Upon hearing the news of Esmeralda’s disappearance, everyone set out for a search. The Duke’s mansion was particularly dangerous for ordinary people in the middle of the night.
“Where did you last see her?”
With a face full of worry, the Duchess asked me.
“She said she was going to the lizard shop, but she disappeared into the festival crowd. The last time I saw her, she was passing between the chicken skewer shop and the lemonade stand.”
The Duchess sighed and addressed all the gathered servants.
“Considering our Reyna remembers it as a food shop, it should be accurate.”
Why judge the accuracy of information like that…
I glanced at the servants with a slightly wicked face, but everyone nodded solemnly without a hint of doubt.
Is it okay to proceed with the search like this?
“The last place seen was at the festival’s shops, but since we don’t know where she might have gone, everyone should spread out and look.”
Upon the Duke’s order, the servants began to move vigorously.
“I’ll join in too.”
Even Heath stepped forward.
The Duchess pursed her lips.
“It might be dangerous outside…”
“I’ll be fine if you give me a sword. I won’t be a burden.”
“Alright. Then go with our steward.”
When the Duchess gave permission, I also tentatively raised my hand.
“Can I go too? I know the surrounding geography well [dash].”
“Absolutely not!”
“Yes.”
As soon as the Duchess decisively spoke, I immediately responded. I hadn’t expected much in the first place, so it wasn’t surprising.
I would only cause trouble if I went. I stretched and walked drowsily towards the stairs leading to the second floor.
“I’ll go to sleep first.”
“Alright, our daughter, don’t worry about your friend, and have a good dream.”
However, unlike the Duchess’s advice, sleep did not come easily. The search party, expected to return soon, did not come back no matter how long I waited, and the night grew deeper.
“Well, forget it. It’s not like I asked Lady Reyna for a favor.”
Esmeralda’s cold words echoed in my mind. The trembling pupils and the final expression, crumpled as if deeply wounded, lingered vividly.
“Hah, the more I think about it, the more absurd it seems. Saying it herself, what does she expect when she gets more hurt?”
Lying down, I tapped my foot against the bed while glaring at the ceiling.
“So, she said that and ran away? People can’t even sleep. Truly shameless.”
It didn’t seem like the type to enjoy adventures, so where could she have gone?
Then I suddenly remembered – flying magic.
“Someday, I must succeed in flying and teach it to Master Kyrion! The yard where lizards gathered looked great for training, and the grass seemed soft, so even if I fell, it wouldn’t hurt much.”
I nodded to myself.
“Huh, she didn’t go into the forest in the middle of the night, did she?”
Even though I doubted it, I found myself unconsciously getting up from the bed.
Esmeralda’s gaze, watching me and Kyrion come out of the forest, was vivid in my memory.
Moreover, if she had been around the Duke’s mansion or the courtyard, we would have found her much earlier. The only answer to the delay in the search was one.
As I walked out into the corridor, the Duke’s mansion was eerily quiet. With a sense of caution, I thoroughly searched all the floors, the corridors, the servants’ bedrooms, and the kitchen. No one was to be found.
Maidens, manservants, gardeners, chefs – everyone seemed to have joined the search, leaving me alone in this vast mansion.
It seemed like Esmeralda knew where she was.
“This is troublesome.”
Muttering to myself, I rummaged through the room and found a magic book I had never opened since the beginning of the break. The pages were filled with scribbles of spells I had doodled for amusement.
I couldn’t use them, but if I found Esmeralda, it might be useful.
I immediately moved my steps to the main hall. Several decorative swords hung on one wall. Although the scabbards and handles were intricately adorned with jewels and gold, I unhesitatingly grabbed one.
I hope they’ll forgive me for losing a few jewels.
Trying to lift the heavier sword with one hand, my arm immediately felt sore.
“It probably won’t be necessary, but just in case.”
Though my preparations were quite formidable, my plan was simple. Find one of the servants who were searching outside and instruct them to search the forest.
“I don’t have to go out myself. How nice.”
Muttering, I stepped out of the Duke’s mansion. From the front yard to the training ground and the garden, no matter how much I shouted and searched, I couldn’t find a single servant.
It seems that Esmeralda was not found around the Duke’s mansion, so they expanded the search network.
In that case, they might be searching the forest as well.
“What a nuisance.”
I grumbled, but my steps were already heading towards the entrance of the path leading to the forest.
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.”
