The dim light from the ceiling illuminated the inside of the dark building.
Rishi raised her head to check the source of the light.
“Is it a magic stone with permanent magic cast on it?”
“Yes.”
“It must have been incredibly expensive.”
An era when magic was disappearing.
Hiring a magician was like plucking a star from the sky, and the price of magical items was skyrocketing.
“Of course, the Sacred Nation provided support. It’s also a building that was built when the price of magic stones wasn’t this expensive.”
Inside the building was a wide space with no separate rooms. In the center, several golden display cases were placed.
On the way to that place, there were traps set up, which Kevrant walked ahead and deactivated.
Finally arriving at the golden display stand, Rishi was able to take in the four items placed on it.
A goblet. A sword. A staff. A robe.
At a glance, they were items that looked unremarkable, and rather old and useless.
“You absolutely must not touch them, Rishi.”
Even if Kevrant hadn’t warned her, Rishi had no intention of touching them.
Holy artifacts can kill an ordinary person who touches them wrongly, or rather, they fall into a situation where death is preferable. There are records of dangerous things happening just by having a holy artifact nearby.
“There are many records about holy artifacts. There used to be a professional job of searching for holy artifacts, and even among the common people, there were those who owned holy artifacts.”
The Sacred Nation, which had deemed holy artifacts as dangerous, began to collect and manage them. But due to a war that broke out one day, numerous holy artifacts were destroyed or disappeared.
The four holy artifacts Kevrant currently possessed were those that the Sacred Nation had strenuously protected amidst the chaos.
“Each holy artifact has its own ability. Long ago, there were people who could use those abilities…”
“Are there none now?”
“None. There may be some, but there are many cases where you can’t even try because it’s too dangerous.”
“Do you die just by touching it?”
“If you die, it’s rather a relief… there are cases where you’re trapped in your physical body.”
“Trapped in your body?”
“Your mind is intact, but you can’t move your body at all. Not even your eyeballs. In short, your body becomes a prison.”
Rishi imagined such a situation. Her mind was fine, but she couldn’t move even her eyeballs.
“That’s horrifying.”
“Of course, not all holy artifacts are that dangerous, and there are cases where it’s fine to touch them, but you never know.”
Kevrant explained about the four holy artifacts.
The Golden Goblet, which endlessly produces grain.
The Sword of Death, which, when stabbed into the heart, completely heals someone who is injured or sick to the point of no return.
The Wiles Staff, which makes beasts obey commands.
The Jeryus Robe, which makes the body transparent.
Kevrant, who had been explaining in a soft, pleasant voice, suddenly stopped speaking and looked behind him.
Rishi also looked back, but there was no one there.
“It seems our awaited guest has arrived, Rishi.”
“Huh?”
“Alford Huches.”
“Ah… how did you…?”
Kevrant tapped his own ear.
“Wolves have excellent hearing.”
Kevrant took Rishi’s hand.
“Shall we go together? Let’s show them our affectionate side.”
“No.”
Rishi smiled quietly.
“You go alone, Kevrant. I’m not sure if you can steal the gold mine from Lord Huches without my help.”
+++
Alford didn’t enter the reception room, but stood in the hallway outside, bragging to the butler and passing maids about how passionately he and Iris had dated.
The maids, who hadn’t experienced much of Iris yet, listened to Alford’s stories with interest, exclaiming “Oh my. Oh my.”
Gillette was among them.
“It was by that lake. Our first kiss… I still vividly remember Iris’s trembling eyelashes then. I made up my mind then. I would marry Iris! Iris too answered that she felt the same.”
No one tried to stop Alford from babbling. The mistress’s past that she wanted to hide was an interesting tale for the maids.
Even Jamie, who had thought Alford was just an ordinary butler, stood beside him, attentively listening to his story.
Jamie was smiling subtly, but with sharp eyes, she was checking the faces of the maids present.
“Gasp… Hey, let’s go quickly.”
Upon seeing Kevrant, who was walking from afar, the maids scattered in all directions.
The only one left next to Alford was Jamie.
Alford stood upright, waiting for Kevrant to approach.
“Why not wait inside?”
Eventually, Kevrant, who had arrived in front of Alford, muttered as he first entered the reception room.
Although his words were short, Alford followed Kevrant inside for now.
As soon as Alford sat on the sofa, he brought up the main point.
“I have something to say about Iris…”
“Make me buy Lavent’s gold mine, Duke Hutchis.”
Alford scowled at the interruption.
He did not like that Kevrant, who looked much younger, was using informal language with him.
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.”
