Don't Pick That Flower (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 10
The moment Irene grasped Carlos’s hand, she felt a sharp pain near her heart.
Her strength immediately drained away, making it difficult to remain standing on her own two legs. Irene reached out with her other hand to steady herself on the dining table, causing a dish to slide off and clatter to the floor.
Clang—.
The loud noise echoed through the dining hall, yet no one paid it any mind. Not a single person entered through the dining room door.
Irene stared blankly into the violet eyes reflecting her own image. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t. She felt like a helpless herbivore ensnared in a tightly woven trap.
Just as fear rose in her throat—the dread that she might be devoured by him right then and there—the violet eyes holding her gaze finally looked away.
Carlos released Irene’s hand and stepped back a pace.
“This is truly serious.”
He muttered to himself, covering his distorted face with his hand.
Only then did Irene regain her senses. She tried to stand upright without leaning on the table, but stumbled and had to brace herself against it again.
“Stay seated.”
Carlos gently pressed down on Irene’s shoulder, guiding her back into her chair. Then he began picking up the fallen dishes.
“I’ll do it.”
“Don’t bother. You can’t even stand straight.”
…Isn’t it because of you that I’m like this?
The words she couldn’t bring herself to say rolled around in her mouth. She was still too afraid of Carlos to ask such a thing.
Carlos placed the retrieved dishes on one side of the table.
“I’ll have someone bring new ones.”
“No, it’s fine. You don’t need to.”
After all, those were utensils she hadn’t even used. Her fork and knife remained neatly resting atop her steak plate.
Carlos glanced at them and narrowed his eyes slightly, as if puzzled.
“That’s a fish knife.”
In other words, she’d used the wrong utensil. Irene’s ears flushed faintly as she quietly set the knife down beside her plate.
“You’re also using a salad fork.”
“…”
“And your method of cutting steak is incorrect as well.”
With each successive correction, Irene’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato. She lowered her head and stammered out an excuse.
“I’ve… never had formal lessons in dining etiquette… so I just used whatever was there.”
“Do you want to learn?”
At the unexpected question, Irene looked up again. His eyes, devoid of any emotion, stared back at her indifferently.
Strangely, gazing into those eyes created a small opening in her chest—previously choked tight with fear.
“…If I say I want to learn, will you teach me?”
Encouraged by this newfound space in her heart, Irene asked. Carlos gave a slight nod.
“If you wish.”
Until now, Irene’s life had been filled entirely with coercion.
Not only her violent father, but even her gentle mother had always insisted Irene do things a certain way, never offering her any real choice.
Carlos was no different. Saving her from being condemned as a witch and bringing her to the Esper Territory had both been entirely his doing—never once had he asked what she herself wanted.
Of course, she was grateful he’d saved her from certain death.
But that gratitude was buried beneath resentment for having been forcibly brought to the Esper Territory against her will. Now her mind was filled only with doubt, anxiety, and the desperate urge to run away.
“Do you want to learn?”
“…”
In any case, Irene was bewildered—and somewhat reluctant—to suddenly be given a choice. It almost felt as though even her choice was being forced upon her.
“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
As if sensing her inner turmoil, Carlos spoke calmly.
His steady voice eased Irene’s anxiety slightly. She glanced down at the utensils, recalling each of Carlos’s pointed corrections.
Her hesitation didn’t last long.
“Yes. I want to learn.”
Only then could she avoid being looked down upon—not just by Carlos, but by others as well.
“Alright. I’ll inform Dewey.”
Hearing Dewey’s name, Irene recalled the man she’d seen earlier near the knights’ quarters—the twin brother of Dewey, whose name she still didn’t know.
“Is there anything else you’d like to do?”
I want to run away. Irene quickly folded away the thought that had sprung to mind. Speaking such words would be like plucking the whiskers of a sleeping lion.
Then what should she say she wanted to do?
Should she ask to tour the territory?
No. She hadn’t even finished exploring the castle yet—if she suddenly asked to go outside the castle grounds, he’d surely find it strange.
Besides, even if she left the castle now, there was no real chance of escaping. She needed more time to prepare.
“Could I tell you later? Right now, there’s nothing in particular I want to do…”
“As you wish.”
She’d expected him to refuse, so she was deeply relieved that Carlos readily accepted her answer.
“Then I’ll take my leave. Finish your meal.”
Just as suddenly as he’d appeared, Carlos departed.
Left alone in the spacious dining hall, Irene put the half-eaten steak into her mouth.
“It’s tough.”
The steak, now cold and hard as a stone, was difficult to chew, yet Irene ate every last bite without complaint.
She fervently hoped she could overcome whatever challenges lay ahead just as she had this meal.
*
“Find a teacher for etiquette lessons.”
At the abrupt command, Dewey, who had been gathering up his discarded clothes, asked in surprise.
