Rosette and Lucas both glanced at Duke Adrian simultaneously.
Joseph was still imprisoned in the dungeon, and they were puzzled about how to explain this to Melody.
“Melody,” Duke Adrian said, kneeling down to meet her at eye level. Despite this, Melody clutched her hands tightly and rolled her eyes around, seemingly unsettled.
“Can you tell this uncle how you’ve been during this time?” he asked gently.
After hesitating, Melody began to recount her story. She had followed a man who said he would take her to her brother, which led her to an unfamiliar mansion where she was essentially held captive. However, she didn’t feel uncomfortable because the people there were quite kind to her.
‘They probably planned to send Melody to the Dallas family if necessary.’
Melody said she had pestered them several times a day, asking when she could see her brother, but was always told to wait.
Today, she had been brought to this place.
After sharing her story, Melody huddled back up.
“So, where’s my brother? Where is Joseph?” she inquired anxiously.
“Joseph had to go out for a bit,” Duke Adrian said, not planning to allow Melody to see Joseph until he had completed his investigation. He gestured to a maid, “Take her to her room for now.”
“Yes, understood.”
Rosette scurried after Duke Adrian as he left to continue his investigation.
“Dad,” she called out.
Duke Adrian turned around, his stern face softening.
“What is it?”
“What are you going to do about Joseph Oser? And Melody?”
Duke Adrian smiled awkwardly.
“I need to think about that a bit more. And this isn’t something for you to worry about, Rosette. As I’ve said, this is now a matter for adults.”
“But it’s my matter too,” Rosette spoke uncharacteristically vivaciously. Duke Adrian found this intriguing and continued to ask.
“Why is it your matter?”
“I promised Joseph Oser. I said I would save his sister. He helped me because of that.”
Duke Adrian muttered awkwardly.
“But Rosette, Joseph Oser was going to betray our family….”
He hesitated to finish, but Rosette interjected.
“I know. He intended to betray us. But in the end, he kept his word.”
“Word? Where did you learn such a term?”
“……I heard the knights using it.”
“You’ve learned a difficult word,” Duke Adrian said, patting her head proudly. Rosette blushed slightly and continued.
“Anyway, I hope Joseph Oser doesn’t get punished.”
“That’s for me to decide,” Duke Adrian responded.
“And I want to take classes with Melody.”
“Classes?”
“Yes.”
Rosette explained earnestly.
“If Melody takes classes, she could become a great magician. So, I want to take classes with her from Miss Celine.”
Duke Adrian couldn’t immediately refuse. While the idea of Melody having a talent for magic was intriguing, it was more about Rosette’s attitude that made him consider it.
It had been two months since Rosette became the youngest member of the Adrian family.
During that time, Duke Adrian had generously provided for Rosette’s needs. Initially, Rosette seemed burdened by his gifts, but soon accepted them shyly.
However, she had never once asked Duke Adrian for something she needed.
Now, for the first time, she was asking for something, leaving Duke Adrian unsure whether to be pleased or concerned.
For Rosette, this was the first time she had ever asked for something on her own initiative. Duke Adrian wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or perplexed by her request.
He wanted to grant all of Rosette’s requests if possible.
“Then let’s go see Celine. We need to find out if Melody has any talent for magic,” he suggested.
“Yes.”
“If Celine says there’s no talent, even if we want to teach her, we can’t. You should understand that.”
“Yes.”
But Rosette wasn’t worried at all. She was confident Celine would recognize Melody’s talent. In fact, Celine might even be eager to teach Melody.
“Let’s go then.”
“Alright.”
Rosette extended her hand to Melody, who hesitated beside the maid.
“Come with us.”
Melody approached with small, hesitant steps.
“Uh-huh.”
Rosette confidently led the way to Celine’s laboratory, holding the cold hand of the child.
“Miss Rosette!”
Upon entering the lab, Celine rushed over and lifted Rosette in her arms. Rosette, startled, flailed her legs.
“You’re heavy!”
“Heavy? You’re as light as a feather. You still need to get a bit plumper. Are you eating well?”
“Of course!”
Rosette replied confidently. She ate well three times a day, confident she could even out-eat Lucas.
Satisfied, Celine put Rosette down.
She crouched slightly and observed Melody, who was hiding behind Rosette.
“Alright, but who is this lovely little lady?”
Melody, clinging desperately to Rosette’s clothes, hesitated before answering.
“I’m Melody Oser.”
“Oser?”
Celine’s beautiful face wrinkled. As the Adrian family’s exclusive magician, she was well-informed about the recent upheaval at the mansion.
The boy at the center of it all was named Joseph Oser.
‘So, this child must be that boy’s sister.’
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.”
