“A wedding?”
“Yes. Strictly speaking, since you are only engaged, you still belong to the Dyke family. The Dyke family could make an issue of this and take it to court.”
“Then……”
“Of course, even if they did, there’s no way we would ever send you back to the Dyke family. But just in case, I think it would be best to have the wedding soon….”
After saying that, Cassel gauged Riena’s reaction.
“Would that be alright with you?”
Riena didn’t quite grasp the point of his question.
“Is there any reason it wouldn’t be alright?”
“I’ll do my best, but with so little time, the wedding preparations may be lacking.”
“Ah……”
Now Riena understood what he was worried about. The engagement period for nobles was usually about half a year, and sometimes over a year. In other words, wedding preparations took at least half a year.
In fact, the two of them had planned to have the wedding next spring. Naturally, if they prepared any more hastily than that, it would inevitably fall short compared to other weddings.
However, Riena didn’t think it mattered. Their proposal had already been different from others to begin with. It’s not like she attached much meaning to this wedding anyway.
“It’s fine. I never had any grand dreams about the wedding in the first place.”
That was a lie. Like other girls her age, Riena had dreamed of a picture-perfect wedding since she was young.
The wedding would be outdoors, not indoors; the wedding dress would have a slender waist and a full, flaring skirt; the bouquet would be made of lisianthus flowers, which her mother had loved.
But she didn’t want to say such things and make Cassel unsettled for no reason.
‘Besides, I don’t want to insist on such dreams in this situation either.’
As if sensing her lie, Cassel hesitated.
“But still……”
Riena gave him a bright smile.
“Really, it’s okay. The meaning is in the marriage itself, not the wedding.”
This, at least, was not a lie. Although she wouldn’t get to have the wedding she wanted, Riena was happy just to become Cassel’s wife. Rather, now that her father had passed away and she was alone, she wanted to become family with him as soon as possible.
Even if it was a dream that would break someday, she decided to enjoy this moment with Cassel for now.
“I understand. If you’re alright with it, we’ll prepare it that way.”
So for now, this was enough.
[This is the timeline separator]Riena and Cassel immediately headed to the inn where the Countess Dyke was staying. The inn, located on the outskirts of the capital, was quite shabby, indicating that their lack of money was true.
As soon as they entered, a musty smell wafted over. The people sitting at the tables on the first floor looked at the two of them with flushed faces from day drinking.
A few men in particular blatantly looked Riena up and down. Cassel, sensing what they were thinking, put his arm around Riena’s waist and pulled her close.
“Please stay close to me.”
“Yes.”
At Cassel’s glance, his assistant Leo led the way to the room. The Winkler family physician followed behind them, carrying a large medical bag.
“This is it.”
Cassel knocked and entered. The room where the three were staying was much more worn and dirty than the inn’s exterior.
There was mold on the walls here and there, and dust visibly floated in the air, as if it hadn’t been properly cleaned.
The bed sheets and blankets didn’t look very clean either.
Staying in a place like this could make even a healthy person fall ill. And to bring a child with a still-weak immune system to such a place…
Riena frowned as she stepped into the room.
It seemed Aaron truly was sick, as the child was lying in bed groaning. A lukewarm wet cloth was placed on his forehead.
The Countess Dyke and Bianca were nowhere to be seen.
As if sensing Riena’s thoughts, Leo explained.
“The two of them are still on their way. We didn’t provide them with a carriage, so they had to take a private one, and apparently negotiating the fare wasn’t easy. They just managed to get in a carriage a little while ago.”
It seemed Cassel had people tailing the two women.
Being late was one thing, but the fact that they had left Aaron alone in the first place was absurd.
Riena hurried over to Aaron.
“Aaron, are you conscious?”
Aaron had trouble regaining consciousness. Riena put her hand on Aaron’s face.
The child’s body was like a fireball. She struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.
“I’m sorry I came so late.”
Cassel, who had approached from behind at some point, touched Riena’s shoulder and comforted her.
