“The one who entered the temple with the Mitri tree is me, together with Fernand Shupraher and Etienne Claire.”
As Lehart’s voice resonated throughout the hall, Etienne quietly left the place.
Coming out, Etienne looked around the noticeably changed quiet corridor and let out a sigh. Everything that happened inside felt like a lie.
“No, it’s not. It’s just the beginning now.”
The current tranquility was like the eve of a great storm that would come, so…
Etienne headed to the place where Prince Ludvi had fallen. He came with the curiosity to know what had happened, and the location itself was quite ironic.
‘The place where Lehart fell and died.’
He couldn’t understand how Prince Ludvi fell here. It’s not like he knew the secret of Lehart’s death.
The place was already tightly packed with knights and soldiers. Prince Ludvi seemed to have already moved from the spot, but the atmosphere surrounding the accident scene was quite unpleasant.
“What happened?”
“I heard there was an accident. I want to go closer and see.”
“Sorry. Please go back.”
Unable to step back due to the knight’s businesslike refusal, Etienne bit her lip with a regretful expression. She had a strong desire to see for herself, but she couldn’t think of a way to break through them.
If she could use her father, she might be able to get in, but she could also be suspected of involvement in Prince Ludvi’s accident.
While she was pondering over how to get in, something unexpected happened.
“Bring in Etienne.”
It was Fernand.
“But…”
“Do I need to give the order again?”
Although temporary, at Fernando’s sharp and authoritative words, the knight stepped back without saying a word.
“We must not disturb the scene.”
He signaled Etienne to be careful and moved away.
“Fernando.”
“Come over here.”
Having been watching the situation in advance, Fernando spoke to Etienne and took the lead, without looking back at her.
Understanding Fernando’s composed reaction as fitting the situation, Etienne felt a heavy heart and followed him.
“This is the place.”
“Sigh.”
When Fernando stopped at the place Etienne hoped he wouldn’t, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Fernando, who had kept everyone at a distance, looked at Etienne and said, “I’ll ask you one thing.”
Unable to hide her conflicted feelings and looking down at the floor, Etienne lifted her head as Fernando spoke.
“Do you know?”
“What do you mean…”
Etienne, who didn’t understand Fernando’s question, belatedly grasped its meaning.
Fernando had seen that Etienne liked him. And when he said those words, Etienne had fled before having a deeper conversation.
At the moment, they only anticipated how much they knew about each other. What Fernando was asking had one clear implication.
“Until now, the you I’ve seen seemed ordinary yet different. Do you happen to know about your past life? Is that why you left like that back then?”
“…Yes.”
From the beginning, there was no excuse to escape Fernando’s suspicion. Even if she lied, it would be easily exposed, and Etienne had no desire to conceal anything, so she honestly admitted.
“I was executed for treason, my throat was cut. And my time went back to the past. To when I was sixteen…”
Now that it had come to this, Etienne also wanted to ask.
“But how did you see it?”
“My father has the ability related to water, which includes memory. He imprinted his experiences on the water, and I saw them.”
“That’s fascinating. But even though you went back to the past, it still remains?”
“Water doesn’t have time.”
Etienne nodded at the explanation that water, flowing continuously, doesn’t change over time.
Just as she had seen the appearance of the former emperor at the Mitri Tree, Fernando probably saw it in a similar way. Everything made sense.
“Let’s talk about this later.”
With Fernando’s words indicating there was still much to discuss, Etienne nodded without saying anything.
If it had remained a secret until the end, it might have been different, but since some parts had already been revealed, pretending not to know was no longer an option.
Anyway, for now, the priority was the fall accident, so Etienne turned her gaze to where Rudby had fallen.
“I didn’t see Lord Lehart die. But is there a connection to this place?”
“It is here.”
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.”
