Victoria was relieved when Dongjehu accepted the meeting. Even though he was her grandfather, meeting Dongjehu was not an easy feat.
Moreover, unfortunate events had occurred in the empire. Accepting the granddaughter of the ‘Bronze Family’ at such a time meant that Dongjehu’s recognition of the Bron family had not completely disappeared.
‘Now, the only person I can trust is Grandfather.’
From the beginning, she knew that her parents’ affection was strangely directed towards Helena. But when she was taken into custody by the Investigation Bureau, Victoria became convinced that she shouldn’t trust them based on her parents’ attitude.
‘No matter how hard I try, I can’t surpass Helena.’
As it turned out, the foundation of that love was guilt.
The guilt of having to raise Helena as the daughter of a self-taught artist. As long as that guilt did not disappear, Helena would always be her parents’ first priority.
‘They weren’t impressive anyway.’
She had learned that conclusively from this incident.
Her father, Jacob, was an incompetent fool, and her mother, whom she thought was extraordinary, suffered a desperate defeat against Ariana.
‘They are not the people I can rely on.’
Yet, they were only the Duke and Duchess of Serleng. Her mother was once the princess of Serleng, but that was only until before marriage. Moreover, the princess’s power ultimately came from the protection of her father, Dongjehu.
‘Grandfather must have been very disappointed in Mother after this incident. He won’t comfort her as before. But I am different.’
Victoria walked with a dignified posture, imitating the figure of Ariana she had seen before, and stood in front of Dongjehu as if she were a royal person.
She didn’t wear flashy clothes.
She wore a dress that emphasized Victoria’s pure beauty. Her hair was only half tied, and she wore low-heeled shoes.
Standing in front of Dongjehu like a pitiful girl, Victoria slightly bowed her knees and greeted.
“Respects to Dongjehu.”
Listening to the resounding voice of his granddaughter, Dongjehu quietly observed Victoria.
Although the Duke and Duchess of Bron were weak to Helena, Dongjehu had always favored Victoria. Victoria’s beauty was far superior, and her intelligence was better than her older sister’s.
If he had to choose between the two granddaughters, Victoria was more useful.
“Why did you come.”
Victoria considered asking about Dongjehu’s well-being but refrained. Dongjehu didn’t like such pleasantries.
She had to get into Dongjehu’s good graces. That way, she could show hell to the Ariana who had chewed her up.
But she had no intention of directly setting a trap for Ariana. She had come to realize that Ariana was no longer such an immature girl.
Raising her head, Victoria gazed at Dongjehu and calmly spoke.
“Grandfather, I have a request. Please make me the empress.”
Dongjehu stared at his granddaughter, who casually made dangerous remarks, with a cautious gaze. It didn’t seem like she was making a reckless statement.
“I want to become the empress.”
“Yes, Grandfather. I must become the empress.”
Dongjehu only had daughters. Each daughter married a duke or marquis and gave birth to several daughters and sons.
Dongjehu planned to select a few of them to send to the royal family.
Of course, he also planned to educate the best girl to aim for the position of the empress.
The most prominent figure he had in mind was Victoria. Victoria was the most intelligent and beautiful among his granddaughters.
The problem was the crown prince.
‘The crown prince is close to Bukjehu.’
When Dongjehu didn’t know about the enmity of Bukjehu, seating one granddaughter as the crown princess would have been enough. But now the situation had changed.
Bukjehu harbored enmity towards Dongjehu, and he made it clear. In such a situation, it was uncertain how the crown prince, who was closely associated with Bukjehu, would move.
Dongjehu had a different plan in mind.
“The path to becoming empress won’t be easy. The current empress is no ordinary person…”
“Grandfather, I am prepared to walk the thorny path with a smile. I have also thought about a few things.”
When Dongjehu gestured, Victoria approached him gracefully and whispered something into Dongjehu’s ear. Dongjehu’s eyes gleamed with intrigue as he listened to Victoria’s plan.
After a while, Dongjehu spoke.
“If you walk that path, you may never be able to turn back.”
“If I can become the highest woman on this continent, do I really need to turn back?”
Dongjehu chuckled at Victoria’s bold response.
“Yes, indeed. You are the best among my granddaughters. But wait a bit. The current crown prince is uncertain. Soon, there will be someone suitable approaching me. Until then, hone yourself. So that no one can find your flaws.”
+++
After receiving a favorable response, a mysterious smile appeared on Victoria’s lips. As she sat in the carriage, Victoria tightly clenched her fist and thought of Ariana’s smile when she was taken away.
The radiant smile Victoria saw at the moment she was being taken away.
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.”
