I Plan to Repay Kindness with Enmity (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2
For the first time, I wanted to break my old vow never to steal from him.
Yet I forced myself to believe otherwise. I couldn’t bear the thought that he was pushing me away simply because, like others, he believed I’d been defiled by barbarians.
He was the only one who had ever shown kindness to me when I was a despised outcast. It was hard for me to be the first to let go of those hands that had once sparkled like jewels.
Servants who had already looked down on me for my fortunate yet humble rise in status now glanced at me as if I were something filthy.
Life at the count’s mansion was growing increasingly dull.
Then, one day—
“Igraine, wake up! Hurry!”
“Leo?”
I sat up in bed at Leo’s urgent voice.
“Kyaaah! Barbarians! The barbarians have invaded!”
A scream torn from the throat.
Clang! Claaang! Clang clang!
Outside, cries of panic and the clashing of weapons rang out one after another.
“Kiyaaaaaoooh!”
An odd, excited sound—the voice of the barbarians.
The kingdom, rich in resources and blessed with fertile lands, often suffered raids by imperial barbarians envious of its prosperity.
But even so—how could they have penetrated all the way to the capital?
They supposedly struggled to endure the desert and the climate of other kingdoms.
Wasn’t that precisely why they’d never breached beyond the outer villages despite frequent skirmishes?
‘Something’s wrong.’
Amidst all this chaos, my room remained eerily quiet. No one came looking for me.
“Kyaaaah!”
A servant’s scream sounded nearby. The barbarians must have breached the mansion itself.
Suddenly, Hubert flashed into my mind.
‘He’s in danger.’
“Hubert!”
I rushed to the master’s chamber and flung the door open. The room was empty.
Had he gone to deal with the crisis?
As I considered going downstairs, another possibility struck me.
‘Could it be…?’
Gripped by unease, I ran.
It didn’t take long to reach my destination. Closer to his room than mine, this chamber belonged to Aris, a collateral branch of House Lorenst.
Even before opening the door, I sensed it—the scene inside wouldn’t be pleasant.
Unlike my frantic sprint here, my hand refused to move.
“Kyaaaaah!”
The screams grew closer.
I could wait no longer—I shoved the door open.
Inside unfolded a scene entirely unlike the chaos outside.
“I’m so scared.”
“The soldiers are handling it, so don’t worry. The royal guard will arrive soon too. You should get some rest—you’ll faint again if you’re not careful.”
There stood Hubert, the very man I’d desperately searched for.
He gently brushed back Aris’s golden hair as she wept, comforting her.
My limbs went limp, strength draining away.
“Igraine?”
Madam Emern frowned.
“What are you doing here? What about outside?”
Hubert, noticing me belatedly, flinched.
I stood at the doorway, staring in.
Count Hubert, former Earl turned Viscount Lorenst, and his concubine Madam Emern occupied one corner of the room—people who’d once been my masters and habitually clicked their tongues at me as though I were a blemish on their lineage.
And there were Hubert and Aris, whom I’d once respectfully addressed as young master and young lady.
They sat cozily together, waiting out the crisis like a perfect family—perfect, except for my absence.
‘Wait… was I ever truly part of this group?’
Though overwhelmed by emptiness and wanting to do nothing, I summoned my last shred of patience.
“The soldiers are fighting the barbarians. Is everyone alright?”
The viscount nodded wearily.
“How could such an absurd thing happen! At least go check what’s happening outside. Everyone’s too shaken to move.”
At his words, Hubert avoided my gaze. Madam Emern urged me impatiently.
“Didn’t you hear His Lordship? What are you waiting for? Go outside at once!”
In that instant, realization struck.
Since that night I’d spent in the palace, none of them had truly met my eyes.
The screams from outside gradually faded.
The disturbance had been quelled by the royal guard and the empire’s ruthless prince.
Inside the mansion, I glimpsed him briefly through a window—he was in the courtyard—but our eyes met and slipped apart faster than the glance itself.
Though fleeting, his dark eyes imprinted themselves vividly in my mind.
That day’s ordeal wasn’t confined to Lorenst Manor alone. Unknown barbarians had attempted to abduct the princess herself.
Though foiled swiftly by the imperial prince, the king’s fury over nearly losing his only daughter showed no sign of abating.
The empire claimed the attackers were nameless warriors unaffiliated with them—a transparent lie.
People said tensions between empire and kingdom had finally escalated into open conflict.
If war broke out, many would suffer. I prayed for everyone’s safety.
Was my mistake failing to pray for my own well-being?
A week later, I was arrested by royal guards.
Even dragged into the antechamber of the tribunal, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening to me.
