“……Hades.”
Hades Croitner looked down at the angelic woman as fragile as a snowflake. His skyblue eyes blinked, and a gentle smile crossed his lips.
‘How can she smile?’
Angelica had a body so weak it couldn’t handle even a slight strain. She had just escaped from a situation that would be unbearable even for a healthy person, and yet here she was, laughing softly.
Half amazed and half angry, Hades opened his mouth towards Angelica.
“Are you alright, Angel?”
He regretted the question as soon as he asked it. There was only one answer Angelica would give.
And, as expected….
“I’m fine.”
The somewhat weak reply came from Angelica’s lips.
“Um, more importantly…”
“I escaped.”
Hades cut her off shortly.
“How?”
“Ran, of course. Is there another way?”
Angelica fell silent for a moment, then looked up at him with eyes that seemed to have something pressing to say.
Hades sighed.
In a situation where even the captain of his knights, whom he trusted second only to William, had betrayed him, it was strange how concerned he was for Angelica.
“Speak.”
“Tobias can open a passageway.”
“…!”
To those who did not know the inner workings, it may have sounded ambiguous, but Hades understood immediately.
Tobias was of the Croitner bloodline.
Probably, with high likelihood…
He closed his eyes.
He thought he had cleared away the numerous sins left behind by his father in his wake, but here they were, reappearing.
“So you can easily escape.”
“Don’t worry.”
Hades answered tersely.
“I’ll handle it.”
“Really?”
Seeing the sparkle in Angelica’s eyes, an overwhelming emotion surged up from deep within him.
It was his fault that she had been in danger in the first place.
He had trusted the wrong person and disregarded Angelica’s safety out of naive emotions.
Luckily, the alarm spell he had set up was activated. Otherwise, while he was carelessly tormenting the envoy, Angelica could have lost her life.
It meant she could have left this life without fully living it.
Yet she held no resentment against him.
“…You should see the physician first.”
Angelica nodded her head.
“Chase after Sir Tobias first.”
“No.”
Hades cut her off sharply.
“Your health is more important than his whereabouts.”
“I appreciate that, but…”
“Are you defying my order, Angel?”
Angelica pouted her lips.
“Fine. Let’s quickly see the physician then.”
As he held Angelica in his arms and walked quickly, his feelings were in turmoil.
First, he was distressed about the near loss of Angelica’s life. Next was the betrayal of Tobias becoming a reality.
And even the reason for his betrayal.
‘…Probably one of the women my father abandoned had a child.’
His father, the former Duke Donovan, fearing this day, had even induced sterility in his consorts.
Yet someone had borne his brother.
A person outstanding enough to become the captain of the knights at a young age, and dangerous enough to successfully carry out revenge…
Hades clenched his teeth. Right now, he needed to focus on Angelica. Her condition was precarious, despite her calm demeanor.
The physician they met soon after confirmed his suspicions.
“…Although it doesn’t show on the surface, her internal injuries are severe. Once the Angel wakes up, she must remain in complete rest until she is fully healed.”
Hades looked down pensively at Angelica, who had immediately fallen asleep as soon as she lay on the bed.
She seemed so peaceful it was as if she had never nearly lost her life.
“There’s no need for that.”
“Pardon?”
The physician looked puzzled.
“I will tell her myself.”
I had a dream.
“Ugh, Angelica died again!”
More accurately, a fragment of a memory.
“What is it, she dies no matter what she does? Fine, I won’t raise her anymore!”
At the time, it was just a trivial character in a game, but now it was a memory of a person who had become my life.
“If she has a conscience, this will be the last time.”
Tears flowed. If I had known this would happen, I would have tried a little harder to keep her alive. I would have let her live comfortably even if she had to die.
But regret changed nothing.
“….Rika!”
I looked around. Someone was calling out to me loudly.
“Angelica!”
This voice is…
I opened my eyes wide. A rigid hand hastily moved away from my face. I looked up at Hades Croitner with a blank expression.
Why is he here…?
Hades spoke in an awkward tone.
“I woke you because it seemed like you were having a nightmare.”
“…Your Highness?”
I rubbed my eyes, but Hades Croitner did not disappear.
Rather, he handed me a handkerchief more vividly than ever before.
It was then that I realized my pillow was damp with tears.
However, a tearsoaked pillow was nothing compared to the fact that Hades Croitner was by my bedside.
‘I must have lost consciousness longer than I thought.’
Judging from the fuzziness in my head, this weakened body wasn’t going to recover from just one night’s sleep.
I immediately asked about what I was most curious about.
“Tobias?”
“… ”
Hades avoided my gaze.
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.”
