The sleepless nights didn’t get easier with time.
Eliade tossed and turned in her bed numerous times. In fact, it was easier not to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, nightmares awaited her.
The nightmares always brought with them the members of the Melfiram family. Her brother she met in the prison tower, her mother and father heading to the execution grounds, and even the employees.
Whenever she couldn’t sleep, Eliade deliberately envisioned her targets of revenge.
Claudius and the noble factions supporting him.
Eliade’s eyes tightly shut and then reopened. Tonight, particularly, it was hard to fall asleep.
The reason for her insomnia varied, but tonight it was clear. With the dawn, Claudius would head to the battlefield. Another war to satisfy his greed would unfold.
Every time he went to war, Eliade knelt on her bed and prayed. She prayed for his defeat, for the war to become a stain on the empire.
However, contrary to her prayers, Claudius always returned to the palace triumphantly.
Why did the lives of those she wished dead seem so long? Eliade questioned as she looked at the sky filled with flower decorations and paper fireworks celebrating the victory.
‘Are you telling me to kill him with my own hands?’
No answer came from the sky. The cruel yet beautiful sky, which gave neither affirmation nor denial, was exceptionally blue that day.
The hilt and the trigger were already in her hands. How could she not shoot? For a while, she imagined plunging a sword and a gun into Claudius’s heart. But even in her imagination, she couldn’t bring herself to kill him.
Eliade put down her weapon and murmured to Claudius’s apparition.
‘I will take away all the power of the emperor you so loved and bring you down in disgrace.’
Did the imaginary Claudius laugh at these words?
His desires were always blatantly excessive. The expansion of territories, solidified power, and even Eliade herself.
He had used Celina ruthlessly. He openly sided with her, intending to frustrate Eliade and watch her crumble.
‘Maybe he intended to use her, but then grew fond of her.’
He planned to use her like a chess piece, but it seemed she fit perfectly in his hand. They complemented each other in various ways, pouring out their desires without any concern for the empress.
Eliade got up from the bed. Kneeling, she buried her head, and the darkness deepened around her.
In the darkness, the image of a man suddenly appeared. The vague figure gradually took shape.
It was definitely Revel.
“Goodness.”
An exclamation of astonishment escaped her lips. She abruptly stood up. Why did Revel come to mind?
Eliade placed her hand gently over her heart. The loud thumping sound echoed through her body due to the shock.
“……I must be losing my mind.”
Her usually cold hand was helpful in such moments. Eliade tried to cool her flushed cheeks, but it was not easy to calm down. She wanted to feel the outside air, even for just a moment.
She quickly got up from the bed and flung open the curtains and windows. When had dawn arrived? The sky on the horizon began to streak with blue hues over the night sky.
The early morning air still held a chill. Eliade stepped out onto the balcony, resting her arms on the railing and taking a deep breath.
The smell of dew on the grass and the scent of moist earth filled the air. The chirping of birds that had already awakened echoed in the dawn.
Suddenly, Eliade felt a familiar gaze on her. Having met only a few times, it was now almost a welcome sensation. She leaned sideways at the waist, trying to find the source of the gaze.
“I know you’re there.”
“I know you’re there.”
Eliade whispered this, barely clinging to the railing, unable to raise her voice. But all around was silent, as if there had never been anyone there from the start.
“I know you’re there…”
There was a hint of uncertainty in Eliade’s voice. Was it just her imagination? It was understandable to mistake it, considering the man’s face had appeared in her mind amidst the darkness.
Just as Eliade was turning back to enter her bedroom:
“I can’t deceive Your Majesty the Empress any longer.”
Startled, Eliade looked down to see Revel looking up at her. He bowed lightly towards the Empress. The faint dawn light revealed his face.
He was smiling.
His gaze, strong yet different from his gentle smile, cut through the dim dawn and focused on Eliade. She felt again the warmth that had touched the back of her hand. A gentle tremor returned.
It was a look she had never received before. A gaze a little hotter than mere kindness. She would melt if she stood there any longer. Eliade wrapped herself tighter in the shawl over her nightgown.
“Why are you here at this time?”
“In an hour, I will be leaving the palace.”
“The departure ceremony is scheduled for the morning.”
“I’ve been ordered to leave earlier.”
Their voices, though quiet, were clear in the stillness around them. Was he part of an advance team, or on a separate mission?
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.”
