With the door closed and finally alone as he wished, Cardin turned his head swiftly.
He slowly approached Annette, knelt on one knee to meet her gaze.
Their eyes met before Annette could reaffirm her resolve to hide her red eyes.
“I apologize for my earlier behavior.”
Cardin’s voice was now soft and sweet, a stark contrast to the arrogant tone he had used with the Emperor.
Annette was taken aback, not only by his tone but also because he had referred to her as the person he would spend his life with.
Even though she had firmly reminded herself that she was just a partner in a political marriage, why did it feel so…
“I’m… fine.”
Somehow managing to accept his apology, Annette replied in a daze.
Cardin then covered his mouth with one hand and murmured.
“Even your voice is youthful…”
Annette blinked slowly, a bit out of sorts.
Suddenly, Cardin burst into laughter.
His laughter, muffled by his hand and mask, sounded pleasantly low to Annette’s ears, causing her to freeze.
“I’m truly sorry.”
Having controlled his laughter, Cardin apologized again.
“It’s such a dreamlike situation.”
Annette could empathize with his sentiment.
Although Annette had heard that the Emperor cherished the Grand Duke, who was 12 years younger than him, she had imagined it as a sovereign’s affection and trust in a capable subject. However, the interaction she just witnessed felt genuinely familial, filled with close and strong affection.
Yet, more dreamlike than the seemingly intimate relationship between Lucius and Cardin was Cardin’s behavior towards her, leaving Annette speechless.
Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck her.
‘I only heard that his appearance became hideous due to the blood of a demon beast, but maybe he has gone mad…’
That must be it. How else could this be explained?
Annette, forgetting her resolution to hide her red eyes, looked directly into the eyes visible above Cardin’s mask and was momentarily mesmerized. The deep blue eyes, filled with undeniable affection, made it impossible to believe he suffered from madness.
With those eyes, the man spoke.
“Um, this is a bit awkward.”
“Ah! Sorry…”
“If you keep staring at me like that, I’ll get shy.”
“……Yes?”
Just as Annette was about to apologize and look away, Cardin tilted his head slightly and whispered.
“I am actually quite shy, contrary to appearances.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Annette nodded, feeling completely disoriented.
Meanwhile, Cardin let out a short sigh, then bowed his head while still kneeling.
“Let me formally introduce myself. I am Cardin Hargens.”
Clearly, they were here for an alliance between nations.
But that seemed irrelevant in light of his plain introduction, making her feel strangely emotional. Nevertheless, Annette bowed in response.
“I am Annette Hayworth.”
Not adding her title as Princess of Hayworth somehow made her feel much lighter.
“I know, Your Highness.”
His response was a bit unusual.
Even though ‘princess’ and ‘Your Highness’ meant the same, perhaps because of the tenderness in Cardin’s voice, Annette felt a ticklish sensation in her ears.
As she nervously fiddled with her hands, a smooth, scar-free hand, hardly befitting a swordsman, reached out to her.
Blinking, Annette slowly extended her hand – small, soft, and childlike.
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.”
