Knights, spurred into urgency, reached the ceremonial stage at the end of the flower path, sweat streaming down their faces.
“Shall we?”
Bercheria lightly placed her hand on the tip of Lakrahan’s extended palm.
He firmly grasped her cautiously placed hand and began to step down the flower path.
Just as the two were about to take their first step.
Whoo
A trumpet sound, as if it had been waiting, signaled the opening of the portal.
Out of the opened portal, the Emperor’s procession walked out in a line.
Wyatt and the knights galloped like mad to arrive in front of the portal, following the trumpet sound.
“Captain, is that foul-tempered Emperor throwing another fit?”
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Wyatt glared at the entrance of the portal.
Most of the knights belonged to the royal family, so they knew very well about the Emperor and Leonne.
They also knew how significant it was for Gerard to personally travel through the portal to the north.
Gerard became an Emperor at a young age, but he had rarely ever stepped out of the royal palace.
He didn’t care for his subjects, nor did he interact with the nobles.
An Emperor who did not act as one.
He led the most reclusive life among all the Emperors in history.
There were rumors among the knights that he became Emperor solely for his own satisfaction.
If ever there was a dire situation outside the royal palace, Gerard would put the Empress in front instead.
The naive and kind Empress took care of her subjects alone, traversing perilous paths without a complaint.
It goes without saying that during such times, Gerard would be rolling in bed with his consort, Leonne.
Gerard’s life, optimized for the royal palace, meant he hardly ever saw common people; few outside the palace knew his face.
And such an Emperor had come to the north without notice.
In the middle of the night, no less.
On the very day of Bercheria and Lakrahan’s wedding.
When Emperor Gerard emerged from the portal, Wyatt and the knights greeted him respectfully.
Then they led the arrogant Emperor towards the north, to Lakrahan’s castle.
At last, the Emperor and his entourage appeared in front of the gates of Lakrahan’s castle.
Lakrahan was waiting for the Emperor just behind the gate.
His gaze, which had looked upon the now-useless wedding venue he had prepared all day, was sharp.
“But Your Grace, is it alright to leave the square as it is?”
“It’s too late to matter now.”
“Yes.”
Timothy couldn’t hide his regret and heaved a deep sigh.
As soon as Lakrahan finished speaking, a murmuring noise came from the entrance.
A long procession appeared on the usually quiet street, led by a splendid carriage.
“It begins.”
Lakrahan looked up toward the room where she was, the woman he had just bid farewell to.
What might she be thinking inside the curtained interior?
Lakrahan hesitantly reached into the pocket containing the ring he couldn’t give her.
‘Thank you. For wanting to help me, I truly appreciate it.’
Words that Bercheria had spoken in the waiting room kept revolving in his mind.
“Why of all times?”
It wasn’t as if he had confessed his feelings in front of her. Bercheria had heard the words he had reluctantly spilled to Wyatt at the library entrance.
It was a clear confession that allowed for no excuses from anyone who heard it.
What could she be thinking upon hearing those words?
Lakrahan could not fathom her psychology of responding with thanks to his confession of affection.
During their time together afterward, her behavior suggested she did not dislike him. On the other hand, he considered that she might be a person of good manners, merely making an effort to avoid causing him discomfort.
‘I’m going insane. Why did I say such a thing?’
“His Majesty the Emperor is coming!”
At the cry of the royal guards, Lakrahan’s eyes instantly turned cold and focused.
He looked toward the castle entrance with an impeccable stance.
Although he didn’t know what preparations Gerard had made, Lakrahan was no easy opponent.
He had no intention, not even a sliver of possibility, of losing Bercheria to Gerard on his own northern lands.
Kugung.
The grand gate blocking the entrance of the castle opened with a loud sound.
Soon, the Emperor’s party entered Lakrahan’s castle.
Gerard was leading the procession leisurely, as if taking a stroll on a white horse with his queen Leonne.
Right behind them was the captain of the guards, and another person he was carrying.
“Your Grace, look there.”
Following Timothy’s pointing finger, Lakrahan looked at the boy seated in front of the guard captain.
A young face, entirely out of place with the Emperor’s procession.
Curly blond hair, red lips, and a small, stubby nose.
“Who is that? I’ve never heard of such a person.”
Lakrahan had been receiving periodic reports from people planted in the royal palace, but he had never heard of a boy with such an appearance.
Timothy whispered in a puzzled tone.
“But, Your Grace, doesn’t that boy resemble Bercheria?”
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.”
