“……Hector?”
The owner of the hand was her escort knight, Hector. He was a skilled knight with brown eyes and brown hair, assigned by Dmitri.
Lea looked at the hand he offered with confusion.
‘I’ve never been escorted like this before.’
Perhaps because he was a commoner knight, he seemed unfamiliar with noble etiquette and didn’t even know that he should offer his hand when a lady descended from a carriage.
However, Lea didn’t attach much importance to the escort culture of the nobles, and as long as the bodyguard did his job well, she didn’t mind.
But suddenly offering his hand like this. Who told him it was unnecessary? Surprised by Hector’s sudden change in behavior, she hesitated for a moment before taking his hand.
“Thank you.”
With a brief expression of gratitude, she tried to turn away.
“Why do you have something like this?”
Her steps stopped at the unexpected response. The man behind her laughed softly, as if finding Lea’s reaction amusing.
Soon, a too familiar and missed voice echoed in her ears.
“Duke…!”
Lea barely managed to cover her mouth with both hands to prevent a loud exclamation. Still, with an unbelieving look, she scanned the man.
It was unmistakably Akiya.
Although the hair color, eye color, and even the face were completely different, Akiya was standing by her side.
‘How on earth…’
After a moment of astonishment, Lea led him to the back of the mansion, worried that someone might recognize the Duke.
Confirming that there was no one around, Lea glanced at the man in front of her.
“What on earth is going on?”
“It’s exactly what it looks like.”
“Duke!”
As Lea asked, looking like she was asking a younger brother, Akiya’s mouth curled up.
“Hector was originally sent by me. I can’t just entrust your security to anyone. I just told Hector to take a break for today.”
“I was really surprised…! But when on earth did you learn this disguise?”
“If you want to deceive others and move around outside the mansion, this is basic.”
He had to disguise himself as someone else to survive as the frail Duke at the top of Magnolia. That’s why he added that he had never tried a disguise.
“I’ll be by your side for a while.”
“But if someone notices…”
“Don’t worry, I won’t be caught.”
Lea sighed helplessly at the confident attitude of the Duke.
She was a little worried, but she didn’t dislike Akiya acting as her escort, even if it was a disguise.
“More than that, if you want something, just tell me.”
“What is it?”
“I said, I can handle any disguise.”
“But?”
“If you want it, I can show you a new world every night.”
At the man’s words that came out of nowhere, Lea blushed.
“Duke…!”
“Of course, I’d like to show you from tonight, but maybe next time.”
The Duke, who seemed to find Lea’s reaction amusing, tousled her hair.
“I have something else to do tonight.”
Late in the evening, the sun had set, and pitch-black darkness had settled. Rodrigo Hujak was sitting on a rock on the middle slope of the back mountain, where he had arranged to meet the pharmacist.
‘Tsk.’
The pharmacist, who should have arrived first and waited, finally appeared after a long time. Seeing Rodrigo Hujak, who had arrived earlier, he hurriedly ran over and bowed his head.
“H-Hujak-nim, I apologize for being late! I got lost on the way…”
“It’s fine. Has anyone seen you coming here?”
“No! No one. As always, I left after everyone had gone to sleep.”
The Imperial pharmacist vigorously shook his head. Then, with a puzzled look, he asked about the medicine he had submitted to the Emperor not long ago.
“However, I made medicine not long ago. Why did you call me again?”
The pharmacist, who periodically changed the color of his hair, had been making medicine for the marquis. It had been over twenty years since he took on that task.
Marquis Rodrigo Hujak, who used to avoid meeting him until the next cycle, had not sought him out until recently when receiving medicine.
To avoid drawing attention, they minimized their meetings. If it wasn’t urgent, they usually exchanged messages.
‘It’s been a while since we’ve met face to face like this…’
As the pharmacist got lost in his thoughts, the voice of Marquis Rodrigo reached his ears.
“Well, I have something to discuss with you. Have you written down the formula for the medicine?”
“Yes? Yes! Here it is.”
The pharmacist chuckled and handed a paper with the formula to Marquis Rodrigo. After scanning the formula, Marquis Rodrigo tucked the scroll into the inside pocket of his jacket.
“Then I’ll be going back.”
The pharmacist seemed to think he had finished his business, bowed deeply, and turned away. At that moment, Marquis Rodrigo called the pharmacist with a low voice.
“I’ve been truly grateful, Jernib. Thanks to you, things have been quite smooth.”
As the pharmacist turned slowly, his eyes met Marquis Rodrigo’s gaze. The meaningful smile on Rodrigo’s face sent shivers down Jernib’s spine.
“Now, take a good rest.”
“What is this…?”
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.”
