Over the past decade, the border region of Kalfman, adjacent to the territory of the barbarian tribes, had been a lawless land beyond the reach of the emperor’s authority.
Due to the severed support during the prolonged war, the punitive force had to be self-sufficient in that death-ridden place.
Easier said than done, everyone here had survived the living hell of the mountains.
Groer ordered the dismantling of the camp and sought the chief commander of the army.
“Right. Where might Lord Roxan be?”
Roxan. It was the title the punitive force used for Duke Leopold.
Curiously, instead of addressing him formally, the punitive force called him by a name different from his given name.
But unlike Groer, who was excited to find the duke, Viltman hesitated to respond.
“Well…”
“Ah, where has he disappeared to now!”
Groer frantically ruffled his own hair.
The most crucial person always vanished when needed the most.
Just when he thought they might have to wait again, a bustling noise came from the direction of the city gate.
Roxan was walking through a path formed by saluting knights.
Seeing him, Groer immediately brightened up.
“Lord Roxan, where have you been? Don’t tell me you went to see ‘that person’ again… No, more importantly, the east gate has opened!”
“I know. I just came from there.”
Unlike the excited Groer, Roxan maintained a calm demeanor.
While the punitive force was stuck at the eastern gate, he had the freedom to move between the capital and the imperial palace.
The emperor had granted this privilege only to Duke Leopold and one of his close associates.
The reason was blatant and undisguised.
The emperor hoped that Roxan would come begging to lift the standby order of the punitive force.
Including a close associate in this privilege was likely intended to have them spread rumors about the commander bowing to the emperor upon returning to the punitive force.
It was a tactic to break the army’s morale.
However, contrary to the emperor’s intentions, Roxan neither sought him out nor appealed to anyone.
Leaving the punitive force, which had accomplished special missions for the empire, in such neglect was tantamount to tarnishing the emperor himself.
Although the knights suffered near the capital, the gate was bound to be opened eventually.
“So His Majesty finally deigned to open the gate.”
Groer softened his language, presumably to enter the capital.
He too, having moved in and out of the capital with Roxan, knew that Roxan had not sought an audience with the emperor.
‘I thought it would only open on the day of the victory celebration.’
Had the emperor changed his mind belatedly?
The early opening of the eastern gate was unexpected for everyone.
“The emperor didn’t grant permission.”
“What? What do you mean… Oh, could it be.”
Groer, about to ask further, looked at Roxan with a speculative expression.
In the empire, only one person could act without the emperor’s permission.
Silence was confirmation.
Realizing the situation, Groer adjusted his attitude.
“We should be grateful to the Empress.”
The entire punitive force was angry with the emperor’s orders.
At the same time, the human Empress also became a target of criticism, along with the emperor.
Traditionally, it was the Empress’s responsibility to prepare celebrations like the victory feast in the royal family.
‘And a human Empress at that.’
The new Empress was decided while the punitive force was on the battlefield.
When the news of the royal family reached the punitive force belatedly, some harbored strong resentment towards the Empress of a different race.
Despite being born under the star of Ishtar, the idea of a human Empress in the Therianthropic Empire was incomprehensible.
As the standby order prolonged, rumors circulated within the punitive force that perhaps the human Empress was hindering their return.
Of course, such rumors were quickly quashed by Roxan, but the suspicion towards the human Empress remained intact.
“I’m not sure why Lord Roxan is interested in the Empress.”
Perhaps this was the reason.
Initially, there were objections to the idea of a human Empress, but Groer was certain that everyone would see her in a new light once they learned about this matter.
“She seems to be a kind person; such circumstances must be causing her great distress.”
A woman bearing the Emperor’s name, yet not his consort.
In other words, the news of the unilateral imprinting had now spread beyond the capital.
Initially, the royal family was incredulous about the situation, but now it seemed that only the Empress was at a disadvantage.
Groer had always harbored strong antipathy towards name imprinting.
“It’s not like it’s a disaster manufacturing machine.”
If someone’s name is to appear, it should be mutual, not one-sided.
Seeing the Empress, who had shown them favor, now evoked pity.
“Coming from a distant land, her only reliance was the Emperor. I heard their marital bond was not bad, but now that seems to no longer be the case.”
Groer muttered his inner thoughts.
Then Roxan, who had been silent, spoke up.
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.”
