Eventually, the Female Lead Ran Away (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
Normally, maids were chosen by the head maid, but the young Mrs. Heather, who had only just moved into the Gracian household, was so brimming with enthusiasm that she insisted on handling even the smallest tasks herself.
When Deborah first met Mrs. Heather, she thought her luck couldn’t possibly get any worse. After all, she assumed the lady of the house would surely be stricter than the head maid. Yet…
“Wonderful! I like you! You’ll be my first servant—how special!”
Considering how the wealthy aristocracy usually disliked bringing people of uncertain origins into their homes, Mrs. Heather’s decision was shockingly unconventional.
“I look forward to working with you, child.”
“I’m the one who should say that, Madam.”
“Hehe. Good!”
Despite her sharp appearance, Mrs. Heather was a lively, cheerful prankster—like a spring breeze scattering flower petals everywhere.
“Deborah! Come here and have some of these sweets.”
“Oh no, how could I possibly eat something so precious…”
“What are you saying? I want you to have them! Go on, eat your fill. You need to gain some weight and grow taller too!”
She pressed an armful of expensive pastries into the working maid’s hands.
“Now, when I shout, ‘Fate, come to me!’ you must yell back, ‘Nonsense!’”
“How could I possibly say such a thing to you, Madam?”
“It’s acting, Deborah! Just pretend!”
She even taught her lines from a play for her own little acting games.
“Remember? That’s the ‘Geman’ insult. Deborah, you’re such a good-natured girl that you’ll probably never hear such words—but just in case some lunatic ever says that to you, kick him hard with your foot!”
“Madam…”
She even taught her that “Geman” insult, complete with swearing.
“And you’ll come tell me right away! Got it?”
She hugged Deborah, her maid, tightly.
Truly, each memory was cheerful and wonderful. After all, weren’t maids supposed to endure dull, monotonous lives?
Yet Deborah’s days had been full of fun, thanks to Mrs. Heather, her taciturn but kind-hearted master, and the affectionate staff.
“My heart and body both feel abundant.”
Of course, not everyone was kind to Deborah.
“Deborah. What are you doing there?”
Sage had been hired as a maid three days before Deborah. They were the same age, yet instead of becoming friends, Sage utterly loathed Deborah.
“I’m petting the cat.”
“Ha! While I’ve been slaving away hanging laundry, you’re just lounging around petting cats?”
“I was just waxing the corridor moldings until a moment ago.”
“So what? Does that mean you’ve done such a great job?”
“No, I just mean I finished my chores before goofing off. If you’ve finished yours too, why don’t you rest a bit?”
“Who do you think I am—someone as idle as you?”
With that sharp retort, Sage huffed and stomped off down the hall. She was always picking fights with Deborah.
Deborah actually found Sage a little endearing—like a cat baring its sharp little teeth.
“Though being disliked still hurts a bit.”
Deborah had thought such peaceful days would last forever—or at least hoped they would.
Time passed, and they had just turned eighteen.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Sage spoke to Deborah, who was handing out bread to begging children in the alley behind the mansion.
Sage’s lips trembled with anger, making it seem as though Deborah had committed a grave offense.
“Th-thank you! May God’s blessings be with you.”
“Yes, thank you. May you receive much good fortune too.”
Sage’s face flushed red as she watched Deborah wave cheerfully to the children—it felt as if Deborah had completely ignored her.
“So you just handed out the mansion’s bread without permission?”
“The head chef assigned me to deal with the leftover bread.”
“So you’re pretending to be generous using the mansion’s property!”
“Isn’t it better than throwing it away?”
At Deborah’s reply, Sage clenched her teeth and snapped,
“At the very least, you shouldn’t have done it near the mansion! Or you should’ve changed out of your maid uniform before giving it away!”
She continued huffing indignantly,
“Now those beggar children will keep showing up at the mansion just because of you! What’ll you do then? Pray for more leftover bread every time?”
“Well, then I’ll share my own portion.”
“Ha! Do you really think your measly share could feed every beggar in the capital?”
Deborah thought that was indeed impossible. But did it really matter that she couldn’t feed them all? If even one child could have a meal that day, wasn’t that enough?
“If those children keep coming around and causing trouble, I’ll tell everyone it’s all your fault! Even Madam, who adores you, will have no choice but to dismiss you!”
Sage shouted this and stormed off toward the mansion. Deborah gave an awkward smile. She hadn’t considered that possibility before, but Sage’s words held some truth.
“I really messed up. That would be quite troublesome.”
Deborah slumped her shoulders and let out a deep sigh. But then again, it hadn’t actually happened yet.
“No use worrying about it now.”
Shaking off her anxiety, Deborah waved toward the deeper part of the alley.
