Cediloy seemed to contemplate Maiana’s words for a long time. Maiana patiently waited for him to organize his thoughts, displaying an extraordinary patience that she wouldn’t usually demonstrate.
“I want to choose a way for Ariante to be hurt as little as possible,” Cediloy said.
In response to Cediloy’s words, Maiana looked at him with a somewhat ironic smile.
“However you do it, Lady Ariante will still get hurt. But sometimes, getting hurt is a part of growing up. If you become an adult without knowing what it’s like to get hurt, you won’t be able to understand other people’s pain. I understand what Your Grace is worried about and what you avoid, but… if you’re considering involving that boy not just for protection but also on a reciprocal basis, you should be prepared to cause Lady Ariante some pain.”
Cediloy, who had been quietly listening to her words, laughed silently and lowered his gaze after a long while.
“You really seem to want to say nothing but the truth.”
Maiana replied, “There’s no point in telling useless lies.”
Cediloy clasped his hands together again as if praying, bringing them close to his lips. His gaze was fixed on a distant place.
Maiana silently empathized with the confusion he must be feeling at this moment. The inexplicable loneliness and confusion she felt on the way back home, along with the fear… similar emotions seemed to flow down through Cediloy’s gaze, hidden as if crying unseen.
“Even if Lady Ariante gets hurt, this is something only Your Grace can do. Because there is no one else who can heal that hurt.”
After finishing her words, Maiana stood up carefully without making a sound. Cediloy, who had been gazing at her face, withdrew his gaze nonchalantly.
However, as Maiana took a step to leave, Cediloy spoke softly.
“After dinner, bring Ariante to my room.”
Maiana looked at Cediloy with a meaningful expression for a moment. However, she soon bent her knees slightly, lowered her head, and said, “Yes, Your Grace. I will do so.”
Although Ariante enjoyed the lamb stew served for dinner, Maiana couldn’t feel comfortable.
Bainti, who had been gently wiping Ariante’s mouth with a soft handkerchief every time the sauce flowed, looked at Maiana strangely as if she was acting strangely.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Maiana, who suddenly snapped back to reality, looked at Bainti.
“What’s wrong with me?”
“What’s the matter? You’re just standing there as if your soul has left. Are you trying to be a statue?”
Maiana, who raised her eyebrows, skillfully cut the vegetables on the table to make it easier for Ariante to eat.
The new chef consistently responded to Maiana’s requests. Everything Ariante disliked was either mashed and disguised in soup or subtly hidden between slices of bread.
Thanks to this, Ariante was having a more balanced meal than ever. When a tiny piece of carrot, almost invisible, entered Ariante’s mouth, Maiana felt a moment of pride. But it didn’t last long.
Although she had promised Cediloy to take Ariante with him after dinner, her mind was far from at ease.
Ariante was still anxious about whether Cediloy truly loved her or not. But if suddenly a stepbrother were to appear…
‘Would she really accept that? She’s not the kind of lady who would innocently say ‘I like my stepbrother!”
Maiana thought.
Bainti still watched her closely with suspicious eyes. When Ariante reached out towards the glass, Bainti quickly handed her the glass, saying:
“By the way, what happened to the new maid? Didn’t His Grace promise to appoint a new one? I know I’m almost doing all the cleaning on the east side alone.”
“Yeah, I know. Bridget will come starting tomorrow. And another new maid will come as well. So, with you and me, there will be four people, and there won’t be a shortage of labor.”
Bainti raised one eyebrow crookedly. She twisted her lips and gave an annoyed expression, making her look unusually ill-tempered.
“Do you know how stubborn she is?”
“As far as I can see, she’s fine. Why do you think Bridget is stubborn?”
Ariante, who had been listening quietly to their conversation, intervened.
“What does stubborn mean?”
Bainti replied quickly.
“It means being foolish.”
This time, Ariante turned to Maiana.
“I don’t like foolish maids.”
While giving Bainti a stern look, Maiana said, “Bridget is not foolish, milady. She’s much smarter than Bainti.”
“Hey, you…!”
“See, she’s getting upset like that. Normally, fools get angry easily.”
Ariante, holding a spoon and pointing at Bainti, said, “Silly Bainti.”
“Ugh, really! Milady, you always take Maiana’s side! From now on, I won’t help milady take out the caramel twice!”
As Bainti acted up, Ariante shouted back.
“It was supposed to be a secret!”
“Ugh, well! Milady, you always side with Maiana! I won’t help you take out the caramel secretly ever again!”
Bainti sulked, and Ariante scolded her, “It was supposed to be a secret!”
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.”