“A teacher for etiquette lessons?”
“Yes. She’s going to learn.”
“You mean Lady Irene.”
Understanding dawned on Dewey, and he asked again, this time with slight unease.
“If we’re to teach etiquette to a lady, the instructor should be human… Is it truly acceptable to bring a human into the castle?”
“No.”
Carlos answered firmly.
“Select someone from among the underground residents.”
As expected, Dewey said with an awkward smile.
“However, most residents of the underground realm are unfamiliar with human-world etiquette.”
“There must be someone who knows. Look carefully.”
“Hmm… Understood.”
Dewey agreed, as it was Carlos’s order, but he had no idea where to begin. As far as he knew, none of the underground residents in the Esper Territory were well-versed in human customs.
Should he seek help from another territory? That, however, came with its own complications.
Scratching his head as he pondered, Dewey soon hit upon an idea and asked Carlos,
“How about you, my lord, teach the lady yourself?”
The large hand buttoning Carlos’s nightshirt paused. Violet eyes, filled with curiosity, turned toward Dewey.
“Why would I do that?”
“Well, among all the underground residents, you understand human-world etiquette best.”
“You know it well enough yourself.”
“I’m too busy to spare the time.”
What nonsense is this? Carlos raised an eyebrow incredulously.
“So you’re saying I’m not busy?”
“Of course you’re busy, my lord. But if you spend time with the lady regularly, you’ll grow closer faster—that’s why I suggest it.”
“You think I need to grow close to her?”
“Yes. Only then will she stop thinking of running away and truly settle here.”
Dewey let out a quiet sigh.
“Everyone who came before refused to settle in and tried to escape—many died, causing considerable trouble… This time, it’s best to build a bond with the lady quickly to prevent such incidents.”
Though Dewey’s reasoning was sound, Carlos hesitated because one thought kept nagging at him: “Is it really necessary?”
Was it truly worth carving time out of his already packed schedule just to grow closer to Irene?
Surely she could form bonds with others here and still choose to stay.
“Also,” Dewey added, “if the lady opens her heart to you, it might help with breaking the seal.”
That final remark tipped Carlos’s wavering resolve decisively.
“Fine. I’ll teach her myself.”
Having achieved his goal, Dewey grinned broadly and said he’d go inform Irene of the news.
*
“He… said he’ll personally teach me?”
Before going to bed, Irene repeated the shocking news in a trembling voice. In contrast, Jesse beamed and nodded cheerfully.
“Yes! Starting the day after tomorrow, he’ll teach you for one hour each day.”
For a moment, everything went dark before Irene’s eyes, and she swayed unsteadily. Jesse, startled, quickly reached out to support her.
“Are you alright, my lady?”
“…No.”
Normally, no matter how difficult things were, she would have insisted she was fine—but not now.
Because she wasn’t fine at all. Just the thought of learning from Carlos made it hard to breathe.
She’d agreed to learn etiquette to avoid being ignored again, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined this trial would come her way.
Should she say she didn’t want to do it after all? He had said she didn’t have to if she didn’t want to—surely it would be alright.
“Are you perhaps afraid of learning from my lord?”
While Irene was lost in thought, Jesse struck right at the heart of the matter. Irene answered by lowering her head.
“Oh dear.”
Jesse sighed sympathetically and gently patted Irene’s trembling back.
“Don’t worry too much, my lady. My lord is kinder than he appears.”
That man—kind?
Unable to accept such a description, Irene looked up at Jesse, who then wore an embarrassed expression.
“Hmm… Maybe ‘kind’ isn’t quite the right word? Should I say gentle? Or perhaps warm-hearted?”
“…None of those seem right.”
At Irene’s objection, Jesse let out a small laugh.
“You’re right. None of those really suit my lord. But he’s definitely compassionate—that’s certain. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have saved us.”
“…Did he save you too, Jesse?”
“Of course.”
Jesse smiled softly.
“If my lord hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t be here.”
Just like me. Irene felt a sense of kinship with Jesse.
“So please don’t dislike my lord too much.”
“…I don’t dislike him.”
Regardless of his reasons, Carlos had saved her life.
He hadn’t done anything strange to her since then—in fact, he’d shown her excessive kindness. There was no reason to dislike him.
She was just afraid.
“Then I’ll leave you to rest, my lady.”
“You sleep well too, Jesse.”
After Jesse left, Irene buried her face in the soft pillow. Though she pulled the cozy blanket over herself and closed her eyes, sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind was too tangled with thoughts.
Right now, the problem troubling Irene most was having to receive etiquette lessons from Carlos.
‘Maybe I should refuse?’
If she simply said no, Carlos might be displeased—but if she explained that she didn’t want to waste a busy person’s time, he’d probably understand and find another teacher instead.
Irene thought her excuse was reasonable enough.
“Don’t worry. I can spare an hour a day.”
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)