I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2
Sydney, who habitually glanced around her, suddenly scrunched up her face and declared in an irritated voice,
“He thinks I’m a man.”
“Exactly!”
Victoria urgently cried out and stepped in front of Sydney, then continued with an exaggerated theatrical expression and tone,
“He’s fallen for you without even realizing it himself. He’s tormenting you because he can’t accept the reality that you both like the same man.”
Her voice was so loud that even passersby turned to look. Sydney grasped Victoria’s hand and pulled it down, lowering her voice warningly,
“Victoria Orwello, I don’t know what Walter told you, but…”
“Not at all?”
“That person simply dislikes humanity itself.”
Man or woman—it didn’t matter. Logan Redford, perfectly self-sufficient and alone, was just that kind of person.
Sydney gently nudged her dear friend’s back and urged her on their way.
[This is the timeline separator]The five-story grayish building had wide terraces on every floor. Sydney murmured the address written on the exterior wall,
“34 Mayfield Avenue.”
“Why are you reading the address?”
“It’s a habit. In investigations, I need to be able to state the address at any moment.”
Thinking of her superior Logan Redford, Sydney pressed the doorbell. The curtain behind the glass window of the entrance parted, revealing a man’s face. After confirming Victoria’s identity, he opened the door.
“Did you enjoy watching the square, Lady Orwello?”
“Yes, thanks to you. This is my friend, Sydney Warden.”
“Pleased to meet you, Lord Warden. I’m John Duffman, the building manager.”
“Likewise.”
After the customary greetings, John led them inside and swung open the black iron gate of the elevator, an amenity provided in high-rise buildings.
As Victoria and Sydney stepped into the elevator, he closed the gate again and pulled the lever.
Powered by mana crystals, the elevator rose slowly.
At each floor, Sydney carefully observed the hallway visible through the iron bars—the doors on either side, the carpet, and even the lighting.
This, too, was a professional tic born from Logan’s relentless interrogations.
Ding. The needle above the elevator entrance pointed to the number 5.
Victoria stepped out and greeted John politely,
“John, thank you for your trouble.”
“Have a pleasant day.”
So this truly was a penthouse—it differed starkly from the other floors they’d passed on the way up. Sydney silently marveled at the white marble floor, red carpet, luxurious wallpaper, and chandelier.
“Sydney. But who even asks that kind of thing?”
“The jerk you mentioned earlier… No, I mean, that poor soul.”
Sydney changed the word she used to refer to Logan.
She had suddenly recalled Logan Redford’s pitiful circumstances.
Was that really the reason he hadn’t become engaged despite being a respectable 25 years old? Sydney clicked her tongue briefly as she pressed the bell on the black door.
“Lord Walter never said anything like that… Maybe every one of your superiors just happens to be that kind of person.”
“Well, of course—they’re *that* guy.”
“What?”
The door opened, and a maid smiled brightly at Sydney.
“Welcome, Miss Sydney.”
“It’s been a while, Sarah.”
Sarah, dressed in a black maid uniform, guided Sydney into the drawing room. As Sydney handed her coat to Sarah, Victoria finally exploded, unable to hold back any longer.
“Are you kidding me?! That bastard who tormented you on the battlefield—that obsessive-compulsive superior—why is he *still* your superior now?!”
“He recommended me, so I ended up working here.”
“What?! But he hates you! He gets annoyed by everything you do!”
Sydney gestured for her agitated friend to sit down. Once Victoria settled onto the sofa, Sydney continued,
“At any rate, I’m glad I got placed comfortably in the Imperial Royal Guard thanks to him—and that I could see you again like this.”
“I must be insane. I only heard Lord Walter’s words… that this superior of yours actually *likes* you…”
Had she only just grasped reality? Victoria shook her head vigorously, sighing in despair—then froze, her eyes glazed over as she spoke,
“Sydney… could it be that man… already knows you’re a woman?”
Sydney, resting her chin on the armrest of the sofa, raised an eyebrow as if to say, “What nonsense is this?” Interpreting it as permission to continue, Victoria’s eyes sparkled as she went on,
“That would make sense! In novels, you know—the male lead often torments the heroine he secretly fancies without realizing he’s fallen in love. And the key point here is that he keeps her close by his side!”
At the end, Victoria even slammed her fist into her palm like a judge delivering a verdict.
