After Linking the Villainess and Male Lead (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
I’d expected things to be awkward since I’ve had so little interaction with the Countess, but thanks to our shared interest in gardens, the conversation flowed smoothly without interruption.
‘Perhaps it’s precisely because she has such a cheerful and clear disposition that she’s so popular in high society. When Adelia grows a little older, will she become a lady with a presence like this?’
When the scheduled time for the tea party finally arrived, carriages carrying guests began arriving one after another at the Melison estate.
While the Countess Melison went out to greet the guests, I stayed behind in the greenhouse, admiring the flowers, as noble ladies and young misses gradually filed inside.
“Oh, how utterly beautiful.”
“It’s been ages since I’ve seen such a lovely garden.”
Hearing everyone burst into surprised praise for the garden the moment they entered, I couldn’t help but puff my shoulders up slightly in quiet pride.
“The Countess Melison’s garden has become far more beautiful than before.”
“Indeed! Goodness, just look at these flowers—they seem ordinary enough on the roadside, yet here, their colors appear incredibly vivid!”
“Right? Even though they look like common wildflowers, they hold their own among these flamboyant blooms. Oh? Lady Rosentia?”
One of the young misses, who had been admiring the flowers, approached me with a familiar air.
“So Lady Rosentia came as well. It’s been a while.”
“Lady Seyan. It’s been a while.”
I exchanged greetings with Veronica Seyan, daughter of the Viscount Seyan.
Though the Seyan family held only a viscountcy, they owned a gold mine within their territory, making them one of the wealthier noble houses.
Moreover, Veronica Seyan was around my age, and we’d crossed paths several times at the academy, so I recognized her face.
“Oh, now that I think of it, I’ve heard you’re quite knowledgeable about flowers. Then, do you happen to know the name of this one?”
Lady Seyan pointed to a Brelia she’d recently bought from a florist and asked.
“That flower is called Brelia. I only learned about it recently myself—it blooms near the seaside and is known for its remarkable vitality.”
“Ah, I see. As expected of Lady Rosentia—you truly know everything about flowers.”
“Not at all. I still have much to learn. Thank you for your kind words, though.”
While I was talking with Lady Seyan, Countess Melison entered the greenhouse garden and announced the start of the tea party.
In these kinds of tea parties, seating arrangements mattered more than one might expect.
Naturally, the seat beside the host was considered the most desirable.
After all, it signified the host’s particular attention toward that guest.
The noble ladies and young misses checked the name cards attached to each chair to find their assigned seats.
I looked around for my own seat, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find my name anywhere—except at one single table.
With a sinking suspicion, I quickly scanned the chairs at the Countess Melison’s table.
And there, unmistakably, my name was affixed to the chair right beside hers.
“Lady Rosentia, please come sit over here.”
While I stood bewildered, Countess Melison beckoned me over with a gentle wave.
The others also looked puzzled, clearly wondering why my seat was placed right next to the Countess.
Still inwardly perplexed, I cautiously took the seat beside her.
“Thank you all for coming to the tea party I’ve hosted.”
Once all the invited guests were seated, the Countess rose to offer her gratitude.
“Though it’s a cold winter, I’m delighted to share this meaningful time with all of you in this warm greenhouse garden.”
After saying this, Countess Melison turned toward me with a visibly moved expression.
“Just now, as I entered, I overheard many of you exclaiming in admiration at the garden. Yes, it’s truly beautiful. But I must confess something—this garden isn’t actually my own creation. The one who designed it today is none other than Lady Rosentia seated beside me. My dear, thank you so much.”
I offered her a gentle smile and added softly,
“If your garden hadn’t already been so splendid, it wouldn’t have been easy to transform it into something this wonderful. Yet you insist on giving me all the credit—it’s a bit embarrassing, honestly.”
“Then I hope all our distinguished guests enjoy a truly memorable time together.”
No sooner had the Countess finished speaking than the servants began bringing out the tea—the star of today’s gathering—and accompanying refreshments.
The noblewomen, sipping delicious treats, began exchanging animated conversation.
As indicated in the invitation, the topic of discussion revolved almost entirely around the recent gala.
Who did what at the ball, what incidents occurred—various anecdotes circulated freely throughout the room.
