It was necessary to understand how they had found the Duchess. In the process, if any clues that could lead to suspicion were found, they had to be thoroughly erased.
“You’ll find out about the Duke’s internal affairs.”
“Internal affairs?”
“Yes. How the Duchess is currently.”
Katrina pointed to the chessboard on one side of the reception room table with a determined gesture.
“You have it too. The chess piece you can move.”
“Oh, I see.”
Rosaline nodded as if understanding Katrina’s intentions, her eyes subtly glittering.
“I’ll have you write a letter right away.”
With a meaningful smile, Rosaline thought of someone in her mind. Thinking of that innocent and infatuated face, her eyes twinkled subtly.
Steam rose from a dish containing warm soup. The hands that moved back and forth above the dish gradually slowed. At some point, the hands, which had held a spoon, were now deep in thought. Watching the lost-in-thought Adel, Bian looked at her with concern.
“Miss Bian, does the meal not suit your taste?”
“Oh! No.”
Upon hearing Bian’s voice, Adel, coming back to her senses, smiled faintly and shook her head.
“Even if it doesn’t suit your taste, you must eat well. You need to recover your strength quickly.”
“Yeah, I understand.”
The head chef at the Duke’s residence had made the soup with great care for the Duchess’s health. Although it contained ingredients known for their restorative properties, Adel found it challenging to eat due to its taste not being proportional to its nutritional value.
‘Miss Bian…’
Watching Adel continue her meal, Bian’s eyes became moist. For Bian, who had felt like every day waiting for news of the Duchess was like living in hell, the day she finally heard news had come.
She couldn’t afford to be separated from Adel at any moment… The guilt of not having properly served the Duchess oppressed Bian.
The days waiting for news about the Duchess were like living in hell for Bian. No matter the moment, she couldn’t afford to be away from Adel. The guilt of not serving the Duchess properly weighed heavily on Bian.
On the day they finally received news that the Duchess had been rescued, Adel, though still pale, was gradually recovering her health.
However… There were many times when I would get lost in my thoughts like this. And sometimes, I would gaze out of the window for a long time.
As if longing for something, as if waiting.
‘What you’re waiting for… must be the return of Lord Viscount…’
Even without expressing it, everyone in the Viscount’s residence, including Bian, knew. Gregory, who also knew him, would inquire about the well-being of Lord Viscount every day and relay news about the Viscount.
Today happened to be a particularly welcome day. After Adel finished her meal, Bian took out something she had prepared for her.
“Today’s newspaper. The trial results have finally come out.”
Adel received the newspaper from Bian and read it carefully. The newspaper contained news about the trials of Douglas and Viscount Chale, personally conducted by the Viscount.
Although the charges of kidnapping the Duchess were not revealed, Douglas, who attempted to kidnap girls for slave trading once again, received a severe punishment and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Viscount Chale, who had tried to buy slaves through Douglas, had all his titles and properties confiscated. Not only that, but he also received a death sentence.
In an effort to find evidence of slave trading, Douglas was used to inspect Viscount Chale’s territory thoroughly. As a result, another group of female slaves imprisoned in the underground prison of the Viscount’s residence was discovered.
Moreover, according to testimonies, some who had already lost their lives in his hands were also involved. The truth about the deaths of the former Viscountess Chale, which had been puzzling, was also revealed in detail.
“A dreadful person like Viscount Chale deserves to die! And this Douglas, considering what he did, should have received an even greater punishment!”
“Lord Viscount must have his own thoughts.”
Since Douglas had not directly taken a person’s life, it was difficult to sentence him to more than life imprisonment. However, if it were revealed that he had kidnapped the Duchess, a noble with the right of succession, and threatened her, he could be sentenced to death for high treason.
But Adel guessed that there was a reason why Karon didn’t question the crime in that way and handled the case differently.
“Now that all the trials are over, Lord Viscount will soon return!”
Lord Viscount had been absent all this time, dealing with the case. Adel, too, had not been able to see him since she first opened her eyes in the hospital and saw Karon. The disappointment grew as she couldn’t see him again when she realized his absence.
“Now you can finally tell him.”
Bian cautiously handed over a gift box. It was a box containing a cravat prepared before the kidnapping.
‘Now… Can I tell him?’ Even though I wanted to tell him as soon as I opened my eyes… The last image of him that she remembered kept bothering her. As she continued to recall that image, as his absence prolonged, she became more uncertain.
‘Still… I have to tell him. I decided not to regret it.’ Adel tightly held the gift box she received, trying to steady her trembling heart.
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.”
