“Hmm…”
Cedric let out a deep sigh, anxiously waiting for someone. The trembling eyelashes soon lost their strength.
He sighed again, rubbing his parched lips.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking on the door echoed. Cedric immediately raised his head and spoke urgently, “Come in.”
“Master, I’m here.”
The person entering with an eye patch was Cedric’s subordinate. Cedric looked at his subordinate, rose from his seat, and leaned back against the sofa after passing a large desk.
“How much progress has been made with the tasks?”
“It seems it will take more time than expected.”
“Why the hell are you handling things like this! Just burn all the traces of the experiments if necessary!”
A thunderous roar reverberated through the room. It was surprising, but Cedric’s subordinate remained calm, as if used to it.
“Calm down, Master. We still need to preserve the data we’ve researched for several years. Burning all the data would also be playing into the hands of our enemies.”
There was no error in the subordinate’s words. Cedric closed his mouth, suppressing his anger.
“And, we can’t instantly kill all the prisoners. The execution of prisoners should only be carried out under the Emperor’s orders, as you well know.”
“Ha… Those prisoners, not even human, should all be killed to clean up the mess.”
The Emperor had suggested that sudden mass executions of prisoners would raise suspicions, so he advised considering alternative methods.
In response to Cedric’s words, the subordinate smiled meaningfully and muttered, “If that’s the case, don’t worry.”
He grinned, bearing a striking resemblance to Cedric, and whispered, “As soon as we transfer all the data on the biological experiments, just set fire to the prison. It’s foolish to waste time comforting and calming the prisoners while trying to keep the secret.”
Cedric, feeling tangled even by his subordinate’s words, messed up his hair in frustration. Then, he commanded in a low voice, “Handle it as quickly as possible. I can’t leave a single trace that connects me to that place!”
Duke Artem, he himself, was trying to strike his neck.
Everything needed to be dealt with before he made a move.
“Leave it to me, Master. Who am I? Haven’t I once disappointed you in over thirty years?”
With a confident expression, the subordinate continued, looking at Cedric.
“Sicagor is a place where outsiders cannot enter. As infamous as the prisoners gathered there are, the security level is also extremely high.”
A sly smirk appeared on his cunning face.
“For the past few decades, not a single person has escaped from there, and it’s a place where external access has been thoroughly blocked. How could a young duke who only knows how to talk big get in there? The evidence can be obtained when he enters Sicagor.”
He reassured Cedric’s anxious mind, speaking confidently.
“The duke may have luckily found our weakness, but that’s it. All he can do is sit quietly and lament his useless existence. He will realize how miserable he is, knowing everything but unable to do anything.”
“Sigh… Yes. As you say, there’s nothing the young inexperienced duke can do.”
Cedric’s mind, filled with anxiety, was somewhat calmed.
He thought of Rose, the culprit behind all this.
“Everything went awry because of that ignorant girl.”
“There’s no need to investigate separately. That girl must have stolen information in the meantime.”
“Damn her! Acting like an innocent lamb, not knowing anything, and taking away our family’s secrets.”
The man agreed with Cedric and added, “Even the necklace that disappeared last time… Maybe that thief took it.”
Bang!
“Cursed!”
Cedric couldn’t contain his anger and slammed the table hard. Then he stood up from his seat.
“Don’t get too excited. We can surely take it back. After all, she probably has no idea how to use that necklace. Even the esteemed Fliche Marquis didn’t know the power of the necklace. He probably just stole it without knowing what it was, stored in the safe.”
“Hmm…”
Even with the subordinate’s words, Cedric was perplexed. He rubbed his throbbing head and asked softly.
“What about Fliche Marquis’s movements?”
“He’s as quiet as usual. He’s probably hiding in fear now that he realizes how terrifying the Wens Viscount’s family is.”
Fliche Marquis, who took care of all the dirty work.
The family responsible was the Wens Viscount’s family.
They devoted themselves to Fliche Marquis.
The Wens Viscount’s family conducted biological experiments and created monsters as instructed by Fliche Marquis.
“I didn’t back off because I lacked ability. Did you really not know that the Wens Viscount’s family could tear my throat apart if they set their minds to it? I can never forgive Fliche Marquis for casting away such a loyal subordinate.”
He was furious, his face turning red.
It was because of Fliche Marquis’s betrayal, casting aside the Wens Viscount’s family, that Cedric felt a sense of betrayal.
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.”
