I can’t understand what Cahillen is thinking.
Even this morning when he handed over information with his own hands, he didn’t stop teasing, saying, ‘Leaving the man you like, you look disappointed.’ He even said it’s okay to expect a gift when he returns.
I know he enjoys teasing me, but I don’t understand why he goes to such lengths. He doesn’t trust me but still plays games, predicting my moves and offering my information to Floria, even urging me to take it to her. There doesn’t seem to be any reason for him to do so.
Cahillen’s unpredictable behavior was so puzzling that, after a long time, even rolling on the bed leisurely felt uneasy.
“Why are you contemplating so deeply?”
The sensation of tapping on my forehead reminded me, and I suddenly snapped to attention. It was then that I recalled I had visited the library to meet Matthias.
Matthias, tilting his head, smiled gently. I quickly corrected my disheveled posture.
“Oh, I was lost in thought for a moment.”
“Do you have any worries?”
“No, nothing like that.”
It’s not something you can say casually, like breathing.
“…Are you feeling alright?”
Matthias, who was observing me cautiously, asked subtly. His careful gaze was very cautious.
“I’m perfectly fine. Thank you for that day, Matthias.”
“Huh?”
“I heard from Silvia. She said Matthias helped. Thanks to you, I really survived.”
“Oh…”
Matthias turned his head in embarrassment at my greeting. He couldn’t meet my eyes. He seemed so shy that he couldn’t look at me directly.
“But what happened? Did your family help you? Lady Hannah still hasn’t returned, but did she take you with her?”
“Oh, um, that, well…”
Facing a barrage of questions, Matthias, with a perplexed expression, bit his lower lip. Even though I didn’t know what it was about, it seemed difficult for him to answer. Seeing him defensively press his lips together, it seemed like he didn’t want to talk about it.
Perhaps there were problems in the household because of my rescue? Well, even if he’s a viscount, seducing the younger sister of the Second Prince might not have been an easy task.
I couldn’t dig into the mind of this perplexed person any further. Nevertheless, I extended my thanks once again.
“Thank you so much. It seems I always receive various kinds of help from Matthias.”
Matthias frowned slightly, then bowed his head deeply.
“No, Lady Reneaula, you don’t have to thank me.”
“Look at this.”
After a few days of exploring the somewhat unfamiliar annex, I turned my gaze to where Silvia was pointing.
“Someone deliberately stirred up the ground there, making it incredibly difficult to fill it. If we catch whoever it is, they won’t get away with it.”
“…”
Seeing the enraged Silvia, I couldn’t help but feel awkward, not knowing who that someone might be. However, even though Matthias was embarrassed, I couldn’t bite into someone who was so embarrassed. Still, as a final gesture, I thanked him once more.
“Thank you so much. I feel like I’m always receiving help from Matthias in various ways.”
“Sorry, Silvia. It couldn’t be helped.”
Before going to the First Prince’s palace, I diligently searched for the source of the invitation from the Queen. However, I ended up spending several days trapped in a secret room. The next day, I immediately went to the First Prince’s palace, leaving no time for recovery.
Silvia, who had been venting her anger, saying that my soul would be haunted by the ghosts in the annex, let out an exclamation, “Oh,” as if she had been waiting for me to return.
“By the way, have you heard about Eileen, the maid?”
“Why?”
“Her family went bankrupt overnight!”
“What? How did that happen?”
“While managing the upper class, she forcibly brought funds from here and there. However, the due date for the promissory notes was not extended. Simultaneously, urgent repayment demands came in. With the winds selling off her status, Eileen also left the palace.”
I had seen Eileen just a few days ago. Until then, she had mocked me with an innocent face. She had sharpened her teeth, vowing to take revenge, but I didn’t expect her to disappear so suddenly.
“I actually feel relieved.”
“Why?”
“Eileen tormented Lady Reneaula to no end. Even her confinement in the underground cell was related to Eileen.”
Although not spoken, Silvia accurately grasped it. She was surprisingly sharp. After all, even though Eileen didn’t like me, the sudden disappearance was dreadful.
“I feel a bit refreshed, to be honest.”
“Why?”
“Eileen made Lady Reneaula suffer. You may not know, but her confinement in the underground cell was also related to Eileen.”
Even without saying it, Silvia understood it precisely. She was unexpectedly perceptive. However, up until now, she had been cute. But the last incident, being trapped in the secret room, was truly horrific. In a state where nothing could be seen, heightened sensitivity to faint, echoing sounds made the nerves on edge.
I was proud to have endured until the door opened. If I had stayed a little longer, I might have lost my mind. I truly became grateful to Matthias once again.
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.”
