It feels like my whole body is being torn apart. With every breath in and out, I felt a sharp pain as if blades were fiercely slashing and passing through without respite.
“Ugh…”
My head throbbed, and the sensation of my entire body becoming incredibly heavy, as if gravity had multiplied by ten, was familiar. Although more severe than usual, it was similar to the symptoms after using the ability.
‘It seems I can purify manticore poison too, except for a bit more difficulty.’
The price was quite harsh, but an expanded range of ability usage was welcome.
Thinking of the versatile ability, I raised my upper body without much thought, turned my head carelessly, and was met with a horrifying sight.
“Eloise.”
“…Ack!”
Surprised, I covered my mouth with both hands.
‘N-No, startle her!’
Beside the bed, Duke Ferdia, sitting on a chair whose origin I didn’t know, crossed his legs and looked at me. Not only him but Marquis and the physician were present, along with Yancy and the marchioness.
It was unclear why everyone was here with Charlotte being the patient.
‘Wait a minute. This isn’t my bedroom…?’
However, the furniture arrangement and decorations in the detached room were similar to my bedroom, and for a moment, I thought it was my own.
At that moment, turning my head with my fists clenched, I faced the marquis who was staring at me with a piercing gaze.
“How’s your body?”
“I-I’m fine.”
“You’re not very good at lying.”
After a nod from the marquis, the physician rushed over and began examining me.
“Hmm…”
“How is it?”
“Fortunately, there are no signs of poisoning. However, it seems like the pain is severe due to the ability trying to destroy the poison inside your body. Since you’re quite sensitive and frail, you should rest for a while to recover.”
His words were long, but in the end, it was a diagnosis of no abnormalities. The advice to rest was a common phrase used by physicians.
However, despite such a diagnosis, the expressions of the Ferdia family members became more serious.
“Pain…”
The severe gaze of Duke Ferdia turned to me. Awkwardly, I smiled and quickly explained.
“I’m really fine! It’s just a bit more tired than usual.”
I desperately smiled to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Already having experienced embarrassment once when caught by the marchioness, I hoped this disturbance would pass quickly.
However, wishes never came true so easily.
It came.
Duke Ferdia began to interrogate me in earnest.
“When did your ability manifest?”
“Uh, in the summer.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“At that time, I also stirred up Father’s feelings about the engagement, and I thought it would be better to be cautious… I was planning to tell you later.”
It was a lie. If I hadn’t been caught, I had no intention of revealing it.
Just to be safe, I continued to hide the truth.
Seeing the marchioness, who appeared relieved, Duke Ferdia shrugged his shoulders as if to assure her. It seemed she didn’t inform anyone about our deal.
However, even so, it seemed that, under the circumstances, a lot had already been exposed.
“Is Eloise the new pharmacist of Ferdia?”
There was no point in denying it, so I nodded my head convincingly.
“Destroying toxins within the body to create an antidote?”
Nod.
“The price of the ability is progressive pain according to the toxicity.”
“……!”
How did he come up with that? Without answering, I widened my eyes, and the Duke turned his gaze as if understanding.
“It’s better for you not to use your ability, Eloise.”
“Yes….”
There was no need for a special reminder since I had already been forbidden by the marchioness. It was just an added inconvenience to use it more discreetly than before.
Yancy, who had been silent all along, asked the marchioness.
“Mother already knew, didn’t she?”
“It just happened to be that way.”
Yancy seemed deep in thought. I couldn’t help but feel tense.
Among the moments considered the most frightening in the world, one of them was when the villain character fell silent.
Like the calm before the storm.
‘What on earth is he thinking?’
Suppressing my anxiety, I looked around and made eye contact with Masa.
The sight of the Ferdia humans being overwhelmed by the aura was pitiful.
I needed to go back to the annex quickly and prove to Masa that I was okay.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I asked the Duke.
“But where is this?”
“Your bedroom.”
“What?”
“Your bedroom in the main mansion.”
What do you mean?
I could see the parts where they put effort into the details, saying it was prepared in advance.
Even before I could fully grasp the situation, Duke Ferdia spoke up.
“We need to monitor your condition, so stay here for a while, Eloise. If you need anything, just tell the steward. He will attend to you immediately.”
“No, I should be in the annex…!”
“Rest.”
Having finished saying what he wanted, the Duke quickly left the bedroom. My outstretched hand felt futile.
Taking a deep sigh, I looked at the marchioness and Yancy, and asked.
“How about Karl? Have the knights been detoxified?”
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.”
