Knock knock.
The sound of knocking was heard and the office door opened.
“So you were here.”
Caroline stepped inside.
“What brings you to my office, sister?”
Jeremiah asked about her sudden visit.
“I came because I have something to say.”
Caroline often visited the office without notice.
Each time, she would make unreasonable demands disguised as suggestions.
Invest in a newly established company she’d just heard of, make contracts with places of unestablished credit, or donate to questionable organizations with unverified uses of funds.
From Jeremiah’s perspective, these were mainly unwelcome requests.
“I have a lot of work to handle. If it’s not urgent, let’s discuss it later.”
Jeremiah, who was displeased by her visit, hinted at rejection.
It was a clear dismissal, but Jeremiah’s head lifted at Caroline’s next words.
“Even if it’s about Karina?”
“…”
When Karina’s name was mentioned, Jeremiah’s hand holding the quill pen hesitated.
“Did something happen to the Grand Duchess?”
Jeremiah asked in a flat voice.
Seeing his interest, the corners of Caroline’s mouth lifted slightly.
“I’m just worried, you see.”
“What worries?”
“A group of noble ladies I’m close with saw Karina outside a few days ago. They said Karina was alone with her guard in a secluded, dark alley.”
“…”
“They even said she was dressed so shabbily it was hard to recognize her as the Grand Duchess. It looked like they were having a secret rendezvous, hiding their identities.”
“A rendezvous? Who dares to spout such nonsense?”
Jeremiah frowned at the word ‘rendezvous’ and pointed out.
“Who said it isn’t important. The fact that such rumors are circulating is what matters.”
Caroline feigned a worried expression while touching her mouth with her hand.
“Though your marriage wasn’t one of love, she’s still officially the Grand Duchess who married the Grand Duke. Wouldn’t it be bad if people found out she has another man by her side?”
Jeremiah replied calmly in a low voice.
“What other man? He is the Grand Duchess’s guard. It’s natural for a guard to be beside the person they’re protecting.”
“That’s how I see it too. But I’m just so worried others might misunderstand.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“Oh my, haven’t you noticed?”
Caroline spoke as if reluctant and troubled, but with an air of inevitability.
“I hate to say this, but that guard is quite handsome, isn’t he? I think that might be Karina’s type.”
“…”
“Even when she was talking to me in the garden before, she couldn’t take her eyes off that guard’s face.”
“…”
Cracks appeared in Jeremiah’s face as he tried to maintain his composure.
“Oh my, I’ve made a mistake again. I shouldn’t be telling you these things. I’m just worried…”
“…”
As Jeremiah showed signs of displeasure, the corners of Caroline’s mouth, hidden behind her hand, lifted slightly.
“If you have nothing more to say, please leave now.”
“But…”
“Sister.”
Jeremiah’s fierce gaze pierced Caroline as she tried to say more.
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“…!”
Caroline’s shoulders flinched at Jeremiah’s sharp demeanor.
“I… I see. You must be a bit shocked too. I’ll take my leave for today.”
Even after Caroline left, an ominous aura continued to emanate from Jeremiah.
For a long while, Jeremiah sat frowning intensely at the same page of a document.
‘Have I always had such little self-control?’
Jeremiah had thought himself not easily swayed by emotions.
But lately, he found himself displeased by situations where he was unknowingly swept up in unfamiliar, strange feelings.
Jeremiah, who had irritably brushed back his fallen bangs, stood up from his seat.
“Your Highness? Is there something you need?”
Janssen, surprised by Jeremiah’s sudden rise, asked.
“I’m going to the training grounds for a moment…”
Jeremiah stopped mid-sentence as he was about to say he’d go cool his head.
He remembered how he had destroyed the training grounds a few days ago.
“…”
That day, Jeremiah had uncharacteristically failed to control his strength at all.
As soon as the training grounds were mentioned, Janssen, who was in charge of mansion management, brought up the repair status.
“It will take a bit more time to fully repair the eastern training grounds. Considering the procurement of construction materials, on-site work, and finishing touches, we estimate it will take about 3 more weeks.”
The eastern training grounds, built for sword energy training, were designed and constructed to be much stronger and more durable than other training areas.
A place that wouldn’t get a single scratch no matter how much sword training was done there had been destroyed, so naturally, repairs would take longer.
“Huu.”
Jeremiah furrowed his brow and let out a deep sigh.
“Then I’ll use the western training grounds. Go tell Ron to prepare for a sparring match.”
“Understood.”
Janssen bowed politely and went out to deliver the order.
[This is the timeline separator]In the dead of night, when deep darkness had settled all around.
Only the faint moonlight coming through the window illuminated the empty corridor.
A shadow appeared silently in that corridor where no one had been.
It crossed the corridor quietly, muffling the sound of footsteps.
The behavior of looking around to check if anyone was there was extremely cautious and careful.
The owner of the shadow, tensed up, stopped in front of a certain door.
The hand raised to knock hesitated in mid-air.
But after taking another short, deep breath to calm down, the hand moved.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
When permission was given from inside, the hunched figure entered the room.
