Anise seemed to have noticed the difference in Nathaniel’s usual demeanor and approached me, asking, “Did you two have a fight?”
“No…”
Lately, it felt like Nathaniel’s emotional fluctuations had intensified.
‘Why?’
The feeling of him being unusually sensitive seemed highly likely to be due to me, as there was almost no emotional fluctuation in him before.
‘Other people’s relationships seemed easy, why is mine so difficult?’
The original work was thoroughly developed from Teresa and Maximilian’s perspectives, with little mention of Nathaniel’s inner thoughts, so I had to explore and learn about him by colliding with him.
“It’s complicated.”
“What do you mean?”
I lowered my head, feeling sorry to talk to Anise.
It was time to stop seeking advice from others.
‘Our business, we should handle it ourselves.’
Sending Anise away, I lost myself in thought. Outside the window, I saw Henry playing with multiple light beads.
Beside him, Nathaniel, with a serious expression, was teaching various things. His image made me laugh.
After watching them for a while by the window, I felt drowsy and closed my eyes.
“Hmm?”
When I opened my eyes, the sun had already set. Getting up from the seat, the blanket draped over my shoulders fell to the floor with a thud.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes, I am…”
Nathaniel sat on the sofa, looking at me with an indifferent face.
Indeed, he was angry.
I sat down next to Nathaniel, feeling a bit uneasy.
Because I remembered something before I briefly fell asleep earlier.
“Do you know that the person I like is you, Your Highness?”
Nathaniel’s shoulders jumped as if surprised by my words.
‘Correct.’
Whether it was when I hugged Nadia last time or when I talked about Martin today, the reason he seemed upset was this.
Nathaniel was jealous.
“Well, well, why all of a sudden?”
“Just because. I thought of you when I saw Nathaniel’s face.”
I reached out slightly and touched his cheek. His face, which had been stiff until then, softened a bit.
Nathaniel, who had been silently watching me, grabbed my hand with his large hands. His grip was strong enough to almost hurt. Slightly squeezing and pulling away, he wiped his lips on the inside of his palm.
When the soft touch reached the sensitive part, shivers ran down my spine.
“More.”
“What?”
“Tell me more.”
I laughed at his seemingly demanding words.
“Nathaniel, I like you.”
Whispering softly, he smiled widely as if satisfied. His bright smile was as radiant as a blooming flower, and my heart sank with a thud.
‘Huh?’
My heart pounded crazily, to the point where I worried it might burst. The heat that rose through my hand had covered my whole body.
It felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Having sent Henry away, Nathaniel headed to the bedroom. A little while ago, perhaps because of some petty annoyance, he had been cool to Jayna.
‘Jealousy.’
Winter’s Viscount called this emotion jealousy. He described it as the sadness of not considering oneself special and feeling dissatisfaction with giving attention to someone other than himself.
‘He said the one who falls in love first loses.’
He found the emotions that involuntarily surfaced in him awkward. And he knew that these emotions would make Jayna uncomfortable.
However, controlling emotions was not an easy task.
The first feelings he experienced shook Nathaniel’s mind wildly.
‘But I don’t really hate it.’
There were times when it was painful and agonizing, but being with Jayna could constantly satisfy the thirst he had felt.
“Jayna?”
He opened the door with the intention to apologize, but Jayna was not in sight. With a sense of concern, he headed to the reception room.
Jayna was dozing off by the window.
Nathaniel, who was considering waking her up, gently draped the nearby blanket over Jayna’s shoulders.
“Why on earth are you here…”
As he was about to grumble about sleeping in such a strange place, he realized that he could see the area where he and Henry were through the window.
“Ah…”
The corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted. The area around his heart felt ticklish.
He pressed the area near his heart with his palm, sat on the sofa, and waited for Jayna to wake up.
How much time had passed like that?
Startled, Jayna got up from her seat. Her slow turn looked as if she was still half-asleep.
“Are you awake?”
“Yes, yes…”
Nathaniel, who had intended to smile, failed in controlling his expression.
Reacting to Nathaniel’s response, Jayna approached him, swaying slightly, and sat next to him.
“Do you know that the person I like is you?”
In the unexpected confession, my body flinched unintentionally. Nathaniel wondered if Jayna could hear his heartbeats, which was something to worry about.
“Well, what’s this all of a sudden.”
“Just because. I saw your face and thought of you.”
Her hand touched his cheek. The warmth melted Nathaniel’s heart more than ever before.
For someone who had little contact with others, Jayna was the closest thing to warmth.
‘I want to touch a little more.’
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.”
