The mat spread over the soft grass felt as if it were on clouds, and the sunlight was warmly shining down. The tranquil movement of the lake and the laughter of the children. I sat quietly, watching their figures.
“It’s peaceful.”
Have I ever had such a relaxing moment? Have I ever been this comfortable?
Since becoming Isabella and deciding to protect Shasha, I always felt tense. And since the incident with Noah from the past, I don’t think I’ve properly rested.
Maybe that’s why. While looking at the children and Leandro, I started to nod off. I shouldn’t be dozing off; I should gather my energy and go to the children.
Getting close to the lake is dangerous, and… you shouldn’t touch any flowers just because they’re flowers… I should have said those things.
As if something had been applied to my eyes, my eyelids kept closing.
“Ah…”
And then, I fell asleep like that.
The reason I woke up suddenly was the scream that came out of nowhere.
“Ahh!”
“Dangerous!”
As soon as I instinctively heard the sound, my eyes flashed open.
The sky, which had been clear, was strangely dark, and everyone was looking at one place. I quickly got up from my seat and ran to where people were gathering.
Leandro was on the thickest branch of an unusually large tree, surrounded by people crowded around the tree. A child was hanging on the branch, crying with his body huddled in fear.
“L-Leandro!”
I quickly pushed through the crowd towards that place.
“Wahhh!”
Leandro was hanging on the branch, crying loudly.
“Why are you there…! Don’t cry, don’t cry. Leandro, uh…?”
“Sob… uh…”
Leandro, who usually listens well, desperately tried to stop his tears at my words. Meanwhile, Shasha came closer.
“Unni… Leandro saw a pretty flower on that tree, and he wanted to give it to Unni secretly… He climbed up without Emperor’s knowledge… When the Emperor tried to climb up to bring him down, the branch almost broke.”
After saying that, the small flower in Leandro’s hand became visible. A small, white, pretty flower. And it seemed like he really tried because the part where the branch was connected to the tree trunk was slightly bent.
“Why…?”
“Mom… I wanted to give it to Mom… Since you seemed low on energy lately… I thought giving you a flower might lift your spirits… So…”
The child began to sob again.
“…”
Unconsciously, tears welled up in my eyes. For the first time, Leandro called me Mom. Because I seemed low on energy… Trying to bring a flower for me ended up like this.
How could I not love him? How could I not care?
“Leandro…”
“But I can’t come down… Can I… Am I falling?”
At that moment, Leandro, who was observing the child hanging, took decisive steps into the lake.
“Leandro.”
“Yes…”
“Dad believes in you.”
“…Yes…?”
“I’ll catch you from here, so you can let go of that hand.”
Leandro shook his head anxiously. The child’s arm seemed to tremble less now that it was no longer dangling from the branch.
“However… However…”
“It’s okay, I’ll catch you.”
“I’m scared… I think it will hurt if I fall… What if…”
“This is water. It won’t hurt. Be brave. You’re courageous. It might be tough the first time, but once you experience it, you’ll become stronger.”
Then, Shasha seemed to recall something and raised her hand.
“I’ll turn it into pudding for you!”
“Huh…?”
“Soft and fluffy pudding. So jump down. Even if you happen to hit the ground, the pudding will cushion you! Let the lake turn into pudding!”
Shasha smiled brightly and spread her hands wide. No commands, no magic circles.
However, with Shasha’s words, the color of the lake gradually changed. The blue water turned yellow. It had truly turned into a giant pudding.
Leandro, whose legs were entangled there, seemed to move a bit clumsily, but Isabella appeared more relieved.
“All right, it’s done, right? Now trust me, trust Shanshia.”
Leandro opened his arms wide. Isabella still seemed hesitant.
“Leandro, just gather your courage for a moment. If you let go of that hand, Dad will catch you.”
“Dad… Can I trust him…?”
“Of course.”
Leandro genuinely smiled. Toward the child, he sent a smile. Thanks to that, Leandro closed his eyes, exerted less force on his arms, and the child’s body fell to the ground without strength.
Leandro, who was slightly forward of what Rian had expected, quickly bent forward.
Because of the water that had turned into pudding, it was difficult for Leandro to move, and because of that, he only caught the child with the strength of his waist and arms, not his entire body.
Even that made Leandro’s body slump forward, and the knights around hurriedly grabbed his arms.
“Your Majesty!”
Her chest tightened momentarily. A person who could sacrifice their body for their child without any hesitation. Leandro sacrificed his body without hesitation.
And after brushing off the knights who were worried about him, Leandro tapped Rian’s head with his chin.
“Are you okay, Leandro?”
“Can I… open my eyes?”
“Sure.”
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.”
