The unsettling moment when she fell from her horse, her floating body and shaking vision, was unforgettable.
Moreover, the fear was almost therapeutic, experiencing the intense control of the two spirits.
A moment when she felt her mind shatter and her body tear apart, almost wishing for her heart to stop.
Thankfully, meeting a priestess had helped her recover, but she couldn’t deny the pain had existed.
She had only covered it up amid the rapidly unfolding situation after waking up.
She realized what standing beside the Northern Duke meant.
And that she must become a dignified presence worthy of that responsibility.
For the North. For him. Because she wanted to help.
‘Yes, I was anxious.’
Feeling relief by being close to him ironically made her aware of her anxiety.
‘Hold me tighter, please. Desire me more.’
Accepting his touch, Brody cast away her anxiety.
Right now, she wanted to be free of all thoughts.
The North. Three years later. Everything…
She pulled her legs under her, aligning their bodies closer.
“Your Majesty…”
Brody’s voice poured out like a sigh.
“Ahh…”
Aidan’s body twitched at her voice, and he buried his face beside her nape.
And the next moment…
He froze, halting his actions.
“…?”
Brody rolled her eyes, puzzled by the sudden change in temperature.
“Your Majesty…?”
He suddenly pushed off the bed, propping his upper body up.
“No.”
“…What?”
His eyes, widened in confusion, quickly closed as he cupped his head and began to slap himself.
“Have you gone mad, Aidan? You’re the one who’s mad. Ah…”
Royal… what is this situation?
Lying dazed, Brody blinked and then sat up as well.
“…Your Majesty?”
“We can’t… do this.”
Can’t do this? Why? I may not know, but why you?
Brody looked at him with desperate eyes.
After he had been the one to make the first move and shake her, she couldn’t understand.
“You won’t… won’t understand…”
Aidan mumbled softly with his face covered, making it impossible for Brody to hear what he was saying clearly.
“Do we not need to consummate the marriage?”
Regaining her composure, Brody reached out her hand to a seemingly panicked Aidan.
Then, Aidan swiftly moved, retreating to the edge of the bed as if to escape.
“……”
The tense emotions that had built up inside Brody plummeted due to the blow dealt by Aidan, spiraling in a pitiful heap on the ground.
Her rising body heat cooled down instantaneously.
Sitting at the edge of the bed, looking at a distraught Aidan,
Brody’s face fluctuated between shades of embarrassment and despair, boiling over in a mix of complex emotions.
A moment later, Aidan rose completely from the bed.
He spoke, his back still turned toward her.
His voice had solidified into something cold and dry.
“No, it’s just a formality. All we need to do is meet the priest in the morning.”
“Ah……”
Brody’s face twisted.
Was that it? All we had to do was wait for the morning?
She bit her lips tightly.
Feeling foolish for having been so anxious, she felt humiliated though it wasn’t her fault and betrayed by the situation.
Time passed in silence for a brief moment.
Aidan, seemingly collecting his emotions, tried to make the first move.
It looked like he was heading for the sofa.
“……Your Highness.”
Brody called out to stop him.
Aidan flinched but didn’t look back, speaking again.
“I’m sorry, Brody.”
“Your Highness.”
Brody’s voice grew colder as she kept calling him.
Aidan felt ‘something is off’ and cautiously turned his head.
Sure enough.
Brody was staring at him with an expression colder than absolute zero.
She slowly rose and stood in front of Aidan.
“Fine, then lie down over there.”
“Hm?”
Brody pointed firmly toward the edge of the bed.
Hesitant, Aidan was nudged by her on his shoulder, somewhat nervously.
It wasn’t a build that should be easily pushed.
Nevertheless, pushed by Brody’s force, Aidan’s body slid back and fell onto the bed.
However, it wasn’t enough to completely topple him.
Bracing himself with his elbows, Aidan managed not to fall flat.
Brody looked down at him with a stern expression.
Then, vines suddenly sprouted from the bed, wrapping around a bewildered Aidan, pinning him down.
“Bro… Bro… Brody?”
Confused and ensnared by the vines, Brody slowly approached him.
Squeak. She felt the weight shift on the bed as she sat down.
Resting her hands on his shoulders, she bent her upper body over him.
Her curly hair cascaded, veiling his sight like a curtain.
And then their lips met.
“Euh.”
Once, then again. This time deeper.
Their lips touched.
Simultaneously, a fresh, minty scent of leaves filled his mouth.
“……!”
Skillfully forcing her way in, he involuntarily swallowed.
Then Brody chewed on some mashed leaves and transferred them to his mouth, swallowing them down his throat.
Confirming the movement of Aidan’s Adam’s apple, Brody immediately straightened up.
“Sleep properly in the bed tonight.”
Brody’s eyes, which were cold and emotionless, faintly brushed against Aidan’s.
Already exhausted, he soon sank into the darkness.
The next day when he woke up, the bed was empty except for him.
Though his body and mind felt refreshed, he sprang up feeling bewildered and looked around.
Then he saw Brody, curled up and sleeping on the makeshift sofa.
“Oh my God, what is this……”
With his face turning pale, Aidan hastily got up and approached Brody.
Bending down, he prepared to lift the uncomfortably sleeping Brody onto the bed.
But then, Brody’s eyes suddenly flickered open to look at him.
Caught in her gaze, Aidan froze.
Brody’s eyes seemed to ask, “What do you think you’re doing?”
His mouth opened as if to make an excuse.
“Well, you looked uncomfortable, so…”
Whether she was listening to him or not, Brody slowly rose at her own pace.
Aidan could not bring himself to touch her in that atmosphere, stepping back and looking at her with an anxious expression.
She yawned and stretched leisurely, as if Aidan were not even there.
Then their eyes met—her lazy eyes and Aidan’s trembling ones.
Finally, Brody broke into a slight smile and spoke.
“Good morning, Your Highness. Let’s finalize the marriage vow now.”
A trickle of cold sweat ran down Aidan’s back.
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.”
