“I suppose I left my fan behind. Could you fetch it for me, please?”
“Ah, yes.”
As Alicia rose, Jenna sitting next to her was taken aback.
It was outrageous to have Alicia, who wasn’t even a servant, run such an errand that should be assigned to the maids.
But Alicia stood up from her seat as if it was no big deal and went into the Empress’s palace.
Being inside, away from the heat, was far better than sitting uncomfortably outside.
Earlier, when she went into the reception room and asked a maid for a fan, Alicia aimlessly gazed out the window.
“What’s that?”
Something was shimmering outside.
“Here it is, miss.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Taking the fan offered politely by the maid, Alicia left the reception room to go outside.
“Won’t it be okay for a moment?”
Curious about what that shimmer was earlier, Alicia sneakily looked towards the garden, then changed her direction.
“Wow, amazing.”
The place where Alicia arrived was where the tombstone of the first Emperor of the Empire was.
It was a tombstone built according to the will of the first Emperor who founded the Britannia Empire after defeating the fallen magician 500 years ago.
Not only was it huge, but the massive golden eagle statue depicted soaring into the sky, the emblem of the Imperial family and the symbol of the Empire, was also overwhelming.
A sense of déjà vu overwhelmed Alicia as she blankly looked up at the golden eagle on the tombstone.
“What’s that?”
Without realizing it, Alicia wrapped her arms around herself, took a step back, and looked around.
“Alicia Lancaster?”
A familiar voice called her, and Alicia turned around.
“Your Highness.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I was attending a gathering hosted by Her Majesty the Empress when I noticed this tombstone. I was planning to just look and then return.”
“Ah. It’s incredibly flashy, isn’t it? It shines even at night.”
Prince William grinned affably.
“Speaking of which, I heard that the Empress gathered the young ladies from each house in the rose garden for tea.”
“Yes, I just came from there. There were a lot of roses.”
“Her Majesty the Empress loves roses. Because they’re flashy.”
“Ah.”
“She’s quite consistent in her taste.”
At William’s words, Alicia nodded as if to say she understood.
“Let’s go. I’ll escort you.”
“No, I can go alone.”
“How about we talk about Eric’s recent activities on the way? And there’s a reason I should accompany you.”
“…If you insist.”
Eager to hear about Eric, Alicia placed her hand on William’s outstretched arm.
William naturally escorted Alicia and moved forward.
After taking a few steps, William casually glanced back and made eye contact with Prince Harry who was standing on the second floor.
William smirked at Harry, who frowned because of him.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“Apologies for interrupting your enjoyable time.”
William spoke cheerfully, and the young ladies stood up from their seats to greet him.
“We greet Your Highness.”
While William was receiving the greetings from the young ladies, Alicia respectfully presented the fan to the Empress.
“I’ve brought your fan, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm. Thank you, Miss Lancaster.”
The Empress, embarrassed to receive the fan in front of William, accepted it with a cough.
“It seems Miss Lancaster personally fetched your majesty’s fan?”
“That’s how it turned out, Your Highness. There was no one else suitable to ask.”
“Ah, I see. It seems all the maids of the Empress’s palace are lazy. None dared to follow Your Majesty.”
“Since I wished to have an informal conversation with the guests, everyone stayed behind. That’s all. Miss Lancaster, as you heard, is kindhearted and accepted my request. There’s no need to worry about it, Your Highness.”
“I see. As the Count of Russel said, Miss Lancaster is indeed kind and considerate.”
“That’s right, Your Highness. The two of you seem to still be on very good terms, Miss Lancaster.”
“Count Russel must be worried about various things as he is now on an expedition. Isn’t that so, Miss Lancaster?”
Alicia, who had been listening to the conversation right next to her, closed her mouth in surprise as the prince and the empress stared at her simultaneously.
Moreover, the empress and the prince, though laughing conscious of the gaze of others, had expressions that were not at all so, making her uncomfortable as if she had seen something she should not have seen.
Then, as the wind blew, something got into Alicia’s eyes.
‘It hurts.’
Blinking her eyes a few times due to the uncomfortable sensation in her eyes, Alicia shed a tear.
“Oh.”
“Here, wipe with this.”
“Ah, thank you…”
Receiving the handkerchief that William had extended, Alicia wiped her tears.
“I must have been shortsighted. If I had known you were this worried, I would have given you updates more frequently.”
“?”
As Alicia, who had a handkerchief against her eyes, raised her head, she saw William looking at her with a pitiful expression.
Only then, looking around, everyone was looking at her with worried expressions.
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.”
