When his father, the Duke of Temnes, was alive, Kain often received invitations. But most of those families had since lost their heads or heirs. His network had since fizzled out.
He had no suitable contacts to ask about the domestic affairs of others.
“Why so, my lord? Are you displeased with the item?”
The butler, noticing Kain staring at the blue diamond, ventured a question.
“No, I like it. It’s been repaired well.”
“But why the concern? Is there another problem?”
Perhaps this experienced butler could help, Kain thought. After all, the butler was not only a long-time loyalist of Temnes but also held a baronial title.
Kain didn’t want to seem overly concerned about Clodel, so he casually broached the topic.
“I asked Clodel why she saved me.”
“And what did my lady say?”
“Just.”
The butler blinked.
“Not that I just asked; she said she just saved me.”
“Ah.”
Realization dawned on the butler, who nodded in understanding.
“Does that make sense? She could have been crippled for life, and she risked it all for just that?”
“The lady has a gentle nature.”
“She said she would have saved anyone.”
“How fortunate we are to have such a lady as our duchess. She will surely show mercy when our people face difficulties.”
“True. That much is certain.”
One of the biggest problems with strategic marriages is not knowing the true nature of your partner.
“At least she’ll treat the people of the estate well.”
Unless the people of Lowen spit at her for being a Bermont.
“Hmm.”
Kain sighed uncharacteristically, prompting the butler to inquire again.
“Why so, my lord?”
“I just can’t understand. Is it always this hard to get close to a wife?”
Kain had never shown interest in the butler’s marital affairs, but now he was curious.
“Such a sudden marriage, my lord. Usually, even in strategic marriages, there’s an engagement period of about a year for courtship before the ceremony.”
“Right.”
“You didn’t have that courtship, did you?”
“Courtship?”
Kain, genuinely perplexed, prompted the butler to clear his throat.
“Ahem. So far, you have only met with my lady in the bedroom, haven’t you?”
“That’s true.”
The reason was the pressure to fulfill his marital duties with an undesirable Bermont, dictated by the royal command. If Kain was uncooperative in this king-ordained marriage, it would be considered disloyalty to the king’s command.
He had never thought of seeing her anywhere else.
Her bedroom.
And his bedroom. Just that one time.
“You need time to get to know each other. You hardly know her at all.”
Chewing over how he couldn’t fathom Clodel’s thoughts, Kain nodded in agreement.
“What do people usually do during a courtship?”
“They engage in various activities or go on dates.”
“Isn’t that something men who grovel at women’s feet do?”
The butler remained silent.
Kain found it annoying when women clung to him. Perhaps meeting an indifferent hostess like Clodel was a match made in heaven. Ironically, it seemed like Kain was the one fretting more.
“Spending time together will help you get to know each other better.”
Deciding to discreetly advise his master for the sake of the Temnes lineage, the butler suggested.
“How about a picnic?”
“A picnic?”
“Yes. Walking might be difficult for my lady, and she’s been confined to the castle. It must be stifling.”
Kain had thought the same when he showed Clodel his bedroom.
“Prepare it. I’ll give her the ring there.”
“When would you like to go?”
“Now.”
Watching Kain head to change clothes, the butler sent a messenger to my lady’s room and headed to the kitchen.
Thanks to the capable butler’s advice, an hour later, Kain was walking through a flowery path, carrying Clodel in his arms.
The back garden of the Lowen Castle bordered a small lake and was a private area of the lord’s estate.
Unaccessible to others and maintained just enough by the gardener to prevent overgrowth, it had a natural, wild feel.
As Kain gently set her down under the shade of a tree, Clodel, who had been looking pale and unwell, seemed to brighten a bit.
‘I thought she was happy because I invited her.’
Kain nearly got upset again but decided to sit beside her, finding the scene of her sitting amidst a field of white flowers quite pleasing.
“How is it? Do you like it?”
“Yes, I really do.”
Kain kept looking for opportunities.
When should he give the ring?
What can he say to lighten the mood?
But he still didn’t know what to say to a woman whose likes and dislikes were unknown to him.
“Tell me if there’s anything you want. I’ll do it.”
Clodel looked at him quietly.
“As a way of saying thanks, since you’re my savior.”
Ah, he should have said he’s giving her the ring as a thanks for saving him.
If only Antoinette hadn’t stolen it that day, he wouldn’t be in this predicament.
“Will you really grant any request?”
“Yes.”
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
Clodel smiled faintly.
Kain, seeing even that much of a smile for the first time, felt his breath catch.
“I’ll think about it.”
Why did even that response feel so rewarding?
Looking at his wife sitting with a bright face, he felt mixed emotions.
He stood up, plucked some white flowers scattered around, and made a small bouquet.
“Here. Take it.”
It was a grand gesture for him, considering her inability to walk.
“Thank you.”
But as Clodel smelled the flowers, her face contorted.
“Why…”
Just as he was about to check on her, she began coughing.
“Clodel!”
Struggling to breathe, Clodel collapsed, scattering blood on the white petals she held.
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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