Leharht hadn’t originally come to this place. Though he hadn’t seen it in the future, he just knew he hadn’t come because he knew himself well.
But this time, he had to come. There were many reasons to come. First, to create a justification to impose sanctions on his brother, even if it meant preventing the trouble his brother was causing…
And to get closer to Etienne, who knows the future. Also, to make the members of the family suffer.
Lastly…
“Now that I don’t need any abilities.”
Alex’s argument that coming here might bring back some abilities also played a part.
While others might be distressed if their abilities disappeared, Leharht wasn’t. He couldn’t feel so relieved by being faithful to reality, and Alex had many concerns.
“What if I, with no abilities, am mistreated by the Second Prince?” he wondered. However, Leharht really didn’t care.
“But how does seeing this tree change anything?”
What could he gain from a Mithril tree smaller than himself? Leharht looked down at the tree and then bent his knees. There was no difference looking at it from below, but he just wanted to see it once.
Then, he took a seat in front of the Mithril tree, and Etienne came over, offering something to eat.
He didn’t realize how amusing it was that despite her ticking speech, she took care of him so delicately. His younger sister wasn’t as cute as her in that aspect.
Leharht chewed on the meat given by Etienne and looked at the Mithril tree.
“What power does it have other than a silvery appearance that it’s called the God’s tree? Can you tell me why it’s given that nickname? I’m known as the human bestowed by God, but it’s not a pleasant title, is it?”
Etienne heard Leharht’s words to the Mithril tree, and a sound of her tongue clicking was heard from behind. However, Leharht casually tapped his face with his index finger.
“A person who looks like this doesn’t easily appear. So, look at me carefully.”
“There’s no one who doesn’t know they’re good-looking, but it’s the first time I’ve seen someone openly proclaiming to be a god. And you’re not exactly a human bestowed by God, are you? I haven’t heard such a nickname. It’s more like a gift from nature.”
Although Etienne muttered something unheard, Leharht shamelessly turned his face here and there, speaking towards the Mithril tree.
“If there’s something connecting us, tell me about it.”
“I might just tell you.”
Etienne spoke again this time. Upon hearing that, Leharht came over to Etienne’s side.
“If you’re going to keep answering like that, let’s just sit together.”
“I don’t want to.”
In response to Etienne’s refusal, Leharht said, “Then don’t,” and sat down where the Mithril tree was clearly visible.
“By looking like this, who knows what might come out.”
“But, you see.”
Just as Etienne had said she didn’t want to sit together, she suddenly approached Leharht and sat down next to him, cross-legged. Then, she looked up at the Mithril tree and plucked a leaf.
“Isn’t it strange?”
“What?”
“The tree.”
Regardless of any nickname or the environment in which it grew, the Mithril tree was a tree with roots deep in the ground. Connecting her words, Etienne pointed to the leaves that seemed to glow white under the subtle light of the stem.
“Why don’t any leaves fall off?”
“What?”
“Well, after being here for a few hours, I saw the wind blowing and shaking the leaves.”
If there was no one to save them, Etienne, along with Fernand, had looked around the temple themselves. That’s when she realized that the wind flowed through this space.
“But even when the leaves are shaken strongly by the wind, they don’t fall off. This tree isn’t even fake.”
“It’s a mystical tree, so the leaves might not fall off.”
“I don’t know how long this tree has been here. Well, it could be.”
Accepting that, Etienne stood up and went towards Fernand. If the wind was blowing, appearing and disappearing, it wasn’t towards her side.
Leharht smiled again, looking at the Mithril tree.
“Etienne’s words make sense. It’s a tree, but none of the leaves fall off. It seems to have escaped seasons. No, has it transcended time?”
How has it endured in this place with nothing?
“Indeed, it’s not an ordinary tree, but what meaning does such a thought even have?”
Having pondered alone and then satisfied himself, Leharht stood up from his seat. He gained a lot on his journey to this place.
So, even if he didn’t learn anything about the Mithril tree, he could think of it as a good sightseeing experience and just go back.
However, just before Leharht turned around, the Mithril tree seemed to shake, and a leaf fell. The leaf fluttered in front of Leharht’s eyes, coincidentally blown by the wind.
“What’s this?”
Leharht reflexively raised his hand to catch the leaf, and it melted into his hand.
“Huh. What’s this situation?”
Leharht looked down at his empty hand and mumbled.
“Did I gain some special ability?”
Curious, he waved his hand just in case. However, there was no change.
“Etienne.”
Since nothing happened even after moving around, Leharht finally called out to Etienne.
“Why?”
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.”