“You came?”
Karina smiled when she saw Charlotte.
“Yes, I…”
Charlotte couldn’t easily continue her words when facing Karina.
“Still haven’t decided? The longer you drag this out, the worse it’ll be for you, you know?”
“…”
“If you can’t do it, you can just leave.”
Charlotte’s shoulders flinched at Karina’s words.
Yet her hesitant attitude clearly revealed her indecision.
Karina abruptly asked such a Charlotte.
“Do you trust Caroline?”
“Pardon…?”
Charlotte asked back at the sudden question.
“How much do you trust her?”
“…”
The expression disappeared from Karina’s face and her voice lowered.
“Do you think Caroline will have your back till the end?”
Charlotte’s eyes wavered upon hearing those words.
Charlotte recalled the former head maid who had worked at the Grand Duke’s household.
Caroline had driven out that woman, whose family had served the Grand Duke’s household for generations and who had faithfully held the position of head maid for over 20 years, with nothing but the clothes on her back.
There was no letter of recommendation, let alone any severance pay.
She was literally driven out overnight with absolutely nothing.
The reason was that she didn’t listen to Caroline’s words.
‘Be careful. You don’t want to end up like the former head maid, do you?’
It was as if Caroline’s voice was ringing in her ears.
Charlotte swallowed dryly and opened her mouth.
“You’ll resolve my son’s matter… quietly, without anyone knowing, right?”
Whether from tension or anxiety, Charlotte’s voice trembled finely.
Karina wore a cold smile.
Before her regression, Head Maid Charlotte was beaten and driven out penniless.
It was because it was discovered that Charlotte’s son had boldly taken out a loan using the Grand Duke’s villa as collateral to gamble.
Moreover, the fact that he had falsified documents to make it look like Charlotte, the head maid, had received the villa was also exposed, resulting in Charlotte’s son being imprisoned.
Remembering this fact, Karina had asked Selena to find Charlotte’s son.
To find him and investigate his actions.
Sure enough, the report Karina received from Selena contained content not much different from what Karina remembered.
After confirming this fact, Karina quietly called Charlotte separately afterwards.
And threatened her.
She would quietly resolve what her son had done, but in return, Charlotte was to report Caroline’s daily schedule to her.
Charlotte would have no choice but to accept this proposal.
If she didn’t accept, she would have to send her son to prison.
And according to past memories, Charlotte’s son, after serving his prison term, would be chased by loan sharks and eventually caught and killed without anyone knowing.
‘Isn’t it a hundred times better to be used by me with a weakness exposed than to die like that? At least you can keep your life.’
Karina sincerely thought so.
“I’m different from Caroline. I don’t do such vile things as using my people like objects and then discarding them when they’re no longer needed.”
Karina’s voice carried weight.
“But for that to happen, you need to truly become my person. You need to prove your loyalty to me.”
Hearing Karina’s words, Charlotte took out a small secret letter from her pocket and handed it over.
“Lady Caroline often writes secret letters and puts them in a communication tube somewhere.”
“Where is that?”
“It’s the Lambarda Count’s house.”
“Lambarda?”
Karina recalled the second son of the Lambarda Count’s family whom she had unpleasantly encountered on the street recently.
‘It’s a name I’ve been hearing quite often lately.’
Suspicious, Karina unfolded the secret letter Charlotte had handed over.
The letter contained only a place and time, with no other content.
“She also put a communication in the Lambarda Count’s house not long ago. The frequency has increased a lot lately.”
“…”
“Usually, when Lady Caroline puts in a communication, a reply comes back within a day.”
Karina, who had been lost in thought for a moment, returned the secret letter to Charlotte.
“For now, deliver this letter as instructed, and when you receive a reply, bring it to me first. And from now on, report Caroline’s every move to me.”
“Yes, yes.”
Karina advised Charlotte, who was looking nervous.
“Your future depends on how you act. Don’t worry, nothing will happen if you carry out my orders well. I’ll be watching for the time being.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You may go now.”
“Yes.”
As Charlotte left, Mikhail revealed himself.
“So the person you asked me to find back then was the head maid’s son?”
“That’s right.”
“Did you already know about the head maid’s son when you asked for the investigation?”
“I just happened to hear something about it.”
Karina vaguely answered, as she couldn’t say she already knew.
“Hmm.”
Mikhail looked at Karina with a meaningful expression.
Avoiding his gaze, Karina said,
“Anyway. You heard earlier too, right? I’m a bit concerned about the Lambarda family.”
“You mean that impudent person who acted so arrogantly that time? The man who tried to extort money from you, Grand Duchess, but ended up getting thoroughly beaten instead.”
Seeing how quickly he recalled, it seemed Mikhail also remembered that day’s incident.
“That’s right. He got what he deserved.”
The corner of Karina’s mouth lifted.
“I’ll tell the flower shop to investigate the Lambarda family.”
Mikhail perceptively understood what she wanted.
Karina nodded with satisfaction.
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.”
