The hot steam continuously rising in the bathhouse obscured the front due to the mist.
Un discarded his layered clothes one by one and pushed his body into the tub. The temperature of the water, seemingly a bit hot, and the subtly fragrant scent made his body feel relaxed and pleasant.
With his body leaning against the tub, he wet his head and closed his eyes. His loosened long hair spilled outside the tub. The sound of water droplets falling in the quiet bath echoed in rhythm with his heartbeat.
Leaning his arms on the edge of the tub, Un closed his eyes and remained motionless, lost in thought for a while.
Hasn’t the nighttime ceremony been held yet?
Upon arriving at the palace after leaving the retreat, Eom Sanggung, upon seeing him, exclaimed in disbelief.
“It doesn’t make sense. So today… you’re trying to send her away.”
He murmured to himself in the hazy air. Brushing away the hair flowing down his forehead, he sighed as if feeling frustrated. Eom Sanggung’s words, thrown at him as he turned, pierced his heart.
She is a delicate person. Please cherish her and never say words that hurt her. Do you understand?
He didn’t want to hurt her. He desired her from the moment he first saw her. He couldn’t stand the fact that she was interested in another man. He thought she loved Kim Hui-gyeom. That’s why she didn’t want a ceremony with him, and he believed her expression stiffened only when she saw him.
If he had paid a little attention and cared, he could have known it wasn’t true.
Though he said unpleasant words because he felt hurt by her not looking at him, he never intended to cause pain. He was a wretched man who hurt a delicate person without properly checking.
He stood up, wiping his wet face with his palms. Simultaneously, the water inside the tub surged and spilled outside. After roughly drying himself, he put on a robe hanging on a rack. His footsteps toward the inner court were leisurely and light.
Eunsul repeatedly took deep breaths, trying to calm her unsettled heart. Ever since she heard that the Crown Prince had entered the bathhouse from Eom Sanggung, she had been in this state. Her heart began to beat as if malfunctioning, and she was so tense and restless that she couldn’t sit still.
When she was pacing inside the room, she heard the Crown Prince’s voice from outside.
“Everyone, step back, and Eom Sanggung, bring what I asked for.”
The responses of Eom Sanggung and other palace maids could be heard, and the door was soon opened.
As the Crown Prince entered the room, she was breathless. His long hair was roughly tied with a string, and he wore a blue robe over a white silk robe. His appearance was so captivating that one couldn’t look away. There was no other expression but beautiful to describe him.
An alluring fragrance emanated from him as he approached.
Her heart began to beat as if it were broken, and she was so tense and restless that she couldn’t sit still.
While she was wandering around the room, the voice of the Crown Prince was heard from outside when she was lingering in the room.
“Everyone, step back, and Eom Sanggung, bring what I asked for.”
The sound of Eom Sanggung and other court ladies responding could be heard, and the door opened immediately.
Upon entering the room, she held her breath at the sight of the Crown Prince.
His long hair was loosely tied with a string. Dressed in a blue robe over a white silk robe, his appearance was so enchanting that it was impossible to look away.
The only description that came to mind was beautiful.
A subtle fragrance emanated from him as he approached.
Looking at him up close, Eunsul finally regained her composure.
With a smile, he whispered softly into her ear, “A secretive night, a night perfect for sharing a secret love. So, I’ve prepared for this.”
As he sat down, he looked at her.
“If you continue to stand like that, you might regret it.”
She couldn’t sit willingly.
She was too nervous, and her mind was blank.
In an instant, due to the wind pulling as his arm grabbed her wrist, she found herself being embraced by him.
“Y-Your Highness!”
“That’s right, didn’t I tell you that you would regret it? Do you really desire something like this?”
“What? No, not at all.”
In an attempt to escape from him, she inadvertently pulled the string of the front of the robe and loosened it.
The weak knot couldn’t support her, and in the moment she tried to fall back, his strong arm pulled her forward again.
Her gaze landed precisely on his chest through the opening of the robe.
As the well-defined muscular chest came into view, her face reddened to the point where it couldn’t get any redder.
“What… what are you doing now?”
“I’m sorry. It’s not intentional, so… well…”
“You seem more sinister than you look.”
Feeling embarrassed, Eunsul quickly stood up and moved away to sit farther.
Who was the one who created such a situation in the first place?
Feeling somewhat unjust, she lowered her eyes, and he unexpectedly reached out his hand.
“Please.”
“…What?”
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.”