It was around the midpoint of tea time when it happened.
Pamela Joyden, Viscountess Joyden, seated beside me, suddenly raised her voice and broached the very subject I’d been most anxious about.
“Still, when it comes to the biggest highlight of that gala, surely nothing compares to Duke Lavellion and Lady Rosentia!”
I’d braced myself for this topic since arriving at the tea party, so I wasn’t particularly shocked.
“That’s true! I was genuinely startled when I saw the Duke and Lady Rosentia enter together.”
“Exactly! Especially since Duke Lavellion rarely attends galas in the first place.”
Viscountess Joyden’s remark drew immediate agreement from several others.
“Lady Rosentia, may I ask you something out of curiosity?”
“Of course. Please feel free.”
“It’s just… I overheard a certain rumor during the gala, and I’d like to know if it’s true.”
“What rumor are you referring to…?”
“I absolutely didn’t mean to eavesdrop—it was purely accidental as I happened to pass by.”
She began speaking with a flushed expression even before finishing her preface.
“In any case, people were saying the Duke and Lady Rosentia are about to marry—is that true?”
“Oh my! Is that really true?”
“So you’ll finally be marrying the Duke?”
Before I could even respond, whispers had already started flying around the room.
I silently observed them, quickly organizing my thoughts before speaking.
Just as I was about to open my mouth, a voice from across the room rang out deliberately loud, as if meant for everyone to hear.
“To be honest, I never thought Duke Lavellion and Lady Rosentia would actually go through with marriage. Didn’t everyone feel the same?”
For an instant, silence fell over the entire greenhouse.
Hearing that, I couldn’t help but feel a bitter pang—separate from my own decision to break off the engagement with Kaern.
No matter how much I might tell myself I’m unworthy, hearing someone else openly express that same judgment was undeniably painful.
Yet I couldn’t afford to look foolish here.
Just as I parted my lips to speak, another voice cut in before me.
“Lady Ailian, to speak so bluntly in front of Lady Rosentia herself seems rather ill-mannered.”
It was none other than Countess Melison, the hostess of this gathering.
“What? But it’s not just me who thinks that way! Isn’t that right?”
Flustered by the Countess’s defense of me, Lady Ailian turned to the others, seeking confirmation.
The atmosphere abruptly grew awkward as everyone began glancing at each other cautiously.
No one responded, leaving Lady Ailian’s remark hanging hollow in the air.
‘Sigh.’
Inwardly, I let out a frustrated sigh, wondering how best to salvage the situation.
Even though I wasn’t at fault, since this unpleasantness stemmed from a conversation about me, it fell to me to mediate gracefully.
Above all, I didn’t want to ruin Countess Melison’s tea party—especially after she’d gone out of her way to stand up for me.
“Well then, let me first address Viscountess Joyden’s question.”
As I began speaking, every eye in the room turned toward me.
“What you heard, madam, is indeed true. However, contrary to what the Duke stated, we likely won’t be marrying immediately—it seems there are personal circumstances causing a delay. And…”
I paused briefly, then fixed my gaze on Lady Ailian seated far across the room.
“Lady Ailian, while I can’t control or change your personal opinions, I do believe it was unnecessary to voice such thoughts directly in front of the person concerned. Whether true or not, having my engagement to the Duke become fodder for gossip isn’t particularly pleasant.”
With that, I ended my remark by flashing a calm, gentle smile.
Yet inside, my heart pounded furiously—beating out of sync with my composed demeanor.
Of course, soon enough—Lady Ailian included—most everyone here would learn the truth.
They’d see our broken engagement as proof that their assumptions had been right all along.
Even so, I simply couldn’t let this moment pass without saying a word.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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If there is a person checking these comments. Can you please add a word/letter count to the bottom. Also sometimes the comments don’t stay within the chapter you read but throughout the whole book, please fix that glitch. Another, per book- hour limited to how many comments can earn cookies – it’s better you write that somewhere or give a notification to the commenter about that. The notification about the 3/3 free reads glitch too, sometimes it says 3/1,1/3,1/1 or not work. The cookies glitch sometimes too, id have 10 but when I try to unlock chapter it keeps saying I have none. Love yalls work!
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