On the second day of the banquet.
I danced with several young men, including Hubert.
After stepping on the foot of the youngest son of the Viscount family during our last dance, I hastily left the ballroom.
I had danced well with Giovanni, so I thought my body had become more attuned, but that wasn’t the case.
Around me, familiar nobles gathered, engaging in light conversation.
Feeling somewhat awkward at my first grand banquet, I looked around hesitantly.
‘I’m thirsty.’
Just then, a maid carrying a tray of drinks passed by.
As I was about to call her over, something caught my attention.
‘A fragrant smell…’
A refreshing aroma filled my nostrils, causing a tingling sensation deep in my chest.
Where had I smelled it before?
My head turned, following the source of the fragrance.
A woman of petite stature was briskly crossing the hall, her head slightly bowed.
She glanced briefly in my direction, causing me to frown.
‘A veil?’
The maid’s face was covered by a veil.
It was not uncommon for maids to wear veils, but something felt off.
‘Isn’t that suspicious?’
It was hard to see her face because of the veil.
As I intently watched her, it seemed like she turned her head slightly towards me.
Was she looking at me?
“Do you drink alcohol?”
Startled by the sudden voice, I turned to find Giovanni had approached me, nodding towards where the king was.
“The king seems to want us to be together.”
“Oh, well…”
I stammered, looking back to where the maid had been, but now there were only people preparing to dance.
‘Where did she go?’
“Why are you rolling your eyes like that?”
My curiosity about the maid vanished instantly.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I may not know much about the Empire, but I can see that manners are different from the Kingdom.”
Giovanni blinked.
“Are you saying I’m being rude?”
How could I say such a thing to my newfound golden lifeline?
I smoothly changed the subject.
“Shall we drink? Maybe somewhere quiet?”
‘What is the Prince thinking?’
Kichep watched Giovanni and Egrein converse in a corner with dissatisfaction in his eyes.
‘She’s crazy. Who in their right mind would cram themselves into that tiny gift box?’
A person who would go to such lengths was unpredictable. Kichep was worried about that.
He understood Giovanni needed an ally, but why did it have to be this untrustworthy woman?
‘She doesn’t seem very helpful.’
The way Kichep looked at Egrein was full of distrust.
The purpose of this trip to the Kingdom was clear: water.
The Empire, unlike the water-rich Kingdom, depended on groundwater.
The Imperial palace even had a department specializing in finding underground water sources, but recently their results had been less than impressive.
The oasis in the capital was lowering its water level year by year. Without finding new resources, the people’s lives would become harsher, and riots could break out.
The Kingdom of Liorca was the best in the continent regarding water resources, and they likely had experts in exploring groundwater.
However, to Kichep, Egrein Liorca didn’t seem capable of such tasks.
At this point, Kichep became curious about what Giovanni was thinking.
‘Besides, she’s a woman placed by the king with ulterior motives.’
Seeing King Hermaon looking contentedly at the pair, Kichep let out a frustrated sigh.
‘What a situation. The real princess doesn’t even greet due to her ill health, the fake princess is flirting around, and the king, who orchestrated this, is grinning away.’
Kichep’s gaze hardened as he looked at Egrein.
The kingdom’s affected manners and the overly glittering, luxurious royal palace. The waste of resources in the Kingdom, unimaginable in the Empire, the despicable king – all these negative images were projected onto her.
‘Just try to pull another trick.’
As Kichep grumbled with his arms crossed, his eyes caught an odd movement.
Maids and servants were moving around busily.
They seemed to be trying not to get caught, but once noticed, their actions appeared very suspicious.
‘What’s this now?’
His body tensed automatically.
This was a foreign land, the Kingdom of Liorca, not friendly with the Empire, and they were inside the royal palace.
As a warrior alert for Prince Giovanni’s safety, Kichep’s sharp gaze became even more incisive.
It was then that his heightened senses picked up something alarming.
‘Is that the smell of burning?’
A pungent scent invaded his nostrils.
‘I feel like I’m forgetting something.’
As I looked around the calm banquet hall, I pondered for a moment.
“Fire!”
Until the piercing scream was heard.
I lowered the hand that was stroking my chin.
‘Right, there was a huge fire!’
A fire at the reception banquet for the Imperial delegation.
It was an incident that ended without a single casualty, a showcase of the royal family’s prowess, particularly that of the priestess.
I casually glanced around.
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.”
