At that time, monsters frequently appeared even inside the city walls, so bookshelves were set up inside the walls as well. It was common to see weapons like windows in front of houses. Naturally, those traces were no longer there.
‘I should feel proud when I think about it.’
Why do I have such a desolate feeling? As I made a sullen expression while looking around, Hadel asked.
“Why is that?”
“No, it’s just because the capital is fascinating.”
I just answered vaguely. Hadel smiled and, realizing that my hometown was the capital, asked like this.
“Do you want to leisurely look around?”
Because it seemed like it would be depressing the more I looked, I honestly wanted to leave the capital again. But since the one who suggested going to the capital first was older, I couldn’t say that.
“Will there be time for that, I wonder?”
“I wish that were the case.”
Hadel, who had been nodding, suddenly spoke again with a serious tone.
“No, I will make it happen.”
“Hadel.”
I widened my eyes.
‘Has Hadel changed a bit?’
Usually, he was calm and composed in a good way, or passive in a bad way, but today, his tone was completely different.
‘He must have had to renew his mindset. Probably.’
The situation was tense enough. I checked our status.
‘In case of an emergency, Hadel can come, and we have the artifact.’
After glancing at the bracelet on Hadel’s wrist, I touched the small package inside my pocket.
‘Just in case, I brought ice powder too.’
Ice powder that can create ice creatures. It would undoubtedly be a hidden card in a critical moment.
‘I hope there won’t be any need to use it.’
The fingertips that touched the package in my pocket felt cold. After biting my lip for a moment, the destination appeared before us.
“There’s the capital.”
“Yeah.”
Even without Hadel saying it, I could tell. I bit my lip.
Although we were entering enemy territory, I felt no tension at all.
‘Where I was born and raised.’
For me, Wangsung was not only the enemy’s territory but also my home.
Many people came out to greet Hadel. But it didn’t affect me.
‘What’s with these random people?’
Usually, when the Grand Duke comes to the capital, according to the protocol, various people, including high-ranking officials, should line up according to the etiquette book. However, those who came out to greet Hadel seemed to have been called out without any standards.
‘Has there been anyone who received the title of Grand Duke after I died?’
This could also be a crucial clue in understanding the situation inside the palace. While scrutinizing those who came out to greet me with sharp eyes, a man wearing an external glasses stepped forward.
“I present Prince Hadel.”
He said he was a bureaucrat working in the palace. Hearing his greeting, Hadel corrected the title with a firm tone.
“Shouldn’t you call me the Grand Duke? Why address me as a prince?”
“…….”
They exchanged awkward glances as if they were confused among themselves. I sighed quietly.
‘Not knowing the proper titles, and the people who came out to greet him are also disorganized. Even during the war, Wangsung didn’t lack order like this.’
Although it was the capital, I didn’t feel any weight as if it were a normal noble house. Comparing it to my childhood Wangsung, I squinted.
‘If Espen completely took control of the palace after I died, it would make sense.’
Espen didn’t know the etiquette well.
Espen was a pure-blooded noble. If it weren’t for the war, he would have bought me with a spoiled attitude.
‘But he wasn’t a bad person. He had very strong mana, so once the war ended, there would have been only a bright future ahead…….’
Just before the armistice, there was a sudden surge of mana, and now, I’ve been alive for over 100 years.
Even though I heard it from Yulnisia, it was still an unbelievable story.
I made a silent promise to myself.
‘Yes. I can’t get answers until I meet Espen in person.’
That’s why I came up to the capital.
Hadel, who noticed that the time at the royal palace would be uncomfortable, immediately made a request like this.
“I want to meet Abamama directly.”
However, the response was negative.
“Not yet. His Majesty the King has instructed Prince to rest at the Chang Palace where he originally stayed.”
I never thought they would easily grant a meeting. Hadel keenly caught the bureaucrat’s tone.
“The Prince? It sounds like everyone else in the party should stay somewhere else except for me.”
In response to Hadel’s point, the bureaucrat awkwardly wiped his sweat. Then, carefully examining our group, he spoke.
“He mentioned that there would be companions with you……”
Without needing to ask who those companions were, the fixed gaze on me was the answer. I replied with a cold voice.
“You’re talking about me.”
The bureaucrat immediately bowed his head.
“The companion will stay at the Baekok Palace.”
At those words, my eyebrows involuntarily rose.
‘Separating accommodations?’
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.”
