The front was made of transparent glass to secure a minimum field of vision.
Atia awkwardly smiled at Casus, who was making suggestive remarks.
Then, Casus pulled the surrounding vines to block the view from the front.
As the Duke and Duchess disappeared behind the vines, the crowd outside was divided between those who were disappointed and those who were embarrassed.
“Ah, can’t see, can’t see!”
“Why are they suddenly covering up?”
“Idiot! Don’t you get it? They’re a couple, a couple… Ah, how romantic!”
The people outside talked romantically about the Duke and Duchess, who had completely obscured the inside of the carriage.
Inside the moving flower carriage, Casus whispered softly.
“Like this, we’re hidden, right?”
“Huh…”
“If you’re going to defend, do it properly.”
His voice was so sweet that Atia’s ears inexplicably heated up.
Casus gently held her hand while slightly squinting his eyes.
“How is it? Now it’s just like you wanted.”
Atia blinked her eyes quickly, her expression stiff.
‘No, wait. It’s like I planned this atmosphere from the beginning. The defense was just an excuse…’
The cheers of the countless people outside.
The sight of the beautiful flower vine carriage, slightly obscured.
It seemed like anything could happen inside, and no one would know.
Atia felt like she had become a perverse show planner.
“Your Grace! Aren’t you scared of arrows?”
Suddenly yelling, Atia tore apart the vines.
Swish.
Leaves fell in the wind.
Leaves in her hair, Atia restored the vines Casus had covered at the front.
“What’s the point of obstructing the view from the front.”
Unaware that her own face had turned beet red,
Casus reached to remove the leaves from her hair, but Atia dodged him.
“Uh, focus on the festival, focus.”
Atia said, her eyes wide open.
Seeing her behave like a rabbit deprived of a carrot, the corner of Casus’s mouth twitched.
Atia leaned back and looked straight ahead, brushing the leaves off her head.
“Originally, the pilgrimage involved going around the village and saying a few words to the people, but it seems not too bad to ride in a carriage like this.”
Atia emphasized that she didn’t have any ulterior motives behind this plan.
“The rumor that fortune and prosperity come when the Duke and Duchess pass by seems to have already spread far and wide. I took advantage of that.”
As she looked forward from the carriage, the reaction of the people was truly enthusiastic.
Just the appearance of a carriage that looked like it came out of a fairy tale elicited gasps of amazement.
Atia took out a telescope to examine the surrounding reactions and observed the external landscape closely.
“Good, from this angle, I won’t get hit even if something flies at me.”
Even if something flew, it would get entangled in the vines.
She had calculated all the angles to avoid any threats.
“If Korea has a turtle ship, we have a flower vine carriage.”
Atia smirked as she put down her telescope.
Once they had made a full round, the 12th festival would be successfully concluded.
Atia was itching to finish the festival quickly and exercise.
“Duke, we haven’t exercised for a few days because of the festival, let’s go hard when we resume.”
Although exercising with Casus was always hardmode, Atia planned to intensify it.
“Going hard? You can handle it?”
Casus raised an eyebrow.
Atia bit her lip at his provocative look.
“Uh, yes, of course. You think I can’t?”
She felt invigorated, perhaps because her fitness journey had been interrupted.
Casus also spent more time training indoors with Atia rather than at the training ground.
While in the moving carriage, Atia and Casus discussed their fitness routines.
“I noticed you’re pretty good with your fists. Who taught you?”
“Hehe, I’ve had a fistfight in my heyday. Was I good?”
“You were fast. Fast enough to be a problem for me.”
“What? Want to try again?”
“Again?”
“Yes, I wasn’t in the best condition back then…”
The two wouldn’t stop talking about exercise.
“Duke, I must admit, your reaction speed is good. But you should continue to focus on lower body strength.”
“My lower body is strong.”
“No, in my opinion…”
Just then, something happened.
Someone blocked the path of the carriage.
Heeheehing!
The sudden stop propelled Casus and Atia forward.
Just before Atia slammed her face into the vines, Casus quickly extended his arm to stop her collision.
“…Jeonhahaa!”
A screaming voice of the person who blocked the carriage resounded from outside.
“Jeonhahaa!”
It was an old man.
The old man tearfully called for Duke Wellington.
Casus frowned and asked the stopped coachman.
“What’s happening there?”
“An old man is blocking the way and won’t move. Should I remove him?”
A knight escorting the carriage reported to Casus.
The old man’s cries continued.
“Jeonhahaa! Please, do not dismiss this pitiful old man, I have something to say…!”
Atia twisted her head to take a quick glance outside.
The location wasn’t ideal due to the high roofs.
“Damn, this feels like a trap.”
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.”
