His gaze gradually became clearer. Thinking it wasn’t a story for the half-awake, I listened attentively.
“Whether you’re my wife or someone else’s wife… It’s a bit confusing to call you ‘my lady’ again, but calling you ‘Rinoa’ again is also ambiguous…”
It sounded right, so I nodded. Then Philip roughly swept my hair with his hand, lifting himself up.
Philip’s hairstyle was comfortably arranged, giving off the feeling of a next-door oppa. At the same time, I found myself sitting on his lap. Philip, who raised his body with one arm around my waist, looked at me with a slightly blurry gaze, then asked carefully.
“May I call you ‘ajumma’?”
“Yes?”
My senses suddenly sharpened at the unexpected term.
“Did you have trouble with that term?”
Calling me married or divorced might not be entirely incorrect. However, I was still in my twenties.
Feeling somewhat upset, I quickly descended from his lap and sat in the opposite seat.
“No, why does it come to that conclusion?”
Philip chuckled as he clenched his fist and thumped his chest.
“It’s a bit too much, isn’t it?”
“It’s very much! Besides, isn’t it strange for a lady like you to address a woman who’s married to another man with a term used between men? Even though we’re divorced, it’s not like we’re on those terms, right?”
In response to my argument, Philip simply nodded.
“That’s right. Even though we’re divorced, we’re not completely strangers. Um… But since a better alternative doesn’t come to mind right away…”
Chae appeared in Philip’s eyes.
“We have no choice but to simply use names.”
“Names? Isn’t it a sign of closeness when nobles call each other by their names?”
“Isn’t that better?”
Philip’s words seemed correct.
“Yes.”
“All right. Ellen.”
Philip confidently shrugged his shoulders, clenched his fist, and the exchanged greetings seemed more natural this time.
“But it feels a bit awkward if I’m the only one calling names; it seems like I’m patronizing you.”
“Yes?”
“So, please call me by my name as well.”
“…?”
“That way, people will see us as equals.”
Although puzzled, I nodded, thinking it was better to be seen as equals than to be patronized.
“Got it, Philip.”
As I called his name, he opened the carriage door and stepped down. A refreshing smile appeared on his face, as if ten years of frustration had been lifted.
“All right. Please sit for a moment. We’ll depart for the capital.”
Philip entered the city guards’ headquarters with confidence. The guard who noticed him was surprised and bowed deeply.
“Lord, Lord Maurice? What brings you here at this hour?”
It was a completely different reaction from when he came with Captain Vermilion.
With a look of displeasure, Philip frowned slightly.
“My servant was imprisoned without my permission.”
“What? Your servant?”
The guard, who was bewildered, raised his head.
“Impossible, right?”
“Impossible, but has anyone come to mind after seeing the lady here?”
“Ah! The lady!”
When the guard saw me standing next to Philip, he became even more perplexed.
“Lord, the lady yesterday indeed vouched for her identity, but she doesn’t have the Moris family’s identification seal.”
“Even if she doesn’t have the family seal, she’s still my servant.”
The guard who seemed embarrassed by the situation bowed his head to Philip again.
“I’ll call the person in charge.”
Although polite to Vermilion, the same knight who didn’t release Mild from custody yesterday appeared again.
“Oh, Lord! What brings you here!”
It was different from when facing the captain. The knight’s eyes sparkled as he bowed repeatedly.
“It’s been a while.”
“I wanted to greet you properly, but there was an incident.”
While Philip was talking to him about the matter, I asked the guard subtly.
“Is that knight acting differently from yesterday?”
“That’s because Lord Maurice is the youngest sword master and a war hero. Moreover, he holds the privilege of pardon, and above all, he is someone we deeply respect.”
“Respect Philip?”
“Yes?”
The eyes of the guard wavered at my words.
“Is there a master-servant relationship between you and the sword master?”
It was unnecessary to explain the reasons, so I gave an understandable answer.
“Until yesterday, I was his wife.”
“T-That was conveyed and known, but…”
The guard seemed strangely puzzled.
At that moment, the knight who was conversing with Philip spoke with determination.
“Respected Lord Maurice, I apologize, but the identification badge Lady brought yesterday has no relation to Lord Maurice. And the detained person’s status was Lady’s personal guard.”
“That must be it. The identification badge would have been changed by the court.”
“If it’s within Lord’s jurisdiction, releasing the detainee immediately is possible. Because Lord Maurice has privileges. However, Lady is no longer in that position.”
“I’m well aware.”
“Yes, apart from that, it’s a violation of regulations.”
Philip’s forehead slightly wrinkled at the knight’s claim.
Under pressure, the knight lowered his voice cautiously. However, I could hear it clearly as I was standing nearby.
“It’s considered self-defense, but there is significant harm to our citizens. There were also orders from higher-ups to thoroughly investigate and clarify the circumstances of the incident through a joint inquiry for at least a week to ensure no deficiencies.”
“Who gave such orders?”
“It’s the Knight Commander.”
Philip closed his mouth for a moment but soon asked a question.
“Are the citizens who were attacked by Mild also detained?”
“They are under treatment due to severe injuries. As their condition improves, they will be included in the inquiry.”
The knight, sweating coldly, bowed his head to Philip.
“The city guard complies with the regulations and seeks your understanding.”
Even though Captain Vermilion said it was fine as long as Philip came, it seemed otherwise.
It appeared that waiting for a week was the only option for Mild’s release.
‘Then should I ask for the best treatment for Mild during that time?’
At that moment, Philip clenched his fist.
“The more I hear about it, the more absurd and uncomfortable it gets. Someone might think I’m breaking the regulations.”
The knight seemed puzzled by what Philip was saying.
“Mild is Lady’s personal guard, but he’s also under my jurisdiction.”
“…What? Is that… true?”
“You should know, right? Termination of a master-servant contract, not employment, needs to go through the proper procedures for completion.”
“Yes, but isn’t that usually taken care of in advance?”
“I’ve been busy with various matters, and the related procedures haven’t been dealt with yet.”
The knight’s eyes quickly rolled. Philip bit his tongue as if astounded.
“Tsk, it’s hard to believe… Wait for a moment. I’ll go to the administration office to check the Morris family’s list of members. Please wait for me!”
“Oh, alright. I’ll be waiting. Hurry back!”
Considering the knight’s attitude, his words seemed more like a formality for procedural verification, implying he would smoothly resolve the issue. Philip nodded approvingly as if acknowledging the knight’s proper actions. His confident demeanor was quite impressive.
“Goodness, this is Philip’s power.”
Unconsciously, I covered my open mouth with both hands. Philip’s true character as a man was revealed once again.
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.”