“Cuckus?”
Cuckus, upon seeing Princess Stella standing in front of him, blinked his large eyes several times. Nevertheless, even after repeatedly rubbing his eyes with his thick hands, the figure of the princess did not disappear. He even resorted to scratching the area around his eyes with his thick hands.
“Cuckus, right?”
Although standing with a humble appearance, Princess Stella was unmistakable. As Cuckus, who was standing still, gradually regained focus in his eyes, they widened as if his bulging eyes would pop out.
“St, St, Stella!”
“Yeah, it’s me. How have you been? Seeing you here is truly like a dream. What’s the story about the boat and why are you here?”
As Stella spoke, tears welled up in Cuckus’s eyes, who had been quietly watching her. Unable to shed tears while being observed by people, Cuckus quickly took a deep breath and then pulled Princess Stella, who was standing in front of him, into a tight embrace.
“You’re safe!”
Due to the sudden hug, Stella’s body quickly rose and fell.
Realizing belatedly that he had dared to embrace the princess, Cuckus quickly let her down. If he hadn’t realized and promptly set her down, she would have been swinging in the air with her legs for a long time.
“But what on earth is this situation? What happened?”
“Long story. But how come you’re here? And what about Pooka?”
“He’s probably still floating on the sea. I decided to settle here because I no longer want to ride a boat. I hoped that we might meet since this place is not far from Hwangseong, but I never dreamed that we would actually meet.”
Jack, who always shouted loudly, blinked his eyes without understanding when he saw Cuckus talking with Rudina in such a friendly manner.
“Jack! Close the guild door. Business is over for today!”
“Yes? Uh… Yes!”
There was no need to hesitate to close the guild door when the guild leader ordered. It meant Jack could avoid working all day, so he rushed outside and quickly hung a sign that read ‘Business Closed.’
“Are you already finishing business today?”
A passerby noticed Jack closing the door and asked, puzzled. The Moonlight Guild was known for being the first to open and the last to close on Fruit Street.
After other guild owners came to complain about keeping business hours, only to meet the formidable Cuckus and run away with their tails between their legs, they realized when did that ever happen and left without a word.
But closing the door like this in broad daylight? Passersby couldn’t help but be curious. Jack leaped up the stairs with excitement and cheerfully answered in a lively voice.
“A valuable guest has arrived. Goodbye!”
After shaking hands with Jack and saying goodbye, as the door closed, a clear bell sound echoed inside the guild.
Meanwhile, Daelen, not understanding what was going on, could only roll his eyes in confusion.
It was fortunate that there was no fight with the Moonlight Guild leader, but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out the connection between Princess Stella and the guild leader.
Even at a glance, Cuckus seemed to be an experienced merchant, having been through ups and downs, while Stella, despite being in a caretaker position, was unmistakably a princess of a kingdom.
Stella, perhaps noticing Daelen’s curiosity, smiled brightly and spoke, “When I came to the Credion Empire, I traveled on the same ship as Cuckus. I was grateful throughout the month on the ship, and he treated me very well.”
“Oh, is that so? Nice to meet you. I am Daelen, a servant serving the princess.”
Watching Daelen’s polite greeting, Cuckus, who had been observing with a somewhat surprised expression, tilted his head as if surprised.
“Really a servant? Not a knight or a mercenary?”
Seeing Daelen exerting strength, Cuckus thought he must be a mercenary by default.
He was much taller and bulkier than ordinary people, and the way he effortlessly lifted a carrot bag that day indicated extraordinary strength.
“Yes, a servant.”
However, even with Daelen’s repeated confirmation, Cuckus couldn’t shake off his puzzled expression.
“By the way, what’s with that mole? You don’t seem to have run away, though…”
Looking briefly at Daelen, Cuckus spoke.
“In fact…”
Stella explained to Cuckus about what had happened so far, omitting the details of meeting the earth fairy, practicing swordsmanship with Royce, and so on.
“Goodness! So, Princess, are you farming? Inside the palace?”
Cuckus asked again, finding it hard to believe even after hearing it.
“Yeah. I grew the carrots that I brought and sold last time.”
“Those tremendous carrots?”
The carrots that Daelen brought and sold at the market had already become a topic of conversation on the market floor. Despite being more expensive than regular carrots, they were popular enough that they couldn’t be sold because they were in such demand.
“Now, I’m planning to sell spinach.”
As Stella spoke, Daelen placed the bag he had brought on the table. The bag was filled with freshly harvested spinach, as if it had just been harvested.
“Is this also grown by 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.”
