“What is this behavior!”
Manager Pyo, regaining her composure, approached Yeoreum. Yeoreum, still engrossed in the music and dancing, merely shrugged her shoulders, a nonchalant reaction as if asking what the problem was.
“Turn off that music right now!”
Manager Pyo gesticulated wildly, but Yeoreum continued dancing, ignoring her and tossing another plate to the ground. It was almost like throwing water balloons at an amusement park.
The employees were dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before them.
Manager Pyo reached out to grab Yeoreum, who stepped back to avoid having her plate taken.
“You really…!”
Finally, Manager Pyo, infuriated, raised her right hand, intending to slap Yeoreum’s cheek.
Everyone watching gasped at the impending situation.
“Ah…”
The employees, anxiously watching the standoff, sighed in relief.
The butler grabbed Manager Pyo’s wrist as it neared Yeoreum’s cheek.
She shook off her hand and confronted Manager Pyo.
“Manager Pyo, what are you doing?”
“Don’t interfere, butler!”
Her eyes fiercely glared at Yeoreum.
“Don’t interfere? When you’re driving someone to this and resorting to violence?”
“Didn’t you hear what the grande dame said yesterday? Everything related to Jeong Yeoreum is delegated to me. I am executing that duty right now! So, butler, back off!”
The butler’s brows furrowed slightly, but Manager Pyo continued shouting.
“This child is so ill-mannered. I’ll be the one to properly educate her from now on!”
The butler, witnessing her frenzy, said,
“It seems you are the one who needs re-education, Manager Pyo. Control your anger. No one here should be subject to your unrestrained emotions.”
“But I clearly said it was the grande dame’s order, didn’t I?”
“Indeed, but I take orders from Chairman Kang Ju-hwa.”
The butler’s tone was calm, but there was strength in her voice. And the mention of ‘Kang Ju-hwa’ instantly overpowered Song Jeongmi.
“The chairman has given me the right and responsibility to oversee this house. It is my duty to correct anything that goes awry in this household, including calming any disturbances. Am I wrong?”
Manager Pyo was visibly upset but couldn’t respond. The butler’s words were true, and she was a longtime confidant of Chairman Kang.
“As the butler of Blue House, I can’t tolerate the crude language and violence of our staff.”
Manager Pyo, breathing heavily, argued with the butler.
“So, we should just overlook that Jeong Yeoreum smashed all those dishes?”
“It was a mistake,” the butler replied.
“A mistake? She deliberately threw them to the ground!”
Manager Pyo’s voice rose, and the butler turned to Yeoreum.
“It was a mistake, right?”
“Of course. Definitely a mistake.”
Yeoreum quickly placed the dish she was holding on the sink and flashed a broad smile.
The butler said, “I understand. Our kitchen detergent is really slippery.”
“Yes, it’s so slippery. Like an eel.”
“That’s an apt description. Kitchen detergent is like an eel.”
Manager Pyo was flabbergasted.
It seemed like they were both making a fool of her.
Then the butler, noticing the rubber gloves on Yeoreum’s hands, remarked,
“Take those off. It seems this task isn’t suitable for you, Yeoreum.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Not suitable at all.”
She replied sternly.
Yeoreum chuckled and began to remove the gloves to place them on the sink.
“Give me those gloves.”
Though Yeoreum seemed puzzled, she complied with the butler’s request and handed over the gloves.
She approached Manager Pyo and handed her the rubber gloves.
Everyone was even more astonished.
Manager Pyo was just as dumbfounded.
“What are you doing?”
She attempted to remove the gloves, but the butler pressed down harder, preventing her from dropping them.
“……Butler!”
“It reminds me of old times when I see these gloves. When Manager Pyo first came to this house, you were terrible at dishwashing. You would chip and break dishes so frequently that you got scolded a lot by the retiring chef. Eventually, I had to transfer you to the cleaning department, which is now under your charge. Remember?”
The younger employees looked at Manager Pyo in shock.
They had never imagined that she, who always lorded over them from the top, was once demoted to cleaning due to her inability to wash dishes properly.
Her reddened face seemed to confirm the truth of these words.
The butler gripped Manager Pyo’s hand even tighter and said,
“Manager Pyo, people grow by learning. Whether it’s in a good way or bad. I’ll talk to Yeoreum about today’s incident, so let it be. And Yeoreum, come with me.”
The butler tapped her hand reassuringly and then left the kitchen.
Yeoreum, seeing Manager Pyo trembling with anger, quickly followed the butler.
“Please, have a seat.”
The butler poured a beautiful orange-colored tea.
They were in a greenhouse overlooking the garden.
Despite the cold and desolate outdoors, the space filled with green plants felt comforting.
“Thank you.”
Taking a sip of the warm tea improved her mood.
The butler, seated across on the sofa, said,
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.”