From a seemingly empty, shadowy corner came the sound of rustling autumn leaves.
Deborah pulled out a handkerchief-wrapped pastry from her pocket and smiled brightly toward the darkness.
“Come quickly—I saved this just for you.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Young Lady?”
At the maid’s soft voice, Deborah lifted her heavy eyelids.
“Would you like to get up?”
The maid asked kindly to the dazed Deborah.
“Oh, yes… Thank you for waking me.”
The maid smiled warmly at Deborah, whose voice was still thick with sleep.
“It’s been a while since I recalled those old days.”
It wasn’t often one remembered the actual past in dreams, rather than mere illusions.
“At least I got to remember the good parts—that’s something to be thankful for.”
Rubbing her eyes, Deborah slowly pushed herself up.
“Oh dear.”
She would’ve groaned aloud if a maid hadn’t been nearby.
“I must be getting old. A mere three-hour nap couldn’t possibly make up for a sleepless night.”
She’d likely be dozing off again by nightfall.
Just as she unconsciously began to yawn—“Haaahm”—Deborah quickly covered her mouth. The maid asked cautiously,
“Young Lady, are you truly unwell?”
“No! Not at all. I’m just sleep-deprived, that’s all.”
“Oh, shall I let you sleep some more then?”
“Hehe. Honestly, I’d love to sleep more, but then I won’t be able to fall asleep tonight. I’ll just try to bear with it.”
At Deborah’s smiling reply, the maid uttered a sentence more powerful than any wake-up spell.
“Actually, the master was looking for you.”
Deborah’s eyes widened, and she blinked rapidly.
“Mr. Baker?”
“Yes. He said to let him know as soon as you woke up.”
Why would Zen be looking for her? Had he finished reading her request? Did he decide it was unacceptable?
“It’d be troublesome if he suddenly retracted his agreement.”
But why hadn’t Zen woken her himself? Zen wouldn’t normally hesitate to rouse someone, even during their sleep.
“Well, I might be in for a scolding. Zen doesn’t tolerate staff wasting time.”
Though small worries bubbled up, Deborah decided to postpone thinking about Zen and address something she’d been curious about first.
“Now that I think of it, I never asked your name.”
At Deborah’s careful question, the maid placed a hand over her heart and answered,
“My name is Shelley.”
“Shelley! What a lovely name.”
Deborah’s eyes crinkled into a sweet smile, but then she quickly turned bashful.
“Shelley, please don’t call me ‘Young Lady’ anymore. I’ve just been hired as the personal maid to the lady arriving soon.”
“Oh my! Not only did you pass that incredibly tough interview, but you’ve now secured an even more prestigious position! You’re truly amazing.”
Shelley clapped her hands together with a soft “clap” and giggled. Deborah felt embarrassed. Truthfully, she’d only gotten the job through someone’s influence—call it a case of employment favoritism, if you will.
“Of course, I never wanted this position—it was forced upon me entirely against my will.”
But she couldn’t explain all that, so Deborah simply smiled and changed the subject.
“I really should’ve told you this sooner, but I delayed it myself. Please don’t hold it against me—let’s get along well from now on.”
Shelley kept smiling as she listened, though inside she was quite surprised.
Everyone among the staff knew Deborah had taken the personal attendant interview—and that afterward, the master canceled all remaining interviews.
Yet Shelley never imagined Deborah would be just an ordinary hire. Anyone seeing Zen’s behavior would’ve assumed the same as she did.
“But was that really just an assumption? It doesn’t seem like it.”
Shelley recalled what had happened right after Deborah had fallen asleep.
Not long after she’d left Deborah’s room, she hadn’t even reached the end of the hallway when Zen came walking unusually quickly toward her.
Startled, Shelley quickly pressed herself against the wall and bowed her head.
Zen was a stern man. If a servant’s skills and manners were flawless, he wouldn’t even acknowledge them—but the slightest flaw, and he’d cut them without hesitation. Just last month, several staff had been dismissed.
So when Zen specifically called out to her, Shelley’s heart nearly dropped to the floor.
“Hey.”
Shelley did her best to hide her trembling as she replied,
“Yes, Master.”
Her mind raced. What had she done wrong? She couldn’t think of anything—she’d never even spoken to him directly before, and she prided herself on doing her work thoroughly.
“Could the Young Lady have said something to Master about me?”
Deborah always wore a smile, but that didn’t guarantee satisfaction. If the Young Lady and Master had spoken earlier…
“This is bad.”
Shelley desperately needed money. That’s why she’d taken the maid position in the Baker household, known for its generous wages. She wouldn’t have quit her previous well-paying job if her family’s situation hadn’t worsened.
She couldn’t afford to be dismissed—not now, not ever… As Shelley silently repeated this to herself, Zen asked her.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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