After ending the meeting in the greenhouse and returning to her room, Riena flopped onto the bed and kicked her legs vigorously.
Several feathers came loose from the blanket that was beaten for no reason. Still, Riena did not stop moving her feet.
[Now you have to take responsibility for me too.]It felt like a tiny Rublion was sitting on her shoulder, constantly whispering. The words “take responsibility” kept repeating in her mind.
‘Why is the room so hot?’
Even with the terrace door wide open, her face felt flushed. Her heartbeat was so loud she thought she might not be able to sleep.
‘I want to become someone Rublion would like…’
The girl stopped fidgeting and sat calmly in the chair. As she fingered Rublion’s outer garment that she had brought to her room, the corners of her mouth turned up involuntarily.
‘I want to be a smart woman who writes ledgers well and doesn’t make mistakes in calculations. I want to be an elegant person like the Duchess of Artenbach.’
Riena looked out the wide-open window. The stars about to pour down seemed to twinkle even more brightly.
The girl suddenly stood up. She then carefully folded Rublion’s outer garment and placed it at the head of the bed.
“Now, I should sleep early for tomorrow!”
Riena forcefully pulled back the blanket and quickly lay down on the bed. Then she squeezed her eyes shut. Although she clearly felt she wouldn’t be able to sleep, she still tried to force herself to do so.
[This is the timeline separator]After finishing morning training with Rublion today as well.
Skipping the short tea time before morning classes began, she headed straight to the Duchess’s office. Riena was planning to return to Teravita by train this afternoon.
Knock knock.
“Yes, come in.”
The Duchess’s voice was heard from inside the office. Riena bravely opened the door and entered.
“Oh? Welcome, Princess.”
Chloe, with an apple in her mouth, was sitting on Schmidt’s lap. The baby’s expression was cutely contorted.
“I’m sorry for visiting without an appointment. It’s just that I have something to tell you. Do you have a moment?”
At Riena’s serious question, Schmidt put the baby down on the floor. Chloe whined for a moment, reaching out her arms to be picked up again, but Schmidt told the nanny standing nearby to take the child away for a while.
“Sit here, Princess.”
Riena sat demurely on the red velvet sofa she pointed to.
“What do you have to say that makes you so tense?”
Schmidt asked playfully with a smile. The girl smiled brightly in response, but soon returned to a serious expression.
“I’m thinking of returning to Teravita tomorrow.”
“Already? Won’t you stay a little longer?”
“Yes, I’ve realized I shouldn’t stay like this.”
Schmidt tilted her head, looking at Riena who had changed somehow in just one day.
From wondering if writing the ledger wrong was such a shock to the timid worry that she might have pushed her too hard, even though she didn’t think she had made her suffer.
“I’ll respect your choice in whatever you do, but if you were uncomfortable staying at the Duke’s mansion…”
“It’s not that, Duchess.”
Riena shook her head.
“I realized that I lack in my studies and that I need to become a better person. So I’m going back to Teravita to be completely reborn. When I become the Duchess of Artenbach later, I want to be a smart woman who doesn’t waste the money Rublion earns with difficulty.”
Schmidt gently took the hand of the girl whose eyes were sparkling. She kept wanting to smile.
“You are already a good enough person, Princess. But I’m really grateful that you say so yourself.”
She meant it sincerely. It felt good that her future daughter-in-law was so admirable.
“Princess, in the process of becoming an adult, ideals and reality often clash. I’ve been through that period too, and I know how confusing it can be. So when it becomes hard to endure, come to Artenbach anytime. The doors here are always wide open for you.”
“Thank you, Duchess.”
Tears welled up in Riena’s eyes. Schmidt gently wiped the girl’s tears with a kind hand.
“And don’t call me so formally between us, call me comfortably.”
“Com…fortably?”
“Yes. Instead of Duchess, try calling me Mother. Mother is fine, or Mom is good too.”
Riena’s heart dropped to the floor. Her mother’s face, which she only remembered from portraits as she had passed away when Riena was too young, suddenly overlapped with Schmidt’s.
“Mo… Mother.”
“That’s right, Riena.”
The girl’s nostrils quivered. She was trying hard to hide the overwhelming emotion.
Schmidt let go of the hand she was holding. Then she spoke to the maid who had entered just in time.
“Cancel all of Rublion’s schedules for today. So he can have a date with his future bride.”
The maid nodded, saying she understood with wide eyes. Riena’s face turned as red as a tomato as soon as she heard the word ‘bride’.
[This is the timeline separator]Hearing the news of the cancelled classes, Rublion asked the maid what was going on. She insisted that Schmidt had called the Princess of Teravita his bride and said they should go on a date.
