Don't Obsess Over A Married Woman (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
It was clear that he had come to the Imperial Capital together with his wife.
“Please visit Dieren with the Countess sometime, Sir Joseph. It would be better for you to have at least one acquaintance while adjusting to life in the Imperial Capital.”
Yet upon hearing this, Sir Joseph first responded with a meaningful smile.
“I appreciate your kindness, but I wonder… would it be unacceptable for me to visit alone? I have not yet found a suitable spouse to accompany me.”
“Good heavens…!”
“I simply haven’t had the luxury to consider marriage.”
Apparently, this year’s social season was bound to be quite lively. That such a man was still unmarried!
Of course, it had nothing to do with me.
“Of course, you’re welcome to visit alone anytime. Please come whenever it’s convenient for you.”
“That is heartening to hear. Then I shall pay a visit soon.”
Sir Joseph added one more remark as he spoke.
“Though I apologize to the Lady whose ankle is injured, I truly feel fortunate to have met you here.”
“Fortunate, even?”
“Yes, quite sincerely.”
Just then, the waltz melody outside the lounge shifted.
The first dance seemed about to conclude.
Soon, those who had enjoyed the music would start drifting back into the lounge. It was also about time my husband sent a maid for me.
I placed the mostly melted ice pack onto the side table. It was time to bid farewell to Sir Joseph.
However…
“…I’m not sure how you’ll take what I’m about to say.”
He deliberately let his words trail off for a moment.
Meeting his eyes out of sheer curiosity, I saw him gently smile and utter something cryptic.
“It would be best if you put your children to bed early once you return home tonight.”
“Excuse me?”
Truly, I had never anticipated such an utterly random remark.
Why on earth was he bringing up children here?
More importantly, had I even mentioned my children? Or did Sir Joseph already know something about me?
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
But Sir Joseph did not clarify my confusion.
Instead, with utmost nonchalance, he spoke something even more baffling.
Namely…
“Your husband will pass away tonight.”
“…What?”
I was so bewildered by his words that I could only blink blankly for a moment, utterly at a loss for how to respond.
[This is the timeline separator]My first meeting with Sir Joseph was certainly memorable, yet it wasn’t an event significant enough to greatly affect my life.
At least, not at that time.
Anyway, I left the ball early as planned, accompanied by my maid.
Inside the carriage on the way home, I had a brief moment to reflect on Sir Joseph’s words.
‘What could he possibly mean by saying my husband will die?’
And what on earth did he mean by advising me to put the children to bed early?
Though curious, I didn’t take it too seriously.
After all, it sounded too fanciful to be taken as reality—Sir Joseph surely wasn’t some prophet.
But events soon forced me to reconsider that assumption.
“Hahaha, damn it! Why didn’t my lovely wife come to greet me?”
“You’ve returned earlier than expected.”
My husband came home sooner than I had anticipated.
Since I couldn’t go out to meet him due to my injured ankle, I had no choice but to receive him while seated in our bedroom.
Now that I looked closer, he was thoroughly drunk.
Seeing his completely unfocused eyes, I silently heaved a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate that, just in case, I’d sent the children to their rooms early.
Yet that very act seemed to provoke something in him.
“Grrk!”
It came without warning.
In an instant, he lunged forward and abruptly seized my throat.
“You should behave like a pretty doll when I treat you nicely, yet lately, my dear wife, you insist on climbing right onto the crown of my head.”
His strength was unbelievable for someone so drunk.
No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t break free from his grip.
All I could do was flail helplessly in a desperate bid to stay alive.
“Thanks to you, the nobles look down on me entirely! They praise you rather than me; they hold you in higher regard than me! Haha—what a worthless, pretty doll!”
My consciousness began fading from lack of oxygen.
At that moment, my hand grasped something.
There was no time to hesitate. I immediately swung it.
Thud.
“Huh?”
Ironically, even luck wasn’t on my side at this moment. The object I’d swung was merely a decorative bouquet of flowers.
Yet somehow, even that was enough to provoke him further.
He stared alternately between me and the bouquet with an incredulous expression before finally loosening his grip and bursting into loud laughter.
“Bahahaha! My lady, have you just used violence against me?”
You bastard?
His reaction was utterly absurd. Who, exactly, had used violence here?
Under normal circumstances, I would have slapped him across the face, but right now, all I could focus on was drawing in life-giving breath.
My legs gave out completely, and I collapsed onto the floor.
Cough, cough.
