Abandoned Empress's Survival Manual Beside the Male Lead - Chapter 74

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 74
I had no wish to concern myself with Ayu, having been so brutally betrayed by the Northern Kingdom’s royal court.
Yet I could not simply ignore her either.
Anyone would keep their guard raised if a massive storm circled endlessly in their vicinity.
Both Ayu and Sherkan were the greatest storms in this world.
I, a disposable villain, would be swept away and vanish in an instant…….
At first, my plan had been to prevent Gonet’s bankruptcy, pocket a generous sum, and slip away whistling into the wind.
That was my original intention.
But coming to the capital, my thoughts shifted. I couldn’t bear the thought of parting with the servants.
The Gonet knights weren’t my domain, but if I took even the three Imperial Guards the Emperor had granted me, I could purchase good land anywhere and live safely and happily.
There was Ratku, delicious eggs and milk. With the Proliferation Order alone, I could raise any plant or animal in abundance.
That’s what Ratku had said, after all.
He’d beaten his chest and sworn to be responsible for me for life.
So there was no place for Sherkan in my future plans.
There never had been.
As I gazed at Sherkan’s deeply sleeping face, my chest stirred restlessly.
Why would he do so much for me?
Because I’m his wife?
Just for that one reason?
Could it really be so simple?
I thought that if it hadn’t been for the betrayal I suffered at the royal court, my heart would already have been completely stolen by Sherkan.
No one could refuse such a perfect husband.
But could someone covered in burns dare to fall asleep before a hearth?
No matter how new the hearth might be…….
Could I rest my head there in peace?
No one could.
Not a single soul could…….
My thoughts spiraled endlessly, each one trailing into the next.
I watched Sherkan sleep for quite a long time, silently taking in the sight of his calloused hand holding mine even in slumber.
Before long, I too seemed to have drifted off.
When I woke, Sherkan was gone.
“The Grand Duke received a summons from His Majesty the Emperor and departed, Your Grace.”
“I see.”
I gazed out the window while eating the breakfast Briget had brought.
Dawn light seeped through the curtain gap, and fresh air drifted in through the slightly open window.
It was a perfectly pleasant morning.
“Oh, Your Grace.”
Briget spoke with an unusual tone.
“The Holy Maiden departed for the Grand Temple early this dawn, it is said.”
“Mm?”
I set down the bread I’d been eating.
I chewed the contents of my mouth carefully and swallowed before asking back.
“Early this dawn? But the banquet still has two days left?”
At my words, Briget wore a cruel smile.
“One who falls from the Empress Dowager’s favor does not live long.”
…….
“I misspoke, Your Grace.”
Briget promptly apologized meekly at my silence.
“No, but don’t say such things outside.”
“Of course not, Your Grace. Would this Briget ever show her true thoughts if not in your presence, beyond the Grand Duchess’s side?”
“Right. I’ve always trusted you, Briget.”
“You honor me beyond measure!”
I laughed softly and drank my tea.
It seemed the Empress Dowager’s doctrinal examination had been quite brutal.
Ayu alone could show such visible wounds from the Empress Dowager and still manage to flee…….
‘Hmm. Listening to Briget, it seems the Empress Dowager doesn’t actually dislike me.’
But Ayu…….
Apparently my bitter rival is truly unshakeable.
Still, now that Ayu has fled to the Grand Temple like that, what will Deon do?
‘Surely he won’t come charging to Gonet’s territory again for another quarrel?’
If that were the case, I’d send them back at once.
I wanted to keep as far away as possible from those couples who dragged endless turmoil in their wake.
It wasn’t just turmoil—everyone around them ended up flying through the air, injured or worse. There was no reason to stay nearby.
Sure enough, Deon never appeared during the rest of the banquet. Neither did the duchess.
Of course, with so many nobles from across the empire in attendance, their absence went completely unnoticed.
The final day arrived quickly, and the people from Gonet were already packing.
Sherkan wasn’t returning to the castle this time either—he was heading to the suppression grounds.
What surprised me was that Sherkan said he wouldn’t be taking Gavin with him.
“Are you sure?”
“What’s there to be unsure about?”
Sherkan answered offhandedly as he fastened his shoes.
“Apparently there are a few knights who’ve fallen behind on their duties with the head servant.”
“Did Erichi tell you that?”
“Yes.”
Sherkan pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Can I take those men with me?”
“They’re your knights, aren’t they?”
Even if my life was held as collateral by Briget.
Sherkan blinked slowly, then spoke.
“I’ll leave those men at the castle. After all, there need to be knights guarding both the castle and you. I’ll assign them to you as dedicated household knights.”
“Household labor knights?”
I laughed, and Sherkan looked at me. A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“Since the Imperial Guard will be coming, there shouldn’t be any real security issues at the castle. Though I’ll need to hire more servants.”
“I’ll take care of that myself.”
“All right.”
Sherkan stood up, agreeing readily.
He bent down and, in an instant, pressed his lips to my forehead.
I blinked and touched my forehead with my fingertips as Sherkan’s lips curved downward in an amused smile.
“I’m going.”
“Sherkan.”
I rummaged through a separate bundle of belongings and handed him a pouch no larger than my palm.
“Happy seventeenth birthday. It’s Hemostatic Medicine—I made it according to the method the spirit taught me.”
Heh heh!
That was a lie!
It was Hemostatic Medicine I’d made purely from the knowledge of my past life.
I’d ground together mugwort, comfrey, plantain, and oak bark, and mixed them all—the crucial part being that I’d grown every single herb using the Proliferation Order.
‘I passed out so many times making this!’
This was also a kind of prototype.
Later, when I earned money, I planned to acquire seeds of rarer medicinal herbs and infuse them with the Proliferation Order.
Once I made medicine from those and gave it to Sherkan, he wouldn’t suffer the grave injuries he’d endured in the original story.
I, in turn, would prepare myself to avoid the original story’s calamities.
“Just a fingernail’s worth will stop bleeding within a wound or two, and it significantly reduces pain—or so the spirit said.”
I felt immensely proud of myself for handing over a life-or-death cheat key to the male protagonist.
Mentioning that Ratku had verified it boosted my credibility as well.
Sherkan examined the pouch I’d given him before asking.
“You know my birthday?”
“It was recorded in the Grand Duke’s House genealogy?”
“……Is that so?”
Sherkan stared down at the pouch, then suddenly lifted his head.
“Thank you.”
A faint warmth flickered in eyes that had always been full of cold.
My heart lurched in that instant.
It was the first time. Sherkan smiling like that.
A smile befitting his age—heartbreakingly, achingly boyish.
His laughter, so rare it was like snow falling in summer heat, even seemed happy.
So that mad boy could smile like that……
“See you later, madam.”
Sherkan then brushed his lips lightly against mine before leaving.
I snapped back to awareness and rushed to the window, only to find he was already mounted and riding away.
……
I kept watching until Sherkan disappeared from sight.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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