‘There’s no need to think about the reason.’
That man designed the most unfortunate hell to strangle my breath until the very end, and imprisoned me in it.
To make me taste the worst hell by watching my mother die by her side until that moment.
When I returned to the lodging without knowing what state of mind I was in, I saw my mother.
The sleeping mother’s breathing was peaceful.
That regular breathing became the only solace, wrapping my trembling body.
As I quietly moved to the room, my mother, who had woken up at some point, called out to me.
“El?”
“Mom.”
My mother, who opened her slightly closed eyes, raised her body as if to turn on the light.
“Sorry. I fell asleep while waiting.”
My mother’s faint smile and energy were much dimmer compared to the beginning of this month.
I hurriedly opened the bottle I received from the man, poured out the medicine, and held it out to my mother along with water.
In her drowsy state, my mother swallowed the medicine and then stretched out her bony arms to embrace my neck.
“Our daughter is going through so much hardship.”
“……”
If it were any other day, I would have scolded her not to say such things, but today I couldn’t.
Because the moment I spoke, I felt I would reveal my terribly cracked voice.
For fear that the tears I had been desperately holding back would pour out.
Afraid that my mother would realize this bleak reality.
Unable to speak, I silently hugged my mother.
The patting fingertips were indescribably affectionate.
Her voice, drowsy as if drunk on medicine, echoed in my ear.
“Still, I’m really glad. Once I’m cured, I can ease your hardship.”
The hands that had been holding my body slipped down with a thud.
After tucking her in tightly with the blanket, the things beside her came into view.
A bag containing bundles of money she had saved, never spending even a bit on herself.
A pile of job postings, as if she planned to go straight to work after being cured.
And next to it, travel destinations she had planned to visit with me someday.
Restaurants circled with cute star shapes.
A large circle drawn on the map.
A bunch of colorful pencils.
The scenes blur and become hazy as they well up.
The tears that had been building up finally flowed down after I moved to the table.
Only after wiping away the tears that pressed down on my eyes, again and again, did I finally come to my senses.
I can’t just sit here crying like this.
As long as I’m alive, I have to do something, somehow.
If not, it would be better to die right now.
Yes. Before ending everything so hopelessly, I must do something.
As I’ve always done.
The past peace was just like a brief transfer station I passed through.
Even if the next station I get off at is jumping into a fire pit to die, there was no choice but to run towards it.
My hand, which held out the papyrus in desperation, trembled.
Now, all I could rely on was my last usefulness remaining to that man.
I am the only witness who received direct orders from the man who claims to be his uncle.
If I reveal that, I’ll probably die, but…
Couldn’t I use that to negotiate?
Even if it’s a vain hope, I couldn’t help but grasp at it.
The quill pen, tense with force, pressed each character onto the papyrus.
Just two lines.
After writing those words, a faint light was cast over the deep night.
[This is the timeline separator]“The first page is about the poison distribution network. The second page is……”
In the background, the sound of rain patters against the windows, and Tiobe’s report is laid over the silence.
Cassian’s fingertips casually turned the pages.
The crack in his expressionless face lasted only for a moment.
“The bastard died immediately after being caught, vomiting blood.”
How unchanging these classic methods are.
The spies planted by Uncle always met such an end.
It was terribly disgusting whenever that benevolent face was revealed to hide such abominable evil.
Those details I wanted to expose were densely packed into just a few pages.
“Of course, regardless of that person’s death, this time Count Alton won’t have a way to escape either.”
As Tiobe said, the organized documents were perfect.
To the point where no further evidence or witnesses were needed.
How joyous it is that the political enemy I planned to eliminate first upon becoming the head of the family seems to be self-destructing before I even lay a hand on him.
However, separate from that, Cassian’s fingertips tapping the table created a subtle syncopation.
The dull sound, strangely out of sync with the rain, brewed an ominous atmosphere over the space.
Cassian’s gaze, as he languidly reclined, shot diagonally.
At the end of his tilted red eyes was the carriage waiting area where that woman frequently passed by.
Didn’t they say she sat there for quite a while before disappearing?
