Seliya felt like she had a pleasant dream for the first time in ages. When she woke up, she even felt lighter.
However, she couldn’t remember the exact content of the dream.
Seliya slowly opened her eyes. Only belatedly did she realize that she was not lying on the hard floor of a prison cell, but on a soft bed.
‘I remember vomiting blood and losing consciousness, but…’
She had no memory beyond that. Had Dietrich moved her to this place?
‘If so… where is Dietrich?’
Seliya tried to look around, but the room was dark. She saw a bright full moon through the half-open window.
She got out of bed and fully opened the window. A refreshing wind blew in, messing up Seliya’s silver hair. At the same time, the moonlight dimly illuminated the room.
Using the moon as a lamp, Seliya inspected her surroundings. The room she was in was spacious but very simple. Not even a common tea table was there. Only a bed, a desk, a chair, a dresser, and a wardrobe constituted the furniture in the room.
There was no sign of Dietrich.
Seliya wondered what he could have been thinking to bring her here. Had he decided to keep her somewhere other than the prison because of what had happened there?
‘But then, the resistance would be fierce.’
Seliya was unaware of the details outside. No one had told her that riots were being provoked here and there by those who desired her.
She had concluded that Dietrich wasn’t as bad a person as she had thought, separate from her distrust of him.
Originally, she had a very poor opinion of Dietrich. She had heard that there had been a few attempts to assassinate the emperor before, and that Dietrich had thwarted them every time.
Known for his loyalty to the emperor to the point of being called the emperor’s mad dog, he had spared Seliya, the one who killed the emperor, upon realizing her abilities.
She had known all along that he had spared her life because she was useful to him. Without her abilities, she wouldn’t be in this place right now.
Seliya was curious about Dietrich’s real intentions. But he had shut his mouth tight about anything truly important.
Knowing that Dietrich would not answer her questions, she always filled their conversations with meaningless talk.
Then, he, who had been emotionless, would show some reaction. However, his reaction was very different from the men she had seen in novels.
Unlike the beasts who were always contemplating what to do with her, Dietrich would occasionally narrow his brows as if displeased by her words or look at her with disdain.
Strangely, whenever emotion added depth to those indifferent red eyes, she felt like teasing him.
Could it be because Dietrich was the only human she could hold a proper conversation with?
Or because he showed no intention of harming her even when their abilities didn’t communicate, making her feel safe?
Well, it didn’t really matter. Seliya had no intention of obediently being used by Dietrich.
She only planned to ‘pretend’ to be used by him.
‘Be it his abilities or his identity. After finding out everything he’s hiding…’
She hadn’t thought of any plans beyond that. Had she lost her objective after eliminating the emperor, her mortal enemy?
Seliya decided to focus on building a rapport with Dietrich for now.
If the Dietrich she knew was aware that using her abilities would ruin her body, then that was even better for her.
The more sympathy and compassion he had for her, the better it was.
The looser he became with his guard against her, the more latitude Seliya would have in her actions. After all, Dietrich was still the commander of the Imperial Knights, holding the military power of the palace.
‘First, let’s figure out where I am.’
Seliya pulled the doorknob to step out of the room. As soon as the door opened, Dietrich was standing right there.
Holding a lantern, he looked down at her. His eyes, reflecting in the lantern light, were endlessly dry.
“…It seems your health has improved.”
“Must be because someone let me sleep in a bed.”
At Seliya’s words, Dietrich let out a snicker. It was more of a mocking laugh than a real one.
“You slept quite soundly, unaware of the world.”
“You, you watched me sleep? Why didn’t you wake me?”
Seliya narrowed her eyes as she asked. Dietrich responded in a stern tone.
“I failed to protect you adequately, so I thought it only fair to let you sleep peacefully for half a day.”
“…You must have had a difficult time because you got me out of prison.”
Dietrich didn’t respond. His eyes lingered on Seliya’s face for a brief moment. His emotionless face remained the same, but somehow, he seemed more irritable than usual.
Finally, Seliya asked again.
“Is that not so?”
“Being considerate while being a criminal. I wonder whether to call this stupidity, or pretending to be stupid.”
The mocking words came back, but Seliya was not at all phased. Rather, she looked up at Dietrich with a broad smile.
“Guess. Am I really stupid, or am I pretending to be stupid?”
“……”
“The odds are fifty-fifty, so choose.”
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.”
