A carriage laden with flowers arrived at the prearranged venue, its hooves clacking at every turn.
People quickly discussed how to decorate with the flowers and set to work arranging them.
As the tables and surrounding areas gradually brightened, the hostess Velia appeared.
“The flowers have arrived, I see. Take care of it.”
“Of course! Don’t worry, Princess!”
Velia was incredibly busy.
She inspected the works to be auctioned, separately checked the goods sponsored by each family.
She reviewed the party’s sequence of events, meticulously gauging the musicians’ positions and the reverberation of sound.
She even paid attention to the types and process of the dishes the chefs were preparing.
Everyone was astonished by her meticulousness.
“Since the tableware is ornate, avoid overdoing it with the flowers. And please maintain the point colors.”
“Yes! Leave it to us!”
Velia nodded as she looked at the maids who responded with confidence.
At this sight, the faces of those holding the flowers brightened.
“Princess Velia!”
“Princess!”
Then, about half a dozen people came running, calling out to Velia.
They were the artists Velia sponsored, and they were also the creators of the works to be auctioned today.
“Welcome.”
Velia greeted them with a warm smile, and then a young man hesitantly muttered.
“Is it alright for us to be at a place like this…”
They were worried about whether they should mingle at an event full of nobles.
“What’s not alright? Don’t worry, enjoy yourselves. I’ve arranged a spot for you over there, where you’ll be comfortable.”
She had arranged their seats on one side to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the nobles, all while keeping the party in view.
The artists’ expressions swelled with emotion upon realizing this.
While Princess Velia was always modest in her words, her thoughtful actions consistently moved people.
“Let’s see how much your works will sell for today. It should be interesting.”
Velia winked and quickly moved to another area.
One of the artists opened his mouth as he stared at Velia’s retreating figure.
“…Having Princess Velia in the empire is truly a great fortune for its citizens.”
Where else could one find a princess who converses so openly with common folk?
“Indeed. We are so grateful that the Second Prince is engaged to Princess Velia.”
“Isn’t it the other way around?”
Chided by his friend for the awkward phrasing, the man quickly cleared his throat and corrected himself.
“Anyway, it’s clear the Second Prince is a good man. Why else would someone like her like him?”
Everyone naturally expressed positive opinions about Velia and the soontobemarried Prince Khaled.
“I heard the Second Prince is also coming today. We’ll know when we see him.”
“See? I told you it’s a sure bet, want to wager?”
“Haha. Okay. I’ll bet that you’re right.”
“What?! Then there’s no bet.”
Another man grabbed their bickering shoulders and led them to the seats Velia had arranged.
“Hahaha. Let’s all go to our seats.”
The overall atmosphere in the empire was similar. Velia’s small acts of kindness quickly spread like a storm, sweeping her popularity everywhere.
Moreover, as Velia’s image improved, so did the perception of Khaled.
Stories of Khaled discovering a gold mine and rescuing Raul from a monster hunt were rehighlighted, causing people to doubt the previous rumors about the Second Prince.
“Princess! Preparations seem almost complete; you should rest a bit. You won’t get a chance to rest once the party starts.”
Countess Susan of the Saphio family approached Velia with concern.
Velia moved without even a moment’s rest. How such strength emanated from that small, slender frame was a mystery.
“Finally, we need to check the auction stage.”
“We’ve already checked everything there!”
“But….”
“We checked it twice, three times even.”
Susan was adamant.
She grabbed Velia’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“No, wait….!”
Velia reached out with her free arm, but it was futile.
Arriving at the spot Susan had led her to, Rachel and Mia were already seated, waiting for Velia.
“Why are you so late!”
“It took time to find you because the Princess was darting around everywhere.”
Exhausted, Susan spoke. At that, Rachel chuckled.
“The chef secretly made this for you earlier, try it.”
Mia said, her eyes sparkling.
Among the four, she was the youngest but had an unexpectedly sharp wit, so it didn’t feel awkward to be around her.
“Um, thank you.”
Velia awkwardly smiled and picked up a fork.
“Really, don’t push yourself.”
Susan sighed.
Then she turned to Rachel.
“Rachel, say something to the Princess. At this rate, I’m afraid she’ll really wear herself out.”
“It’s not that bad….”
Velia quietly protested, but they didn’t pay any attention.
Since the day Rachel declared she wanted to be friends with Velia, they had gathered often for bazaar preparations. Susan and Mia, being of similar age, also got along exceedingly well with them.
And not long ago, they had agreed to call each other by their first names.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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