I seriously considered bribing my jailer.
‘No. Wait a bit longer. There must be some misunderstanding.’
Fleeing would be tantamount to confessing to a crime I didn’t commit.
“How dare you conspire to sell the kingdom to the empire!”
“No punishment for a traitor can ever be too severe!”
But when I arrived at the tribunal, only scornful accusations awaited me—leaving me more bewildered than ever.
Conspiring to sell the kingdom to the empire?
Who on earth…?
‘I’ve sold stolen jewels to fences before, but never my country!’
Yet no one explained the circumstances to me.
Only after the trial began did I learn the false charge laid upon me.
Several others, similarly captured, filled the courtroom. Before them lay people battered bloody from torture, sprawled like slabs of meat.
One face looked familiar.
‘Isn’t that Aris’s friend?’
A man Aris had recently met at a salon—Jacques, perhaps? His handsome features seemed recognizable.
The crowd shouted that he was an imperial spy.
“Igraine Lorenst. Your crime of colluding with barbarians to open Lorenst Manor’s gates is grave indeed.”
Ignoring the magistrate’s stern yet incomprehensible words, I searched for Hubert.
Despite recent friction, he’d surely help me—or at least explain what in the world was going on.
That hope shattered the moment I saw the Lorenst household members.
“This can’t be! How could my sister do such a thing…?”
Hubert, holding Aris’s shoulders as he stared at me, had eyes colder than ice.
After avoiding my gaze until now, he fixed me with unwavering certainty.
‘Ah, damn it.’
Finally, everything made sense.
My lips twisted involuntarily.
“I never thought you’d betray me like this, Hubert Lorenst.”
I locked eyes with him squarely.
“You heartless bastard—worse than a dog cooked for stew.”
It was the first time I’d cursed at him; since joining the count’s household, I’d always watched my words and actions.
Hubert’s face contorted. Aris pointed at me accusingly.
“How dare you speak like that! Finally showing your true colors, are you?”
Now I understood why the barbarians had attacked none other than Lorenst Manor.
The real traitor wasn’t me—it was Aris.
Laughter bubbled up uncontrollably. I’d rather die than cry.
Hubert spoke gravely.
“You’ve endangered the house, Igraine.”
“…”
“I had no choice.”
Ignoring his words, I looked at Aris nestled in his arms.
She glanced up at me, eyes brimming with fear.
“You should’ve chosen your boyfriend more carefully, huh?”
Seeing Aris’s pale, stricken face stirred pity within me.
To think I’d once fawned over someone like her.
Colluding with barbarians constituted high treason, punishable by death.
Even as they dragged me toward the execution block, mad laughter spilled from my lips.
Memories of rejoicing at being accepted as family into the count’s house crumbled like dust.
So too vanished the thrill I’d felt at finally standing proudly beside the young master I’d secretly loved.
‘Nothing is more foolish than devotion to others.’
I regretted past efforts to avoid drawing attention lest I shame the house, and how I’d credited all my achievements to Hubert.
‘That wasn’t like me at all.’
How foolish—to keep trusting after countless betrayals.
Soon, the blade descended upon my neck.
At the moment my head was severed—
“No!”
A desperate wail jolted my consciousness awake.
‘Leo?’
“You’re the one who must live, you fool! Why did it take you so long to realize? Live! Live to find your guardian, and discover who you truly are!”
Before I could ask what he meant, my mind plunged into darkness.
[This is the timeline separator]The life of a thief born at the bottom of the kingdom.
From my parents, I learned things useful for survival—regardless of what others might think.
Stealing discreetly, picking simple locks, cleaning, laundry, cooking, and using sharp curses to intimidate opponents.
Among these, thievery proved the most practically helpful.
My father, who stole me as an infant from my mother after she’d left her past behind to work at the count’s estate, raised me lovingly.
Proudly viewing thievery as a legitimate profession, he naturally led me down the same path.
It’s no exaggeration to say the roughly ten years spent with him shaped who I am today.
I hold only fond memories of my father, who left me at my mother’s doorstep just before succumbing to illness.
Yet my mother despised him—and I understand why.
If my husband had run off with all our wealth, I wouldn’t stay silent either—though admittedly, my mother had first taken a liking to another man…
‘Both were at fault.’
In any case, my mother didn’t welcome her returned daughter warmly. Still, I’m grateful she didn’t drive me away.
From then on, I lived not as a thief, but as a maid.
I swept floors and got flour on my hands. My knack for doing almost anything well made the work easy enough.
But in noble households, such skills held little value—not unless one became head maid, let alone mistress of the house.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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