Another life faced again.
As soon as she opened her eyes wide, she rolled up her sleeve.
On her wrist, one more line than before, the number ‘3’ was written.
‘As expected.’
At last, all the circumstances fell into place. Natasha was placed at the moment to restart her life from the past. With what was estimated to be a total of ten chances.
‘… to start over?’
Had God taken pity on her who had lived such a harsh life?
‘This wretched life, again?’
If so, rather than returning her to when she hadn’t met that man, why leave her in this still cold winter?
Natasha’s choice, unable to be grateful for God’s consideration, remained unchanged.
The eighth time, the ninth time, and finally the tenth time.
Now Natasha’s wrist was clean without a single blemish. It was a signal that all opportunities had been exhausted.
Perhaps relaxed by the thought that this was the last, she found the leisure to look around.
‘This place is…’
It was when she was about to search for who the current Natasha was. Turning her head towards the calendar in the bedroom, Natasha soon encountered a familiar scene.
There was no need to thoroughly search where this place was. Her gaze, scanning from right to left, was withdrawn before completing even half a circle.
The small-sized room was utterly shabby. Looking at the crumbling walls and ceiling, the broken furniture seemed rather cute in comparison.
This was where Natasha, who had just turned twenty, or rather her fake identity Tisha Winter, had lived.
In the small rural village of Flare, Natasha was twenty-three-year-old Tisha Winter.
Tisha Winter was usually frugal, but occasionally inappropriately lavish in her spending. Befitting the fifth youngest daughter of the Winter family, she was cheerful and lively, yet had a mature side uncharacteristic of her young age.
More sociable than anyone, preferring to mingle with people, yet reluctant to participate in festivals where crowds gather the most…
She was truly a contradictory yet realistic woman. Often heard to be called an old soul, but like any other woman, she was a romantic person holding onto a small hope for the future.
To build a happy home with the person she loves, to raise children resembling them. To regain the happiness she had lost someday.
‘Is this before marrying Sieghart?’
To think that the place where she opened her eyes was Natasha’s space, not the duke’s mansion or the imperial palace. In this different setting, Natasha forgot even what she had to do.
Afterwards, she ransacked the interior like an investigator searching a criminal’s residence. Fortunately or not, no traces of Sieghart were found in the thoroughly turned-over house.
‘No, it’s even before I met him.’
That fact felt entirely novel. Though the time spent with that man could hardly be called short, was it because it had been the biggest part of Natasha’s life? It felt as if she was living a new life.
This time, out of curiosity, she set aside her plans and savored freedom.
There were no stern glances from knights, no subtle mockery from maids, no cold indifference from Sieghart.
Likewise, there was no need to be mindful and search for topics of conversation, or worry about when rejection might come even while speaking.
The outside was no different. In this tiny village, Tisha Winter was treated as an ordinary girl, except for her strikingly beautiful appearance.
‘Perhaps.’
Perhaps, Natasha felt she could finally escape death. It didn’t seem bad to start a new life, taking the last chance given by God as a lesson.
Then, couldn’t this tedious reminiscence be defined not as the end of death, but conversely as Natasha’s new beginning?
Free from her husband’s indifference, the emperor’s threats, others’ contempt, and her own shattered innocence.
‘I actually wanted to live.’
She wanted to fix the life of Natasha Charliee that had gone wrong from the very first step.
‘… It wasn’t that I wanted to run away, but that I wanted to resolve things. I just came too far to know where to start fixing, or if it could be fixed at all.’
Past goals that had been obscured by misfortune came to mind anew. Yes, Natasha had dreams and wishes. Along with responsibilities and a future to shoulder.
The current Tisha Winter was free from the mistakes committed by the previous Natasha Asthart. She hadn’t married Sieghart, hadn’t set foot in the duke’s mansion. Therefore, the existence of the princess wasn’t known to the world.
This was a golden opportunity. One to rectify Natasha’s mistakes and take a step closer to happiness.
A precious moment bestowed as a truly final gift by the God who had been so harsh to her alone.
‘Let’s live, Natasha.’
Gazing intently at her snow-white wrist, she made a resolution.
[This is the timeline separator]Afterwards, Natasha hurriedly contacted Sir Dante and proposed to move their residence. Sieghart, who knew her whereabouts, would soon come looking for her.
