Terran was enveloped in turmoil as he observed Grace sleeping. Honestly, he had pretended to be asleep intentionally, to provide Grace with a sense of security and a good night’s rest.
Yet, he vividly felt her gaze upon him.
Her violet eyes observing his face, the pink lips, and her golden hair tickling his face.
Especially the baby-like sound of her breathing made his heart flutter wildly, like the wings of a dove.
‘I must pay tribute to my own patience.’
He had managed not to reveal his true nature, a wild beast in the guise of a gentleman.
If he had kept his eyes open any longer, he feared he might engulf the small and fragile rabbit beside him in a single gulp.
When was the last time he had felt desire for a woman?
Not since his boyhood, when he and Aiden secretly read magazines intended only for adult men.
But this desire was different from that time. Back then, it was merely a visual indulgence, a basic instinct.
Now, lying beside a woman who was comfortably asleep and clinging to him, he felt a searing sensation in his chest.
Suddenly, he imagined a world without Grace by his side. Then, Terran looked at the sleeping Grace with a rough gaze.
‘Do I desire you?’
The thought of Courtois Manor without Grace was unimaginable. Just the thought left a gaping hole in his heart.
He raised his finger and gently touched Grace’s lips.
‘Since when has my heart been so filled with you?’
It was time to be honest about his emotions. He didn’t want to remain crouched in darkness like a wounded animal, wallowing in self-pity and wary of others.
He hadn’t realized he had already emerged from the gloomy swamp.
‘You are the one who pulled me out.’
Terran carefully got up and stared intently at the sleeping Grace.
Previously, he had considered the dark swamp his rightful place. But now, he found it utterly repulsive.
He recalled Grace walking across the meadow, coming to him with an innocent smile, asking for a horse. In the end, he realized he had been saved long ago.
‘I like you, Grace.’
Whether it was love or not was still unclear, but his heart was undeniably full of her. He used to be indifferent to the death of others, but now he dreaded the thought of an empty space beside him.
Terran lay down facing Grace.
The sound of her breathing brought him relief, and his racing heart started to calm down. He decided to fall asleep, breathing in sync with her.
Terran’s ar
Leah, with all her might, managed to shake him off, and Allen vanished into thin air, turning into smoke. However, Leah’s torment lingered.
Suddenly, a man’s voice echoed from afar.
“Grace, wake up!”
Terran woke up at dawn. Upon opening his eyes, he saw Grace strangling herself with her own hands.
She seemed to be crying out to someone in agony. He quickly removed her hands from around her neck.
“Open your eyes! Grace!”
Terran embraced her to lift her up. Grace, with tear-filled eyes, looked at him.
Whether she was half-asleep or not, she wasn’t in her right mind. Tap tap, Terran gently tapped her face with the back of his hand. Finally, her dazed eyes returned to normal.
“Courtois Duke.”
Grace’s voice was weak.
“Yes, it’s me.”
Relieved to have someone by her side, she burst into tears and clung to Terran.
“I was…… scared.”
“It’s okay now, it was all a dream.”
Terran comforted her, stroking her back repeatedly.
Leah was sincerely grateful to him.
She couldn’t tell him how terrified she had been, haunted by Allen in her dream, trying to kill her. A secret she could never share for a lifetime.
Yet, at that moment, Terran’s warm embrace was desperately needed. There was nowhere else to run.
Allen had replaced the Hamilton Trading signboard with ‘McDowell Trading Company’.
He had yet to completely erase Richard Hamilton’s legacy.
However, soon, this company would transform into McDowell Trading Company, and people would forget the old Hamilton Trading.
“Sir, the sales documents are ready.”
Allen’s secretary came with a pile of documents, signaling many documents to be signed.
“Are you planning to sell all the Hamilton general stores nationwide?”
The secretary asked with a hint of concern.
“Sell them. What’s the use of those petty general stores? The world has changed. Invest in ships, weapons, and railways for big profits.”
“But the Hamilton general stores…”
The secretary, trying to dissuade him, stopped upon seeing Allen’s furrowed brow.
In truth, those general stores were the foundation of the company.
Even during wars in other countries, the general stores scattered across Galdensia consistently made money, albeit not a huge amount.
People from nearby countries would even come to buy food and essentials.
Was there really a need to sell these self-sustaining stores?
“Any letters from Rubeck?”
Allen had been asking the same question for several days.
“None.”
“Okay, you can leave.”
Once the secretary left, Allen stood up and moved towards the window. He had sent a letter to Grace Visack in Rubeck, expressing his desire to meet.
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.”
