Here is the English translation of the Korean paragraph you provided, following your guidelines:
“…I really don’t want to answer.”
Jesper, exhausted from dealing with his younger brother, mumbled while looking up at the empty air.
Already, due to an embarrassing incident during the victory celebration, he had to go and apologize.
The eldest son of the Luberga family had been imprisoned in an underground dungeon and had been released after paying an enormous ransom.
“Well, the government probably had a hand in that too.”
Thanks to the daughter they had adopted late, the Marquis’s family was doing quite well.
If it hadn’t been for his intervention, bringing a few thousand gold coins wouldn’t have been enough for a pardon, especially if he had directly harmed the Empress.
“Then, when you enter the palace, take me with you. Okay?”
“…Fine. Alright.”
In the end, Jesper, with both hands and feet, declared surrender.
‘After experiencing it firsthand, he’ll know to stay away.’
No matter how much advice you gave, real-world experience was the answer for a creature that couldn’t understand.
Winter in the Imperial Palace was quite quiet.
With fewer banquets, Sepia was able to reduce her duties as the Empress.
A serene reception room.
Sitting facing Sepia, Rocksan’s expression seemed quite serious.
On the table between them was a chessboard.
The black pieces were his, and the white ones belonged to Sepia.
The checkered board was already filled with pieces.
Rocksan carefully chose his move.
Watching him, seemingly lost in thought as he stroked his chin, Sepia secretly swallowed her laughter.
It had already been three weeks since Rocksan borrowed the map.
He had come to check and confirm, as promised, whether the map had been lost or not once a week.
‘…But isn’t asking to see it once a month enough? Is it necessary for you to visit?’
It had been Rocksan who had proposed it first, but looking at it now, it seemed excessive.
“Wouldn’t it be better to check the map once a month?”
“Do you not want me to visit?”
Rocksan, who had been concentrating on the chessboard, looked at her with a surprised expression.
It had been a suggestion made on a whim, wondering if he would find it inconvenient, but she hadn’t expected such a reaction.
Sepia shook her head.
“It’s not like that.”
Rather, he was a welcome guest.
Winter was a time of rest for the Imperial Palace, and it was very rare for anyone to visit the Empress’s palace during the snowfall.
Sepia, too, had been busy shuttling between the Empress’s palace and her office.
‘Now that Demios doesn’t come anymore.’
At meal times together.
The Emperor had sent word a week ago that he would not be able to attend meals.
He had been the one who had been coming to the Empress’s palace every day after the victory celebration.
According to the rumors, he had caught a cold and wasn’t leaving the Empress’s side.
Now, even if she thought of them together, it didn’t hurt as much.
It was just a little lonely.
In fact, in a way, she thought it was fortunate that Demios was absent.
‘He’s probably doing it for the sake of the nobles’ attention.’
Their relationship had always been the focus of attention, even though Titier had a name as a shape-shifter, he knew that as a supernatural being, he would be watched closely when he joined the government.
So he probably didn’t want to completely exclude the Empress, who was his official consort, by carrying out his duties in her name.
But now it was winter.
It was a time when public attention was at its lowest.
‘I had a feeling he wouldn’t come soon.’
So she couldn’t be taken aback.
When the weather cleared up, the palace would be bustling with people again, so until then, it would be okay to spend some time apart.
There was just one thing that bothered her.
‘Purification Ceremony.’
To welcome the New Year, the Emperor and Empress spent a day together in a makeshift shrine in the underground of the Imperial Palace.
Here is the English translation of the Korean paragraph you provided, following your guidelines:
“Interestingly, seawater, not groundwater, flows in the makeshift shrine.
It was a purification ritual for the Emperor and Empress to immerse themselves together there and wash away the misfortunes of the past year.
‘Will it be okay?’
She was already worried, but refusing because she didn’t want to do it was not an option.
This was a matter that needed to be resolved by the Emperor and Empress, not between husband and wife.
Anyway, it wasn’t right now.
Sepia decided to temporarily forget about the purification ceremony.
Seemingly relieved by her answer, Rocksan moved his black phone and said, “Then it’s okay. I feel relieved too when I can check regularly.”
“Then do it as you wish.”
It was fortunate that Rocksan was there.
If not, she would have been lost in various thoughts by herself.
“Then let’s meet every week.”
“Okay.”
A moment later, after reading the board, Sepia also moved her white bishop. Then his knight pushed Sepia’s bishop off the chessboard.
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.”