Kardian shifted his gaze from Lorelei to look at the wall clock.
It was still early morning. Judging by her barging in at this hour, it seemed she wasn’t too pleased with yesterday’s masquerade ball.
“You couldn’t talk to Damion this time either?”
Kardian asked lightly. Lorelei responded indignantly.
“What do you mean this time, Viscount? I did talk to him last time.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Kardian nodded his head indifferently. Then he asked another question.
“So… how was Damion this time?”
Lorelei was a sort of monitor.
Kardian gave Lorelei, who had feelings for Damion, Damion’s belongings or invited her to meals with him.
In return, Lorelei observed Damion’s every move at the balls he attended and reported back to Kardian.
Since they hadn’t achieved much success yet, Kardian didn’t have high expectations. But today, her excitement upon arriving piqued his interest a little.
As expected, Lorelei asked about some welcome news she had heard.
“Damion had a woman with him. Did you know?”
There was a hint of resentment in Lorelei’s voice. Kardian raised an eyebrow. He leaned forward, resting his chin on the desk.
“Want to tell me in detail?”
“A woman took Damion and left the hall. I followed them as they went to the garden, but… I lost them.”
“You didn’t see her face?”
“She was wearing a hat and a mask. Why did he follow that woman so absentmindedly? I was so upset… Could he have been threatened? Viscount! Do you have any idea who it might be?”
“Hmm… don’t worry. I’ll look into it.”
Kardian smiled at Lorelei, who was pouring out her words in excitement. Lorelei bit her lip a few times, then eventually left the room.
Left alone in the room, Kardian stared blankly at the closed door. Then suddenly, he let out a chuckle. A chilling light flashed in his eyes.
“It’s Ansi.”
Kardian was certain of the woman’s identity. If Damion reacted that way, it had to be Ansi.
It seemed he had finally caught her tail. Kardian turned on the gramophone with a leisurely gesture. Amidst the pleasant music, he smiled with satisfaction.
[This is the timeline separator]The shop’s bell rang. As Roma raised her head, she saw a tall man standing before her.
It was Damion.
He approached Roma with uninhibited strides. Roma raised both eyebrows and stood up from her seat.
“Oh my, a familiar face. Right?”
“Yes. Did Ansi go home safely that day?”
“Of course.”
“I have a question.”
“Getting straight to the point, just like someone I know. Go ahead.”
“I heard that in exchange for saving my life, Ansi’s lifespan was shortened. Is that true?”
It was truly direct. Roma frowned as if she didn’t understand and tilted her head to the side.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I know the person who helped me find Ansi last time was you. The god of love, Amor, that’s your true identity, isn’t it?”
Roma sighed. Last time, Ansi also walked up to her like this and asked if she was Amor. As if to prove they were a couple, this man followed the same pattern.
Instead of pretending not to know, Roma folded her arms and asked.
“So what if I am?”
“Please tell me how to restore Ansi’s life. If necessary, you can take my life again.”
Damion spoke without hesitation, even when saying to take his life. But Roma lowered her eyebrows as if she felt sorry.
“Young master of Orphe, I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you anything.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve already made a contract with Rubellsa. That contract takes priority.”
“You’re a god, aren’t you? There must be a way.”
“Well.”
“Please consider it. I’ll pay any price.”
Damion looked at Roma without wavering. It seemed he wouldn’t budge until he heard the answer he wanted. Finally, Roma opened her mouth as if she couldn’t help it.
“There is one way…”
“What is it?”
Damion’s face brightened. But Roma shrugged her shoulders.
“I can’t tell you that. The choice lies with Ansi. But I promise, I will definitely tell Ansi about that method.”
As soon as he heard those words, his bright expression quickly hardened. Damion stared persistently at Amor with stubborn eyes, without giving any particular answer.
Roma added a word in a voice devoid of laughter.
“A god’s promise is not to be taken lightly.”
