“Good…… person.”
“Learning is a good thing. They are really a good person.”
Elise passed it off nonchalantly. An indecipherable smile hung on Karan’s lips.
“It’s ready. I hope it suits your taste.”
Elise took a sip of the tea Karan had prepared. The tea indeed tasted excellent.
“That person must be really proud.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The person who advised His Majesty to learn tea-making. They would be happy to know you can make such good tea.”
“Do you like it?”
Elise blinked as if to ask why that was directed at her.
Then she soon realized he was asking about the taste of the tea and smiled brightly.
“It’s really delicious. It suits my taste perfectly. The aroma is nice, and the subtle flavor is lovely.”
Karan smiled back. Elise gazed at him, momentarily lost in thought.
His usually sharp demeanor seemed completely different, softened.
His refreshing smile, reminiscent of a green apple, made Elise’s heart flutter.
“Is there something on my face?”
“No, Your Highness. You’re just very……”
“Yes?”
“Handsome.”
Elise quickly shared her thoughts, worried that Karan might find it offensive.
Karan just parted his lips slightly, without any other reaction.
In Bedroca, complimenting someone’s appearance was part of social etiquette, not taboo.
But was it different for a Titrisian? Karan’s lips tightened.
“I apologize if I’ve offended you.”
“It’s not that I’m offended… Do you like my face?”
If it was just a matter of liking or not, obviously.
“Yes.”
Karan beamed.
His smile was like a ripe red apple compared to the green apple of his gentler expression.
Elise’s heart skipped a beat for a different reason at his enticing smile.
“I’m glad you like it.”
What exactly was he glad about?
Every conversation with him raised new curiosities.
But it was hard to ask outright. Elise had memories from before her regression, so she felt close to him, but to Karan, she was still a stranger.
‘Let’s become friends slowly and then ask everything.’
Elise quietly fiddled with her teacup.
Karan prepared his own tea and sat opposite her. They both focused on drinking tea for a while.
After finishing a cup of tea, Elise broached the main topic.
“Have you thought about it?”
Though the subject was omitted, Karan understood what she meant.
The two were to enter into a marriage contract today.
“Yes. Do you have any particular conditions in mind?”
“I’ll adapt to you in everything.”
A deep skepticism appeared in Karan’s eyes.
It was a life-altering contract.
Elise needed his help, but there was no need to give him all the control.
‘How would she handle it if I became greedy?’
Karan concealed his boiling greed and suggested politely.
“I don’t want an unfair contract. Since you proposed it, you should also speak first about the conditions.”
“I’m not in a position to be picky, as I told you. I wouldn’t be a good match for His Highness.”
“Please don’t say that. I’ve chosen to marry you by my own will. I don’t want to belittle my choice.”
With each word from Karan, Elise felt his consideration for her.
Elise realized anew what a good person he was.
‘Did he save me before I died because he’s such a good person? But why was he in the underground dungeon then?’
Elise never dreamed Karan had come to the dungeon for her.
“Please tell me.”
Karan urged.
The tea had long since gone cold. As they kept yielding to each other, Elise decided to state her condition first.
“I have only one wish. Just let me maintain the position of your first wife.”
Titris was a polygamous society.
However, only the first wife had the right to assert her position as a wife.
Elise’s ultimate goal was to elevate Karan to the throne.
That was the only way to completely subdue Chase.
And she thought that was necessary for Karan not to be at a loss in their marriage.
For that, Elise needed power.
She hadn’t initially coveted the position of first wife, but when Karan asked her to state her desire, she found herself wanting it.
“Does saying ‘first’ imply you think there will be a second wife?”
But was it too much to ask?
Karan looked quite displeased.
“It’s common in Titris.”
Karan’s hand, which had been fiddling with his teacup, stopped.
The warm air surrounding him suddenly turned cold.
“You’re greatly mistaken.”
Elise inhaled sharply. It seemed she had made a big mistake. How to rectify this, she wondered.
“Let’s make it clear. There will be only one wife for me. That should be included in the contract.”
“What? Only one? Does that mean you won’t marry me?”
Elise was so surprised that she almost knocked over her teacup. If Karan hadn’t caught it, it would have fallen.
Karan placed the teacup in front of Elise and looked up at her.
“Titrisians may be barbarians, but we don’t treat fidelity like trash.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’ll keep my promise to you. I will have only one wife, and that’s Elise Walton.”
Elise’s eyes widened.
‘Does he mean he won’t take any wife other than me?’
It was hard to believe. With marriage comes power and influence… but why?
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.”
