His eyes were unsteady, and the usually calm face was stiff.
His cheeks and eyes were flushed, as if he was embarrassed.
“You, you…….”
Nathaniel could not speak, his mouth just gaping.
Nathaniel, who had moved away from me, sat awkwardly at a distance.
‘It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve kissed, so why is he so flustered?’
Rather, I was more embarrassed.
His mouth, usually grumbling irritably, was quiet today.
I glanced at him and spoke tersely.
“What’s the matter, all of a sudden, being awkward?”
Nathaniel remained still, covering his face with both hands.
I just shut my mouth tightly.
An inexplicable awkward atmosphere swirled in the room.
I watched his reaction and quietly opened my mouth.
“Nathaniel, I’m curious about something.”
“What?”
Nathaniel, who had put on a robe and moved away from me, turned his head.
“It’s nothing.”
I clamped my mouth shut again, feeling it sounded silly.
It wasn’t going to happen just because I was against it.
“Why? What’s the matter?”
Nathaniel, sitting on the bed, asked me.
I had no choice but to open my mouth to the persistent red gaze that chased me.
“Didn’t His Majesty say anything?”
“His Majesty? He didn’t have much to say.”
“Hu… About the empress or something…”
My words stiffened Nathaniel’s face.
He already knew.
“Where did you hear that story?”
“Princess Belicia told me.”
“What a waste.”
I muttered, pouting at his annoyed words.
“You didn’t purposely not tell me, did you?”
“What nonsense.”
“No, you didn’t say anything even though you knew.”
Although I was busy, I had also avoided it because I knew that looking at his face would end up like this.
I got up from my seat, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought this up.”
“Jaina?”
“What, what can I do? If I’m told to do something, I have to do it and roll if I’m told to roll.”
The words didn’t come out pretty.
It was childish, but I had to admit it.
I seemed to have a bit of possessiveness towards Nathaniel.
I was angry that I had to show his cute and lovable side to someone else.
“If there’s a good person, you can accept her as a consort. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable if you have many comrades to keep your secret?”
Suddenly the atmosphere in the room changed.
The oppressive air that pressed down made my shoulders shake.
I slowly turned around.
“What, what is it?”
“It seems I’m just that kind of man to you.”
He, with cold eyes, stood up from his seat.
And without a word, he slammed the door shut.
Left alone in the room, I bit my lip tightly.
(This is a time separator.)
Teresa rode in the carriage given by the royal family.
Jaina had chosen a workshop on the outskirts of the capital.
It was a workshop of an emerging artist, which Princess Anais had discovered and sponsored.
[Dash] When you see it, you’ll probably fall in love at first sight, too.Teresa, recalling the bright smile of Princess Anais, sighed.
Though not directly involved in her breakup, Teresa felt a slight guilt.
If only she had been colder to Maximilian, such a thing wouldn’t have happened to Anais, she thought.
When she first met Anais, she knew nothing about herself.
After being introduced to her, Teresa was ready to accept all the criticism.
But Anais didn’t.
She welcomed her more purely than anyone else.
‘I want to do better for her.’
Jaina and Anais, both younger than herself, felt like they were her little sisters, and she liked that.
Teresa thought she would stop by the bakery they loved on her way back to the palace and headed towards her destination.
The carriage soon arrived at the workshop.
The workshop in the secluded outskirts was much bigger than Teresa had imagined.
And as Anais had said, it was surprisingly beautiful.
Teresa was preoccupied with looking inside.
Late in waking, he finished ordering the necessary artwork.
“So, I’ll have it delivered to the palace this weekend.”
“Much obliged.”
He finally checked the contract and left the workshop.
He immediately took a carriage to the most splendid Lantanoid Street in the capital.
The pastries of Selenia Bakery in this place were the talk of the town lately.
He remembered the enthusiastic response from Jaina and Anais when he took home the gift last time.
‘They were really cute.’
Teresa smiled softly and handed over various items to be wrapped.
Today the weather was good.
The midsummer sky was clear and bright, like blue paint poured over it.
While waiting for the packaging, Teresa, humming a tune, felt someone’s gaze and turned her head.
Across the street stood a familiar face.
How could she forget?
The person she had loved with body and soul for over ten years.
“Max…….”
His name, said for the first time in a while, felt strange.
Maximilian seemed to know Teresa was looking at him too.
Teresa’s heart trembled at his slightly emaciated appearance, far more depressed than before.
But that was it.
The oncehot emotions had all cooled down, and along with the affection, had evaporated into the air.
“Your order has been loaded onto the carriage.”
“Ah, thank you.”
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.”
