Ines squinted as she saw Carson step into the courtyard. She had been thinking of him, and there he was, appearing as if on cue. Ines shook her head slightly and looked at him again.
“My lord?”
Lately, Ines found herself grappling with increasing bouts of confusion. She couldn’t trust her own perception. However, Susan’s bow and step aside confirmed that the Carson she was seeing was indeed the real one.
Setting down the Bible she had been holding, Ines stood up abruptly. Her eyes seemed on the verge of shedding tears.
Drawing near, he gave Ines a wry smile.
“I didn’t expect such a fervent welcome.”
Since hearing he would soon leave the estate, Ines had felt uneasy, like a believer sensing the absence of God.
But she couldn’t make things difficult for him. Nor could she prevent her pupils from quivering without permission.
“How did you come here?”
Susan bowed her head from behind, observing the two. They were a perfect match at first glance. Even though Susan had never been in a relationship, she could tell his gaze towards the young lady was special.
And that it shimmered, like my siblings’ eyes when they see something very interesting.
However, she couldn’t tell what was in the young lady’s eyes as she had her back turned.
“I have to leave today.”
“Ah, today….”
What was clear was that her lady had been acting mature and yet in front of the lord, she behaved differently.
Sometimes her face was cold and rational, not meeting eyes or trailing off when she was with the lord.
So Susan knew. Soon, her lady would live in the lord’s castle.
“I came to spend time with you before I go. There are things I have to say, questions I want to ask, and things I want to show you.”
Ines nodded her head without a word.
“I’ve come suddenly today, didn’t even check your schedule. If you’re busy…”
“No, not at all.”
Ines, who had been downcast, suddenly lifted her head and Carson grinned.
“Please sit first.”
As the two took their seats facing each other, Susan quickly went inside to prepare tea and refreshments.
“Firstly, the matter I must speak of.”
As Ines gravely nodded, he suddenly burst into laughter. Her reactions were always fresh and unique.
“Count Graham’s trial will be held next week. Normally it’s public, but it’s going to be closed. If you wish to attend, I’ll inform Noah.”
“Yes, I’d like to attend.”
“And Noah will stay here until the trial is over.”
In reality, the trial was a foregone conclusion. Carson knew what judgment would come, having met Count Graham and gathered what he needed to know.
So Noah had no reason to stay. But if it gave Ines some comfort, Carson was willing to bear the inconvenience.
“So if there’s an issue or you’re worried, or otherwise… if you miss me, you can find Noah.”
“Yes.”
Her answer was too concise and dry compared to his cautious words. It usually pleased him, but not today.
On the other hand, Ines thought his words made no sense.
Nothing would be solved even if she sought Noah when she had problems, worries, or missed him. But she also knew he was being considerate.
“What brings you to the imperial city?”
Carson glanced at Ines’s hand resting on the Bible. The hand was so tightly clenched that it looked transparent, its blue veins standing out. She was asking the question with great courage.
“Ines, I am twenty-one years old this year.”
Upon hearing the ambiguous answer to her question, Ines blinked her large eyes.
“And most royals marry before they turn 20.”
“Ah, yes….”
Once again, Ines’ response made Carson hesitate. To shift the atmosphere, he raised his voice a little.
“What were you doing?”
“I was reading the Bible.”
“Could you read the part you were on?”
Having read the Bible back and forth, Ines was already midway through. She opened the next chapter she was going to read.
“To share in His glory, one must also partake in His suffering. What you see is not the true hope, even if you obtained salvation through your yearning.”
“……”
“Then His intention is solely to save you; even facing your enemies, abide by His law.”
It was a verse well-known to Carson. Despite its grand and verbose nature, Ines’ calm voice somehow made it feel sad.
“May it be that the present suffering cannot be compared to the glory to come. Once He forgives your sins, no one else can question you any longer….”
Calmly reading the Bible, she slowly looked up to meet Carson’s eyes. Her eyes seemed either empty or filled with too much.
“If someone offers their hand and proposes to walk ten steps together, give him everything you have. And so….”
A wind carrying the smell of autumn passed, scattering her rich golden hair.
Thanks to the slightly cooler wind, her heated head and chest seemed to cool down a little. Both their eyes were saying too much; Ines couldn’t utter a single word.
So, Ines conveyed not what she wanted to say, but what she had to.
“And so, one who desires too much will eventually return empty-handed.”
Carson looked into Ines’ eyes without turning away for a while.
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.”
