Acid’s face flushed, seemingly embarrassed by the unexpected praise.
“Enough.”
“Ah…”
Fumbling with his fingers, Acid nodded toward me.
“Ththank you…”
His face was extremely red, and his fingers were nervously fidgeting; it seemed like this was the extent of his courage.
Perhaps overwhelmed by the praise, his face turned as red as a beet, and he bowed 90 degrees.
“Then, when you’re available, let’s go to the Senoa temple… together,” he cautiously said before leaving.
After brave Acid left, I was left alone in the doorway.
Were the maid sisters and my father staring through me because they heard my entire conversation with Acid?
‘I feel embarrassed!’
The eyes of the maid sisters were noticeably dim, their mouths slightly ajar. That appearance was something…
‘The maid sisters seem too immersed!’
Feeling somewhat burdened by their behavior, I scampered toward my father.
“Dad, wasn’t Acid great? Awesome, right?”
Lifting me by the waist, my father looked at me with deep eyes. His clear pupils captivated me.
“…Yes, good job.”
“Hehe.”
“You did well too, my daughter.”
My father lovingly praised me.
I looked at him and smiled brightly. My father, as if lost for words, quietly lowered his gaze.
“Our daughter has grown up so much.”
Here we go again.
My father always gets tearyeyed when I talk like an adult.
I shrugged my shoulders and spoke nonchalantly.
“Um, I’m an adult!”
The conversation with my father more or less concluded…
‘But those muscle maid sisters are weird. They looked stunned since earlier…’
No matter how I looked, those maid sisters seemed to have received a shock.
Our father being emotional isn’t something to be surprised about, so why are they like this?
Could this be a side effect of protein…?
“Think positive! Ted will meet Acid, and Acid will also undergo a divine power test!”
It was truly a relief.
While holding my dad’s big hand tightly with my small one, I thought.
Our family and friends were gradually becoming happier.
(This is a time separator.)
At the same time, inside the Senoa temple.
As soon as the arrival of the Mirmode family was announced, the atmosphere in the temple changed drastically.
It wasn’t surprising, as the temple and the Mirmode family were in a perfect standoff.
A unilateral visit to the Senoa temple on the outskirts, not even a glamorous one in the heart of the empire, was quite audacious.
Due to the temple’s policy of “accepting everyone,” no official sanctions could be applied.
“Sien, why is that girl visiting the temple again?”
“As far as I’ve heard, Ted has a younger sibling who’s currently a servant in the Mirmode family. Apparently, it’s because of that child.”
Why, of all people…! Unaware of Gabrielle’s distorted face, the cleric eagerly picked up my words.
“She’s requested a divine power test in the temple for Ted’s sibling. That seems to be the main reason, and she also plans to meet Ted before and after the test.”
It’s obviously just a superficial reason. That little devil Sien Mirmode is definitely coming to snatch Ted away.
She’s planning to torment Ted using my villainous father and then extract him from the temple.
Of course, paladins didn’t necessarily need to serve in a temple.
However, just like a silkworm lives off mulberry leaves, those with divine powers were generally expected to serve in a temple.
It was clear that Sien Mirmode was a demon who had come to tempt Ted. And Ted was surely being tempted by that demon!
“How can I resolve this dilemma?”
Gabrielle ran her fingers through her hair as she lost herself in thought. Undoubtedly, her movements were graceful like a saint. But her thoughts were far from holy.
I’ll never show you Ted. He’s my knight, who protects me.
I’ll never lose to a demon’s daughter like you.
Because I am a divine maiden full of holy power.
Gabrielle’s previously graceful face distorted heavily.
“We’re taking Ted with us.”
“Uh? But Gabrielle, ma’am…”
“It’s my decision.”
Gabrielle, who had received the Pope’s abundant love, was in effect the ruler of the Senoa temple. No one could argue against her words.
As expected, a young cleric twice Gabrielle’s age hesitated and wiped the sweat off his forehead.
“The Mirmode family has also put a scorpion in Ted.”
“…Also in Ted?”
“Yes. Ted’s sibling is coming, so he should stay in the temple that day.”
Gabrielle’s eyes narrowed.
“Oh, is that so?”
Gabrielle’s mind raced.
“Did Ted personally receive this scorpion?”
“Ted is currently fasting and probably hasn’t heard the news yet.”
“I see.”
“It’s good news, finding his sibling.”
Who cares about such a sibling.
Frankly, protecting oneself is more important than the news that a sibling is coming.
But you never know.
Ted is a knight with a lot of affection. He might somewhat care for his dumb commoner sibling.
Of course, never as much as the love he has for me, Gabrielle, whom he has always cherished.
“Then let’s keep it a secret. Ted shouldn’t know his sibling is coming.”
“…Excuse me?”
The startled cleric looked bewildered.
Just in case Sien Mirmode might use Ted’s dumb pauper sibling to blackmail and target him as my escort knight.
Such a thing needed to be prevented.
But there was no need to tell that cleric.
Gabrielle stood up.
“I hate unnecessary commotion. That day, I’ll be outside the temple with Ted all day.”
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.”