Rublion’s face heated up for no reason. Yesterday, Riena was so pretty and lovely that he impulsively kissed her, but when he thought about it after returning, he realized he hadn’t asked if it was okay.
He felt lucky he hadn’t been slapped right then and there.
So he wanted to apologize when he saw her face today, but Riena had come out just in time for training and there was no time to talk privately.
And as soon as the exercise was over, she went off somewhere.
‘Date… How do you go on a date?’
Rublion, now grown up and knowing many things, was aware of how many pitfalls there were in the adult dating methods he had created himself in the past.
‘That method is absolutely not okay.’
It was something that could never be done even if the world turned upside down or a knife was held to his throat. Rublion sat down, tugging at his hair, pondering.
How could he make Riena happy on a date?
But despite his worries, the boy was being dragged around the bustling streets and squares, his hand held by the girl.
He had thought of a romantic and sweet date, but contrary to Rublion’s fantasy, it was going in the opposite direction. They were repeating the act of Riena buying things from street stalls in the square and shops in the bustling area, while the boy carried them for her.
“Rublion, how about this?”
Riena asked, looking at a display window with men’s silk hats.
Rublion, with paper bags piled high in both hands, answered that they could go in and look, anticipating that another bag would be added.
“I feel sorry for running away from home, so I was thinking of buying gifts for elder brother and Rambavo.”
“I’ll help you. Men know men’s items better.”
“Thank you, Rublion.”
The girl and boy opened the shop door energetically and entered. Their faces were full of happy smiles.
After eating snacks at a popular restaurant near the square and doing a lot of shopping, the sky was already tinged with sunset. Rublion carefully asked Riena, who was walking slowly towards the carriage.
“Riena, I have something to apologize to you for.”
“Huh? You didn’t do anything wrong to me though?”
Rublion gathered his courage and said.
“Yesterday in the greenhouse…”
As soon as she heard the word greenhouse, Riena’s face turned bright red.
“I’m sorry for kissing you without asking for permission. You were just so cute I couldn’t resist.”
“Wh-wh-what are you saying!”
A flustered Riena shouted.
“You don’t need to apologize! I liked it too!”
This time, Rublion’s face turned bright red. If a stranger had seen them, they would have thought the two were getting along well.
“So, Riena.”
The boy’s golden eyes looked intently at the girl’s hand, which was too embarrassed to know what to do, and said.
“Shall we hold hands while walking?”
“G-go ahead then!”
Riena felt as if smoke was billowing from the top of her head as she held out her hand.
[This is the timeline separator]After the short 2-night, 3-day runaway ended.
Rublion, who had come to the train station to see Riena off on her return, couldn’t hide his disappointment. Of course, Riena felt the same way, but she couldn’t keep staying in Artenbach just because she wanted to be together.
“I’ll come visit again.”
“Yes, next time I’ll go to Teravita.”
“Really? I’ll be waiting.”
“You have to send a letter right away when you arrive, okay?”
“Yes, and you have to reply right away too, okay?”
“I’ll do that.”
The boy and girl continued their sweet conversation, grasping their joined hands even tighter. Henry, who had returned after getting a ticket to Teravita, couldn’t help but smile fondly at the children whose eyes were dripping with honey.
Unlike when she came, Riena, sitting next to the family knight, was making many resolutions inside.
She was thinking of telling her eldest brother to increase her lesson hours as soon as she returned to Teravita. Especially mathematics and aesthetics, she would definitely learn.
‘I’ll become someone worthy of Rublion!’
She clenched her fist at the resolution. The scenery outside the window was gradually changing to the hot and dry trees of Teravita.
The train arrived in Teravita after half a day’s journey. Riena asked the knight Henry if they should get a carriage to the mansion.
“A carriage is already prepared, young lady.”
At his answer, Riena looked around asking where it was. And she saw Rambavon running towards them from the far end of the platform, waving his arms widely.
Behind him were Ranson, looking a bit haggard, and elder sister Rieta, whose even walking was graceful.
“Elder sister? Eldest brother?”
She didn’t expect them to come to greet her. Tears welled up in Riena’s eyes without her realizing.
“Did you have a good trip?”
Rieta greeted her kindly. Riena threw her luggage bag on the ground and rushed into her arms.
“…I was worried, Riena.”
At Ranson’s words, Riena nodded while still in her sister’s embrace.
“If you’re going to run away, you should do it for a month!”
Despite his grumbling tone, Rambavon picked up the bag Riena had thrown. Riena smiled brightly, feeling like she had returned home after a long journey, and replied.
“I’m back.”
– Side Story End –
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.”
