Behind Yerpi was Marian, who had come along to attend to her from the Domain of Autumn.
The woman who had escorted them to the guest room bowed politely.
“The banquet is scheduled to begin tomorrow evening. Until then, please rest comfortably and recover from your journey. If you need anything, feel free to use our maids. They’re waiting in the room next door.”
After speaking, the woman carefully inspected Yerpi’s room once more before leaving.
The interior was spacious and clean, filled with a pleasant fragrance. To the left stood a large bed with curtains, and in the center was a sofa arranged around a table.
The wallpaper was a light brick color, and beyond the sofa, a fireplace added charm to the room.
A red cornus branch placed in a glass bottle on the table revealed how much care Lady Leven had put into this room.
Servants from the lord’s castle brought in the luggage they had loaded onto the carriage.
Among them was the large garment bag that Marian had guarded carefully throughout the journey.
Even inside the carriage, she had placed it not on the floor but beside her seat.
Only now did curiosity stir within Yerpi, who pointed at the garment bag and asked,
“What’s inside that?”
“Oh, this? I suppose I can give it to you now.”
“To whom?”
Why would she give away something she had cherished so much? As Yerpi looked surprised, Marian smiled faintly, lifted the garment bag, and placed it on the table.
“It actually belongs to Your Grace. His Lordship instructed me to deliver it once we arrived at the lord’s castle.”
She had no idea it was meant for her. When Marian opened the bag, the contents became visible—a salmon-colored dress stored in a case.
“It’s a dress.”
“Yes. His Lordship personally prepared it in preparation for the banquet.”
Marian spread a cloth on the floor and laid the dress upon it.
Despite having been stored in the bag for a long time, the bell-shaped dress retained its delicate lace in perfect condition.
The soft fabric, resembling silk, seemed as if it had never heard of the word “wrinkle.”
‘It’s too beautiful.’
Perhaps because the fabric shimmered so brilliantly, the dress looked flawless even without any special accessories.
“Would you like to touch it?”
Marian held out a ribbon attached to the dress.
The fabric felt thin, fluffy, and slightly moist—like touching a soft plant.
“This is the first time I’ve touched something like this.”
“Me too, actually. This dress was made by weaving threads from rare petals gathered in the Domain of Spring.”
Deep within the Sunlight Forest of the Domain of Spring grows a plant called Marosa, which blooms a tiny flower, about the size of a baby’s fist, once a year.
The process of carefully picking these petals and spinning them into thread takes a long time and is so intricate that only a master artisan can accomplish it.
“Would you like to try it on?”
“Yes, I will.”
With the maid’s help, Yerpi slipped into the dress, which fit her perfectly.
Standing before the mirror, Yerpi’s honey-golden hair and the soft salmon-colored dress blended together like colors from a masterpiece painting.
“It suits you perfectly. I never knew His Lordship had such romantic sensibilities. When the other maids hear that Your Grace wore the dress, they’ll be delighted. Oh, and the artisans from the Domain of Spring who made it, too.”
Marian looked proud, feeling it was worth all the careful care she had taken bringing it from Growen Castle to the lord’s castle.
Just how long had they been preparing this? The fact that even the maids knew about it made Yerpi slightly embarrassed.
Yerpi gazed at her reflection in the mirror, almost spellbound.
As the maid said, the dress truly seemed made just for her.
She was thrilled by that, but even more astonishing was how incredibly light it felt and how precisely it fit her body, without even a fraction of error.
“It’s amazing. It fits me perfectly.”
“A dress woven from petal-thread doesn’t require special tailoring. The petal-thread subtly adjusts itself, expanding or tightening to fit the wearer’s body exactly.”
Marian explained further, looking even more amazed as she added that the dress’s elegance remained completely undisturbed throughout the process.
“It really is a precious gift.”
Looking at herself in the dress, her heart began to race. Memories of her conversations with him on the way to the territory resurfaced.
Raymond had truly been concerned for her. It felt as if she were finally being compensated for the protection no one had given her during her lonely childhood.
