Hades Croitner had a tendency to act contrary to my hopes at critical moments.
“There’s no helping it.”
I looked around.
Bureaucrats and nobles who had fought like enemies just a moment ago were all staring at me.
Reading the expressions on their faces was not difficult.
“Let’s see how amazing the plan he comes up with.”
That is, in a sarcastic sense.
I opened my mouth in a calm voice.
If I back out now, even Hades will make fun of me.
I have no choice but to persuade them somehow.
“The barrier is nothing but a temporary measure. The demons will continue to attack, and no matter how much we repair it, it will eventually collapse.”
“Are you saying we should give up!?”
I shook my head.
“Of course we need to prepare. What I mean is, we need to use a more fundamental solution.”
“……What is it, Saintess?”
I tried hard to hide my surprise. Duke William was sincerely listening to me.
“Guide the demons. To where we want them to be.”
Inside, I muttered that it was to a place where Hades could fight easily, but I didn’t say it out loud.
I didn’t want to remind them that Hades was the only one who would end up fighting in the end.
“If we guide them to an area where there won’t be much damage to the vicinity…….”
“Do you know how to guide them?”
Count Tipical opened his eyes wide and asked.
“You need to set up a guidance spell. It requires a great magician and magical stones, but it’s not impossible.”
“Unfortunately, there are no magicians in Donovan.”
Duke William shook his head.
“There’s no guarantee there won’t be any in the future.”
Hades, who had only been watching the conversation so far, suddenly intervened.
“Angel, how long will it take to set up that magic?”
I was lost in thought. There had been a quest to set up a guidance spell in Leodel.
Of course, the actual playtime was about an hour, but the time that passed in the game was…….
“It seemed to take a month.”
“Is it permanent?”
“As long as the magician is alive.”
I nodded. That was the biggest advantage of this solution.
Once cast, it’s permanent until the magician dies, that is.
“We’ll have to look for a young and healthy magician.”
Count Tipical’s face brightened.
“Calm down, Count.”
Hades raised his hand.
“Winter is coming soon. It will be impossible to find a magician who will voluntarily come to Donovan.”
“So, we have to endure it until spring?”
“Anyway, if you build a barrier, you’ll have to stop construction in the winter, right?”
“Ugh…….”
Count Tipical looked like he had taken a hit.
“There’s no helping it.”
“Then, do you all agree with the Saintess’s opinion?”
Duke William looked around.
Surprisingly, the majority of officials nodded, each contributing a word to my opinion.
“It seems like the best way for now.”
“I remember hearing that they used a similar method with beasts in the south.”
“You should have said that sooner, you!”
“How could I think of it right away?”
Hades, who had been silently watching, opened his mouth with a satisfied voice.
“It seems like everyone’s opinion is unified. Is there anyone else who has come up with another solution?”
No way.
So the meeting ended, and as soon as Hades and I were left alone, I quickly opened my mouth.
“Is this okay?”
Hades asked in a puzzled voice.
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“Well…….”
I paused for a moment.
How should I explain this?
“I was going to tell you privately after the meeting.”
“I knew that.”
Hades answered quietly.
“But I thought it would be better for you to explain yourself. It actually worked out well, didn’t it?”
I immediately refuted.
“Why is it better for me to explain? If Your Highness had spoken, everyone would have accepted it much more easily.”
“That might be true. But thanks to you speaking, everyone’s hostility and suspicion toward you has been retracted.”
I bit my lip.
‘He knew it.’
But even so, my opinion that it would be better for Hades to speak did not change.
Hades looked at me with a strange face.
“I don’t understand.”
I hurriedly opened my mouth, but Hades was a little faster.
“I want my close aides to acknowledge and accept you.”
I tried to turn my head, but was caught by Hades’ gaze.
“But you resist it. You’re not particularly humble or shy.”
“……Are you saying that I’m brazen and arrogant?”
Hades gave a faint smile.
“Not at all. It’s a compliment.”
His expression became serious again.
“But I need to know why you’re hiding yourself.”
“Some people don’t like to be the center of attention.”
“No.”
Hades shook his head.
“It’s not just about today. You don’t try to interact with anyone here. Isn’t your only close companion that maid?”
“……”
“You’re not even close with Tobias, even though I’ve paired you together because you’re of similar age……”
“I thought we were close enough.”
I replied nervously.
“Even if that’s true, you didn’t approach him first.”
Hades stared at me.
“Are you holding on to something from the past?”
I swallowed dryly.
The ‘past events’ Hades was referring to must have been the time when I was tormented.
“……Yes.”
That wasn’t the truth.
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.”
