As I knew, the treatment of court painters was not inferior to that of nobles.
“I knew that, so why were you cleaning alone?”
“Do you clean yourself, Master Painter?”
The housekeeper asked with a surprised face. It was clear that such a thing was not common.
“He might not have wanted to call someone. Still, he should have taken care of you first.”
“Yes, understood.”
When I left the guest room, I felt gloomy.
Seeing Lucky, who seemed even more melancholic than me, complicated my thoughts.
‘Lucky got scared when he mentioned Serdis.’
That had been bothering me all along.
Just because I knew that I didn’t like Serdis, did he become a court painter with his recommendation?
Lucky wasn’t that meticulous of a kid.
Unless there was something else I didn’t know.
‘Be careful of Duke Von Hertian. Even if he doesn’t look like it, he’s someone you should be cautious of.’
Suddenly, I remembered what Lucky had said to me.
He had definitely said something like that.
At that time, I didn’t know why he told me to be careful of Hertian, but now I think I might know a little.
“He must have ordered Serdis to do it.”
I scoffed at Lucky, who said such things innocently. Ordered as a reward for recommending him. And as a reward, he gave up his position as a court painter, right?
Even if Lucky’s skills were excellent, he hadn’t produced a recognized work like other court painters.
And if they sent a painter without works into the palace, it was obvious.
‘Take care of Duke Von Hertian. There might be more than just that he’s dangerous.’
Suddenly, I remembered what Lucky had said to me.
He had said something like that.
If it wasn’t for that dangerous warning, I wouldn’t have known what it meant.
“Surely, Serdis ordered what I wrote.”
It was probably a reward for what I wrote to him. Even if he took the letter, what could I do?
I stopped in my tracks.
I didn’t know where to go.
I couldn’t ask Lucky, and I couldn’t ask Serdis.
I just had to pretend I didn’t know.
“Your Excellency.”
At that moment, a middle-aged maid approached me.
“Her Majesty the Empress is calling for Your Excellency.”
It seemed to be a maid who had served the Empress.
‘Did she hear about the duel?’
“Why?”
“I’m not sure of the details.”
“I’ll see her later. As you can see, my hands are covered in oil.”
I showed her my hands, even though I wiped them with a cloth, the shine still lingered.
“Then, I will clean them for you.”
“Is it necessary?”
“Our Empress urgently wants to see Your Excellency. It might be due to the urgency that she requested the presence of the Duchess.”
The maid subtly hinted.
Why would the Empress urgently want to see me?
Even if I hurriedly searched, I didn’t want to go hastily.
Because of the Empress, Hertian died and came back to life.
“There’s oil on the dress too.”
“Where are you going? It’s not too noticeable.”
“Huh? So you’re going to greet the Empress like this? Are you a maid of the Empress?”
“Yes?”
The maid blinked.
“To go to the highest person in the palace and greet them in such a shabby manner means you look down on the Empress. That’s what it means.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. She’s waiting, so she said to hurry. But it’s better to dress properly and greet her than to rush and look disheveled. Don’t you think so?”
“…Duchess Hertian is correct.”
The maid dropped her gaze as if she had lost.
I didn’t want to torment the poor maid.
I just didn’t want to go high and mighty according to the Empress’s wishes.
“If you’re worried about me being late, come and wait with me.”
Leaving the maid behind, I turned towards the guest room.
I could hear the maid’s occasional footsteps behind me.
“Don’t say that and just go first.”
“No. I will wait here.”
“There’s no need for that.”
“No. Slowly… hm hm. Change and come out properly. I’ll wait.”
Until I changed into the dress and wiped myself, the maid waited in front of the door all the time.
It seemed like she was trying to hurry me from outside.
Sure enough, I heard her calling me from outside occasionally, but I lightly ignored it.
After about an hour, I finally came out.
The maid’s face brightened only then.
“Hurry, please.”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
The Empress’s palace, unlike the main palace, was adorned with red jewels, emitting a heavy and solemn atmosphere.
It was a fitting place for its name, Ruby Palace.
The central part, like a huge pillar enveloping the circular space, was the Empress’s residence.
“Duchess. There must have been a clear reason why you made me wait so eagerly, right? Or there should be.”
The Empress’s face looked a bit tired from the long wait.
“Changing into a dress and coming out is enough. You made the Empress wait.”
The Empress listened to my words and confirmed with the maid. When the maid nodded, she smiled understandingly.
‘Is she more lenient than I thought?’
Looking at her cheerful smiling face, it seemed like she had good news.
“For the busy Duchess, should I take care of the preparations for this duel? As you can see, I’m not just the head of the family, but I manage everything in the palace.”
“I’m not from the palace, Your Majesty.”
“According to imperial law, you belong to the imperial family.”
The Empress persistently urged me to take charge of the duel.
Messing with the Empress, who was a long-time enemy of Hertian, could have a negative impact on Hertian.
After giving an ultimatum to Hertian just now, not to interfere with me, messing with the Empress, who was Hertian’s long-time enemy, would have negative consequences.
All I could do was make the Empress wait, and that was it. I couldn’t do more.
The Empress persistently urged me to take charge of the duel.
“To be clear, the incident occurred because of the Grand Duchess, so shouldn’t the Grand Duchess take responsibility?”
I was at a loss for words.
“Our quiet prince received a duel challenge first, so imagine how surprised I was as his mother.”
The Empress sighed once, sweeping her chest, and then looked at me with fiercely wide eyes.
“So, for this duel, the Grand Duchess should take full responsibility.”
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.”