Given how that woman trembled at the mention of her mother’s medicine, it’s obvious how pale her face must have been as she sat there, without even having to see it.
That virtuous daughter probably sat there crying, fearing she might not receive any more medicine.
I wonder if she’s given up now.
Well, unless she’s gone mad, there’s no way that woman would crawl back here on her own.
That woman who dared to try to assassinate the heir of Blanchet shouldn’t even be able to imagine such a thing.
In fact, it’s miraculous that she escaped that room alive.
Seeing that she hasn’t shown her face even once since then, it seems that cowardly woman is at least aware of that fact.
She must know that her survival was mercy granted by me, the woman who was prepared to die trying to kill me.
The sound of that woman’s crying mixes with the rain.
On top of that, her voice shouting at me like a soprano is layered again.
That voice yelling at me not to do it.
Those trembling hands clutching my face…
It’s not even funny.
That woman who ended up poisoning me to kill me.
That woman who tried to knock it away to prevent me from drinking it.
And I who let that woman live.
If she had properly resolved to kill me, that woman would have died.
What will that woman who resolved to save me do now?
That woman who clung to me and screamed echoes in my head.
If this was that woman’s strategy, it was certainly a successful one.
Because ever since that day, whether I close my eyes or open them, that woman’s screaming face just won’t leave my mind.
Cassian, who let out a hollow laugh, continued to receive the report.
“You must move now.”
Cassian, who returned with an expressionless and infinitely dry face, got up and headed outside, with Tiobe following behind.
A knight who entered dripping with water reported in front of him.
“Count Alton has arrived.”
Uncle, who had been sending proxies to attend the recent small-scale vassal meetings, finally came to this mansion in person.
What a transparently obvious change.
Like someone desperate to check on a hidden jewel.
But what a shame.
Instead of encountering me cold and dead, he finds me alive and well.
The long strides came to a stop at the Grand Hall.
The interior of the hall, boasting a high ceiling due to its towering roof, flaunted its vast size.
Around the round table placed in the center, the vassals of Blanchet were huddled together as they usually did on meeting days.
At the highest seat in the center were Duke Deviron and Lady Elise, the Blanchet ducal couple, and at the opposite seat was Count Alton.
Cassian, with his back to the ducal couple, naturally met eyes with Count Alton.
Count Alton couldn’t help but see Cassian walking towards him as well.
‘How is that, that bastard…’
Count Alton’s face, stained with shock, turned deathly pale.
He had been told that the girl had entered and exited that hotel with a resolute face, not deviating from expectations at all.
Apparently, she was deathly pale when she came out.
Even during the past few days, when he had left to tour the local territories on the emperor’s orders, he had continuously received reports on Yuriel’s movements.
There was nothing more important than this issue, so it was natural that all his senses were on high alert.
Of course, Cassian’s movements were included in the repeated reports.
They said he hadn’t taken a single step out of his room since then.
He was certain that the bastard must have died.
He thought today would just be a final confirmation before setting off fireworks.
But…
‘How did this…’
From his position directly facing him, Cassian stared intently at him, looking as if he would crush him, without even bothering with a bow.
Count Alton, while inwardly cursing, didn’t forget to force a gentle smile.
Cassian, who had been silently observing this scene, had the corners of his mouth curl up crookedly.
To be precise, to others it would just look like the imposing smile of the gentle and composed Blanchet heir, but Count Alton could clearly tell.
That this was definitely a sneer directed at him.
Count Alton’s eyes trembled slightly at the low temperature conveyed by the cold-blooded smile.
Cassian, who approached him nonchalantly, narrowed his eyes at him.
“It’s been a while, Uncle.”
Cassian, who had closed the distance with big strides, grasped his outstretched hand.
The subtle force applied to the hand pressured Count Alton, as if warning him to know his place.
Cassian, who held onto that hand for quite some time, eventually leaned slightly towards his uncle’s ear.
“Why are you looking at me as if you’ve seen a ghost?”
“……”
“You seem very surprised that I’m not dead.”
“…!”
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.”
