While I was pondering over Orent’s actions,
“If you do not wish it, I have no intention of sending you against your will.”
With none of us daring to answer hastily, Mother spoke in a calm voice.
“However, Your Majesty, the news must have already reached the Grand Temple.”
Gloria cautiously remarked.
The Grand Temple was the central temple of the continent that oversaw all temples dedicated to the god Baldur.
Each country had numerous local temples under the influence of the Grand Temple, and the high priests and saints of smaller kingdoms were as powerful as royalty.
The Ajestar Empire was an exception where the Emperor’s power outweighed that of the clergy, mainly because Mother’s piety was paper-thin.
“I am the Emperor of Ajestar.”
Mother’s voice was stern as she raised an eyebrow sharply.
“A mere servant of the Grand Temple cannot harm me.”
There was clear displeasure in Mother’s voice when she mentioned the Grand Temple. Had anyone heard, they might have been shocked by the blasphemy.
‘Mother and the Pope didn’t get along.’
More precisely, it was Mother who unilaterally disliked the Pope.
I had never seen the Pope in person.
However, the Emperor’s dislike for the Pope was well-known throughout the continent.
The bad blood, I heard, had started even before I was born.
Mother would shove the gifts sent annually from the Grand Temple into storage, saying she couldn’t stand the sight of them, let alone express gratitude.
Yet, the Pope continued to send gifts and flowers every year, which made me think he was quite magnanimous.
‘It takes a special kind of person to be a clergyman.’
But Gloria’s concern was valid.
The high priests of the Grand Temple, already grinding their teeth at Mother’s actions, might use this oracle as an opportunity to strike at her.
“I have an afternoon schedule, so I shall leave first.”
Mother rose from the table before finishing her meal.
[SYSTEM] enters a state of worry.Despite her confident stride, the subsequent system notification revealed Mother’s discomfort.
Direct descendants of the royal family usually had to be accompanied by maids and knights for safety reasons, making it impossible to go out alone.
I usually asked the knights of the palace guard to accompany me since I had no personal knight.
But now, having just awakened as a Swordmaster,
“I might as well protect them if I have to take knights with me.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Today, I have somewhere to go alone. Don’t follow me.”
The maids couldn’t stop me and just saw me off to the carriage.
However, passing the palace corridor, I noticed that the atmosphere outside was a bit more chaotic than usual.
“What’s going on?”
“Duke Hamilton has gone bald.”
“What?”
“So, today’s audience was canceled. His Majesty, already in a foul mood, is even more upset because the Duke unilaterally postponed the audience.”
“…”
“So, now there’s a lot of talk among the maids. They say Prince Orent might also… become bald!”
“…”
I swallowed hard.
There was something that fleetingly crossed my mind.
Item
A potion treasured by the Bald Kraken to maintain its shiny bald head. It turns the drinker bald.
After defeating the , I found this potion in the mailbox among the rewards – a useless potion that turned people bald, ten of them.
‘Could it be…’
I instinctively knew.
This was Anselot’s doing.
Even if I stood on my head on a horse, it was still Anselot’s doing.
‘Did he manage to slip the potion into the Duke’s drink…?’
Thanks to that, Mother’s mood soured, casting a gloom over the palace atmosphere.
“Princess, do you know anything about this?”
“No, how could I? Poor Duke Hamilton. He already looked older than his age, and now he’s bald.”
The maids looked at me quizzically at my expression, but I quickly shook my head, drawing a line. It’s best not to get involved.
“Then I’ll be off.”
I waved cheerily at the maids and boarded the carriage.
[Wow~!!! It’s been so long since I’ve seen the outside world ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪]The system window spoke in an excited tone.
“Pfft, what are you talking about? We go out often.”
[Not really, it’s my first time, you know? I’m supposed to stick right beside the player. So, I can only go where the player goes ❤.(๓´͈ ˘ `͈๓).❤]Huh? Didn’t Hezen, when he was the player, go sightseeing here and there?
[Since we met by the lake that time, you haven’t gone out until now ｡°(っ°´o`°ｃ)°｡]As I blinked, not quite understanding, the system window suddenly flashed a surprised emoticon and a new message.
[Wait, did you confuse me with the previous windows? Σ(‘◉⌓◉’)]‘Previous windows? Like predecessors?’
[The previous ones had to retire due to poor health. They were all battered by a vicious bug ‧₊˚(✘﹏✘)]I remembered the system windows crackling and breaking apart whenever Anselot appeared, along with notifications of bugs occurring.
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.”
