But it was not like that. No one, including himself, had lost their lives due to physical punishment, yet one person’s soul seemed to have completely died.
Terot guarded Ustia with a heart full of despair. Tears seemed ready to fall due to belated guilt, but he couldn’t allow himself to cry.
Terot swallowed back the welling tears, again and again. He couldn’t release the tightly clenched fist until the swallowed tears became a burden on his chest, making it hard to breathe.
It happened when his unkempt fingernails dug into the wrinkled skin. Ustia, who had been motionless until then, turned her head towards Terot.
“Terot.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“All of this is my doing.”
“Your, Your Majesty. What…!”
Terot quickly approached Ustia with a pale face. The knees that knelt directly in front of her contained a more desperate heart than ever before. However, Ustia was resolute.
“Prepare poison to harm the Crown Princess, and even making her drink the poisoned tea. I ordered all of it to be done by me.”
“I cannot do that. How could you say that everything was done by Your Majesty? I did it. So, if punishment is to be received, I will willingly accept it with my insignificant life. So, Your Majesty, please do not say such things…”
“You have decided to do that, knowing you would. Do not die.”
Ustia gently wiped away the tears on Terot’s cheek, who knelt in front of her. Terot couldn’t hide his astonished feelings. It was the first time he received Ustia’s touch.
He had always thought of her as a dignified empress, doing her best to remain noble, even making ruthless choices to protect what she had. So, he had thought she would be as cold as ice.
But it was not so. Ustia’s touch on his cheek was surprisingly warm. It crumbled the tightly held emotions in Terot’s heart.
“All the emotions I’ve felt until this day, and the person I’ve loved and relied on with all my heart, are only you and Riur. If I had the chance to protect you two, I would willingly give up everything I have. Even if I had to give up everything I had to keep that chance…”
“…”
“If that were the case, I would have definitely done that. I am a person who cannot endure alone. Without you two, there probably wouldn’t be me now.”
“…”
“But I lost my child without a chance to protect them.”
As Ustia calmly continued her words, she tightly closed both of her eyes. Her face showed the agony. Gazing at her like that, Terot couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.
“All night, I thought about it. I couldn’t believe it, so I denied it over and over…”
“…”
“But no matter how much I think about it, it doesn’t seem like Riurian is alive, Terot.”
“Ugh, Your Majesty…”
“I shouldn’t have sent my child to the battlefield. I should not have sent my child by any means. That was the only chance given to me.”
Ustia lowered her head and smiled sadly. Her appearance was entirely engulfed in despair.
How could she not be sad? The heart of parents who lost a child could not be filled by anything.
Nevertheless, Terot still hoped that Ustia would overcome this. He didn’t want things to go wrong like this.
Ustia had cherished him, and in return, he also cherished her. He wished for her well-being.
However, it seemed like nothing could console her. That fact plunged Terot into profound helplessness.
Unable to even lift his head, Terot shed tears for a long time. Ustia firmly held his hands and patiently waited until her emotions subsided.
Time passed. Terot’s sobbing gradually lessened. Ustia, who had maintained silence until then, stood up and knelt down beside Terot.
Terrified, Terot quickly tried to grab Ustia, but it was futile.
Ustia, who had adjusted her height to Terot’s eye level, grabbed his hands tightly and smiled gently again.
“Terot, I have decided through the night without sleep that I will protect you at least.”
“Your Majesty, please… Please stop your words. Please, I beg you…”
“I told you. You are one of the only two people I’ve cherished.”
Ustia spoke, lowering her head. Then she gently swept Terot’s hand. It was a tender touch unlike before. Therefore, Terot couldn’t help but anticipate.
“To let you at least be protected.”
“…”
“Please, Terot.”
The fact that he could not refuse Ustia’s command anymore.
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.”
