I Pretended To Be Dead And Ran Away (22 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 13
“Hah, but Master never eats lunch!”
“That was only in the past. He said he wants to eat now.”
Reniel retorted without yielding to the head maid’s words.
In truth, Reniel knew it well—Felix was extremely picky about meals and always skipped lunch.
But even if she said this, no one could possibly verify it anyway.
After all, if Reniel took the meal trolley, spent a little time in Felix’s room, and then came out, no one would ever know.
Moreover, Reniel was the only servant permitted to enter Felix’s room at any time.
Thus, no one would suspect anything even if she claimed to have placed the tray inside and attended to minor chores—and no one but Reniel could possibly confirm whether her master had eaten lunch or not.
They couldn’t very well ask Master Felix himself either.
Above all, there was no head maid in this mansion.
Normally, the head maid held a higher position, and the housekeeper wouldn’t dare wield such authority; she’d have to stay deferential.
For unknown reasons, Felix Le Pelique greatly disliked women.
According to rumors Reniel had heard, this was because spies had frequently infiltrated as maids or handmaidens in the past, attempting to take his life—but whether that was true or not remained uncertain.
Regardless, due to this, the ducal household employed no handmaidens.
Aside from a few absolutely necessary maids, there were no other female servants.
Unlike handmaidens, maids were bound by an unspoken rule: they must vanish swiftly and remain unseen whenever their master was present.
Furthermore, nearly all the long-serving servants of the ducal household had already departed.
Thus, it was obvious why everyone regarded Reniel as nothing more than a greenhorn.
Everyone was experienced—some had served elsewhere before coming here, others had accumulated years within this estate.
Yet Reniel had spent only ten years exclusively in the Le Pelique ducal mansion and had just turned twenty.
Therefore, from the perspective of the older, seasoned servants, it was deeply irksome that someone so young and inexperienced had risen to prominence so suddenly.
“Hmph! I’ll go check myself!”
“Yes, please do so quickly. Master dislikes waiting. When will his meal be ready?”
“I wasn’t aware of any such order from the kitchen!”
“What do you mean? Didn’t we always prepare lunch and take it as usual? The budget records clearly state that.”
Reniel recalled the documents she’d seen when she first assumed the deputy steward’s duties.
“Ahem! Ahem! Just wait!”
Reniel felt slightly uncomfortable that the housekeeper, flustered, had suddenly dropped formal speech toward her.
Even if she’d only just turned twenty, she was now deputy steward—it would only be proper for them to show mutual respect.
Still, Reniel chose not to show her discomfort outwardly.
She didn’t particularly enjoy arguing with others like this—unless, of course, the situation was as unreasonable as it was now.
Not long after, the trolley was ready.
Reniel lifted the lids to inspect the food placed atop the prepared trolley.
“This seems a bit subpar to serve to Master.”
“So because Master might or might not eat it, you expect us to prepare only the finest?”
“Exactly. Even if he doesn’t eat it and it gets thrown away, it still must be made well. After all, he’s the master of this ducal household.”
Reniel spoke boldly—after all, it was plainly true that this was of noticeably lower quality compared to what was served at dinner.
“Enough. Just take it as it is! He won’t eat it anyway.”
“But I told you—he’s decided to eat!”
Reniel feigned distress.
“What if trouble arises from this? The kitchen might be returned to the steward’s department. Are you fine with that?”
“That’s impossible!”
The housekeeper glared at Reniel as though ready to drag her away herself.
Seeing this, Reniel simply shrugged, deciding it was time to end this.
“I wouldn’t know.”
“Hmph!”
The housekeeper didn’t believe Reniel’s words. In her five years here, Master had never once requested lunch.
She assumed Reniel was lying—but couldn’t entirely ignore her either.
“What master ever eats lunch alongside a servant! There’s a limit to your lies!”
Despite scolding her loudly like that, she still had no choice but to hand over all the food.
After all, Duke Le Pelique was infamous for his eccentricities and even cruelty.
Everyone knew how terrifying it truly was to receive a letter of recommendation and leave—something Reniel alone remained unaware of, having only heard rumors.
“Yes, have a pleasant lunch. And from next time, please prepare meals at the main house—it’s too far to carry all the way here.”
Reniel smiled brightly as she pushed the trolley out the door.
****
At first, Reniel had only intended to stop briefly in Felix’s room before leaving immediately.
She merely wanted to make her lie a bit more convincing.
Thus, upon arriving at Felix’s room, she knocked and then opened the door right away.
But inside sat Felix, reviewing documents—someone who had never once been in his room at lunchtime before.
