For a moment she entertained such thoughts, when her parents’ voices reached her from ahead.
“Stay strong today, our daughter.”
“We’re very proud you’re doing well as Duke Hart’s maid.”
Lilly and Sean looked at Nelia with expressions full of pride.
Seeing this, Nelia felt a pang of guilt.
‘I’ve crossed a line with the Duke, more than just being a maid…’
Nelia greeted her parents awkwardly, smiling, then left for the Duke’s mansion. Once inside the carriage, Nelia found herself staring unusually at the blue sky. The elongated clouds seemed to resemble the Duke transformed into a snake.
‘No… a bit shorter than that.’
While Duke Hart easily exceeded 180cm as a man, why did his snake form appear so small?
Nelia was lost in thought about the Duke being a snake when she remembered that last night, the Duke had chosen not to take his medicine.
He had wanted to test if he’d transform without it.
If he hadn’t transformed, that would mean the curse was truly lifted.
As the carriage arrived in front of the Duke’s mansion, her heart raced.
While hoping to see the Duke in human form, she spotted Ton, a servant, whose face seemed unusually somber.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Ton rushed to open the door and greeted Nelia.
“You’ve arrived, Miss Nelia.”
“Yes, but… is something wrong?”
Ton, usually with a stern expression, looked visibly restless. Up close, his agitation became more evident.
“Let’s talk inside… You should see for yourself.”
Nelia nodded her head hesitantly, and Ton led the way.
His hurried steps were hard to keep up with. He led her towards the stairs.
By the time they passed the second and third floors, Nelia had realized.
Something had happened to the Duke.
She hoped dearly that it was nothing serious.
“Come in.”
Reaching the Duke’s room, Ton opened the door. The room was dark.
Nelia stepped in cautiously and saw a silver snake coiled clumsily on the bed.
Rather than feeling alarmed, she felt relieved.
It wasn’t a terrible thing that had happened to the Duke; transforming into a snake seemed rather trivial.
As she sat down, the snake sensed her presence and lifted its head.
“Nelia…?”
The snake appeared somehow gloomy, eliciting a fleeting smile from Nelia.
“When did you turn into a snake?”
“After you left, not long after.”
“Really…?”
The Duke had certainly taken his medicine that morning, which should have kept him human for at least twelve hours.
Yet he had transformed into a snake before even that much time had passed.
Shortly after she left, curiously.
“Yes… this has never happened before.”
The Duke paused, then blinked his silver eyes.
“Could you pet me first? Then I’ll turn back into a human.”
Nelia nodded and reached out her hand.
As she petted the snake’s head like before, the cold and smooth scales felt delicate to her touch.
Soon her hand started to rise upwards.
Before she knew it, she was touching soft hair instead of scales.
“Nelia.”
“Duke…”
Sure enough, Duke Hart had turned back into a human and immediately embraced Nelia.
The careful touch that enveloped her back was poignant.
“I could maintain my human form thanks to you…”
It was an important fact.
But there was something more important at hand.
Nelia managed to speak, ignoring the vivid sensation she felt.
“But Duke, you need to put on some clothes first…”
Duke Hart, upon turning human, was invariably naked.
Yet, the Duke didn’t let go. Instead, he hugged her even tighter, his voice tinged with amusement.
“So what? You’ve seen it all anyway.”
Blushing, Nelia pushed the Duke away.
“Still, you can’t…”
Finally, the Duke relaxed his grip.
“Very well.”
As soon as the Duke turned away, Nelia also turned her back, cooling the heat that had surreptitiously risen on her face while he dressed.
The back of her own hand, which she touched to her face, felt decidedly cool.
“It’s done.”
As the Duke announced he had finished dressing, Nelia turned back around.
It had been a short period, but he had dressed neatly. Confirming that even the shirt buttons were meticulously done up, Nelia spoke.
“Transforming into a snake all of a sudden… What happened, Your Grace?”
“After you left for home yesterday, I turned into a snake while having dinner.”
Oh…
Nelia bit her lip.
It was a bad omen. It seemed as if the phenomenon was somehow related to her and the Duke, as if their bodies transformed into snakes when separated.
“I couldn’t take medicine while in snake form, so I had to wait to turn back into a human. If you hadn’t come back early this morning, I would’ve lost a whole day.”
Fortunately, this was his residence, and the servants knew Duke Hart’s secret. If it had been the palace…
“It’s serious. I have to return to the palace for work tomorrow.”
Seemingly sharing her concern, the Duke expressed similar worries.
As he slightly furrowed his brows, pondering, he soon looked at Nelia with twinkling eyes.
“Nelia, I have a good idea.”
For some reason, the Duke’s “good idea” didn’t sit well with her. Nelia cautiously asked, “What is it?”
“We’ll go to the palace together.”
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.”
