At the mention of a lake, Reunite barely managed to stifle a gasp.
‘Come to think of it, the Duke seems more at ease than I thought.’
Nellia, worried about finding something other than books in the Duke’s estate’s basement, felt a bit uneasy realizing that the Duke looked quite composed.
‘He’s just making Nellia anxious.’
Reunite cleared his throat and spoke in a childish tone.
” I hope something is found in the south. If my sister and the duke find something, I promised to reward them. So, please search diligently, Your Grace!”
“I’ll give the reward, so Reunite can enjoy the scenery while searching.”
“Is it really okay…?”
“Of course.”
See this? The duke doesn’t seem rushed at all.
The duke stopped walking and leaned towards Reunite.
“It’s a secret, Reunite.”
“Yes?”
“I don’t actually want to find anything else here.”
Reunite blinked.
“Why? Weren’t you here to find something, Your Grace?”
The duke straightened his leaning posture.
“At first, I thought so, but now my mind is too chaotic to accept another truth.”
Reunite stared at the duke, who was speaking seriously.
“I heard from my sister, Nellia, that the duke might be a dragon.”
The duke chuckled lightly.
“Did Nellia say such a thing to Reunite?”
Reunite asked with a serious expression.
“Do you dislike being a dragon, Your Grace? I think it would be cool. Dragons are incredibly powerful and impressive.”
“Even if my ancestors were dragons, I am not one now. I am neither human nor dragon.”
“But still…”
“Reunite, you may not understand yet. Feeling that your existence is incomplete and being beside the person you love as an imperfect being.”
The duke’s tone was monotonous and gentle, yet somehow firm.
Reunite closed his mouth.
They started walking in silence again. Soon, as the duke mentioned, a large lake appeared.
In the lake, fish with a reddish tint swam around. The duke sat down on a flat rock by the lake.
Reunite also climbed onto a rock and admired the lake.
“Be careful not to fall into the lake.”
“Yes!”
Reunite cheerfully responded upfront but secretly smirked from behind.
The way the duke was pressing his temples seemed precarious, especially when sitting on the rock.
‘A grown man, acting like that.’
In that state, he might struggle to provide for Nellia, who eats a lot. In any case, he was disqualified as Nellia’s husband in many ways.
While shaking his head and poking his temples with his fingers, he suddenly felt a gaze and turned his face. When he faced the duke, their eyes met.
Just a moment ago, he was pressing his temples as if he had a headache, but when did he start looking at him?
“Reunite sometimes looks mature.”
“….”
“Not like a child.”
Reunite was surprised, but outwardly he smiled and replied nonchalantly.
“I don’t know what you mean, but is it a compliment?”
“It’s a compliment. Nellia also feels a bit more confident lately, probably relying on Reunite’s mature appearance.”
The duke whispered in a low voice.
“How much you’ve become courageous, you’ve even demonstrated tremendous strength.”
It was a somewhat meaningful statement, but Reunite didn’t lose his smiling face.
“…I’ve indeed gained a lot of strength thanks to my sister!”
The Duke stared at Reunite silently, his thoughts unclear.
Under the penetrating gaze that seemed to read his inner self, Reunite’s palms seemed to sweat profusely.
But soon, the Duke, wearing a faint smile, spoke.
“Reunite, you’re quite well-mannered.”
Reunite chuckled, maintaining a smile while heaved a sigh of relief internally.
‘He’s been listening to my thoughts since earlier.’
Nevertheless, it was fortunate that the Duke hadn’t seemed to figure out his true identity.
Reunite thought he should be more careful with his actions from now on and once again admired the lake.
The Duke sat on a rock, leaning against a nearby tree with his eyes closed.
Is he sleeping…?
He seemed unwell since a while ago, and now, he fell asleep as soon as he sat down.
Reunite considered it a stroke of luck. If the Duke is asleep, he won’t be startled by unnecessary words.
While wandering alone by the lakeside, Reunite suddenly looked in the Duke’s direction. The Duke, who had rested his head against the tree, now leaned forward.
Is he going to fall into the lake like that?
‘No, it won’t happen…’
But it was worrying to see the Duke’s head tilting toward the lake.
‘He probably won’t fall too far…’
However, having such thoughts was terrifying, and the Duke’s head continued to lean toward the lake.
Reunite hurried his steps to wake the Duke. But as the Duke’s head was inclining more toward the lake.
‘No, this can’t be…!’
With the footsteps of a child, he was too late…!
When the Duke’s upper body was about to tilt into the lake.
“Stop!”
Reunite shouted loudly, pushing his hand forward. The Duke’s body froze, about to fall into the lake.
‘Phew, that was close…’
In a moment of relief, the Duke slowly opened his eyes. He made eye contact with Reunite.
But it was strange. A faint smile appeared on his face, devoid of any signs of drowsiness.
Reunite felt like he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown for the first time in thousands of years.
‘No… it can’t be…’
The Duke’s smoothly moving lips created a graceful motion.
“I had a suspicion.”
This time, as the Duke pushed his hand, his body smoothly landed back on the rock.
“It seems you’re not an ordinary child.”
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.”