“What is it?”
“Master…! Lunch—lunch has arrived!”
Seeing Felix, Reniel was momentarily flustered—but quickly composed her expression into the most genuinely delighted smile one could imagine, as though she’d been waiting her whole life for him to eat lunch.
“Lunch? Ah. I suppose you didn’t hear. I don’t eat lunch.”
Normally, Felix would’ve immediately ordered her to leave—but oddly, he couldn’t bring himself to say that to Reniel.
It was clearly Reniel who’d been beside him when he fell asleep last night.
He couldn’t recall their conversation clearly, but he remembered someone repeatedly soothing him in his sleep, calling him “Master.”
He stared blankly at Reniel’s neatly trimmed sky-blue hair.
In his hazy half-sleep, he’d thought it long enough to reach her hips.
And because that impossible thought made it all seem even more dreamlike.
After all, the Reniel before his eyes, though slender, clearly possessed a man’s body.
Flat-chested, narrow-hipped—utterly unlike the voluptuous, curvaceous figure from his dream, whose small hands and feet had felt so strangely pleasant whenever he held them.
Their features were similar, yet the woman from his dream had a softer, rosier face.
Still, they looked so alike…
“Do you have a younger sister?”
Felix asked something completely out of character.
“No. I came from the orphanage—I have no family.”
He watched wordlessly as Reniel began setting the table for lunch.
“Do you ever think of searching for your family?”
“Not particularly.”
“Why not?”
Ever since Reniel became deputy steward, she’d also prepared his dinner—but today, for some reason, her presence struck him more than usual.
There was nothing overtly strange about it.
“I left the orphanage at ten. Now, at twenty, I’m the most successful person ever to come from there.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. So if anyone wanted to find me, they would’ve done so long ago. The fact they haven’t must mean they don’t wish to.”
Reniel spoke casually as she finished setting the table.
Unconsciously, Felix walked toward the table she’d prepared.
“What’s left over here?”
“Oh—those are the dishes I’ll take back to my room after Master finishes eating.”
“So you eat separately?”
“Of course. How could a servant possibly share a meal with their master?”
Reniel gave a shy smile.
Though startled that the lie she’d told the housekeeper had now become reality, she was also relieved to see Felix seemed in a better mood than expected.
Yet her heart pounded nervously—he was watching her as if testing her.
Beneath her eyelids remained only the image from that dawn: Tanasis, bloodied and dragged like a dog, as she swung her blade.
But simultaneously lingering was the memory of him, intoxicated, burrowing into her chest and begging to be put to bed—leaving her utterly conflicted.
“Sit.”
“Yes?”
“Set a place for yourself too.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Though Reniel couldn’t understand why he issued such an order, he was too fearsome a man to disobey—so she obeyed.
The dining table was large anyway; laying out her modest meal was no trouble at all.
“Why is yours so meager?”
“Well… it’s the servants’ lunch, after all?”
Reniel knew very well that the other servants’ lunches were far more generous and delicious than hers—but she simply said that.
“From now on, bring your lunch here too.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Two servings—identical to mine.”
“Yes…?”
“And keep me company while I eat.”
With that, he elegantly picked up his fork and knife.
Felix normally skipped meals at this hour because eating always put him in a foul mood.
Yet for some reason, swallowing food now didn’t feel difficult at all.
“Well? Hurry up and eat.”
Reniel nodded, flustered by Felix’s words.
For some reason, the meat before him now seemed tiresome and unappetizing, so he sliced a piece and passed it to Reniel.
Partly, too, to check whether it was poisoned.
“Open your mouth.”
He chuckled, thinking her flustered expression resembled a fledgling sparrow—and as he watched her accept the food from him with evident tension, he felt an odd illusion, as though he held a tiny creature in his palm.
He couldn’t quite tell whether this feeling was murderous intent or mere curiosity.
But in that moment, seeing Reniel trembling as if afraid of him, he concluded it must indeed be murderous intent.
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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Wait, what? For real? How come the Nuremberg Princess is hiding her gender and work at the mansion of the Duke who technically her archenemy? And Renal is Tanasis’ fiancee? Wow, never expected it to be revealed this early.
Very good story and i do prefer it if any person will give it a try worthy of your time
So apparently Renal is regarded as a threat for imperial family for her purifying ability and decided to make her Tanasias’ fiancee for close monitoring and helped him control his artificial ability. But Renal must’ve sensed or found out something that can put her life in danger. Thus she went into the hiding in the enemy’s nest and disguised as a man with the ring’s help. I wonder what kind of finding Reniel got to the point it threatened her life.