The carriage seemed as spacious as if an entire room had been transported. The immense interior was adorned with a variety of dazzling gems.
Diamonds and clear crystals were a given, and gems of various colors added to the richness.
Even the seats were studded with expensive gems.
Surprisingly, despite the outward opulence, the ride was comfortable. No, it was more than comfortable—it was cozy.
Even the three people who normally suffered from motion sickness were able to maintain their best condition today.
“Thanks to this, we get to ride a royal carriage.”
Lerianne leaned her back against the wall as she muttered. Normally, the hard surface would have made her back sore, but the soft seat and cushion acted as a cushion.
Yuri, who timidly mimicked Lerianne’s actions, grinned and spoke.
“That’s right. We got ahead thanks to our friend.”
“Our dad praised me at breakfast, you know? So funny!”
Lerianne had been estranged from her father up to the point of almost severing ties, except for formal occasions or meals.
That the Duke had praised Lerianne meant that the invitation to the palace had had a tremendous impact.
“An old fox, indeed! Quickly acting friendly if he thinks it’ll benefit him. I wanted to slap him, standing there and laughing with his wife!”
Lerianne spewed profanities about the Duke’s shamelessness.
At first, Yuri and Chloe were hesitant but later on, they cheerfully slandered the Duke.
The three laughed until tears formed in their eyes, and the dresses they had carefully dressed up in also got wrinkled.
After the burst of laughter, they finally began to talk about why they had gathered.
“Time flies. It feels like just yesterday that Chloe gave us the invitations. The festival day is already approaching…”
“Aren’t you looking forward to it? The kingdom’s festivals have been modest so far.”
After the war ended, the kingdom had scaled down its festivals for about two years due to financial problems.
Even last year’s festival was grand, but it was for Callis. Knowing their friend’s situation from a distance, Lerianne and Yuri had deliberately not participated.
According to an article in a third-rate newspaper later, Chloe had been utterly humiliated there, and they were glad they hadn’t witnessed it.
“Let’s enjoy ourselves thoroughly. Anyway, did His Majesty really invite us?”
“How many times do I have to say it, Yuri? His Majesty said it was okay to invite friends, so he gave me the authority to invite.”
“It’s astonishing to think about it. To be invited to the palace and stay for several days. It could be a story of heroism.”
Even Yuri, who doesn’t easily express emotions, was filled with anticipation. She was visibly excited.
Then, Lerianne, who had been listening quietly, jokingly said,
“His Majesty seems to be treating you well? Could he have feelings for you?”
“What?”
Chloe immediately retorted, as if taken aback.
Considering it came from her friend, it was a fairly fresh reaction. It was so cute that Lerianne’s mischievousness kicked in again.
“Why else would he keep looking after you? He even appeared like a savior at the party and danced with you! Right?”
“That’s true.”
Somehow it was convincing, and even Yuri who was next to her began to agree.
“What. I’m a married woman, you know.”
“There’s no order to love. Just look at your husband… no, that useless duke.”
Firmly, Yuri replied, and Chloe felt a choke in her throat.
Unnecessarily serious due to the two, she too was made to contemplate.
‘His Majesty, toward me.’
His Majesty, toward me…
Chloe recalled her first meeting with Kun. Except for the memories she didn’t have, only Kun remembered.
The first meeting as friends. The exchanged letters. The time she found out the two were the same person after encountering him as the Emperor.
‘Why?’
It was a waste of time.
There was absolutely no reason or situation for Kun to like her, so there was no reason to believe that ridiculous story.
‘His Majesty is treating me well because he owes me in his heart.’
Perhaps it was due to some secretly maintained rapport.
Whatever the case, romantic feelings certainly didn’t exist.
“No, the first time His Majesty and I ever had a personal meeting was during the preparations for the last festival.”
“Why, why. Think about it. Maybe you’ve known each other for even longer?”
“Lerianne, do you want to get arrested for insulting the royal family?”
Faced with relentless prodding, Chloe firmly pushed back. The previously enthusiastic Lerianne finally started to regain her composure.
As they headed toward the empire, they took occasional rests, and if they found a charming village, they stayed there and enjoyed food and desserts.
Thanks to the comfortable carriage journey, it felt as though they had been on a road trip with friends.
After roughly three days, the diligently rolling carriage finally signaled its arrival at the destination.
After crossing the border and undergoing identity checks at the gate, they finally arrived in the Empire.
Lerianne and Yuri stared intently out of the carriage windows on both sides.
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.”
