Fortunately, the good thing was that there wasn’t a lock or anything, so as long as I stretched my front paws and undid the latch, I could escape.
‘Ugh, but even for a moment, I don’t want to be in the same place as these mice! What if I catch some disease! Just by looking at them, it seems like they might be sick!’
While grumbling, I endured to gather information. After locking me up, the men chatted among themselves.
“The village kids are so nice.”
“Isn’t Ella too cute?”
“That’s true.”
So far, nothing special.
“The Prince of Birds said he would make this place a better living space, so it will be good for those kids too.”
Since the name of the Birds’ Prince was mentioned, I perked up my ears.
‘Huh? Is this really the right place?’
Just as I suspected, it was.
Inside the territory, there was a traitor to the Birds’ Prince.
‘But looking at the talking squirrel, it seems like he doesn’t know he’s doing something bad?’
I kept listening, but there was nothing else special. I tapped my foot impatiently.
The opportunity came unexpectedly. Nearby, there were loud sounds like thumping, growling, and fierce howls.
“Today, big animals are noisy.”
“I’ll go check.”
“Let’s go together. What if we get attacked?”
At just the right time, the men got up from their seats.
‘Now is the time.’
I stretched my front paws and undid the latch of the cage the men were holding me with. When I opened the door widely, the mice rushed out of the cage faster than me.
‘Ugh, I won’t go into any place with mice again. It’s really unpleasant.’
I want to go home quickly and take a bath. And to go home, I needed to find clues.
‘Surely there’s a way to turn into an ice creature. They might have left it as if to show off, right?’
The house was very messy. Nothing was in its place, and everything was scattered disorderly, following the rules only those men knew.
After briefly looking around, I quickly gave up and sighed.
When I looked up, the mice were gathered together and running towards something.
‘Should I follow those mice?’
They probably have a better sense of smell and intuition than me.
I followed the mice slowly. The place the mice were heading to was none other than the warehouse of this house. When I entered there, I was surprised.
‘Wow! This is an enormous amount of food!’
It was comparable to the average level of the Lord Yeongjimin, let alone the Duke’s mansion.
While exploring around the warehouse, a clinking sound came from below, and when I lowered my head, I saw something golden.
‘Money.’
It was gold coins. After finding that, everything was at my fingertips. Among them was a pouch containing white powder. Even outside the pouch, I could clearly feel the cold. Next to it, there was a letter.
‘Instructions for use.’
‘I knew it was a bad thing.’
Until a while ago, I thought it might be something I didn’t know and just followed the instructions, but now I was sure that I knew everything.
‘Even thinking about turning people into ice creatures is evil.’
Aren’t they people from the same village? It was no different from sacrificing their lives for money.
‘I wonder what they were going to use the money for?’
Even if they have a lot of money, they probably couldn’t use it comfortably.
‘Anyway, I have to take this powder with me.’
I know what it is. I only need to gather evidence.
‘It’s impossible to carry it all.’
It would be nice to carry it in that pouch, but it was impossible for me.
‘No, but there’s so much powder….’
Although I was briefly curious about its identity, I soon shook my head.
‘It’s horrifying, so let’s not imagine it.’
I couldn’t leave the powder just anywhere…. Could I even touch this with my bare hands in the first place? While contemplating, the men returned sooner than expected.
“No, what are these mice…?”
“Oops! Where did they all go!”
“Check the powder first! If the mice start nibbling on it, it’ll be a big problem!”
It seemed like they would come this way immediately.
‘Yikes! I need to run away!’
I wanted to grab the powder, but I waited for the right moment. I ran away hastily. However, the warehouse had only one entrance, and to escape, I had to pass by the men.
“No, that jokjeibi!”
“Kkyu-kkyu!”
Save me!
The man shouted. I ran at the fastest speed possible. And when I sneakily looked back.
‘No, they’re really chasing after me incredibly! What should I do?’
They were still chasing me from behind.
They wouldn’t know that I had noticed the powder, so why are they chasing me as if it’s a matter of life and death?
‘Are they targeting my white fur? Is that why!’
The only reason they were relentlessly chasing me, leaving behind numerous mice, was that. I cried with a whimper.
‘I should change the color of this damn fur!’
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.”
