Black hair fluttered in the breeze, but the golden eyes within remained steady.
Taller than Cesenia, his beauty, unnoticed when he was trapped in the slave market, shone brilliantly under the sunlight. He now seemed ready to ask a question.
“And… earlier too. Why didn’t you use the ring? When I tried to kill that merchant… you could have subdued me with it.”
“You’re not a beast. Even if you were, this kind of ring isn’t meant to be used.”
“…….”
“I’d like to throw it away, but I can’t because you might run. So, you need to stay here, okay? Rohan will come occasionally to bring food. If you need or want anything, tell him then. I’ll provide support.”
He bowed his head deeply. Cesenia, reminded of a drenched puppy, gently stroked his hair.
“You need to behave, okay? Then I can let you go.”
“Please, tell me clearly. Truly honestly.”
There was such earnestness in his eyes.
“What are you so curious about?”
“Why did you… buy me?”
“To punish you?”
As she spoke, he slowly lifted his head.
“The real reason.”
‘How can I tell you the real reason? That you are the hidden child of the emperor. Only I know that.’
A royal, unknown to anyone.
His very existence was novel, particularly as his royal bloodline was precious.
With no known backers and no education, he still possessed a strength greater than any prince.
Thus, he became a threat to the throne, an object of awe. Born with a royal power stronger than anyone else.
‘That’s why I chose you.’
Until the time comes, until his royal lineage is revealed, Cesenia wanted to give him a complete life instead of the sorrowful future that awaits a royal without backing.
‘I’m not even sure if this is right, but the choice is yours. It doesn’t matter if you don’t become the emperor. Your mere existence will threaten them. But you will choose to be the emperor.’
Cesenia’s expression subtly changed.
She didn’t know everything about him either. Since he arrived at the palace, he didn’t know who he was or why he, a citizen of the empire, became a slave.
He appeared just a week before Cesenia’s tragedy, so little was known about him.
Rumors were that he was kidnapped away from his mother by those who feared his birth, and that his ill-natured mother stole the precious royal bloodline.
There was almost no information revealed about his mother.
‘I don’t know if anything was revealed after my death.’
Ultimately, Cesenia brought him to make him an emperor, not out of kindness. Slightly, for saving him quickly from the slave market, but not out of genuine goodness or kindness.
‘I’m not a good or kind person. I’m just looking out for my own interests.’
Therefore, Cesenia’s expression hardened.
“Think of it as the hypocrisy of a wealthy person.”
“…….”
“I intend to support whatever path you choose. That’s why I bought you.”
“…….”
“Uh… If even this isn’t an answer, then think of it as buying your future.”
His golden eyes, though the color of gold, seemed as deep as the universe. With a little grooming, his face could rival any prince or even the emperor in dignity.
“Your name…”
“Hm?”
“I won’t run. I’ll gratefully accept even that hypocrisy since you’ve released me. So… please give me a name.”
“Ah.”
He didn’t have a name. But surely he was called something.
“Wasn’t there any name you were called?”
“Emrys.”
“Hm?”
“The name meant ‘one who must travel a long journey.’ It was given to me by my mother… before she sold me.”
Emrys. It was not a name one would typically give to a child. Yet, through this name, Cesenia was certain: he was that prince.
Royals were precious beings. Even those who became emperors did not kill their siblings.
That’s why the children of the former emperor and brothers of the current emperor were free to come and go within the royal family. This law was established due to a past incident where royals were massacred.
All royals must be protected by the royal family.
Unless they commit the grave sin of rebellion, they maintain their dignity.
Even an emperor cannot dispose of his siblings, those who share the royal blood.
That’s why Cesenia’s execution was so swiftly carried out just for the reason of trying to kill Elzer’s newborn child. The royal blood was too precious.
‘That’s why new princes’ information was always reported to the emperor and empress.’
Cesenia knew the general story of the new prince discovered a week before her incident. His name was Emrys, but he didn’t want to be called by that name.
He lived in a slave market, then escaped with the help of a sponsor. His sponsor’s identity and intentions were not clear, but Cesenia knew one thing.
‘Indeed, he is the right person.’
She had some doubts because of his black hair, but the man she brought was indeed that prince, imprisoned by slave traders in his early years.
“I always thought I was abandoned by the gods, but it seems they extended their last mercy to me. So, as you said, I will ‘punish the cotton’ well. Therefore, please… give me a name.”
“Even though your mother gave you one?”
His expression hardened.
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.”
