“He asked about what happened to you. Whether you were being harassed.”
“…Ah, so what did you tell him?”
“I simply told him everything that had happened to you.”
Did Gibnen send him? He did look uneasy yesterday; he must have been worried.
Riley let out a heavy sigh.
‘I didn’t want him to worry about this.’
He didn’t want to rely on his help. Not only did he not want to bother him, but it was embarrassing from the start. Being harassed by others was not a good thing, and he wished he didn’t know about it. Because he knew that he would step in somehow, as he always had.
“Your face looks dark, Riley. Ah, perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned it…?”
Riley spoke while soothing a downcast Hila.
“No, it’s okay. He would have found out one way or another.”
·
·
·
“I couldn’t meet Van Clap. He’s notoriously reclusive… Instead, I met Hila Durle and learned all the surrounding circumstances. Since she’s someone you keep close, I didn’t need to find Van Clap separately to get all the information I wanted. Here.”
Gibnen’s face soured as he read through the documents Salk handed over.
“Childish.”
“It is childish.”
“Can this really be true?”
“That’s what they say.”
Gibnen was astounded. It was unbelievable that such childish mischief could be caused over trivial matters.
The first was a childish squabble that even a kindergartener would find petty.
The second was neither Riley’s fault nor Libne’s.
“It’s surprising that Libne defended my sister.”
“Lord Libne is not as he appears; he’s quite compassionate.”
“Even so, why is my wife the one getting hit when it should be Libne?”
“Exactly, I was surprised too.”
It was shocking that such childish antics were occurring in an institution of higher education filled with adults.
Moreover, it wasn’t the uneducated, but rather people who were reputed to have some standing who were involved, and their behavior was just too low-class.
Especially in the second case, the youngest daughter of the Narvik Bank president was the instigator. She wasn’t just nobility but highly influential nobility at that.
Gibnen had met her a few times. Since Narvik Bank was the empire’s largest, there were many companies dealing with it.
Yet the daughter of such a prestigious family had committed such a stupid act.
“If we take this matter to the Academy’s student council, it will just fizzle out.”
“I know.”
As much as he wanted to overhaul the student council, in reality, there wasn’t much he could do using his status as Duke. Most of the authority over the Academy resided with the Chancellor, who was a friend of his mentor, so he couldn’t act rashly.
“Furthermore, if this becomes a big issue, the attacks on Miss Riley could become more overt. Bless-Tige nobles are known for their tight-knit communities, so they might publicly target Miss Riley. This could affect her life at the academy and even her life after marriage.”
“We’ll respond to low tactics with low tactics.”
“?”
“I’ve always been more of a fan of cheating than following principles.”
Gibnen smiled wryly and gave instructions to Salk.
“Tell the Shadows that if anyone bothers Riley or starts a pointless fight, to give them a little ‘attention.’ Hmm, what’s the right amount? Ah, let’s go with breaking an arm or a leg.”
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.”
