Since Valentin’s revival, the most significant change Adel had noticed was the attitude of the attendants and guards.
Previously, she was lucky to receive even begrudging courtesy, but now their mannerisms had become somewhat respectful. Of course, it was still just a superficial show.
“Really, at this time… what could be the matter?”
The stable keeper’s expression changed rapidly just because she was a bit late in responding. In the past, they would have complained about her acting like a mistress of the house.
‘It’s quite simple, really. Everything works on the logic of power, like among barbarians.’
Adel adjusted her shawl to cover her nose and mouth and looked around. The bitter stench of horse dung was so intense that she almost missed the chilly outside air.
“I came to look for something briefly. It won’t take long.”
“Well, if you just tell me what you’re looking for, I’ll find it right away for you…”
The stable keeper was almost nagging, following Adel closely.
Adel ignored him and continued walking. What was she looking for? Even she didn’t know yet. She was just driven by instinct to start here, hoping to find some sort of ‘sign’ that she would recognize immediately.
“Whatever sudden calamity this is, really…”
Ignoring the stable keeper’s disapproving look, Adel meticulously examined the large stable. From the old stallions groaning as if they were only kept for their last days to a newborn filly and piles of hay, she checked everything.
Ironically, there were no ominous signs or portents she had hoped to find. Only then did she straighten her back.
“I heard the horses caused quite a commotion last night. Was there anything unusual?”
“Oh, that? It was really nothing serious.”
The stable keeper’s expression eased a bit.
“It seemed like they were terribly startled, but they calmed down soon. One got scared, and the rest just followed, causing chaos.”
“Were there any horses injured or attacked?”
“No, not really. You know horses are naturally skittish. Such incidents are common, especially in the winter when wild animals come near the village.”
Just then, acrid smoke drifted in from the open window. Adel listened half-heartedly to the stable keeper’s words and approached the window. Smoke was rising from a large open field connected to the Regenbach forest behind the castle.
“What is that…?”
“Ah.”
The stable keeper spoke casually.
“It seems there was a wolf attack at the sheep farm. A bunch of sheep were killed.”
“A pack? Are you sure it was the work of wolves?”
“Well, yes, but there are several suspicious aspects. Normally, even hungry forest wolves rarely attack settlements. It’s odd for a dozen or more sheep to be killed all at once.”
“…”
“People are trying to keep it quiet, saying it was wolves, but it’s clearly suspicious. It must be the work of some kind of monster.”
Because beasts don’t hunt more than they can consume. Adel crossed her arms in front of her chest, feeling a chill, as the stable keeper added.
“The flesh and organs were intact, but all the blood was drained. They’ve been burning them since morning. We don’t want to attract more monsters with the stench of decay.”
“…”
“Don’t worry too much. This might be rare in the South, but in the North, it happens every few years.”
Adel looked at the dark smoke rising into the sky without responding. As the stable keeper had said, such incidents were common in Vichtelreben. The people of the North always lived close to death.
Life there was dry and desolate, fierce and quarrelsome, clashing like sparks off iron, muddy, barbaric in behavior, yet they huddled close together by the fire. At first, everything was dreadful, but after about three years, it became as familiar to her as her own flesh.
That’s why she knew. She instinctively felt that the ordinarily mundane daily life was being distorted. An inexplicable sense of doom encroached on her time and again.
‘Even if it’s definitely the work of monsters, it’s strange.’
The highest-ranking Ansgralings were close to the Curtain, so it wasn’t unusual for a few monsters to slip through. Livestock and people were sometimes harmed, but such large-scale trouble was rare.
Being near the human-inhabited castle meant being exposed longer to the holy power of Morrig, which purified monsters.
‘Normally, monsters don’t even cross the Curtain, and if they do, they weaken and turn to ash. Even if the Curtain was slightly broken, there should still be residual holy power… Could there have been an unusually strong creature?’
It was also true that no remnants of monsters were found. If they had been, the priests would have been summoned immediately, causing a great commotion, and she would have known.
‘The only assumption to make is that the monster hasn’t been caught yet and is hiding somewhere…’
Adel nervously chewed her lip.
‘But how?’
If there was nothing in Ansgral Castle to replenish their strength, they would have…
“Your Highness!”
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.”
