Riley was suffering from a fever.
Despite giving her medicine regularly, the fever did not easily subside. Still, she looked better than when I first saw her.
Gibnen, although he was busy, did not return to his tower and stayed by Riley’s side.
“Isn’t it time to send her back to the Eardalin mansion? A letter has come from the Magic Department. They say you must stop by the Magic Department as soon as you return to Blestige.”
“What happened to the old woman?”
“She has been released and sent home.”
“As expected.”
“Weren’t the assassins trying to abduct her when we arrived? So, it seems Count Ermaints claims he never directly harmed her, and that the assassins suddenly turned on him and threatened him.”
“They believe that absurd excuse?”
“It seems they are keeping it quiet.”
“Keep this fact from Riley.”
If she found out that Count Ermaints went unpunished, it would upset her greatly.
“If we wanted to definitely take Count Ermaints to court, we should have arrived sooner. The timing was not good. Or we could have intentionally waited longer, but…”
Gibnen turned his head to look at Riley’s sleeping face.
She looked much more frail than when I saw her before. Her suffering over the rumor was clearly visible.
Considering the report on this incident, I planned to ensure that Riley Eardalin’s identity would not be exposed, but now I wonder if this is the right thing to do.
It will create a buzz for a while, but can she be free from that noise? Even if I try to prevent it, there’s still a possibility that her identity will be exposed if the matter grows big.
Besides, practically… it won’t be easy to bring Count Ermaints to trial.
All the assassins involved in the incident were killed, and Count Ermaints will surely arrange a huge team of lawyers to fight the legal battle in his favor.
There is a lack of concrete evidence and witnesses, and above all, Riley, the victim, must be brought to court.
Riley is alive, and all the mastermind assassins are dead, so a charge of attempted murder is out of the question. At most, it will end up as an assault charge, with a predictably light sentence. It will likely conclude with a hefty fine.
Is there any need to upset Riley by involving her in such a fight? She’s already emotionally unstable.
“Ha.”
Gibnen let out a short sigh and stood up.
“Sak.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Gag the reporters and collect the photos.”
“…Yes? Suddenly? Why?”
Sak didn’t understand. If this incident became hot news, it would turn the rumors about Gibnen upside down.
Killing his former fiancée, Count Ermaints, would undoubtedly deal a blow far greater than any rumor.
Why would he let go of such a great opportunity?
“Just because.”
“…”
“I lost interest.”
Are you mad?
Sak was about to speak, but he saw Gibnen’s gaze fixed on Riley and shut his mouth.
“I understand.”
The reason for covering all of this up.
“Master.”
“What.”
“You’re a great liar.”
“What.”
“You never act like you talk.”
It would have been much better if you had shown others such a thoughtful and humane side. It was a surprising choice for someone who consistently ignored his own and others’ honor.
“But, it seems like a good choice.”
He decided to cover up the whole incident.
All for one lady.
“I’ll go to the Baron’s house. With Riley gone, the house must be in turmoil.”
(This is a time separator.)
“What do you mean Riley is gone!”
“That is… the window was open, and the bedding was a mess.”
Ah, Ryan clutched his head and staggered.
What kind of bolt from the blue is this in the morning?
The Baroness bit her nails and spoke in an anxious voice.
“Could she have run away…?”
“Run away? For what reason?”
“That…… In front, they may act nice, but behind they may also hate this marriage. Or it could be because of our remaining reluctance.”
“No! What have you been doing without watching her?”
“My, do you only think I’m playing around? I also attended a gathering and am just on my way home!”
Ryan and Lady Viscount, who only found out that Riley had disappeared in the evening, were panicked.
The servants of the mansion also said they knew Riley had disappeared since last night.
Worst of all, because of yesterday’s events, Ryan did not return home, and because Lady Viscount had left the mansion, the report that Riley had disappeared was only conveyed this morning.
“Lady said she was not feeling well, and told no one to come to her room before being called. Also, she had been overdoing it recently, so I thought she was just sleeping longer…”
“Why tell me that now! You should have checked the room anyway!”
“I’m, I’m sorry, master.”
They couldn’t just blame the servants for this, as taking care of a lady who had been neglected all her life was not an easy task for them either.
Habits take a long time to set, and although they had recently changed their treatment towards Riley, they needed a little more time to adapt to caring for her as sincerely as Claire did.
Moreover, they were too complacent. She was about to marry a billionaire, so they thought there was no reason for her to run away.
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.”
