest. The black marks on top of it had widened again due to my negligence at work.
Seeing that, I felt guilty.
Yeah, no matter what, I had to lift the curse so that Idrish wouldn’t be in pain. I also made a promise…
“I understand. I’ll do it. Let me down. I’ll sit on the seat next to you.”
“Once you don’t fulfill your duty, your freedom is taken away.”
Idrish took my hand to his chest. It was as I expected. As soon as my hand touched it, the black mark rapidly diminished like never before.
“Cecilia likes Idrish! She likes him!”
I shouted vehemently, avoiding the intense black mark and looking out the window.
Idrish, as if he couldn’t tolerate any more evasion, brought my face back towards him.
“Why do you keep running away?”
“I’m not running away…”
It’s too close. My heart is pounding too fast…
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.”
