Asha hurriedly came to her senses and hastily gathered herbs that could aid in healing and grass that the horse could eat.
Then she went to the nearby waterside and scooped up cold water with a large leaf.
As soon as she returned to the cave, she carefully examined Shépí’s wound.
The bleeding had subsided a little since before, but still, blood was filling the gaping wound and trickling down.
Asha crushed the herbs with a cleanwashed stone, laid them on the wound, and then tore her dress again to tightly wrap around the wound.
She was concentrating on the treatment with her utmost effort, sweat forming on her forehead.
There must have been chaos because she had disappeared during the flowering ceremony, but nothing came to her mind right now except saving Shépí.
Although they could not communicate, he had always understood her heart.
It was clear that he had noticed that she was unhappy when they met a few times in the imperial palace.
Shépí would always recognize her worries, joys, and sorrows just by her expression.
Asha moistened the remaining dress fabric with water and gently wiped Shépí’s body.
Despite the hard effort to escape, Shépí’s smooth body was damp with sweat and blood.
The realization that the wild horse came to the imperial palace to find her, in fact, to save her, brought tears that blurred her vision.
Asha tilted her head back to forcibly hold back the tears and moistened the unconscious Shépí’s mouth to wet his parched lips.
She took care of Shépí tirelessly, over and over.
It would have been really nice if the natural healing power within her had worked on Shépí.
Asha prayed fervently to the god Etshaim in between, with a desperate heart.
‘Please save Shépí…….’
Although she had fled without holding the flowering ceremony, she felt that the god who loves everyone in the Etshaim Empire would hear her prayer.
She had arrived here after leaving the monastery at noon, but as she treated Shépí, the sun had set outside the cave.
At the same time, a shower began to fall from the gloomy sky.
Asha could only sigh in relief then.
It was fortunate that it rained.
The rain would erase Shépí’s footprints so that the pursuers would not easily find this place.
They were safe for the time being.
‘I wonder if Mr. Jackal and the Lycaons are safe…….’
There was an explosion of smoke and commotion in the monastery today, as if planned.
The moment Karaf declared it was the work of a minority, she knew.
That the Lycaons had come here to save her.
She and Shépí had escaped safely, but she was worried about where Jackal and the other members of the organization were hiding.
However, until they found this place, she had no choice but to hide well and wait.
As the forest was completely engulfed in darkness, Shépí’s breathing became more comfortable, indicating that he had regained stability.
Only then did Asha, relieved, kindle a small fire inside the cave, fill her stomach with the fruits she had picked from the forest earlier, and force herself to lie down on the floor to replenish her energy.
Her dress was now torn to tatters and dangling like rags.
It had become so short that it exposed her thighs and didn’t keep her warm, but having been on edge all day, Asha collapsed next to Shépí as soon as she lay down and fell asleep.
(This is a time separator.)
“……Where on earth is the captain?”
Geb muttered with a headache.
He had sent his hawk, but it hadn’t returned, and Jackal and Asha were still missing.
The lieutenant also spoke with a face full of worry.
“If they’ve escaped successfully, they’ll surely contact us soon. Let’s wait a little longer.”
“What’s the situation with the Knights?”
“It seems that no knights have returned to the imperial palace yet. They must be out searching for the captain with fire in their eyes.”
“We have to find him first…….”
Geb was anxiously pacing outside, waiting for his falcon.
Then, from far in the night sky, a falcon came flying with the sound of flapping wings.
“It’s here……!”
Geb’s face brightened.
He extended one arm to perch the falcon, and with the other hand, clad in a leather glove, gently stroked its wet body, asking,
“Did you find the captain and Asha?”
The falcon nodded once and then, with a flap, soared back into the sky.
Geb looked around at everyone and said,
“Let’s leave right away!”
(This is a time separator.)
As dawn came, Asha suddenly woke up, thirsty.
Beyond the flickering light of a small bonfire, the silhouette of a man caught her eye.
As the focus slowly sharpened and the man’s figure became clear, Asha’s eyes widened.
Suddenly, there lay Jackal, transformed into his naked form…….
Asha nearly screamed but managed to stifle her mouth.
Her heart pounded.
Jackal had wrapped all his bones in cloth, thankfully covering the crucial parts, but she couldn’t understand the situation at all.
‘Why is Mr. Jackal here……?’
Asha stared at him blankly.
Jackal looked different from when they last parted in the forest, his hair much longer.
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.”
