“This is a time separator.”
Inside the silent office, thick with silence, Akkia’s face, rushing in upon hearing the news of Leia, was dark.
“Have they not found the culprit yet?”
“…Yes. We’ve investigated in every possible way, but we haven’t found any traces yet.”
Akkia’s voice, responding to Duke Belarus’s question while lowering his gaze, was deeply divided.
“I see….”
Duke Belarus was no different. How shocked he must have been upon hearing that Leia had been attacked in Baelitzkal all of a sudden.
It was similar to the shock he felt when he learned of Ariel’s death in the past.
The anxiety of losing his only granddaughter, Dmitri’s hands trembled mercilessly.
Leia was like an oasis appearing in his life, which had been as dry as a desert. His lovely child, for whom he could give his bones and flesh without reservation.
That’s why she allowed Akkia to help her in Baelitzkal.
‘I must have gone mad for a moment.’
Even though he knew that the emperor would not allow Akkia to be in a good condition, why did he let her go? He blamed himself incessantly throughout the journey to Baelitzkal.
He allowed it, knowing it would be dangerous to be with him, purely for the happiness of that child.
‘But….’
Dmitri still tightly clenched his trembling hands. Resolve shone in the calm eyes of Dmitri.
“Your Highness.”
He called Akkia with a gentle tone he had never used before. In response, Akkia, seemingly surprised, lifted his head.
“Leia is the only remaining blood relative I have. She’s the treasure sent to me by my deceased daughter.”
It was the first time Dmitri had called Akkia, who had become a duke, a prince. It was also the first time he spoke to him in such a polite tone.
“I can do anything for my granddaughter. I was prepared to sacrifice everything for her happiness. And one of those sacrifices was you, Your Highness.”
The heir to the imperial succession with legitimacy. Is there anyone else in the empire as dangerous as Akkia?
“Allowing Leia to be with Your Highness, knowing it would be dangerous, was solely because that child wished for it.”
“….”
“But it seems that I was wrong about my thoughts.”
Akkia remained silent in the face of Duke Belarus’s words, which felt like driving a wedge.
“When Your Highness entered the mine, I believe the sealed entrance was not a coincidence.”
In fact, Akkia also vaguely noticed it.
Even though he didn’t know about the inside of the mine, he thought it was strange that the entrance, which was perfectly fine, was sealed.
Akkia averted his gaze once again. He was certain that Leia’s current situation was undoubtedly his fault.
“I have nothing to say to the Duke.”
Akkia also felt the weight of his responsibility. Although he knew that there were many enemies targeting him, he almost lost Leia due to his careless handling.
As precious as Leia was to him, he knew that she was also a precious person to Duke Belarus. That’s why he couldn’t lift his head to Dmitri.
So, he was willing to let Dmitri slap him if he wanted. But it was Dmitri who bowed his head.
“Your Highness, please….”
Has anyone ever seen it? Dmitri bowing his head so politely. Akkia looked surprised, widening his eyes.
“Please release my granddaughter.”
His words following Dmitri’s left Akkia breathless. The Belarus family was the king in the north.
Even the emperor might not be able to make them bow their heads. They were proud and dignified people.
And Dmitri, the head of the Belarus family, was now bowing his head to Akkia.
“I will give you anything you want. But not Leia….”
Fear of losing his granddaughter. Akkia clenched his fist, well aware of that feeling.
“Please, don’t take that child away from me, the only one left….”
At this moment, Dmitri was simply pleading with Akkia as a grandfather of a child.
“Stay away from her, it’s dangerous to be with you.” And the only response Akkia could offer to such earnest pleas was simply,
“…Understood.”
He accepted it.
“This is a time separator.”
Since regaining consciousness, Leia’s condition had been rapidly improving.
“Is your body better?”
“Yes, much better.”
She, now able to perform everyday activities, asked Akkia, who was sitting in front of her.
“But, Your Grace, have you caught the culprit?”
“Not yet.”
As Akkia’s face darkened like ash, Leia’s heart felt heavy. The guilt emanating from his face conveyed itself to her.
“Your Grace, I’m fine. We can start searching from now on.”
Although Akkia seemed to smile as if it was okay, there was no way to avoid the uneasiness in his heart. Finding the culprit was necessary to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Feeling that uneasy emotion, Akkia approached Leia. Then, he gently swept her scattered hair aside and asked,
“Did you happen to see the face of the culprit? Anything, no matter how trivial, tell me as much as you remember.”
“Well……”
It was trivial. Because she wore a cloak covering her whole body, she couldn’t see the man’s face or even the color of his hair.
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.”
