When Kite was startled and stood up, a man entering the room knelt down on one knee and politely bowed.
“Your Highness, Tucker Grey offers his greetings. I hope you have been well.”
Ruelle cautiously observed the man rising from his seat. Despite his fierce appearance, he wore neat and sophisticated clothing, and his hair was neatly groomed.
“Tucker, what brings you here? Did something happen in Elab?”
Hazen and other comrades approached Tucker, greeting him warmly with shoulder bumps and handshakes. Although they all seemed friendly, concern about his unexpected arrival without prior contact was evident on their faces.
“Did something happen to Keisha?”
Ruelle listened intently, curious about who Keisha might be.
Although there were many questions, it didn’t seem like the right time to intervene.
In response to Kite’s question, Tucker quickly nodded.
“No, Your Majesty. The Empress is doing well. The reason I urgently came here is because yesterday, a strange man came to Ferimont Mansion and asked the guards about me.”
“A question?”
Kite sat down, gesturing for Tucker to do the same, and inquired further.
“What kind of question?”
“The man inquired about my name and wanted to know who I am,” Tucker replied.
“Yes. What’s even stranger is that he asked about Benson, who serves the Empress with me.”
Hazen and Rapha sighed simultaneously upon hearing Tucker’s words.
Kite turned to look at the two.
“What’s going on?”
Hazen scratched his head and replied, “It seems to be related to Viscount Gart. No, if it was yesterday, those people he sent were indeed the ones. Definitely. When they came looking for us after the Royal Ball, they asked about our names, and we answered with aliases.”
Kite let out a sigh.
“How did you respond that made the Viscount suspicious?”
Rapha protested, her voice holding back anger as she widened her eyes.
“We just told them our names! What could be suspicious about that?”
“Raphael is right. The Viscount is unusually perceptive. He must have felt something uneasy during the conversation and immediately sent someone.”
Ruelle greeted Tucker with a slight nod, signaling her presence.
Realizing belatedly that they hadn’t introduced themselves, Kite apologized and introduced Tucker.
“This is my fiancée, Ruelle Rominin.”
Upon hearing Kite’s words, Tucker promptly stood up and gave a courteous greeting.
“I have heard a lot about Empress. I am Tucker Grey.”
Responding with a smile to Tucker’s greeting, Ruelle curiously asked, “You’ve heard about me?”
“Yes. Duke, your Excellency, informed us of the engagement through a letter. Because of that, we all have been looking forward to meeting Lady Ruelle.”
Ruelle glanced at Kite.
“When did he send such a letter?”
“He sent it when we were in contact about a trade negotiation. Since you’re my only family, I had to inform you first. I told him I met someone precious.”
The engagement, which had been just talk, now felt acknowledged and formalized.
However, Ruelle tried to focus on the current situation, putting a bit of joy aside.
“Shall we go back to what we were talking about earlier? What did the guards at Fermont Mansion say? Something must have happened if Greer rushed here urgently.”
“The guards responded well. They received thorough training. However, the problem is that the person didn’t give up there.”
“He didn’t give up?”
Kite nodded, seemingly approving Tucker’s hesitation.
“I don’t know how he found out, but the guards of the Imperial Palace frequented a tavern. He inquired about the Emperor, Empress, their relatives, and also Fermont Duke. Additionally, he asked about Benson and me.”
After saying that much, Tucker hastily added.
“Of course, officially, Duke Fermont is stated to be visiting the Kingdom of Kuran. The reason is that His Excellency Fermont, along with his family, is descending to the rural estate. The problem lies with me and Benson.”
“What was the issue?”
“It seems that someone there knew me. That person, for a few coins, got excited and spilled details about my past. A guy who only chose to talk about bad deeds met the Empress and claimed to have a prosperous life.”
Kite wrinkled his forehead and chuckled.
“But just from that story, you couldn’t have known all the facts, right?”
“Sensing something odd, he asked about my appearance. So, naturally, they must have talked about my looks on their end…”
Tucker, with a perplexed expression, trailed off, reaching for the teacup Hagen had placed in front of him.
“Regardless of who it is, they seem to be quite skilled.”
Raphael sighed.
“At that time, Rico, a guard from the Imperial Palace, happened to be near that table, inquiring about the Emperor and Empress and their close associates. It seemed suspicious, so he returned to the palace and reported to Empress Dowager. As soon as I heard about it, I immediately boarded a ship to come here.”
“We’re in the worst possible situation now, aren’t we?”
Tucker, showing an anxious expression, asked in response to Hagen’s question.
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.”
