The furrow between the brows of Duke Garnet was merciless. He was incredulous. What nonsense have I just heard, especially from the insignificant crown prince?
An idiot with no sense of importance dares to jest with me now?
The corners of the Duke’s mouth twisted malevolently.
“So I shall ask Your Highness again. For what reason have you ordered the imprisonment of Lady Nett?”
Though he asked formally, a pervasive aura of contempt was evident in his expression and demeanor.
Kalif met his gaze without flinching, his expression one of mockery. Though the Duke was the head of one of the empire’s most prestigious families, in his eyes, he was merely a puppy of a day.
To think that a mere puppy would be so audacious, not realizing its place.
“It’s because the Lady’s attitude towards the royal family is extremely disrespectful.”
“Her attitude was disrespectful?”
“Not just disrespectful, extremely disrespectful.”
Kalif responded lightly. His tone lacked any semblance of the matter’s gravity. It almost sounded like he was joking.
“So what specifically about the Lady has disturbed Your Highness’s disposition?”
Duke Garnet clenched his fist tightly on the armrest as he asked. His heavy, sinking voice was clearly expressive of his anger towards the crown prince.
At that moment, Eustia, who had been anxiously watching, hurriedly grabbed her father’s hand.
“Father, let me first speak with Liurian. Please, you should—”
“Empress!”
Before Eustia could finish, the Duke vehemently interrupted.
A heavy silence instantly descended. The Duke shifted his gaze from the crown prince to Eustia and forcefully shook off her hand.
Then, he rubbed the hand that Eustia had touched multiple times, as if wiping away something dirty.
Eustia, unable to look away from her father’s hand, shuddered in humiliation. Still, the Duke’s gaze towards her was unbearably harsh.
“Am I not in the midst of a discussion with His Highness, the crown prince? Your Majesty, do not interrupt.”
His tone was far too arrogant for an address to the Empress. Still, Eustia couldn’t utter a word. Her lips quivered in fury, yet her eyes were filled with fear looking at the Duke.
Kalif silently observed the two. Normally, he would have pondered how Liurian would have reacted, but not now.
[Why keep trying when no one will remember you? You remember everything, yet they don’t appreciate your efforts. Why do you keep trying?] […] [Kalif, just this once, do as you wish. So you won’t have any regrets even if you have to start all over.]The words from Felix before coming here circled in his ears. Just once, do as you wish.
Yes, if he had come this far, might as well try it once.
Kalif smiled bitterly. Yet, when he turned his face back to the Duke, no trace of that emotion was present.
Instead, his face was so impassive it could further aggravate the Duke’s already shattered disposition.
“Speak, Your Highness. What specifically about the Lady has disturbed you?”
“Everything about the Lady I saw today did.”
“So specifically what—”
“Your persistence grows tiresome, Duke.”
Kalif narrowed his eyes sharply. His already intense glare seemed ready to devour the Duke at any moment.
“Must I explain every little thing to you?”
“…”
“It feels as though I need your permission even to be displeased.”
The sneering lips curled upward for a moment. It was a clear mockery directed at the Duke.
Caught off guard by the Crown Prince’s unexpected demeanor, the Duke was unable to retort. He was taken aback by the newfound assertiveness of the Crown Prince.
Unperturbed, Kalif continued to gaze at the Duke. He first met the Duke’s eyes, then looked at the Duke’s still-trembling hand, and next, the restless face of the Empress.
Only after observing all this did he lock eyes with the Duke again, a smirk filling his face.
“Your demeanor seems to have taken after the current Duke.”
“…”
“Regardless of how prestigious the Garnet Duchy is, with its long history alongside the royal family, a duchy remains but a duchy.”
At the end of his sentence, Kalif, who had been resting his hand on the armrest, lifted it to stroke his chin. Nothing he said spared the Duke’s pride.
With a reddened face from rage, the Duke glared at Kalif as if to devour him.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Did you find my words complicated? I thought I was speaking very clearly. Perhaps I’ve overestimated you.”
“Are you toying with me?”
“Why would I? Do you really think you’re worthy to be the subject of my wit?”
“Your Highness!”
Unable to contain his anger, the Garnet Duke erupted. Yet, Kalif showed no signs of flinching.
Instead, he looked at the Duke with an even more menacing aura.
“You asked what I wanted to say? I’ll give you your answer.”
“…”
“Act as a Duke should. I am the Crown Prince of the Empire, not a servant you can command.”
“…”
“At least have the decency to be respectful. Only then will I consider having a conversation with you.”
Kalif leaned back deep into his chair, squinting his eyes at the Duke. A vivid smirk reappeared on his lips.
Rendered speechless, the Duke looked pained. Only then did Kalif nod, as if satisfied.
“Now it seems you understand. Shall we start our conversation?”
Kalif detached himself from the chair and interlocked his fingers on the table.
The Duke added, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“Then answer me. Why did you imprison Her Highness because of her demeanor…”
“No. I’ll be the one asking the questions.”
Cutting him off, Kalif tilted his head dismissively. The Duke’s brows furrowed even more, but Kalif didn’t care.
He tilted his head further, flashing an enigmatic smile.
“What do you think I should do, Duke?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Regarding the disposition of Princess Rellia.”
For a moment, the Duke clicked his tongue and swallowed hard. The tension brought by the word ‘disposition’ was evident.
Taking a deep breath, he tried to remain calm.
“Before you ask me, shouldn’t you tell me what mistake Her Highness made against you?”
“Ah, indeed. You’re right this time.”
Kalif nodded compliantly, a stark contrast to his prior demeanor.
With his eyes fixed on the Duke, who tightened his grip on tension, Kalif wore a grim smile.
“Her Highness inflicted a wound on the Crown Princess in the middle of the royal garden.”
“Crown Princess, you say?”
“And she said something to me. That she could give me what the Crown Princess couldn’t.”
“…”
The Duke’s brows furrowed, almost involuntarily. It was a far cry from his previous subdued reaction to hearing that Evelia had been harmed.
Kalif seemed on the verge of a mocking laugh, but he forcefully suppressed it and continued.
“So I asked. You can’t give her the title of Crown Princess, but what can you offer her? Do you know what she told me in response?”
As Kalif spoke, his words infused with the zest of a fascinating tale, the Duke’s tension only escalated.
It was when the Duke, unable to bear the prolonged silence, swallowed dryly.
As if waiting for this moment, Kalif spoke.
“She said she would offer the throne.”
Upon hearing this, the Duke’s mouth fell open in disbelief. He had not expected a mere Duke’s daughter to speak so audaciously about offering the imperial throne.
Kalif watched the Duke with amusement. Of course, Relia had never said she would offer me the throne. She had simply promised to do her best to help me secure it safely.
But to Kalif, her words sounded like she was offering the throne. No, he chose to interpret them that way.
Words were subjective, after all. Their meaning lay in the ears of the listener. All the more reason why he should have been careful when mentioning the throne.
The Duke should have known that.
“So what will you do, Your Grace? Should I forgive the audacious lady who dared to mention the throne, or should I…”
Kalif stared at the Duke, as if he had been waiting for this moment all along. Then he unhesitatingly spat out the words he had momentarily swallowed.
“…should I administer a fittingly harsh punishment?”
This was his first step, not as Liurian Petrov, but as Kalif Dewit.
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.”
