Deep into the night, after the chief of staff had left, Klaus was alone in his bedroom.
“…….”
In the pitch-dark room, silent as a dead mouse.
He repeatedly opened and closed his hand slowly. The sensation from earlier was still vividly present.
“She was too slender.”
Musel was as tall as him. Strong enough to hit the target with every shot of the bow. Definitely not someone with a frail physique.
But then, why?
Klaus was startled by the unfamiliar sensation he felt when he lightly tapped Musel’s shoulder. He was even more surprised by her jumpy reaction.
Cautiously, he brought his hand to his own shoulder, tapping it lightly as he had done to Musel.
“Hmm…….”
Klaus shook his head. His own muscles felt firm and solid, a stark contrast to Musel’s.
Musel might be more delicate than she appears.
Her particular sensitivity to physical contact might be related to that. Perhaps, that’s why she was chosen for a role involving pens over bows.
“Hmm, yes. That must be it.”
He came to his own conclusions, finally feeling somewhat relieved and ready for bed.
As dawn broke and Klaus was on his way to his office, two figures caught his eye – Musel and Lutz.
The guards of the palace usually had a stern image, but Lutz was a cheerful man who broke such stereotypes.
What was interesting was Musel’s reaction in his presence.
Usually equipped with a sociable smile and concealing her inner thoughts, Musel looked troubled by Lutz’s direct and enthusiastic approach.
Lutz seemed oblivious to her apparent dislike.
“Hmph.”
Klaus narrowed his eyes and strode forward.
Noticing his approach, Musel and Lutz quickly showed respect. Klaus, somewhat irked for reasons unknown, simply nodded and proceeded.
In his office, he received a report from Musel about the tasks handled the previous day.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs has sent the inspection budget report. Please review it.”
“Hmm, completed sooner than expected.”
Klaus usually dealt with such administrative tasks not requiring political judgment, a gesture of the Emperor’s goodwill to help him learn the ropes of governance quickly.
While scanning the documents, he asked:
“Any errors? Even a simple calculation mistake is unacceptable.”
“According to my review, there were none. No excessively allocated amounts either.”
Klaus contemplated checking it again but decided against it, trusting Musel’s report more.
“Alright. Approve it as it is.”
Musel then cautiously asked:
“Do you not wish to review it yourself, Your Highness?”
“Is there a need? You’ve done a thorough job, haven’t you?”
Klaus answered without hesitation.
Musel’s face slightly reddened.
“Thank you.”
“I hope you continue to be trustworthy. That’s all I ask.”
Deliberately aloof, Klaus avoided Musel’s gaze as he spoke.
“Yes, Your Highness. I will return shortly.”
Musel left with the approved documents for the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
After she left, Klaus exhaled deeply.
“Whew…….”
He felt unexpectedly tense, unable to understand why. Could he, like others, be captivated by her striking beauty?
Musel would soon return from the Ministry, not a long trip. He needed to regain composure by then.
Klaus called a servant standing nearby.
“I need to clear my head. Open the window.”
The window in the office, positioned away from the desk due to the potential threat of assassination, was usually operated by a servant or guard for the same reason.
The loyal servant immediately moved into action. Following protocol, he first cautiously scanned the outside before carefully opening the window.
After standing there for a while and finally deciding there was no threat, he left the spot.
Klaus slowly rose from his seat, eager to breathe in the chilly air. His well-trained body was not one to be affected by a bit of cold wind.
As he looked outside.
“……?”
Instead of the usually desolate winter garden, there stood a woman. Recognizing the familiar figure, Klaus called the servant back in a sharp tone.
“Who allowed someone to freely enter my garden?”
The servant bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching the ground.
“Ah, that’s because yesterday Lady Elfriede was appointed as an aide to Her Majesty the Queen.”
“So, being the Queen’s aide means she can wander in my garden as she pleases?”
“Th-that’s, she might not be aware of the palace rules yet. I’ll immediately go and warn her.”
The servant hurried off.
Klaus looked out the window again with an annoyed expression.
The red-haired woman in a green dress, unfit for winter, was nowhere to be seen.
“Tsk.”
Such impudence.
He had always known Elfriede was a problematic character, but lately, she seemed to be particularly irksome.
Meddling with Musel, and now parading around as the Queen’s aide.
“The incident with the wine on my clothes seems almost cute now.”
Klaus clicked his tongue.
Unexpectedly, Elfriede reappeared soon after, accompanied by the servant who had gone to warn her.
Looking incredulously at her, Elfriede greeted him demurely.
“I came to inquire about Your Highness’s wellbeing on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.”
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.”