“You mean Duke Asthart? Sigh, we have stayed here for a long time.”
“Yes, I think it’s better if we move. I’ve saved up a lot of money, so let’s go somewhere far. Even if they come after us, we can at least buy some time.”
“Understood, Princess. Let’s quickly move our residence before this matter reaches the imperial family.”
Heeding the princess’s words, Sir Dante swiftly prepared for the move for their mutual safety.
The destination was the Bail region, the farthest from the duke’s territory yet closest to the principality. Though crowded due to frequent exchanges with the principality, it wouldn’t be too dangerous as most residents were ordinary citizens. Moreover, the royal family’s downfall was fading into history, so there was no need to worry as much as before.
“Oh, Sir Dante. Please don’t inform Cayena about our move.”
“Pardon?”
“That child is currently working at the Asthart duke’s mansion. It’s nothing for the duke to read letters, so information could easily leak.”
“Yes, yes? Lady Cayena is working at the Asthart duke’s mansion? No, why… I mean, how…?”
To the considerably surprised companion, Natasha vaguely explained that she had exchanged letters with her friend once.
Anyway, whether he understood her words well or not, Sir Dante deeply noted that he wouldn’t announce the move news even by letter for the time being.
Four days later, Natasha and Sir Dante embarked on a long journey.
The time to reach Bail was expected to take about a week, generously estimated. During that time, Natasha and Sir Dante discussed the tasks they needed to accomplish first in their new settlement.
Sir Dante said he had applied to the Mürchen viscounty, which was recruiting new knights. He added that there would be no problem with employment, as his previous house had highly praised his skills and loyalty, even writing a letter of recommendation.
Natasha, under the identity of Tisha Winter, had already obtained an ID card from the village office of Flare where she used to live, so she too should have no problem finding work.
“You must always be careful of the guard and inquisitors.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
Still, it was ultimately a forged ID, so if checked, the false identity would be exposed. Sir Dante, also worried about this, gave strict warnings.
After a long carriage journey, the two arrived in Bail. Sir Dante stayed by her side for about a month to help her adapt to the new settlement.
And when it was time for work, Sir Dante left for the Mürchen viscounty. He stated that he would come to fetch Natasha as soon as he established himself as a knight.
While Sir Dante worked diligently as an attendant knight of the Mürchen viscounty, Natasha also earned small change by helping with various odd jobs in the village.
‘This should be enough…’
And she was close to reaching her target amount. The next day’s wages would make up exactly the desired sum. At last, she could execute the plan she had made secretly from Sir Dante.
Heading back to the principality that had turned its back on her in her past life was reckless, but there was no other way. To live avoiding the eyes of the imperial family and the duke’s house, she needed the power of the principality, so she had to make a contract with them.
Natasha returned home trudging after a hard day’s work. After changing clothes roughly, she prepared a late dinner. Tonight’s dinner was bread and cheese given to her by the tavern owner who took pity on Tisha Winter.
As she was pouring milk that was nearing its expiration date.
A knock sounded, intruding into the quiet house.
‘…Who could it be?’
Living so busily, she hadn’t interacted with village residents, let alone neighbors. Most were people she barely knew, let alone acquaintances. In other words, there was no one who would visit this house.
As she pondered, she recalled that Sir Dante’s holiday was approaching. Come to think of it, he had said he would be given a short holiday a month after starting work.
She stood up abruptly and approached the door.
‘Wait a moment.’
But something felt odd.
If it were Sir Dante, he would have given notice beforehand. Even if it were an unannounced visit, he wouldn’t just knock stiffly. Unless it was with a bright smile and cheerful greeting.
Natasha quietly pressed her ear to the door wall. After a moment, she faintly heard murmuring voices from outside.
‘…It’s not one person.’
Judging by the sporadic conversation sounds coming through, it was the inquisitors.
Startled, Natasha took a deep breath. Wrapped in late anxiety that the momentary noise might attract their attention, she groaned, unable to exhale the breath she had inhaled.
First, telling herself to move away from the door, she moved with her toes stretched taut. After silently distancing herself, she finally gave freedom to her suffocating lungs.
After a while, she sensed them leaving. Breathing a sigh of relief, Natasha suppressed any signs of life in the room as much as possible in preparation for what might come next.
The next day, she learned their identity from the tavern owner who had employed Tisha Winter.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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