Surprised by the sudden situation, Liliana, who had been blankly embraced in his arms, came to her senses belatedly and pushed Herald away. Then she hurriedly looked around, but fortunately, there was no one passing by.
Liliana looked up at Herald with wide eyes, feeling relieved at the same time.
“Suddenly hugging someone. What kind of inappropriate behavior is this?”
Herald, who had calmed his rough breathing from rushing over, put his hand on his chest and apologized.
“I unknowingly committed a mistake out of joy at seeing you. I apologize, Lady.”
“……”
As the other party readily admitted their fault and apologized politely, she could no longer be angry. It wasn’t like she was that angry to begin with.
“Don’t do that again.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Herald answered firmly and then examined Liliana’s face carefully. Was there something on her face? Liliana rubbed her cheek, but there was nothing. Even when she checked her reflection in the department store window, there was nothing strange to be seen.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I was checking to see if you had been crying.”
She had asked out of curiosity about why he was staring, but the answer that came back was strange.
“I don’t know why you think I was crying, but I wasn’t. I didn’t cry.”
“But you look like you’re about to cry.”
“That’s not possible.”
It wasn’t like Fredrick’s affair was anything new, and she had no intention of shedding precious tears over such a thing. When Liliana firmly denied it, Herald smiled.
“I was worried you might cry like that day, but I’m glad you’re not crying.”
“When did I ever cry……”
Liliana belatedly remembered that she had cried loudly while drunk and closed her mouth. Her earlobes turned bright red due to the memories of that day coming back vividly. Seeing this, a mischievous smile appeared on Herald’s lips.
“If you didn’t remember, I was going to explain, but unfortunately, it seems you’ve recalled.”
Is that something to be unfortunate about? Liliana looked at Herald with bewildered eyes and then turned her head away. Perhaps because she had just witnessed Fredrick’s infidelity, looking at Herald’s face felt more uncomfortable than usual.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
She tried to leave, not wanting to have a long conversation, but Herald asked.
“May I ask where you’re going?”
“Don’t ask.”
Because even she didn’t know where she was going. She would return to the Benjamin Viscount’s residence before the day was over, but at least not right now.
“You have no destination.”
When Herald spoke as if he had read her mind, Liliana turned to look at him again.
“Is there somewhere you want to go?”
“…If there is, will you take me there?”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll take you.”
At his confident answer, Liliana let out a small laugh. She wondered where he thought she wanted to go to answer like that.
“I want to go somewhere I can relax comfortably, shaking off all worries. A place where I don’t have to be mindful of people’s eyes, where I can clear my stuffy feelings. That kind of place.”
She answered not to test Herald, but because she really wanted to go to such a place.
But as she spoke, it seemed like she was grasping at straws, so Liliana was about to add that it was just talk, that he didn’t need to take it seriously.
“Hmm, a place that clears your mind.”
However, Herald was considering it so seriously that she couldn’t bring herself to say that and closed her mouth. Such a place couldn’t possibly exist, so he’d probably give up soon after pondering for a moment.
Liliana was going to wait until Herald raised the white flag first, but as passersby started glancing at them, she couldn’t wait any longer and opened her mouth.
“I was just saying…”
“There is.”
At the words that burst out simultaneously, Liliana swallowed the rest of what she was going to say and looked at him.
“There is one place that fits what you described, Lady.”
“There’s such a place?”
When Liliana asked doubtfully at the unbelievable answer, Herald nodded, his eyes curving prettily like crescent moons.
“Yes. Fortunately, it’s not too far from here, so let’s go together.”
“……”
Liliana furrowed her brows, still not believing Herald’s confident answer. Even if such a place existed, she wasn’t inclined to follow a man whose name and status she didn’t know.
As if sensing Liliana’s thoughts, Herald suddenly asked.
“Is your injury alright?”
It was an indirect expression that he wouldn’t hurt her, since he had treated her injury. Liliana lightly clenched her palm, which unlike her knee had completely healed, and said.
“Thank you… for treating it.”
“It was nothing.”
Herald smiled harmlessly and held out his hand.
“Shall we go then, Lady?”
“……”
Liliana stared blankly at the hand Herald extended. In her memory, this man was clearly a good person. Although he did do something embarrassing to recall, it was a consensual relationship.
She even pounced on him first, mentioning being his mistress, so she absolutely couldn’t blame the man for that part.