“Hahaha! Of all the things to happen in my life—to think a mere greenhorn like you would dare!”
What happened next is a blur in my memory.
“How dare you! How dare you! How dare you… Aaargh!”
Unable to control his fury, my husband shouted wildly to himself before stumbling and losing his balance against the terrace railing.
“…….”
Then came a long silence.
What just happened?
Forgetting even the pain in my ankle, I crawled toward the balcony from which he had fallen.
In my mind, the voice from the ballroom lounge replayed over and over.
〈Your husband will pass away tonight.〉
Could it be…?
Astonishingly, that prophecy-like statement had come true.
My husband, Duke Dieren, Carlos Nikolai, met his absurd end that very night.
[This is the timeline separator]I entered the House of Dieren ten years ago.
I was twenty-two at the time.
Considering noble ladies typically married between sixteen and eighteen, I was already well past the proper age.
Naturally, the marriage proposals I received were rather unimpressive.
The best offer among them was becoming the second wife of Duke Dieren.
Even though the Duke was eight years my senior and already had three children.
The engagement was swiftly finalized by mutual agreement between our families. My opinion was never consulted.
I didn’t particularly resent the process. Political marriages were simply expected among nobles.
After our marriage, I fulfilled my duties and responsibilities toward my husband and his three children.
I also never neglected my responsibilities as Duchess.
Then one day, I discovered that my husband had been abusing his three children all along.
〈I never imagined a man who calls himself a father would treat his own children this way. I had no idea you lacked even the pride to feel ashamed of your actions.〉
Yet I never anticipated that single remark would unleash his violence upon me as well.
Still, there was one stroke of luck: unlike the underage children, I possessed the strength and standing to protect myself.
My husband never dared lay direct hands on me the way he had on the children.
Thanks to that, I managed to create some physical distance between him and the children.
Because of this alone, the children grew up beautifully over the past ten years without going astray in the slightest.
Our bond—though we shared not a drop of blood—had grown remarkably close as well.
[This is the timeline separator]Late afternoon sun sank beneath the black roof of the Dieren estate.
My husband’s funeral was gradually drawing to a close.
Despite his deserving punishment, death commanded solemnity, casting a deeply somber mood.
Mourners placed lilies upon my husband’s casket and offered condolences to me and the children, who had lost their patriarch overnight.
I, too, did my utmost throughout the funeral to express sorrow.
‘Though in truth, I’m not particularly sad.’
More than sadness, I felt grave concern about what I must now shoulder and what would unfold around me.
Consider it for just a moment.
With no adult heir eligible to inherit, the dukedom was left without a successor.
My life as acting Duchess. Inevitable scrutiny and schemes from the cadet branches…
From now on, countless people would come after what my children and I possess—and what we might gain.
‘Amid that storm, how can I possibly protect these children well?’
As if sensing my worries, my eldest stepson approached me.
“Stepmother, I heard your ankle is still troubling you. Since there seem to be no more visitors, please rest indoors for a while before the interment.”
This polite and mature young man was Cardiel Diac Dieren, affectionately called “Car,” aged fifteen this year.
Though the eldest, he was still a minor.
With his father’s striking features, neatly tied platinum-blond hair, and clear blue eyes, the boy carried himself with remarkable composure befitting his position as the firstborn.
Or perhaps “aloof” would be a better description?
He would become Duke Dieren after his coming-of-age ceremony in three years, so his strict distinction between duty and personal matters and his cool-headed nature were certainly advantageous…
‘But he’s still just a child. A bit more liveliness would be nice, wouldn’t it?’
I first met Cardiel when he was five years old.
Even then, he was already thoughtful and mature beyond his years.
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.]
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Chapter Comments (5)
Inline Comments (68)
"'Regressor' would be a more accurate term. Having rewound time several times, r
Has he seriously rewound time several time already. Was he always trying to save the family or is that a recent development from the previous timeline
"'Regressor' would be a more accurate term. Having rewound time several times, r
I was RIGHTTTT!!! I would have loved the dream guess abjt more but this is good too
Had my husband been murdered, I would’ve suspected Sir Joseph right away.
My thoughts exactly. I pinned him as maybe a yandre but he doesn’t seem like it
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It’s good so far I just hope the story can deal with heavy trauma properly
Soo all this talk about the dungeons being a maze and very dangerous was for what???
Aww this is such a tesrjerker of a chapter 🥲🥺 . Now she knows they love her ( they made it obvious though)