36.
The eldest son of the Dreuire family possessed moderately decent looks, average character, and wealth so abundant it bordered on excessive. He regarded marriage as an outdated relic of a bygone era—a rigid institution suppressing human instincts. The actresses he dated changed weekly, and this year he had just turned thirty. Contrary to Cardier’s rather low opinion, society at large considered him a quite desirable bachelor.
And what mattered most at this very moment was that he had proposed to Rosetta merely two days prior. As soon as he sat down, Rosetta offered him tea and asked,
“You didn’t send flowers today.”
“No need to. Skip the tea—would you mind giving me a ride in your carriage?”
It was a strangely distant way of speaking. Rosetta nodded half-heartedly and waited until he took a deep drag from his cigar. Soon, a disgustingly expensive, pungent scent began creeping into the air. Lo wrinkled her nose to suppress a sneeze and spoke.
“I’ve come to give you an answer about your earlier proposal.”
At her words, the eldest son of House Dreuire opened his eyes wide in apparent surprise. His smile lingered. Avoiding Rosetta’s gaze, he tapped the ash from his cigar into the tray.
“I assumed you’d already rejected it.”
“I needed time to think carefully. I’d like to follow what Young-woon suggested—extend our engagement period.”
“……”
“I’d feel rather pressured rushing into marriage right away. Especially since my memories still aren’t fully restored.”
“The way you casually mix formal and informal speech is one of Lady Young-ae’s charming quirks.”
He replied with a soft chuckle, his eyes distant as if reminiscing about good old days. They had only met a week ago, after all. But no matter—this was fine. Regardless of how sentimental he was, their relationship would end at engagement. Rosetta shrugged.
“How about holding the engagement ceremony this coming autumn?”
“……Well, I’m not sure.”
Rosetta, who had expected him to readily accept—after all, he was the one who proposed—was flustered by his response. The man took another deep puff of his cigar, then firmly pressed it out in the ashtray. He spoke slowly.
“If you had told me this yesterday, I would have accepted with the greatest pleasure.”
“What’s different between yesterday and today?”
He gave Rosetta a look as if asking whether she really expected him to say it out loud. But seeing her brazen expression, he sighed with a helpless smile.
“Yesterday, at least, the scandal involving you and the Montrosa viscount hadn’t yet spread through high society.”
Rosetta froze for a moment, as if she’d momentarily forgotten how to breathe, then quickly blurted out,
“You can’t possibly be serious—surely someone as distinguished as Young-woon wouldn’t believe some filthy, scandal-ridden piece of paper?”
“Many others read it too. If you ask whether I believe it… well, I’m not sure.”
“……”
“But at least I did see with my own eyes last night that you were taken away in the Montrosa carriage.”
She was speechless. That he would withdraw his proposal over a mere rumor was utterly incomprehensible. It was maddening. If she could, she’d obtain a certificate proving Lea’s virginity and glue it to her forehead.
Moreover, this bastard… while swapping lovers every week, did he seriously expect his future wife to remain pure? Rosetta narrowed her eyes sharply.
As if correctly interpreting her icy glare, the man waved his hand in mild embarrassment.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant. I’m certainly not some shameless hypocrite who lives recklessly yet demands purity from his wife.”
“……”
“But I simply don’t have the strength to endure seeing my wife carrying another man in her heart.”
“…What?”
“You do love the Montrosa viscount, don’t you?”
His question left Lo completely speechless. She didn’t. She really didn’t. But the denial stuck in her throat, refusing to come out—whether from shock at such a direct question, or for some other reason, she couldn’t tell.
Seeing her fail to respond immediately, the man nodded as if he’d expected it and continued.
“A few more years of life give one certain clear insights. You’re a fine lady… but.”
“……”
“If we consider the entire continent, let alone the Empire, there’s no one more valuable than the Montrosa viscount. If you reject him, no husband I bring will ever satisfy you.”
“……”
“I’m simply advising you that marrying him is your best possible choice.”
Lo abruptly stood up, covered her ears with both hands, and fled the parlor.
* * *
After that maddening encounter, Rosetta met three more men who repeated the same refrain, and in total, ten men rejected her. Their stated reasons varied on the surface, but their true motive was identical: it was simply too difficult to proceed with an engagement to a woman entangled in such a severe scandal with another man.
Rosetta clung to them, shouting that nothing had happened that night. Half listened with mild interest; the other half showed not even a trace of curiosity. She grew increasingly weary of explaining herself.
Meanwhile, Duchess Valdemore and Anna kept wearing identical, deeply satisfied expressions every time they met, like still-life portraits from the same mold.
“Lady, Lady.”
“…What. What is it.”
“Lord Cardier sent word he’ll come to visit you around lunchtime.”
“……”
“Oh my, just when things are getting good~”
It was enough to drive her insane.
Now, there wasn’t a single man in the Empire who wanted to marry her. At this rate, she was on the verge of falling straight into that Montrosa bastard’s clutches. Rosetta ground her teeth, and her thoughts began spiraling toward escape—why not just run away right now?
Impulsively, she started packing a bag. She had a maid’s uniform she’d stashed away, and she carefully gathered her jewels. Escaping could be done at any time, provided she stayed alert—but two major problems remained. She hadn’t yet secured a reliable underground jeweler to handle her gems, and her stamina still hadn’t recovered enough to endure a forced march.
Her plan was also still crude and underdeveloped. How could she have prepared for something like this? For now, her entire plan was to head east, find the sorceress Calypso, and uncover the truth behind this mess. And if possible, regain her original body.
Bravely, she pulled the maid’s uniform over her head and firmly strapped a silver jam knife—stolen from the tea table—to her thigh. Then she set out to find a secluded spot to climb the wall. And…
“Um… Miss… would you like help up onto the wall?”
“Careful there, now.”
“Well… you are at the age where you might want to run away.”
“My wife did the same thing the night before we married.”
“That’s because marrying you… ah, never mind—joke, joke.”
…Somehow, she ended up receiving overwhelming sympathy from the guards. Damn it. Just moments ago, not a soul had been in sight. Ever since she’d been stuck in this wretched body, her sense of presence seemed to have dulled drastically. Rosetta kicked at the bushes in frustration, unaware that the guards’ expressions grew even more fond at the sight.
“Our little miss, even her tantrums are so adorable.”
Someone sniffled softly, voicing what others felt, and everyone nodded in agreement. By now, they were practically doting uncles. After all, most of them had served in the mansion since Lea was five years old—such affection was only natural. In truth, the older guards were deeply moved just seeing the Lady walking about healthy again.
“Oh.”
When Lo gritted her teeth and painstakingly crawled up the wall, a few even broke into applause. They had no idea their cheers only made Rosetta increasingly irritated. Screw you, laugh all you want. Once I’m over, I’ll vanish so completely you won’t even find my shadow. Gritting her teeth, she finally pulled her right foot fully onto the wall and proudly wiped the sweat from her brow. And then she faced even greater despair.
The wall was terrifyingly high. She’d completely forgotten that the Valdemore mansion stood atop a hill. Now she understood why the guards had seemed so calm and relaxed. A fall from this height would at least break an ankle. Damn it. Now what?
“Shall I help you down, Miss?”
And at that moment, a man’s voice—utterly unfamiliar—spoke. Coinciding perfectly with the sacred chimes ringing from the nearby church.
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.
_____
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