I felt as if I had truly become a villain, treating the crown prince like a toy… not metaphorically, but literally using him as a pillow under my head.
At that time, I was worried that this might bring misfortune to our Shasha.
“He seems to be doing well.”
“Huh…?”
“Rudello seems at ease too. It was a good decision to place peers together. Although they came in as companions, such casual relationships also seem fine.”
I thought he would be angry to see his son, the future crown prince, being treated like this, but instead he wore a proud smile.
“Haha… it’s fine for a companion to be treated like this?”
Feeling unexpectedly awkward, I subtly changed the subject.
Usually, companions to the royal family or high nobility were children who had some manners; they’d typically have tea time and engage in small talk to build friendships.
Considering the special circumstances, I thought it’d be fine if they were just companions…
‘Who uses a crown prince as a pillow…’
“It’s fine. No need to be tied down by manners.”
“Even so…”
“I was the same back in my day.”
“Did you also have a companion, Lian?”
I asked without thinking, and Lian’s expression stiffened a bit.
“Yes. A child who told me where everything began.”
“Ah.”
“Although he was my brother’s companion, my brother didn’t get along with him. He ended up becoming my friend. I wish he hadn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because everything started when that child brought his sibling.”
I shook my head as I watched him smile bitterly.
“Wasn’t your companion Duke Evan?”
“Seems you know quite a bit while pretending to be ignorant.”
“I’ve heard you don’t have any friends other than him.”
There were rumors that the emperor had no friends because of his peculiar personality, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“Ah, I see.”
“So, about the companion…”
“Yes. It was Evan. But my brother didn’t like him. Even though he was a child, he was a duke, so he followed decorum. Imagine the ego of a single heir to a dukedom. Especially since he came to the palace younger than these kids.”
“Isn’t that too young?”
Even seven is a young age, let alone younger than that.
“My mother arranged it to build connections early on. My brother was displeased, and so was I initially. I had grown up pampered in a dukedom, and I had to watch my steps here. I guess my brother didn’t like that.”
“I see.”
“In the end, they couldn’t send away a child brought in as a companion. My mother gave the broken toy to me, as my brother didn’t like him. We got along well. We played without worrying about manners. Time passed, and many things changed when Evan brought my sibling.”
It was then that he smiled bitterly.
Shasha, who had been using Rudello as her pillow, eventually got up.
“I feel stuffed… Maybe I’ve gained weight… my belly is sticking out…”
Shasha got up, and Rudello stood as well. He seemed restless, perhaps sensing her discomfort.
“Did I gain weight? Was I uncomfortable?”
It seemed Rudello had been sleeping, but he immediately reacted to Shasha’s words.
“Yeah. You’re fat like a pig.”
“Should I adjust a bit?”
“No. It’s fine now. If my belly is plump, I can lie on your legs!”
“Right!”
Upon hearing Shasha’s chuckling reply, Rudello nodded as if he had achieved some great realization.
Until now, I thought their relationship wasn’t great, but now it seemed they were somewhat considerate of each other.
Whether it was because they were the only peers here, I didn’t know, but children certainly made friends easily.
‘Just meeting early seems to have such a big effect…’
In the novel, Shasha had already been hurt as much as she could be, and her encounter with Lurdello had likely changed her from what she used to be.
“How cute.”
The problem seems to be me. Without me, they are so adorable and affectionate. But when I’m around, their behavior changes a bit.
“Sister!”
The two children who were looking around spotted me sitting at the tea table and quickly ran over.
“Did you sleep well, Shasha? Lurdello.”
“Yes! Sister!”
“Well… I slept fine.”
“So you two get along well even without me now?”
I said it because they looked cute, but both children simultaneously shrieked.
“No way!”
“Why would I get along with this thing? It’s like a rabbit. I have no intention of being friendly with animals.”
“I’m not friends with this pig either!”
I sighed a little as I watched the children scream over each other for no apparent reason.
Just a moment ago, they were sharing pillows and getting along so well. Why on earth?
‘Is it because I shouldn’t be here?’
I suddenly had that thought. Could I be the problem in these children’s character development?
“Ah…”
“Let it be.”
Lianrdo, who couldn’t possibly know my thoughts, abruptly stood up.
“W-Where are you going?”
“You always look so frightened whenever I say I’m going somewhere. Do you think I would take you to a horrible place?”
Well, you are the Emperor, and it’s hard to get used to that.
“Bella, did you eat goldfish for lunch?”
“What?”
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.”
