A smile tugged at the corners of Khaled’s mouth as he returned to the palace. It was oddly satisfying to see the flustered expression on Derek’s face, as if he had won over him. It couldn’t be helped even if it was childish. That was his honest feeling.
‘So, the Duke of Ceylon……’
He seemed not interested in involving himself in the throne disputes.
He had no desire to enter the Ducal house in the first place, and if he became a successor, he would inevitably have to involve himself in the throne disputes he despised so much. So, for Derek, the option of entering the Ducal house would be unattractive to even think about.
Khaled didn’t feel the need to persuade someone who clearly did not want it.
This was a matter of trust.
‘But it’s a great gain to establish a connection with the master of Runes.’
Derek had made an excuse to help Bellia.
Although his evasive manner was somewhat distasteful, it was not a bad answer as it implied that the balance had tilted slightly towards his side when comparing the first and second princes.
Although he was not particularly pleased to hear Bellia’s name being mentioned in his answer.
“Hoo…”
Khaled crossed his arms and leaned heavily against the backrest.
Just thinking of her name made him long for her.
‘It’s severe.’
It seemed like his symptoms were getting worse.
But Khaled closed his eyes with a smile on his lips.
He had to meet Bellia as soon as he arrived at the palace, he thought.
[This is the time separator]The library was quiet, a place Bellia loved very much.
Ever since she was little, she preferred her quiet alone time more than chaos.
Today, too, she was reading a book in the library to avoid the noisy atmosphere when someone suddenly brought a chair in front of her and sat down, staring at her intently.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“How am I looking at you?”
Bellia was unable to voice out that he was looking at her with a face that screamed ‘I’m so in love with you’, and she shut her mouth tight. Then, she changed the subject.
“How did your errand go?”
Khaled, who clearly noticed that she had deliberately changed the subject, responded to match Bellia’s pace.
“Well. As expected.”
“Really? How was he when you met him?”
Bellia leaned towards him, appearing curious. Khaled answered with a voice filled with incredulity, seeing Bellia show interest in another man while she had shown no reaction when he looked at her earlier.
“He seemed intelligent.”
“Ahaha. What’s that supposed to mean? You’re stating the obvious.”
Derek was the operator of an information guild.
Meeting such a person and expressing the impression that he seemed smart.
Bellia said in a voice filled with lingering laughter.
“He will join our cause. I’m planning to meet him soon to persuade him.”
“He didn’t seem like someone who would just agree because you persuaded him.”
“Hmm. Derek is a good person, so if I persuade him earnestly, he might agree?”
When Bellia replied in a playful tone, Khaled’s eyebrows shot up.
“Do you think he’s a good person?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“When I met him before, he seemed nice, right?”
Bellia swallowed many stories she couldn’t tell him.
So, she tried to let it slide as a joke when Khaled suddenly asked.
“…Then what about me?”
“Huh? Ahahahaha.”
At his unexpected question, Bellia burst out laughing.
He often showed jealousy in such an unexpected way.
“Bellia. Why aren’t you answering?”
“Hahaha.”
“Huh? What do I seem like?”
The thought that he was urging for an answer in a serious tone was somewhat cute. His question that did not suit him at all was fun too.
Thinking about it, he was like this when he kept bringing flowers last time too.
Why does he always behave unexpectedly?
“Well, you’re a good person too.”
As Bellia gathered her erupting laughter and answered, Khaled’s expression turned gloomy.
Having laughed enough, Bellia decided to stop teasing him and opened her mouth seriously.
“I have a way to persuade Derek. Because I know his weakness.”
“Are you going to blackmail him with his weakness?”
At Khaled’s question, Bellia burst into laughter again.
Although she wasn’t someone who often laughed, Velia found herself chuckling frequently.
She found his actions strangely adorable.
“Threat? I just know what he wants most right now, and I think I can help him with that. So, I thought I might as well offer.”
Her words were light, but it was as good as certain in Velia’s plan. Derrick would never be able to refuse her request.
In her previous life, Derrick had first shown kindness to her, treating her well. Memories of his gratitude, rare in those who showed her kindness after being abandoned by the Emperor, resurfaced.
Although it bothered her to ask him so calculatively, in truth, this would be a gift like a miracle to Derrick, so Velia decided to brazenly go forward.
“Speaking of which, is the engagement ceremony preparation going well?”
“The Empire is sending a representative.”
“Who did they say is coming?”
Hopefully it’s someone she knew.
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.”
