My head was throbbing, and I felt like I was going to throw up. My eyelids felt heavy as if they weighed a ton. I squeezed my eyes shut and searched my memory.
‘What on earth happened?’
I was definitely dining with Danmokbi. I initially intended to refuse, but I couldn’t turn him away after seeing his pitiful look.
‘I tried to persuade him.’
I was about to ask Danmokbi why he stuck with Danmoksu and to tell him that I would talk to Danmokbi to let him live his life.
‘Suddenly, I felt sleepy.’
I didn’t think he’d use such a despicable method, I remembered thinking that until the last moment before losing consciousness.
And now.
‘Ah, I just want to sleep.’
My head was still throbbing, and my body felt heavy. I was sure that opening my eyes would only bring a worse headache.
But I couldn’t just lie there with my eyes shut.
‘The smell of blood?’
The strong smell of blood, and the acrid smell of herbs, was in the air.
‘Why does it smell like this?’
I flexed my fingers, and they moved without any problem. There was no paralysis, and nothing seemed wrong with my body. So someone else must be in pain nearby.
‘Did Danmokbi get hurt?’
Considering I fell asleep after one spoonful of food, the ones who added the sleeping scent must be Danmoksu and Danmokbi. I easily visualized Danmokbi getting angry and attacking the two.
‘But that can’t be!’
To confirm that Danmokbi was not injured, I forced my eyes open.
The room was dim, lit by a faint red lamp.
Whether incense was burned or the scent of medicine was lingering, a thin smoke filled the room. A little distance from my bed, a man was sitting with his upper body naked, wrapping bandages around himself.
“Ah, it’s been a while. Do you remember me?”
With a face slightly tanned more than others and thick eyebrows giving him a playful appearance, a handsome man looked at me and grinned.
Why is this person appearing here? I muttered his name in a daze.
“……Hyul Jung Hyuk?”
At my words, his eyes widened, and then he grinned, showing his canines.
“Oh, I didn’t think you’d know my name. Did I introduce myself back then?”
I realized my mistake. I remembered him clearly only because of the original work. There was no event in Jegal Yeon’s life that made him memorable years later.
‘I must be more careful with my words.’
With that resolution, I carefully looked around. Other than being red, the room was ordinary and simple.
My gaze eventually returned to Hyul Jung Hyuk. He was pressing down on a wound that was bleeding profusely. There were many wounds, and as he pressed one, blood flowed from another.
Seeing this, my tongue unconsciously clicked.
“What on earth have you been doing to end up in such a mess?”
At my words, Hyul Jung Hyuk tilted his head.
“Worried about me? I’d like to say it’s rather presumptuous.”
You even complain about concern. I pouted, and then Hyul Jung Hyuk added with a grin.
“But it doesn’t feel bad. Call my name once again.”
“……. ”
Facing that smile, I felt flustered. Surprisingly, he didn’t seem like a bad person at all. His uncreased smile was just like a handsome, lively big brother from the neighborhood.
‘And to think that face later earns terrifying nicknames like Blood Horse, Blood Spirit.’
You should never judge a person by their appearance. I clenched my fist. I couldn’t help but not laugh, thinking of Danmokbi and Jegal Min, who must have been startled when I suddenly disappeared.
“Did you catch me?”
Hyul Jung Hyuk’s answer was calm.
“Catch you? You were a gift.”
“Were you in cahoots with Danmoksu from the start?”
“No way. It was a complete coincidence. I went to the Danmok family and found you asleep.”
“A gift, you say?”
“You had a young lady in front of you? That must be a gift.”
“Insane.”
I thought everything had been calculated from the sleeping scent, but it seemed to have been entirely coincidental. From my standpoint, having spent time in Jegalsega, it was an unfortunate event.
I was so dumbfounded that I had been grumbling, and Hyuljunghyeok even discarded his bandage and leaned towards me, laughing openly.
“You curse well? Want to try it again? It just felt thrilling.”
Why would he enjoy being cursed at?
Instead of cursing at him, I asked what I had been curious about.
“Why did you bring me here?”
At my question, Hyuljunghyeok shrugged and answered.
“I don’t really know the use of a young lady like you either. Perhaps I’ll find out if I observe you slowly. You’re a spellcaster, aren’t you?”
“That…!!”
I was startled and speechless at the casual remark thrown by Hyuljunghyeok.
‘How on earth did he know?’
I had a rare spell ability in this world because of my ‘author’ characteristic. But since I couldn’t handle it myself, it was as if I didn’t have the ability until I learned it in Jegalsega.
“Aha. You were aware of it yourself. That’s fortunate. I’m spared the effort to teach you what it is.”
Hyuljunghyeok showed a cunning smile as if he had obtained an answer from my small surprise.
‘I can’t keep going like this. I’ll continue to provide information that’s advantageous to Hyuljunghyeok.’
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.”
