“May I go too?”
“Of course. You are my subject.”
The Duke responded with a gentle voice.
The Imperial Palace… am I really going there?
A strange mix of excitement and anticipation, neither joy nor fear.
“Why, do you dislike it?”
“No. I’ll go.”
“Officially, you’ll be going as Arcadia’s aide. Though that’s not the truth.”
The Duke glanced at Arcadia.
Surprised as if hearing it for the first time, Arcadia’s eyes widened, but soon returned to normal with a resigned look.
He must have known something. Otherwise, Arcadia wouldn’t stay silent like this.
Is there a reason I’m needed?
To be used, perhaps.
Regardless, the fact that I was going to the Imperial Palace started to excite me.
The Duke’s attendant and Nugent’s aide.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I’ll be careful not to make any mistakes.”
I deeply bowed to the Duke and Arcadia, then turned to leave, but the Duke stood up and followed me.
“Do you know the etiquettes of the Palace?”
“Yes? No… Will I have to meet very high-ranking people?”
“Maybe not… but you never know.”
As I opened the door to leave, the Duke followed me out.
“Esdel, we’ll depart at a reasonable time tomorrow.”
He stopped suddenly. Hans, the elderly butler, was standing right in front of the door, almost causing a collision.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Esdel.”
“What brings you here, Hans?”
“I was worried since His Grace hasn’t dined yet. I came to see if I could help. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen His Grace follow someone like this.”
Suddenly, he blurted out something unexpected.
“Well, that’s not it. We have to visit the Palace tomorrow, so I came out to give some precautionary advice.”
The Duke’s voice rose, as if a child caught playing a prank.
“To the Palace? All of us? Does that mean Miss Esdel is going too?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“In what capacity is she going?”
“As Nugent’s aide.”
“Then she’ll need a uniform. But we don’t have one that fits Miss Esdel.”
“Ah…!”
The Duke seemed to have forgotten about the need for appropriate formal attire.
His expression darkened.
Suddenly, Hans’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“It’s been too long since Your Grace’s last visit to the Palace. Don’t worry. I am here. I have been serving His Grace since he was eight. I’ve experienced much more than this.”
“Hans, why so solemn? We can’t compare the lack of formal attire to the many things we’ve gone through.”
“No, Your Grace!”
“?”
“It’s been three years since Your Grace went to the battlefield. You must look the most magnificent and dignified of all!”
Hans was full of resolve.
“That means the aide of Lord Nugent nearby must also dress befittingly of the North’s dignity. Even a lowly aide from the North should show that! I may not be able to prepare a uniform immediately, but I’ll arrange the finest formal attire that no one can criticize!”
His devotion was palpable.
I should have realized then. Hans’s vigor was aimed at me, who had appeared here in tatters.
The elderly butler whispered to me politely.
“It might be hard, but please assist.”
‘?’
The next day, in front of my room appeared a movable dressing room with dozens of beautiful dresses.
“What is all this, Butler?”
“Miss, if you are to accompany His Grace, you must dress to such a standard. So that no one can look down on the North!”
Did he think about it all night?
Hans’s eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep.
But the dresses weren’t the end of it.
When Hans extended one hand, a line of maids holding dazzlingly beautiful jewelry appeared beside him. Extending his other hand, likewise, servants with dozens of pairs of stunningly beautiful shoes lined up.
“Bu-butler. I’ve never tried anything like this, never worn such clothes.”
My voice trembled without me realizing.
“I’ll look incredibly strange or unattractive.”
Hans then shouted with an expression as if his eyeballs were about to pop out.
“What are you saying! Miss, you are truly beautiful. The Dukes of the North have always been known for their discerning eyes for women. His Grace specially sought you out, didn’t he? Without a doubt, you are beautiful both inside and out. Strange, you say?”
Praise I’ve never heard before.
And an unbelievably strong trust in the Duke.
That confidence in me, baseless.
How can I not be strange, having lived my life with a half-disfigured face? Beautiful inside? Me, a former assassin?
I couldn’t respond to anything.
“Hans here will make His Grace, Lord Nugent, and you, Miss, the finest of all. Of course, our Lord doesn’t need to do anything to command respect. But as Miss is the only descendant of the Belpast family, a guard for His Grace and a one-day aide to Lord Nugent, you must dress appropriately.”
I see.
The butler’s words were right.
I can’t stand next to the Duke in rags.
Then, the Duke came down from the upper floor, drawn by the commotion.
“Hans?”
“Your Grace. Miss Esdel may be a future knight, but she is also a woman. Uniforms are good, but today we prepared the most formal of uniforms.”
The most formal uniform, a dress.
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.”
