Edith speculated on whether the arriving guest could pose a threat to her.
‘If the master of a household that can afford such a carriage is here, they should be riding in a carriage adorned with the family crest.’
Considering that they simply arrived in a good carriage, it seemed that the arriving guest wasn’t of a noble rank. Still, they must be a significant guest, so they would receive personal attention in a good room.
Moreover, this academy did not permit any armed conflict.
Prepared for such a situation and accompanied by Balter, Edith decided to rise from her seat instead of retreating in fear.
“Let’s go, Balter. I’ve prepared the documents in advance; it won’t take long.”
Edith picked up her bag and entered the office. As expected, the guest who arrived first seemed to be going into a specific room for personal attention, so she could relax and focus on her tasks.
She asked Balter to wait a few steps behind, then approached the office staff, who were dealing with various tasks.
“Good afternoon. I’m trying to apply for a deferment of admission.”
As many working at the academy were often minor nobles, Edith presented herself modestly.
“Admission deferment? Hm…”
The staff, Johan, not pleased with his increasing workload, scrutinized Edith from top to bottom.
“Why do you want to defer admission?”
“I’m getting married. Here are the documents I’ve prepared.”
The documents Edith prepared were flawless, without any missing details.
‘Edith Portrian.’
Portrian was a family name that had become quite common in the mouths of the capital’s people lately due to an imperial decree.
The academy had a system allowing married noble ladies, from a Countess or higher, to defer admission for up to six years.
As many nobles needed to focus on producing an heir right after marriage, this system ensured that their studies wouldn’t interfere with this duty.
Although Edith’s husband, Duke Portrian, had died, there was no procedural issue with her deferment application.
Johan reexamined the documents and asked a meaningful question.
“Duchess Portrian. It seems you’ve brought all the necessary documents, but… deferring admission and then withdrawing can be quite a cumbersome process.”
Withdrawal? Edith had never thought about such a thing.
Applying for admission deferment under the name ‘Edith Portrian,’ a signature she had never wanted to use, was only to restart her studies when the situation stabilized.
“There shouldn’t be a need for withdrawal; please process the admission deferment.”
As Edith spoke, Johan began to grumble with a somewhat agreeable face.
“You never know. When applying for admission deferment, everyone is burning with academic passion, but after six months, they all get pregnant with heirs and withdraw.”
“….”
“If that happens, you’ll have to go through the registration process again, and you’ll need to submit a withdrawal request. Even the young ladies from superior families, not just the Portrians, follow the same procedure.”
While Johann himself was merely the third son of a viscount, having worked at the academy’s office for a long time, he had dealt with countless high nobles who wouldn’t even meet his eyes.
Usually, they sent their house steward or maid to handle administrative procedures. However, the woman in front of him came to the academy in person, carrying the documents, claiming to be the Duchess, so he understood the circumstances.
‘Well, her husband died, and the jurisdiction changed due to the territorial nobles, so she received a summons to the capital.’
It was somewhat annoying to be bothered by a woman who was nothing special, coming on her own and assigning him tedious tasks. In any case, she would probably come back soon to apply for withdrawal after some time.
Just as Balter was about to approach an employee who lacked proper attire, Edith stepped forward and stopped him, then spoke up.
“If all the documents are in order, please proceed with the procedure.”
The office staff, who noticed the change in her voice, found her stern and firm compared to before and furrowed his eyebrows.
It was more puzzlement than fear. To demand like this from a widow of a regional family, supposedly with no influence in the capital, was somewhat unexpected.
“Yes, yes. If you ask, I’ll do it… But it seems like some documents are missing.”
The reason Johann changed his statement, just after saying that all necessary documents had been prepared, was evident.
‘It’s troublesome; he probably wants to avoid accepting the admission deferment application by claiming there’s a procedural issue.’
Edith, having expected this kind of disregard when she mentioned her acceptance to the capital academy as a commoner, could respond calmly without losing her composure.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but the admission deferment system was devised by Her Majesty Agnes XII.”
“What?”
Suddenly mentioning the Empress made Johann stiffen.
“I have all the required documents, and I qualify for admission deferment. If you reject me arbitrarily, it means I will be opposing the will of Her Majesty.”
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.”