Recalling other memories, the man had been so good to Liliana that it seemed strange. He not only took care of her when she was drunk and unconscious but also saved her from almost being scammed by the innkeeper.
He treated her wounds and even prepared tomato dishes in case she suffered from a hangover. He even said he disliked tomatoes, so he had prepared them solely for Liliana.
Even now, he rushed over worried she might cry, and he’s offering to take her wherever she wants to go.
Above all, she was curious if the place she mentioned really existed. If it did, she wanted to go there and relieve her stuffy feelings even a little.
“…Please take care of me.”
As her thoughts reached that point, Liliana impulsively took Herald’s hand.
[This is the timeline separator]Herald first stopped by the carriage rental shop to rent a shared carriage. Initially, he had planned to go on horseback, but since Liliana didn’t know how to ride and it didn’t seem right to ride a horse in a dress, he rented a carriage.
Liliana tried to listen to where they were going when Herald told the coachman their destination, but as if reading her thoughts, Herald whispered the destination. At his very suspicious behavior, Liliana narrowed her eyes and asked.
“Why did you whisper?”
“Well, it wouldn’t be fun if you knew the destination in advance.”
“You’re not trying to take me somewhere strange, are you?”
Herald laughed at the continued questioning that sounded like an interrogation.
“If you were suspicious, you shouldn’t have gotten in the carriage, Lady.”
“……”
At the response that left her at a loss for words, Liliana pressed her lips into a thin line and looked out the window. As Herald didn’t say anything more either, an awkward silence filled the carriage. Only the coachman’s occasional commands and the sound of rolling wheels could be heard.
Perhaps because it was a shared carriage, the ride was terrible. The roads in the city center were fine, smoothly paved for carriages to travel easily, but the suburban roads were bumpy and very uncomfortable.
Every time the wheels went over a stone, Liliana’s bouncing bottom ached, and she unknowingly frowned.
The carriage, which had been running for a long time, stopped just as Liliana’s patience was reaching its limit. Quickly getting out of the carriage, Liliana looked around while Herald, who followed her out, talked with the coachman.
All she could see were trees and grass. The scenery, full of green without a single person in sight, did help clear her stuffy feelings a bit.
“Is this the place you mentioned?”
Liliana asked as Herald, who had finished talking with the coachman, approached.
“No. We need to go a bit further. The place can’t be reached by carriage, so we’ll have to walk a little. Is that alright?”
“It’s fine.”
Although the high heels she wore to match her pretty dress weren’t suitable for walking in such a place, Liliana didn’t mind. Instead of asking if she was really okay, Herald held out his hand.
“You might trip on a stone, so hold on.”
“……”
Although reluctant, thinking it was better than falling, Liliana obediently took his hand.
Herald guided her into the forest covered in greenery. As he had warned in advance, there were many stones on the path, and she almost tripped, but thanks to Herald firmly holding her hand, she didn’t fall embarrassingly. Of course, it was also because Liliana walked with strength in her feet to avoid falling.
Maybe that’s why. Even though they had only walked a little, her feet hurt. Her legs seemed to be getting numb too. Still, without showing it, Liliana walked silently and stopped when Herald did.
“It’s over there.”
Liliana’s eyes widened for a moment as she turned her head in the direction Herald pointed.
“Wow.”
At the end of his finger was a lake so beautiful that it naturally drew an exclamation. Although surrounded by dense trees, the sky above was open, and the fluffy clouds in the blue sky were reflected perfectly on the blue water surface.
Captivated by the mysterious and beautiful sight that looked like there were two skies, Liliana walked towards the lake as if in a trance.
Herald didn’t follow but stood there watching Liliana.
The ground around the lake was damp, and mud stained her shoes and the hem of her dress, but Liliana didn’t mind and walked as if strolling around the lakeside.
Then she took off her shoes and dipped her feet slightly into the lake holding the fluffy clouds. As gentle ripples formed, scattering the clouds, she burst into laughter.
Although it was already quite obvious, Herald wanted to confirm it from her own mouth and asked.
“Do you like it?”
Only then did Liliana turn to look at Herald, and on her face was the brightest smile he had ever seen.
“Yes! I love it very much!”
“Then, is there no other woman you’re interested in?”
Suddenly remembering Olivia’s question, Herald narrowed his eyes.
He thought he might need to correct the answer he gave then.
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.”
