“Are you that happy? By the way, the bed keeps making noise again…”
“Even though I changed it to a new one, it keeps making noise. Nothing I can do.”
“If you ask for a replacement, it’ll be suspicious. A perfectly fine royal bed breaking one after another? It’s a bit strange.”
“Well, frequent replacement of beds is not common.”
“I didn’t know moving so vigorously on the bed would create such a headache.”
Artia shrugged her shoulders.
Cascus, who was looking at her, narrowed his eyes.
Cascus asked Artia, “But are you really going to wear that damn outfit?”
“Oh, the yoga suit?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll change and wear it later, what’s the big deal.”
“I hope that ‘later’ never comes at all.”
“For now, come quickly. We need to be there first.”
After a brief morning exercise, Artia took Cascus’s hand and led him to the gym.
“Nice!”
Seeing the expanded gym from the first to the fourth floor, Artia exclaimed in admiration.
Once inside, the equipment Artia had mentioned was arranged.
She almost shouted ‘Crown Prince is the best!’ but refrained from showing too much excitement, fearing Cascus would be annoyed.
“It’s much more spacious.”
“Why build up to the fourth floor.”
“Since many people are expected to come, the fourth floor might get crowded too.”
“Are there really that many nobles in the capital?”
Cascus expressed slight dissatisfaction.
“Still, seeing you happy makes it all worth it.”
“Ah… did it show?”
“A lot.”
Starting today, nobles began to trickle into the reopened gym, each wearing a bracelet that Artia had given them as proof of their gym membership.
With the bracelet, they could enter the gym at the imperial palace annex.
However, this privilege was limited to nobles.
“Yes. Welcome.”
Where else in the world would a Duchess take care of one’s physique?
Artia gradually realized her purpose.
You can attract a lot of money through differentiation. Your Highness, even without raising taxes and exploiting the people, you won’t need to sacrifice noblewomen unnecessarily to powerful countries.
The first young woman who arrived quietly whispered to Artia.
“Um… I’m embarrassed to say this, but can you help me return to my original figure? I’ve gained too much weight.”
Artia confidently nodded.
“It’s my specialty. First, wear this outfit.”
Artia handed her a yoga suit.
The top was brown, and the bottoms were black, a simple outfit.
But the woman seemed to have a different idea.
“How can I wear something like this…”
“To check quickly, it’s better to wear the clothes.”
Artia led the woman to a small room.
“No one comes in here. I’ll check, so don’t be embarrassed. Change into this.”
After a while, the woman appeared wearing the yoga suit Artia handed her.
“It’s more comfortable than I thought… but it’s a bit embarrassing.”
The woman, standing in front of a large mirror, glanced at Artia.
“Right? It’s comfortable, isn’t it?”
Artia treated her with greater ease, smiling.
“Let me see… there’s a little tension in the trapezius muscle, and there’s a slight forward neck. Am I right?”
As Artia gently touched her body, the tension remaining in the woman dissipated, and she said, “Madam, you looked really cool at the banquet hall.”
Artia, massaging her neck, responded.
“Oh, did I?”
“Yes. Really… I don’t know if I should say this, but as a fellow woman, I almost fell for you.”
“Oh, come on. It was just luck.”
Artia clapped her hands and laughed.
“No, you won twice. I observed it carefully. Harald’s swordsmanship was indeed admirable.”
“Do you know Harald well?”
Artia pressed around her neck firmly.
“We know each other. Pretending to be arrogant is basic, and with every word she says, you can see how unfortunate she is. Such bad luck in everything.”
As tension eased, the woman revealed her inner thoughts to Artia.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to badmouth others…”
“Haha. Everyone has someone they dislike.”
While conversing with the woman, Artia learned that Jay’s reputation among the nobles wasn’t great.
Despite her glamorous appearance, she was unpopular in high society, and when women met her, they often criticized her.
‘Indeed, true nature cannot be hidden.’
Whether it was her fault or not, if she were truly wicked, she should have managed her image better.
‘Maybe she didn’t think that far.’
“Even if a few men like her, the majority probably dislikes her.”
The woman chatted with Artia during their workout.
Above all, the skill Artia possessed in making people comfortable impressed the woman.
“Thank you. Even if it were free, creating a place like this for us is appreciated.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“I want to come here every day.”
Artia replied with a cheerful smile.
“Come every day. I’m always here.”
The gym operated by Artia quickly became popular.
“Wearing something that clings to your body like this for exercise?”
“It’s ridiculous. It’s embarrassing…”
Initially, some people resisted wearing yoga suits, but one by one, they adapted.
Cascus managed the male members.
When another man tried to approach Artia, Cascus put his hand on his shoulder.
“I’ll introduce you.”
“?”
“Do you want to broaden your shoulders?”
The man, who appeared to be a nobleman, looked at Cascus’s broad shoulders with wide-open eyes.
“Uh, yes…”
“It’s not difficult.”
A moment later, screams echoed from somewhere.
“Ah-ah-ah! Aaah!”
It was the man who followed Cascus.
“…Is it supposed to hurt this much?”
“There’s a saying that you gain nothing without pain.”
The special treatment was reserved for male members who intended to approach Artia but were scared away by Cascus.
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.”
