Riley quietly watched Liz, who was sobbing, and slowly reached out, holding her hand. Liz, startled, stepped back, but Riley didn’t let go of her hand.
“I feel guilty, so I should live for myself even more.”
“……Y-Yes, Miss.”
“Of course, I still don’t completely trust you.”
“……. ”
“But that doesn’t mean I have any intention of tormenting you like you did to me. To do that… my time and emotions are too precious. Besides, I don’t want to become trash like Claire.”
“……Yes, Miss. Thank you, and I’m sorry.”
“I heard you haven’t been outside since you came here.”
“……. ”
“Take a short walk outside. You got along well with the Eadalin family’s servants. Also, let them know how you’ve been.”
Liz opened her eyes wide, as if surprised.
“If I continue to interact with those people… Is it not allowed?”
“Why?”
“Well… Miss, you don’t really like them, right?”
“That’s right, so I don’t go to see them. But you’re different.”
“……. ”
“I have no intention of cutting off your human relationships.”
“…Is it really okay to continue meeting the mansion’s colleagues?”
“Of course. They’re your only friends.”
“Really… Thank you, Miss.”
Liz seemed genuinely moved. As tears flowed, she prostrated herself flat on the ground, and rather than feeling relieved, her heart felt extremely uncomfortable.
“Stop crying and go out.”
“Yes, Miss.”
After Liz left, Riley immediately called Rachel, who was waiting outside.
“It might be difficult, but I hope you secretly follow her whenever that child goes out.”
“Do I just need to follow her?”
“Yeah, check who Liz meets and what she talks about.”
“Yes, Miss. I’ll do that.”
Rachel couldn’t understand why Riley cared so much about Liz, but she decided to follow her orders without making any noise.
‘…Now that I think about it, Miss probably foresaw that the child would be driven away? Sending me there repeatedly and suddenly calling the child who was expelled for stealing, saying to treat her well, and now telling me to follow her… What exactly is she thinking?’
Rachel was more curious about what Riley wanted to do with Liz than the relationship between Riley and Liz.
The always quiet and kind Miss seemed infinitely innocent on the surface, but since Liz came in, she continued to exude an aura that she was planning something using ‘Liz.’
Of course, Rachel was confident that what Miss was doing behind the scenes wasn’t something bad for this mansion or the master.
However, not knowing the inner workings, from the perspective of someone observing right next to her, it was frustrating not to be able to relieve her curiosity. The master also had many secrets, and now Miss was accumulating secrets one by one.
It’s not appropriate for Riley to interfere with the affairs of superiors, but she was deeply concerned as she had been involved in numerous major incidents and accidents.
Rachel sighed, placing her hand on her chest and praying, “Please, let it not be something dangerous…”
It was two days later that Liz showed any signs of movement.
When Liz went out, Rachel quietly followed her. The destination was the mansion where Viscount Eadalin stayed, or more precisely, an alley near the mansion.
Liz didn’t seem to have the intention of entering the mansion and only wandered around.
After some time passed, a woman who seemed to be a servant of the Eadalin family came out with a basket, and Liz quickly approached her upon noticing.
“Elysa!”
“…Liz?”
“How have you been?”
“I’m fine! You… you’re still here?”
“Yeah. I was going to return to my hometown, but there’s no security, so I’m staying here a bit longer.”
The woman called Elysa looked around and then pulled Liz along.
“Let’s go somewhere else to talk!”
The place they arrived at was a small cafe in a square quite a distance from the Eadalin mansion.
Among many cafes, they chose the smallest and shabbiest one. Thanks to her discreet disguise, Rachel, who had secretly followed them, could sit at the table behind them and listen to their conversation.
“Liz, have you been eating well and taking care of yourself?”
“Yeah, even better than when I was at the mansion.”
“Oh really? What are you doing now?”
To Elysa’s question, Liz paused for a moment before answering.
“Just… doing odd jobs here and there.”
“Is it not difficult?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. How about you?”
“Well, we’re still the same. But two days ago, Miss suddenly called for Rosal and scolded her like crazy while studying. She even made her stand for three hours and threw a mop in her face.”
“…Miss is still the same.”
“But she’s doing it less than before. Nowadays, she’s busy with her academic life at the institute, always staying at the institute. Even on weekends, she goes to meet her friends.”
“I see.”
“But since Miss is often away, now the housekeeper is bothering us? Without the master and madam, it’s like a world of her own.”
“Why are the master and madam absent?”
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.”
