On the day of Caspian’s funeral, it drizzled all day long.
Considering his criminal status at the time of death, the funeral was held modestly as a family affair instead of a state funeral. About 20 attendees were present, consisting of royalty and high nobility.
“Huu… Caspian… No. You can’t leave like this so suddenly…”
As they tried to move the coffin into the deeply dug grave, Sandra hugged it tightly and burst into tears.
The maids standing beside Sandra struggled to pry her away from the coffin. Finally freed from Sandra’s embrace, the coffin was placed in the pit and soil was sprinkled over it.
‘These are tears I’ve never seen, not even at Veronia’s or the late emperor’s funerals.’
The death of one’s own child must be different, thought Killian, who was forced to attend due to his position as prime minister and stood in the very back row.
Except for Sandra’s crying, the funeral proceeded in a quiet atmosphere throughout. Even Emperor Jonathan’s and the ministers’ eulogies ended briefly.
It was when the funeral was almost over. Sandra, who seemed to have calmed down a bit, started to act out again. She rushed towards Jonathan and Tate standing side by side.
“It’s all because of you two! You ungrateful wretches! After all the love and care I gave you while raising you! Your indifference is what killed Caspian!”
Even though it was a small-scale funeral, ministers, royalty, and high nobility were watching. Yet Sandra’s uncontrollable behavior caused Jonathan and Tate’s faces to contort mercilessly.
Jonathan gestured to a guard standing nearby and ordered.
“Escort the empress dowager safely to her chambers.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Two guards who bowed their heads with discipline immediately tried to grab Sandra’s arms. But she had no intention of being caught willingly. As Sandra fled from the guards, she rushed at Killian who was standing before her.
“Prime Minister Killian Drea!”
A scream that could pierce eardrums echoed throughout the cemetery.
Sandra rushed at Killian swinging her fists, but was soon restrained by the guards.
However, being restrained did not dampen her spirit. Sandra raised her voice even louder and hurled harsh words at Killian’s face.
“Such a trivial incident… couldn’t you have just covered it up! Why were you so eager to expose the prince’s small flaw? Why! The one who killed my son is none other than you, Prime Minister Drea!”
Sandra shouted and shouted at Killian while being drenched in the falling rain. Her eyes glaring at him were bloodshot.
“This time I will bring you to justice! Just you wait! You made me shed tears of blood, so now it will be your turn!”
Screaming with all her might, Sandra finally fainted from her own anger. Killian opened his mouth with an expressionless face.
“Quickly escort Her Majesty back to the palace. And immediately summon the royal physician.”
“Understood, Prime Minister.”
The guards and maids who received Killian’s order moved swiftly. Caspian’s funeral, which began with Sandra’s rage and ended with her rage, came to a close.
[This is the timeline separator]Veronia sat alone by the window, looking out at the rain-soaked garden. She too was quite shocked by the news of Caspian’s death. She was bewildered by the unexpected outcome and confused about what had happened.
The time she spent with him as family was only 3 months, and even then, Veronia had been thoroughly trampled as a puppet of the imperial family. Naturally, there was no chance for tender feelings to develop with her younger brother Caspian.
“Who could have wanted to kill Caspian even though his exile had already been decided?”
It was an incomprehensible part. There didn’t seem to be anyone who could benefit from Caspian’s death.
The victims of the previous incident seemed quite satisfied with the 20-year exile sentence Caspian and his group received. So it didn’t seem likely they would have dirtied their clean hands with blood.
“If it wasn’t a revenge killing… then a crime of passion? No, no.”
Veronia muttered to herself, shaking her head. It was hard to imagine Caspian deeply loving someone or being loved by someone.
At that moment, a chilling sensation suddenly swept through her heart.
‘According to the original story, he should have already been dead. He lived because the original plot was twisted because of me… Both the late emperor and Caspian… died in unexpected incidents.’
Veronia’s brows furrowed tightly as she concentrated on her thoughts. Her palms began to sweat from tension.
‘So in the end… do people who were supposed to die end up dying?’
