I gazed at the system notification with a face filled with regret.
“How about spending time with me on the last day of the festival?”
Enjer, who had suddenly returned to the temptation state from the pride state, smiled brightly and asked.
“That day, I have a prior arrangement with Maria.”
Unlike Azester, where the power of the temple was stronger than the monarchy, Enjer proposed an alternative instead of breaking the promise with the saint.
“Then, during your stay in Luvenhart, let’s spend some time together at least once.”
“…….”
I couldn’t respond immediately.
The reason was the enchanted attention of the young maidens who had been eagerly listening to Enjer and my conversation since earlier.
‘Can’t we have this conversation in private?’
Internally, I cursed Enjer with harsh words, but…
“Okay.”
My lips, betraying me, opened on their own and accepted his proposal.
[SYSTEM] Accepting ‘s date proposal as a penalty for quest failure. [SYSTEM] ‘s favorability has decreased by -17. (Favorability: -441)At the same time, an alert about Helena’s decreased favorability rang.
As I turned around, I could see Helena, unable to intervene in Enjer’s and my conversation, clenching her fists with visible frustration.
I had a premonition that it would be a tiring ordeal.
Even though I failed the quest, I could not bring myself to admit that Anselot was inferior to Enjer.
Returning to the prince’s residence, I grabbed people and cornered them.
“Kyung is an honest person, so tell me what Kyung thinks and feels without falsehood.”
“Please ask anything, Your Highness.”
Claus replied with a reverent tone. With confidence soaring, I looked at him intently and asked.
“Between Prince Enjer and Prince Anselot, who is more handsome?”
“…….”
Claus remained silent for a moment.
Soon, he answered with a resolute voice.
“Not answering to Your Highness’s question is not the proper conduct for a servant. However, I have also learned that not speaking the truth when it is twisted is an even greater betrayal.”
“Uh……?”
“Comparing the external appearance of humans to determine superiority is not right, Your Highness.”
“…….”
Thanks to that, it was my mouth that closed.
“Well… sorry, Claus.”
I had to apologize to Claus for his straightforward beliefs.
Next, I approached Illei.
“Illei, what do you think?”
“Handsome?”
Illei asked with a quizzical look.
“So, whose face looks better between the two……”
“?
Illei didn’t understand the concept of being handsome at all.
As a last resort, I sneakily asked Piya, but…
“Piya, what about you……”
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
―Bad Anselot! Naughty Anselot! Let’s punish Anselot!
I decided to give up on just asking Piya.
In the end, I failed to get an answer from them.
And a little later.
The last day of the festival, as promised with Maria.
Even though there was still plenty of time until the appointed meeting, I treated Maria with tea when she arrived at the prince’s residence early in the morning and casually asked.
“What does Maria think?”
“Well……. Are you asking whether Anselot Prince or Enjer Crown Prince is better externally?”
Maria answered in a gentle voice, placing the teacup down.
“Both are not great, but if I have to choose who is worse, it would be Anselot Prince.”
As she said that, a very compassionate and respectful smile lingered on Maria’s face.
“……So, does Maria think that Enjer Crown Prince is more handsome than Anselot?”
If I have to answer, yes.”
With Maria’s neat response, I collapsed onto the table as if hit by a lightning bolt, wrapping my head with my arms.
“It’s absurd.”
Anyone could see that Anselot is much more handsome, so why? Why?
Is it possible that there’s something wrong with my eyes, as Enjer said? No, in the first place, there’s no way I have a distorted view like a bean.
Maybe the aesthetic standards of the Kingdom of Luenhardt are a bit strange.
Originally, aesthetic standards vary slightly depending on the culture.
But no matter how different the aesthetic standards are…… can it be said that Enjer Crown Prince is more handsome with a face like Anselot’s?
It was a time when I was truly perplexed.
“Oh, right. I brought a gift for Prince Anselot.”
Maria casually showed me a box, diverting my attention.
“A gift for Anselot?”
“Yes, since there was a misunderstanding last time, I thought I’d make amends with a present.”
It wasn’t a misunderstanding; I was genuinely kidnapped…
‘Maria is truly an angel.’
I felt grateful for Maria’s generous heart.
Inside the box were beautifully made cookies.
“Did you make them yourself?”
“Hehe. In the temple, we also sell cookies infused with divine power during the festival.”
“Infused with divine power?”
“Yes, these cookies contain the power of Amor, the goddess of love and truth.”
As I listened to Maria’s explanation, the ordinary cookies suddenly began to look sacred.
“And here’s a gift from Lady Luvell.”
Maria smiled prettily and handed me another gift.
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.”
