“The surface is covered with lace and jewels, so it’s not suitable for treating wounds, but the underskirt is still usable.”
“What?”
“Your hand needs treatment.”
I tore apart the soft and thin underskirt. Edris stared at it blankly.
Why is that? Does his hand hurt a lot?
“Treatment… Yes, I should do it.”
For some reason, I grabbed Edris’s embarrassed hand and wrapped the torn fabric around it.
It must have hurt a lot.
His face involuntarily showed a pained expression. My hand also felt sore all of a sudden.
“It’s not a proper bandage, but it’s better than not covering it. Don’t move too much, don’t use your hand. We’ll disinfect it later when we return.”
“Sure.”
Edris stared at me intently.
“Why are you holding a blade with your hands there? It would be better to just hit the buttocks. Please don’t get hurt. Don’t feel pain either.”
After tying the knot, I raised my head. Edris was looking at me closely from a closer distance than I had expected.
I was embarrassed and tried to avoid eye contact. Come to think of it, after deciding not to get too emotionally close to Edris, it was the first time we were alone in such a close proximity for a reason other than a curse.
“Tesmillion too?”
“Yes?”
Edris blinked slowly, but I couldn’t understand the meaning behind Edris’s question.
Why mention Tesmillion here when he told me not to get hurt?
“Do you also hope Tesmillion doesn’t get hurt?”
“Yes? Of course.”
Edris squinted his eyes. My answer seemed to displease him.
What’s going on? What is he thinking?
Trying to gauge Edris’s thoughts, various speculations came to mind, but the carriage door suddenly opened with a loud noise.
It was Heron.
“Hibido is fine. As I mentioned earlier, he has a broken rib. He’ll get better after a few months of rest. So, you two can go back now.”
“Now?”
It had been a long time since the surroundings were engulfed in darkness.
“But there’s no carriage.”
“I’ll lend you a carriage.”
“Oh, but we’re too tired.”
It wasn’t worth coming all the way here just to return so unsatisfyingly.
“Even so, I can’t provide you with the mansion. The opinions of the elders of our territory are all the same as mine. Maybe if it’s just Cecilia Eriso, but…”
Just Edris? It’s unfair to send only him. People have principles.
“Then we’ll stay outside the mansion.”
“What? What are you saying? Are you saying you’ll sleep in the stable?”
“Yes, the stable is fine. We’ll sleep there! If it’s okay.”
Fortunately, the place Heron provided was an empty stable with no horses. The only things there were piles of horse dung… and straw scattered all around.
Although the smell was nauseating, it seemed like I could sleep once I lay down.
Heron even gave us a few blankets and bandages for Edris.
It would have been nice if he also offered a room and a bed. Well, that would be too much to ask for.
Edris seemed to have a different opinion.
“I can’t sleep here.”
He must be treated like a prince or something.
“It can’t be helped. They say we can’t sleep in the mansion.”
“How about sleeping elsewhere and visiting again tomorrow?”
“No, we can’t. It’s just the beginning, and if we can’t change Skiros’s mind now, what hope do we have for the future?”
“Well, I don’t see how sleeping here and changing Skiros’s mind are related.”
“No, I can read minds better than Edris, you know? Believe me. Now is not the time to retreat. You saw Edris earlier, right? Everyone is terrified of him, especially now that he used that ability!”
“Well, that’s because of your appearance.”
“Yes, I don’t blame you for that. In a way, I’m also responsible. Anyway, now that it’s come to this, we need to turn their hearts as soon as possible. Fear and anxiety usually intensify over time.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, and when that happens, who benefits?”
“Serbien, I suppose.”
“That’s right. They cleverly escape every time from the title of fearsome carnivorous beast tribe. Do you think all these people are on Serbien’s side?”
Saying so, I pushed the straw aside. It was going to be our bed tonight.
Then, pulling up the awkward skirt, I sat down on the straw.
Ugh, it’s cold.
I put on Edris’s clothes, but it was still cold. It was a dress that exposed the shoulders and neck.
Visible breaths came out white from my mouth.
Edris quickly noticed this fact, and he put a blanket over my shoulders. It felt a bit better.
“Can you light a fire?”
“No, no, I might get stuck here if we do that. I don’t want to become roasted chestnuts.”
“Then, stay closer.”
Edris pulled my waist. I nestled into Edris’s arms.
Wow, it’s really warm.
Edris’s body temperature was much higher than mine.
But warmth aside, being embraced by Edris was uncomfortable in its own way.
Is it okay to be held like this? I decided to keep my focus on something else.
Yeah, this is an unavoidable situation. It’s like breaking the curse.
As I was justifying it to myself at that moment, Edris suddenly buried his face in my neck.
Eek.
He took a deep breath and exhaled on my neck.
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.”