She didn’t like that. It shouldn’t be that way. Absolutely not. Veronia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head vigorously.
‘Stop talking nonsense and get a grip, Veronia! The original story has long been overturned. It’s become a completely different story now!’
She clenched her teeth, admonishing herself.
‘It’s become a different story… Jediel, who wasn’t in the original, appeared, and I gained holy power. And the marriage with Killian…’
The world Veronia was in now was not the original ‘Evangelina of Dawn’. It was a completely different world where both the characters and the plot had been reversed.
‘So unnecessary worries are just a waste of emotion and energy.’
Veronia looked at her reflection in the glass window and slowly inhaled and exhaled repeatedly. Soon her chest seemed to calm down and her mood improved.
But her hearing reacted sensitively to the sound of heavier raindrops hitting the window. An uneasy premonition still lingered around the nape of her neck.
[This is the timeline separator]Two days after Caspian’s funeral. Sandra had been lying down all day without eating or drinking.
Knock knock, there was a knocking sound and then the door opened. Thinking it was a maid bringing dinner, Sandra said in a weak voice.
“I don’t want dinner. Take it back.”
“I heard you haven’t eaten anything today. So please eat at least a little bit of this meal, mother.”
It wasn’t a maid, but Emperor Jonathan. He was approaching her, carrying a tray of food himself. Sandra stared at Jonathan with narrowed eyes, her mouth tightly shut. It was a gaze filled with considerable hostility.
Jonathan placed the tray on the table and approached the bed, sitting in a chair.
“I understand your grief, mother. But you must eat. You’ll seriously harm your health like this.”
“So what is it you want to say?”
Sandra reluctantly opened her mouth. She wanted him to just say what he came to say and disappear, as she disliked seeing his face and hearing his voice.
“It seems difficult to determine the exact circumstances since none of the soldiers who escorted the exile procession survived. However, after investigating the scene, they say it’s unlikely to be the work of bandits. They say it’s more fitting to call it the work of well-trained mercenaries.”
“……”
Sandra closed her mouth tightly and turned her gaze away from Jonathan. Her fists clenched the blanket tightly.
Sandra also found that point strange. The 30 mercenaries she hired had certainly succeeded in attacking the exile procession.
But they failed to secure Caspian, who was the most important. She recalled the conversation she had with the mercenary leader the previous night.
‘I trusted you with my son and you botched the job like this! You incompetent vermin!’
Slap! Sandra suddenly slapped the mercenary’s cheek.
‘We’re upset too! One of us confirmed taking the prince away. But after that, his whereabouts became unclear. When we searched the area, the prince was already dead.’
He rubbed his reddened cheek and casually made excuses that didn’t even sound like excuses.
‘It seems information was leaked. There’s no way information could have leaked from our side, so there must be listening ears in the palace. You didn’t properly keep people’s mouths shut, Your Majesty.’
Sandra glared at the mercenary with bloodshot eyes. She wanted to rip out the heart from the chest of this mercenary who was blaming her for this situation and chew it up. But she had to endure. At least until she caught the real culprit.
Sandra struggled to suppress her burning insides and paid the rough-looking mercenary the promised money. After checking the money, the mercenary looked surprised. And then he immediately sneered and opened his mouth.
‘You could have given just half.’
‘It’s the price for keeping your mouth shut for life. If you ever let your tongue slip after taking that money, not only you and your men, but also your families will have their heads displayed on spikes, so make sure to keep your mouths shut.’
‘Of course, Your Majesty.’
As soon as the mercenary who pocketed the money left, Sandra collapsed right where she was.
“Mother? What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Sandra snapped back to reality at Jonathan’s voice. The unpleasant voice tormented her ears.
“The investigation team suspects a hate crime. Of course, it’s just speculation.”
“……”
“From now on, I will increase the number of investigators to uncover every detail of this incident.”
Jonathan spoke slowly, gauging Sandra’s reaction. Sandra faced Jonathan with an expressionless face devoid of any emotion or thought and opened her mouth. And the words that came out were unexpected.
“It must be a hate crime indeed.”
“Mother……”
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.”