“I’ll wear this to tomorrow’s banquet.”
“We’ve also prepared accessories. There are other dresses too—would you like to try them on?”
“No. I like this one.”
This dress carried Raymond’s feelings.
Like Cinderella’s glass slipper, she had a premonition that this dress would lead her to the most wonderful place.
Just as the fitting ended and the maid was putting the dress away again,
a knock came at the door, and a servant from the lord’s castle entered. In her arms was Dante, swollen as if his belly might burst.
“Oh my goodness, young master! Are you alright?”
[Stomach… stomach so full…]Startled, Marian quickly took Dante from the servant.
When she asked the servant what had happened, the woman explained with an awkward smile.
“He ate the meal so deliciously that the head chef and all the kitchen staff came out to see and felt so proud. But perhaps he enjoyed it too much. From then on, he overdid it… he ate almost the entire baby pig roast by himself.”
“The whole big thing?”
Marian raised her voice in shock.
Yerpi, who had seen that enormous dish earlier, was just as astonished.
It was unbelievable that this tiny creature had devoured a roasted pig twice his own size.
“Dante, are you okay?”
[Uh-huh, I’m… I’m fine.]Yerpi quickly checked on Dante. Aside from his excessively swollen belly, he seemed unharmed.
When she pressed a finger against his bulging stomach, the belly actually bounced the finger back—an incredible phenomenon that left her amazed.
“Here, please take these.”
The servant handed Marian several small paper packets.
Opening one, she found powdered medicine inside.
“Everyone was worried, so they brought digestive aids. Once his breathing calms down a bit, mix it with water and give it to him in small amounts. One packet is a single dose, twice daily.”
“I’ll do that.”
Marian expressed her gratitude upon hearing they had gone out of their way to visit an apothecary for the medicine.
Yerpi, looking at the now-chubby Dante with mixed feelings, also thanked the servant.
“Thank you for taking care of him.”
“Oh, not at all. If anything, we feel sorry for encouraging him like that. Well then, I’ll take my leave. If anything comes up, please call the maid waiting next door.”
The servant left. Marian and Yerpi looked at each other at the same time.
They were both worried about Dante, yet found the situation so absurd they couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Their first day at the territory had to be spent entirely tending to Dante.
By nightfall, he had digested a little and could finally sit up slightly.
[Phew… I thought I’d die from being so full.]His bloated belly had begun to deflate—apparently the digestive aid was working.
Yerpi, holding a glass of water to Dante’s mouth, let out a small sigh.
“I used to worry because you barely ate anything. Never imagined you’d overeat like this.”
[It’s just… being surrounded by people like that, I didn’t even realize it. And it was incredibly delicious.]Seeming to feel embarrassed only now, Dante flicked his tail.
How could one not laugh at such a sight?
Yerpi gently stroked Dante’s head and asked,
“Now you don’t dislike people anymore, do you?”
At that, Dante lifted his head. Their eyes met, and the color deepened.
His eyes, once yellow, were slowly turning gold.
[Yeah. I realized that even though they find me strange, no one truly dislikes me. Not at Growen Castle, not here either. Maybe you were right, Yerpi. I really…]His voice sounded strangely sad for a moment.
[Feel kind of cute!]“What? Hahaha.”
The young dragon, wings spread wide and chin raised high, looked truly majestic.
Yet, it was impossible to mention how his belly still stuck out prominently, so she had to suppress her laughter.
She was happy that the child’s mindset had changed.
Praying that the love he received from people would soothe his past wounds, Yerpi kissed Dante’s cheek.
Midway through, Dante suddenly wore a determined expression.
“What’s wrong?”
[I know everyone likes me. Everyone except one person.]Her heart sank, wondering if he meant his former nursemaid—but that wasn’t it.
[You, little sister Yerpi. You’re acting really strange.]“Charlotte, you mean?”
[Yeah. What’s this thing called ‘holiness’? It makes me feel so bad. Ugh, I don’t even want to go near it.]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.”
