Chirp, chirp.
Warm sunlight poured into the room, and the morning was peaceful with birds chirping.
As usual, I woke up late and stretched out of bed.
“Yawn, slept well.”
Perhaps it was because of the potion, but my body felt unusually light and my mind clear.
As I was about to get up, I noticed something odd.
The tips of my toes jutted out over the blanket, situated in a position completely different from the usual.
‘Huh? Were my legs always this long…?’
Still drowsy, the moment I slightly lifted the blanket,
I screamed at the shocking sight.
“Ah! Sione!”
“What happened, Lady Bella?”
Was she nearby?
Almost simultaneously as I screamed, Sione burst through the door.
“Did we have another intruder? Where did they go?”
Assuming I was in danger, she looked around vigilantly.
However, my scream had a different reason.
“Look at me! I’ve grown so tall, and my hair has gotten long!”
“…My goodness.”
When I kicked off the blanket and stepped out, Sione belatedly noticed my transformation.
Even Sione seemed to find it hard to accept this situation.
“These pajamas have become so short. Just yesterday, they reached my ankles. Isn’t it amazing?”
Proud, I twirled as if wearing a dress.
I hadn’t checked in the mirror yet, but judging by the suddenly extended arms and legs, I seemed to be around five years old by human standards.
I had overcome the annoying growth plateau and had started to grow again.
“I thought the potion would work, but I didn’t expect this rapid growth. Truly astonishing.”
“Right? I was shocked too. Never imagined this would happen.”
“My, your accent has improved as well. I look forward to more conversations with Lady Bella.”
Joy and sadness intertwined in Sione’s eyes.
She had been raising me with as much care as my biological parents, so she seemed a little sad to see my rapid growth.
‘She’s probably worried that her joy might dampen mine.’
Understanding her deep feelings, my heart swelled.
While resolving to be nicer to Sione,
People from the palace who had heard my scream hurried into the room.
“My word, Lady Bella? How did you grow so much overnight?!”
Amid the surprised crowd was Raven.
When our eyes met, I gave an awkward smile.
It was a little embarrassing, considering I hadn’t even removed the sleep from my eyes and was only wearing pajamas.
“Hehe. So it happened. Do I look strange?”
“Not at all. The bigger you get, the cuter you become!”
“You’ve gotten even lovelier. Just like a little lady.”
While passionately complimenting me, I exchanged words with the people, when I noticed Raven leaving the room alone.
Having confirmed my safety, he seemed to have no reason to stay.
After the commotion died down, I changed into new clothes prepared by the maids.
I had worried about having to wear pajamas for a while due to my sudden size change, but thanks to a key to a wardrobe I’d received earlier, there was no such concern.
Not only clothes but also shoes and accessories were prepared in that wardrobe, which I had used during a banquet before.
“It would have taken a long time to order custom clothes, so it’s really fortunate that we have that warehouse. If something like this happens again, we can just go there.”
“Exactly. The designs of the costumes inside are mostly timeless, so I think you could make good use of them even around the time of your debutante ball.”
Hmm, debutante ball.
In the Empire, the social debut stage for young nobles and royals, known as the debutante ball, usually took place around the age of 16. In the Tzepes Kingdom, it was around the age of 100.
In reality, for vampires, the clear signs of growth came later.
In other words, age was a somewhat ambiguous measure, but it was similar in that it started when boys and girls began to shed their youthful appearances.
‘Will I be able to go to the debutante ball? It’s still a long way off, but…’
Though my body had started to grow again, which was a good sign, I was still in a precarious position, confined like a bird in a cage.
If I continued to live like this, it might even be difficult to be fully acknowledged as a member of the Tzepes royal family, let alone attend a debutante ball.
‘I can’t live like this forever.’
I had been waiting for some signs of change after the party, but my father showed no particular movement.
Although it had been Elga’s request, since he even brought Raven himself, I thought his feelings towards me might have softened.
Apparently, that was just my wishful thinking.
“Rosa, can I go see Dad too? I’m speaking well enough now, it would be good to talk.”
“Um… I’m not sure. Lord may or may not accept your presence. I heard he even occasionally refuses Prince Luca.”
“What about Wilhelm?”
Mentioning him, Rosa hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Actually, Prince Wilhelm has relatively free access to the palace. Lord sometimes summons him for missions.”
“Missions? I wonder what they are.”
“Most likely related to subjugating monsters. I heard he was tasked with suppressing monsters that appeared near the capital after the last expedition.”
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.”
