As Charty blinked her eyes, recalling what Violetta had said, the village head stood in front of her and bowed.
“To repay the favors of the esteemed teacher, I implored these two without reservation.”
“Huh?”
Charty, who hadn’t thought that the word ‘repay’ would come out of the village head’s mouth first, quickly lifted her head.
“It’s okay.”
Receiving such a burdensome title as a benefactor openly and receiving awkward titles like an ‘esteemed teacher’ in a blatantly dramatic way was quite uncomfortable.
‘If things hadn’t gone even a little bit as planned, the village would have suffered a lot.’
Charty, with an embarrassed expression, eagerly withdrew her hand.
Then, Karun and Butabju exchanged glances and smiled kindly.
“We’re not trying to give you too much.”
Karun and Butabju each took out a scroll from their arms and handed them to Charty. The village head did the same.
“Don’t put your hands down until you receive them all.”
Looking blankly at the three scrolls, the white-haired old man made a short comment.
Due to the three people simultaneously nodding their heads, Charty was caught in the wave.
“These are magical oaths.”
“Oaths?”
Unlike magic contracts that require fair agreements and compensation, the purpose of oaths was to leave sworn promises in writing.
While Charty looked at the scroll named the oath with a puzzled look, she unfolded it.
“…….”
As Charty read the oath character by character, she felt an indescribable surge of emotions.
“Oh, our village now has a name.”
The village head said, puffing out his chest.
“‘Sepia’. It means a courageous village.”
“…It’s wonderful.”
Although the end of the dreadful voice was split and trembling, no one paid attention to it.
Charty read the oath over and over again.
It was a pledge so heavy that it seemed too much to receive as a return.
“And this is an oath written by everyone together.”
The white-haired old man took out another oath.
“……!”
Shocked by the dreadful last sentence, Charty lifted her head. However, before Charty could say anything more, Butabju lightly shook the staff.
“This oath was written with the consent of everyone in the village.”
Paat. As the magic circle emerged, the light gathered on the oath and disintegrated into light particles.
The light particles gathered into a circular shape and soon settled on Charty’s wrist.
“If someone in this village breaks the oath, the oath will reappear in front of the teacher’s eyes.”
If someone revealed the oath to the extent of violating it, it meant predicting the crisis on both sides. In other words, it was a warning to run away without looking back at that time.
“……. Thanks.”
Charty couldn’t refuse. The oaths from all of them were a gift to Charty, who was about to leave Sepia Village soon, to calm her anxiety and leave peacefully. Moreover, they staked their precious village, the newly acquired foothold, and abundant resources, making such oaths.
It was evident that the oaths carried the meaning of understanding and respecting Charty’s secret life and her circumstances that couldn’t be revealed to the world.
“Th-thank you….”
Since hearing about ‘repayment’ from Bireta, Charty had a subtle idea. If possible, she wanted something similar to the content of the oath they presented.
‘I was thinking of asking them to keep only my secret.’
At least, she wanted to block mouths as much as the village head, Ashu’s grandfather, and the village executives.
But she never thought that everyone in the village had agreed to the oath.
[When you interfere in someone’s life, you must receive a repayment equal to the weight you prepared for.]Charty herself had not imagined the weight that she couldn’t measure. Yet, everyone except Charty acknowledged it and repaid its value.
“Thank you so much, and I’m sorry for everything until now.”
As the village head deeply bowed, the white-haired old man and Karun also followed suit. Butabju also lowered her head along with them.
“……. ”
Charty, bowing deeply with them, cast her moist eyes downward.
Not all memories from Ashu’s village were good. Considering the nature and atmosphere of the hidden village, the rejection that gathered as an enemy was painful and frightening.
Memories do not disappear. However, overlaying something on those memories was possible.
Covering the past unhappiness with present happiness made the remaining feeling refreshing.
“Indeed, I am truly… grateful for your trust.”
The courage that gathered after overcoming futile hopes and hesitating dozens of times resulted in unexpected recognition and trust.
Being acknowledged by someone and, moreover, being trusted. Perhaps, that was the modest dream Charty wished for.
And behind that was Charty’s ability. The knowledge she had steadily accumulated and the experiences she had gained without giving up shone brightly.
[Sha.]Along with the overwhelming emotion, Ren’s voice came to mind as if it were natural.
She still missed him.
“Well, then…!”
As Charty, who bowed in farewell, was about to turn away, someone appeared in front of her.
Thinking about the incident when she collided with Ashu last time, Charty reflexively moved her body backward.
“Oh~ Has the conversation already ended?”
Matapju, dressed in a dazzling outfit, stood in front of Charty, a smile tinged with splendor on her lips.
Startled by the sudden appearance of Matapju, Charty’s shoulders stiffened.
Matapju’s eyes, looking at Charty, crescent-like, were full of curiosity.
“Well, now, Doctor, you have to talk to me.”
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.”
