Draped in his cloak, Cheston sat down and leaned back in his chair, looking intently at Whitney as if waiting for her response. Whitney cautiously replied to his question.
“I thought it was important to ascertain the truth quickly. The debutante ball is not far away.”
“Your words sound as if you would break the contract if it turns out to be true.”
Whitney slowly nodded. Cheston seemed to have already understood her mind. Being a bastard, he was still second in the line of succession. There would be many with far better conditions than Whitney eager to become his fiancée.
Even under the queen’s scrutiny, as long as the king stood by him, many would seek to gain benefits from Cheston’s side while he lived.
“I didn’t know you would take the contract so lightly. Did you think I would easily pay ten times the alimony?”
She couldn’t deny it. In truth, it was just a figure of speech; there was no amount he couldn’t pay, being a prince of a nation.
Whitney simply gazed at Cheston without replying. She needed him to reclaim her rights and shake off her guilt. She was desperate, but he was different.
“Don’t worry. What you’re thinking won’t happen. I take trust quite seriously. I wouldn’t have made the contract if I intended to break it.”
“Then I shouldn’t worry about the rumor?”
“I’m the one who wants to ask. Why did the rumor bother you so much? Why did you urgently seek me out because of it?”
Cheston’s voice dropped slightly. His long eyelashes slowly covered his blue eyes, casting shadows and giving him a melancholic look. Watching his golden eyelashes gently rise and fall made her exclaim in admiration.
‘Um…’
Whitney averted her gaze, gathering her thoughts. She pondered the answer Cheston wanted, but realized it was futile since they were fundamentally different people.
“If the contract with you was broken, I would have to find someone else. I don’t have much time left.”
“Even though you said only I would do?”
“Huh?”
Whitney tilted her head at Cheston’s murmured words.
He remembers what I said.
She confessed honestly. Since Cheston had given her assurance, it was only right for her to do the same.
“The queen is scheming something. This time, it will be different from before.”
“It seems the queen has finally decided.”
Cheston spoke indifferently as if he had expected it.
“It took longer than I thought, but this tiresome business can finally end.”
His expression was the same as when he had let her out of prison. Anticipating his own end, Cheston had been calm and resigned.
“Don’t give up. I told you I would protect you. The queen won’t have her way this time.”
At Whitney’s words, Cheston’s eyes widened and then narrowed again. He smiled softly and asked her.
“What do you really want from me, other than becoming the head of your house?”
“Yes. All I want is to reclaim my rights.”
“So anyone but me would do?”
“I need you to repay my aunt’s kindness.”
And I have a debt to pay to you too.
She didn’t say it all, but Whitney continued.
“If we become engaged, the king will see the Rubenius family differently.”
“So, you’re using me for the Rubenius family’s advance into the capital.”
Whitney slowly nodded. It was true, so she had no intention of denying it.
“Is that all?”
“Yes?”
“Are you asking if there’s another reason?”
“…No, there isn’t.”
Cheston chuckled dryly and stood up from his seat.
“I won’t be the one to break off our engagement first. So, Lady, you don’t have to worry about that. I can say that for certain. I might have to meet the king, so always be prepared in your mind.”
“The king?”
“Lady Orleans. It’s not too late even now. If you want to break it off, tell me now.”
Whitney swallowed dryly. As he said, meeting the king would make breaking off the engagement difficult. But she didn’t intend to back out now.
“That won’t be necessary. We will proceed as per the contract, so don’t worry.”
“I expect you to keep your word, as you have said it yourself.”
His blue eyes shone with an intimidating intensity. They were like the eyes of a predator hunting a weaker animal, causing Whitney’s mouth to dry up even more.
Returning to the mansion, Whitney felt a drain of energy. She had been so tense under his gaze that her whole body felt ransacked. This was perhaps why she felt a pain in her back.
She collapsed onto the bed, groaning as various aches surfaced.
“Ouch…”
As Whitney buried her face in the pillow and sighed, she turned to look at the ceiling. Suddenly, she wondered if she should have broken off the engagement when he gave her the chance. The image of the king, pressing her for a decision, made her chest tight.
‘It’s okay. That won’t happen because I’ll prevent it.’
She wouldn’t face the king in that way. She had already warned Cheston, so he would be careful, and she had started investigating what the queen was planning.
“I felt something different today.”
Whitney suddenly got up, recalling her conversation with Cheston. He was quite different from the Cheston she knew. A bit more sharp-edged, perhaps? Whitney closed her eyes and went over what she had said.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
