Knock-knock─
Zen knocked on Tanashia’s door in the mansion.
Tanashia had previously asked Zen to secretly inform her about Orlando’s affairs.
─Father might not appreciate my concerns. Can you report on the matter discreetly?
Normally, Zen wouldn’t have accepted such a task, but considering Orlando’s situation, he nodded.
─It’s for the lady of the house; I’ll do it.
Since then, he had been periodically reporting Orlando’s affairs to Tanashia.
Today, he had some important matters to discuss, so he came to find Tanashia.
Creak, soon the door opened. Jelin appeared, peeking her head through the gap.
“Oh! Are you here to see the young lady?”
“Yes. I have something to discuss…….”
“The young lady is currently napping. What should I do? Would you like to come back later?”
Normally, he would have obediently stepped back, but having experienced a similar situation not long ago made him feel puzzled.
According to Zen’s knowledge, Tanashia was a diligent and aristocratic lady. It seemed strange that she would take frequent naps, especially when she used to wake up early to engage in magical engineering research or handle her duties as a weapons master.
“It’s important. I need to tell her now.”
He also had no intention of avoiding Jelin. However, she seemed genuinely surprised and started to look flustered.
“Oh, how can that be? The young lady is sleeping, and I can’t wake her up.”
Upon hearing this response, he could sense that the current situation was suspicious.
If it were Tanashia, she wouldn’t choose to take a nap after hearing his words. Besides, Jelin wasn’t the type to make decisions unilaterally.
Zen, with an emotionless face, further hardened his expression and opened his mouth.
“Is there any health issue with the young lady?”
“No! That couldn’t be…….”
Jelin, while slightly opening the door, did not step aside. However, with such actions, she couldn’t block his way.
Zen, with a more rigid expression, spoke up.
“If there’s a problem with the young lady’s health, please tell me.”
“Oh, no! That’s not……. ”
Avoiding eye contact, Jelin fidgeted with her fingers, seemingly unsure of what to do.
Zen quickly found out that Tanashia had gone out secretly and immediately rushed to the stables.
Since crossing over to the Kalua Empire, protecting Tanashia has not been easy. Unable to enter the imperial banquet hall together, Zen waited outside, and Tanashia appeared with a deep needle-inflicted wound. Not knowing where and how she got injured added to the already uneasy state of mind. ‘Could something dangerous have happened again?’ Even if there was a slight possibility of something bad occurring, Zen’s heart grew impatient with worry. Zen mounted his horse. To find the missing Tanashia, he needed to mobilize all the information networks available within the Kalua Empire. It was during this anxious pursuit that a long-forgotten memory resurfaced.
“Zen, when you become an adult, find the place you want to stay.” These were the last words Zen’s father left before departing. His father was a wandering inspector, different from typical mercenaries. While Zen’s father took on assignments and earned a living by guarding someone for a certain period, his life resembled that of a wanderer. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stay in one place for long. Looking back, it was probably because of Zen. It wouldn’t have been easy to carry eight-year-old Zen on his back while working as an inspector.
Recalling his childhood, all Zen remembered was his father’s back. This was because he had been carried on his father’s back to many places. The memories started from the moment Zen’s consciousness began. He grew up watching his father fight valiantly while being carried on his back. There were no memories of his mother; according to his father, she passed away from a fever shortly after giving birth to Zen. What he learned before holding a spoon was how to wield a sword. His father said that it was the way people like them lived.
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.”