The voice of a god has the power to make the listener bow their head. When Roma, no, Amor spoke with sincerity, even those who were angrily raging would close their mouths without saying a word.
But Damion said without blinking an eye.
“If the method isn’t conveyed to Ansi, I won’t let you off for making such a contract.”
Roma, who had been at a loss for words for a moment, burst into laughter. She nodded her head greatly.
“Yes. I like your spirit. I will definitely tell her. I promise.”
Only then did Damion bow and turn around. As if that was all he had come for, he moved to leave without hesitation. But as he grabbed the doorknob, he suddenly turned back.
“What is Ansi’s name in Marelle?”
“It’s Daisy. Daisy Forte.”
“Thank you.”
Damion left the shop right away without hesitation.
“Hmm…”
Left alone in the shop, Roma fell into thought.
The contract with Rubellsa went back hundreds of years.
At first, it was fun. As the god of love, seeing those who gave their lives for love brought great joy.
Sending them to the god of death a little earlier wasn’t a big deal.
But as time passed, she wanted to end this contract.
There are invisible flows and formulas in the world.
Rubellsa, bound by the romantic contract of giving one’s life for a loved one, came to possess a certain formula.
Rubellsa’s children, as if by instinct, loved those with short lives. And they readily sacrificed their own lives for them.
At first, Roma directly determined how much of a lifespan to take. But as time passed and power was inherited, the price of lifespan was automatically determined.
When to take the lives of Rubellsa’s children was no longer something Roma could decide.
The same was true for Ansi. She would be bound by the contract until she died. As long as she was alive, it couldn’t be overridden by another contract.
However, there was a way to end the contract early.
For a third party to try to sever the contract between a god and a human was an act of insolence. But Roma somehow felt that she herself also wished for it.
A god’s words carry weight, so they cannot take back what they have already spoken, and they cannot easily undo a contract they have made. But if there is human will, it can be used as an opportunity to intervene.
Just like now.
A smile appeared on Roma’s lips. Although she couldn’t predict how that child would act… she felt happy at the thought of being able to see Ansi a bit longer.
[This is the timeline separator]Outside the window, black birds could be seen flying in flocks towards the forest. It wasn’t a very different sight from usual. But today, for some reason, she had a strange feeling. As if something was about to happen.
Perhaps it was because of what she was about to say, Ansi thought as she left the room.
Preparing dinner didn’t take long, and the table was peaceful as always.
Sofia spoke in an excited voice about a new method she had heard for removing the smell of chicken. Derl went on about the types of fish he had seen in the sea.
And just as the meal was almost over, Ansi spoke.
“I met Damion in the capital.”
After a brief silence, Derl exclaimed with a frown.
“You finally…!”
There was undisguised anger in his voice.
“Was it a mistake? Did you run into him by chance? Or did that bastard come looking for you…”
“I went to him.”
“Huh…”
Derl let out a deflated sound as if he couldn’t believe it. Ansi gripped the fabric of her skirt on her knees and looked straight at Derl.
“I know you hate him because he’s from Orphe. But he was willing to give up everything for us.”
“That’s all an illusion, Ansi. Anyone can pretend to give up what they have to make a good impression. Do you know how well he’s been doing for the past few months? Believing the words he spouts with his clever tongue…”
“He was going to shoot the emperor.”
“What?”
Derl’s brows narrowed. Ansi took a breath and continued.
“If he shoots the emperor using the Orphe name, then the charge of treason would apply. There’s a high possibility that the Orphe family would collapse. Including Kardian.”
“Are you saying he built his position as an Orphe for that purpose?”
“Yes.”
“And you believe those words?”
“I believe it. Because it’s the truth.”
Neither Derl nor Sofia had experienced Rubellsa’s foresight. So they didn’t know. Why Ansi was so certain.
But Ansi’s voice was firm. There was not a hint of wavering in her eyes.
However, her voice trembled slightly as she spoke the next words.
“And… I need him.”
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.”
