A pitiable beast endlessly craving affection. Like a cat licking its wounded leg and crying, he seemed so pitiable.
‘If I were my old self, I could have loved you freely.’
Now, it wasn’t so easy to love. My soul had been shredded to pieces by Allen’s betrayal. How could I even think of loving someone else?
More honestly, I was afraid of being hurt again. I had paid a heavy price before.
‘Instead of love, I will comfort you.’
Leah managed to steady her wavering heart. She waited for Terrun’s rough breathing to ease. She was prepared to comfort him as long as he could find peace.
After about thirty minutes, Terrun no longer seemed troubled.
“Terrun, let’s have dinner together. It’s the first day Chainer will live with us.”
“Alright.”
Leah helped Terrun to his feet and slowly released his hand. But his large hand caught her wrist.
“Grace, may I… kiss you?”
“!?”
Terrun asked shyly, like a teenage boy.
Leah was conflicted for a moment but didn’t want to kiss him out of pity. Instead, she kissed the back of his hand.
“Let’s go.”
Initially, he looked disappointed, but soon he laughed helplessly.
‘This is the harsh price, isn’t it?’
In the past, the situation was reversed. Grace used to beg him for hugs and kisses.
Back then, he always tried to avoid these situations. Despite others praising her beauty as divine, to him, she appeared like a childish young girl.
Moreover, seeing Grace reminded him uncomfortably of himself.
‘Thanks for even kissing my hand.’
Compared to his past self, who wouldn’t even hold her hand, the current Leah was quite generous.
Leah led Terrun to the dining room. It was uncomfortable, but today, she felt the need to take care of him.
“Terrun, I don’t dislike you.”
Leah said without looking at him.
“!?”
Terrun seemed surprised.
“I just need some time. So…”
“Understood.”
His voice brightened. After all, Grace would always be by his side, so there was no need to rush.
It was a rare occasion when everyone gathered. Leah wanted to introduce Chainer to Terrun, Luke, and James.
So, they decided to sit together for dinner, regardless of status.
Quick-witted Pollin had bathed Chainer and dressed her appropriately for the Courtois household.
Even her tangled red hair was combed nicely and tied prettily, transforming her completely.
“I never knew Chainer was this pretty.”
Indeed, appearance depended on how one dressed. There was no trace of the gypsy in Chainer.
“Am I pretty, sister?”
Chainer was pleased with Leah’s compliment and asked for confirmation.
“Very pretty.”
Especially the sprinkling of freckles across her nose was adorable.
Terrun, however, already had a rough idea about Chainer from Grace.
‘Twenty years old but mentally underdeveloped?’
Yet, he sensed something mystical in Chainer.
Though she spoke awkwardly and behaved childishly, there was something about her, like she could perceive people’s souls. Of course, this was purely his subjective opinion.
“Chainer, should you greet Duke Terrun Courtois?”
“Terrun Cuor-what? That’s hard. Hello, Mister!”
Chainer greeted Terrun loudly.
An awkward silence filled the dining room, especially as Terrun’s face grew stern. He fiddled with his ear.
‘Did I just hear what I think I did?’
Luke and James struggled to hold back their laughter.
“Chainer, say ‘Hello, Duke.’”
Pollin, with a pale face, corrected Chainer.
“D…Duke? Ah! I don’t know, hello, Mister!”
Chainer’s greeting caused a slight twitch on one side of Terrun’s face.
‘Mister?’
The words hit him like thrown daggers.
Pollin bit her lip to contain her laughter.
Unable to hold back anymore, Luke burst out laughing, followed by James turning away to laugh.
Then Chainer asked Luke, “Why are you laughing, big brother?”
“Big brother?”
“Yes, next to grandpa.”
“Ah, so the Duke is Mister, I’m big brother, and James is grandpa?”
Soon, the smiles faded from Terrun and James’s faces, while Luke continued laughing, holding his stomach.
Terrun’s fork clanging against his plate abruptly stopped Luke’s laughter. Servants entered, bringing food.
“Chainer will be living with me now. As you can see, she’s a bit underdeveloped, so her speech is awkward. Please be patient with her.”
Everyone nodded to Leah’s words, but Luke spoke excitedly, “Chainer seems to have a keen eye for people.”
“Shut up and eat!”
Terrun glared at Luke fiercely.
“How do you eat by shutting up?”
“Damn…”
Terrun nearly swore at the irritating Luke.
‘Mister? Have I aged that much?’
He quietly continued his meal.
“Tomorrow, I will go to the barbershop for a shave and dye my hair. Please excuse my absence in the morning, Duke.”
James chewed his meat, seemingly regretting his mustache and beard.
“Yeah, make sure you come back looking young.”
‘Should I go too? But I’m only twenty-five.’
Leah felt uneasy with the tense atmosphere. Maybe they should avoid dining together in the future.
‘I need to cheer up Terrun.’
The meat might just get stuck in their throats at this rate.
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.”