“It will be alright. Let’s have the physician examine him first.”
At his gesture, the physician began to carefully examine Aaron. Riena asked anxiously, looking at his serious face.
“How is he? Is it very serious?”
The physician removed his stethoscope and replied.
“Based on the symptoms, it seems to be a fever and cold. With the weather getting chilly and his body weakened from the long journey, he could develop a cold. Plus, isn’t the capital colder than the southern region?”
“That’s right. Even around this time, it’s warm during the day in Dyke territory. If it’s a simple fever and cold, can it be treated quickly?”
“If it’s a fever and cold, yes, but the symptoms are also similar to the epidemic going around the capital these days. We need to keep that in mind as well. And if he’s been sick for a long time, there’s a possibility it could develop into pneumonia.”
“Then I think it’s best to try all possible treatments for now, would that be feasible?”
“I’ll do my best.”
The physician said he would return to the ducal residence to prepare medicine and send it over, and left the inn first.
Riena sat by the bedside and stroked Aaron’s forehead as he fell asleep again. Cassel stood behind her, quietly looking down at the two of them.
“When the Countess and Bianca came looking for me, I had resolved not to do anything for them. Honestly, I felt a bit conflicted, but considering everything that’s happened, I thought that’s how it should be. Even if I offered financial support, there was no guarantee the money would be used for Dyke.”
“……….”
“If Aaron was truly sick, I was going to provide treatment and nothing more, nothing less. Because as the Countess said, Aaron is still my blood-related younger brother after all.”
Riena rubbed her face.
“But seeing him like this upsets me. How did it come to this…? How could Dyke collapse to this extent in a mere four months? It’s absurd and upsetting.”
Cassel, who had been listening silently, spoke.
“First, I’ll move the three of them to a different accommodations.”
“No, there’s no need for that. I don’t want to drag Winkler into Dyke’s affairs. They don’t deserve it either.”
Cassel carefully took Riena’s hand and pressed his lips firmly against the back of it.
“How many times must I say it? You have already given me so much. Far more than you imagine.”
“……….”
“And seeing Aaron in a place like this pains me as well. Perhaps because he’s around the same age as Noah, it feels like I’m looking at my nephew. I’ll move their lodgings and help until Aaron has fully recovered and the three of them can return to Dyke territory using the magic portal.”
“Then I would be too ashamed to face you.”
“Please allow me to help you.”
After some thought, Riena nodded. Cassel slightly raised his hand and Leo, who had been waiting outside the door, left to find new accommodations.
It was when Riena and Cassel were quietly tending to Aaron.
“What the, why are you here?”
Bianca’s sharp voice rang out. Looking towards the door, Bianca and the Countess were standing there with stunned expressions.
Riena gestured to Cassel not to intervene, then approached the two women.
“You’re late. It’s been quite a while since you left the ducal residence.”
Bianca spoke in a still sharp tone.
“The ducal residence wouldn’t provide us a carriage, so we had to walk to the main road and hail one. So why are you here?”
“Bianca.”
The Countess shushed her daughter, mindful of Cassel’s presence. She put on what seemed to be a benevolent smile.
“Did you come to see Aaron?”
“Yes. If Aaron is truly sick, I can’t just leave him be. The physician examined him a little while ago. He’ll send medicine in a bit.”
“Thank……”
Riena cut off the Countess’s words and retorted.
“Do you two really care about Aaron? How could you go out leaving a child this sick all alone? You should have sent me a letter telling me to come here instead!”
“We thought you would ignore it even if we sent a letter.”
“Then you should have at least had Bianca stay and take care of Aaron!”
“How could I let Mother go alone when the capital is such a scary place? And who knows how she would be treated at the ducal residence?”
“Are you really saying that now, Bianca?”
Unlike the Countess who held her tongue in consideration of Cassel, Bianca continued to speak without backing down.
“You think we just left? Aaron is your brother, but he’s my brother too. Don’t think you’re the only one who cares about Aaron.”
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.”
