What is this vague speech?
In truth, Nelia had no desire to get entangled with Charlotte.
As if dealing with Duke Hart, the villain, wasn’t enough, she had also met the male lead Carlos, and now the female protagonist as well?
It wasn’t merely the burden of getting involved with the main characters.
They were rivals in the quest for Siegfried’s Heart.
These three main characters had their own reasons for seeking Siegfried’s Heart. She had no original interest, but decided to contribute to finding the heart to lift Duke Hart’s curse.
Therefore, except for Duke Hart, they were all competitors in the quest for Siegfried’s Heart.
“Is it not possible……?”
But why? She just couldn’t say no to Charlotte, who asked pitifully.
Charlotte looked down and spoke.
“Actually, I don’t know anyone in the capital……”
Nelia was weak to such appeals. She knew the feeling of being a foreigner in a strange land better than anyone.
Hadn’t she unknowingly saved a duke transformed into a snake in a jar for the same reason?
“So, I may have asked Nelia for too much. If you’re not willing, you can refuse……”
Seeing Charlotte whisper quietly, Nelia somewhat had that thought.
Conversely, by getting involved with her, she might gain hints about Siegfried’s Heart. After all, Charlotte was this world’s female protagonist, inevitably gaining access to the heart.
Of course, her practical reasons were outweighed by a slight sense of pity.
In the end, Nelia nodded.
“Alright……”
In response, Charlotte flashed a dazzling smile. It was a captivating smile, on par with Duke Hart.
Not only that, Charlotte firmly gripped Nelia’s hand with both of hers.
“Thank you. I……want to be friends with Nelia.”
Somehow, Charlotte seemed more interested in her than the kindness she had shown warranted.
Was it because people easily became attached to those who helped them in strange lands?
Nelia told Charlotte to send her letters to this address if she wanted to meet, giving her the duke’s address.
Charlotte seemed to be intently memorizing the address.
“Goodbye, Charlotte.”
“Yes……you too, Nelia.”
Leaving their short encounter behind, Nelia parted ways with Charlotte.
Alone now, Charlotte murmured.
“Just like Popo……”
(This is a time marker.)
As soon as she returned to the duke’s residence, Nelia went to the duke’s room. The room felt eerily empty of human presence.
As she approached the bed, a silver snake lay coiled.
Feeling her presence, the snake slowly blinked its eyes. The snake that met her gaze spoke softly.
“Nelia……?”
Before Duke Hart fully regained consciousness, Nelia wrapped the snake’s body in a blanket and patted its head.
The thin blanket became thicker. Duke Hart had transformed back into a human.
Thankfully, she had wrapped him in the blanket beforehand, sparing her the sight of his unclothed body.
“That’s so unfair.”
Annoyed, Duke Hart slowly loosened the blanket wrapped around him. His upper body became visible, but Nelia decided to let that slide.
“Why did you come so late, Nelia. I fell asleep waiting.”
Looking at the clock, it was indeed quite late.
While Nelia was staring at the clock, Duke Hart asked with a concerned expression.
“What happened?”
For a moment, Nelia considered hiding her encounter with Charlotte from Duke Hart.
Why she felt that way, she wasn’t sure. She just… didn’t feel like it.
However, she soon gave up the idea of hiding it. There was no reason to keep it a secret.
“I stopped by the monastery on the way.”
“The monastery?”
At his puzzled voice, Nelia divulged the events that had taken place.
After hearing everything, Duke Hart made a stern face.
“Nelia, what will you do if something happens because you casually let a stranger ride your carriage?”
The reprimand she had earlier given Charlotte about getting into a stranger’s carriage had come back to bite her.
Nelia felt oddly uncomfortable again.
The stranger, in the original work, was the female protagonist that Duke Hart would fall in unrequited love with.
Would there be a change in the Duke’s heart if they were to meet later?
“Why do you look like that, Nelia?”
Duke Hart asked, sensing an unusual atmosphere from Nelia’s expression. Nelia hastily shook her head.
“It’s nothing.”
However, the Duke’s expression continued to darken. Then a low voice flowed out.
“Was the person you gave a carriage ride a man?”
“No.”
Relieved by Nelia’s definitive answer, the Duke exhaled.
“That’s good to hear. I thought someone was bothering you again.”
Of course, women were not entirely safe either. Duke Hart muttered quietly.
Nelia averted her eyes, embarrassed by the worry that nobody else would have.
“There’s no need for concern…”
The Duke has always been overly worried.
‘Does he think everyone is like him…’
Still, the Duke’s voice remained serious.
“Don’t you have any feelings about being invited to dine by the Crown Prince?”
“Well, the reason Crown Prince Carlos invited me is not what you’re suspecting, Duke.”
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.”