It was the same story as before. The only difference was that earlier she claimed Logan liked Sydney as a man, and now as a woman…
“Ha, Vicky. I’m being serious—please stop reading novels.”
“Oh! But they’re so much fun.”
“That doesn’t happen in real life.”
“It does!”
Tap tap. Sydney lightly tapped the sofa armrest with her middle finger. At the steady rhythm, Victoria obediently lowered her fist onto her lap.
Sydney’s husky voice filled the drawing room,
“If he knew I was a woman, he would have kicked me out of the Imperial Army immediately.”
Logan Redford. Sydney didn’t know why he tormented her.
But one thing was certain…
Logan had desperately wanted to drive Sydney out of the military. It would be no different here.
“It’s strange. Why would he bring you all the way into the Imperial Royal Guard?”
That’s what I’d like to know. Sydney pressed her temples firmly with her index fingers to suppress the throbbing headache—a result of rushing through paperwork right before her vacation.
“Anyway, that’s enough about him.”
“Yes, enough! Then let’s get to the main point.”
The main point? Sydney looked back and forth between Victoria, who had abruptly stood up, and the maid Sarah.
“This way, Lady Warden.”
From the smiles of the two women, Sydney sensed something ominous—and it soon became reality.
[This is the timeline separator]In the spacious dressing room, Sarah knelt before Sydney, tying her dress with ribbons.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Sydney asked,
“Sarah… why are you tying it like that?”
“If we fasten the bodice and skirt together from the inside with these ribbons… it makes walking easier.”
Victoria, watching from the side, explained in a sing-song voice on Sarah’s behalf. Only then did Sydney mutter to herself, understanding why women’s dresses were so inflated.
“So that’s how it’s done.”
“More importantly, we don’t have to wear heavy panniers or Watteau pleats. Though… we still need a corset…”
“Enough.”
At the mere mention of “corset,” Sydney grimaced in disgust. For some reason, both Victoria and Sarah burst into giggles.
“I knew you’d say that… so I prepared a firm binding wrap instead of a corset.”
“This is still tough.”
Grumbling as she rubbed her abdomen, Sydney prompted Victoria to add,
“But at least you can put it on and take it off by yourself more easily.”
“Wait—this dress, and even the binding… were these all custom-made for me?”
“Yes, my lady prepared lots of dresses suitable for you, Miss Sydney…”
Sarah, fastening the buttons of the dress jacket, suddenly stopped answering—Sydney’s expression had turned ominous.
So that’s why she’d asked for my measurements. Sydney glanced at Victoria and murmured softly,
“I see…”
“No! It’s just that I didn’t know which dresses you’d like.”
“Thank you.”
Victoria’s eyes widened in shock as she waved her hands, still trying to explain herself.
After the Warden earldom’s fortunes declined, Sydney became the de facto head of household. At only fourteen, she’d joined the military academy disguised as a boy to earn money.
And as if that weren’t enough—misfortune never comes alone. Her younger sister’s illness worsened, causing medical expenses to pile up endlessly.
At merely sixteen, Sydney enlisted in the Imperial Army and headed straight to the battlefield, using her wages—earned with her very life—to cover her sister’s treatment costs.
Each time Victoria and the Orwello family extended helping hands, Sydney politely declined.
And now… Sydney Warden was actually saying thank you. Tears welled in Victoria’s eyes as she nodded emphatically.
“Yes! Yes!”
“I like it.”
“Me too—I really like it.”
Wiping away tears secretly, Victoria beamed. Sydney stared at her friend for a moment before speaking,
“You’re going out?”
“On a day like this… I couldn’t possibly just stay home… Of course, if you’d rather rest, I’d understand.”
In the end, Victoria burst into tears—rubbing her eyes with her fists like a child, insisting through sobs that she was fine.
Before such a friend, Sydney clenched her fists tightly, trying to hold back her own tears.
Pride…
The moment she signed the documents surrendering her ancestral lands and castle, Sydney had abandoned both her dignity and pride.
She’d refused Victoria’s help… afraid their relationship would be ruined.
Afraid she’d come to see her only friend as a benefactor—and that Victoria would no longer see her as a friend.
It was Logan Redford who changed her mind.
He’d grabbed Sydney by the collar when she was drowning in guilt over her comrades’ deaths and dragged her straight to the military hospital.
Hearing his words, Sydney thought of Victoria.
If she could always keep that child smiling—who liked her unconditionally—
She’d gladly do far worse than just wear a dress like this.
Sydney reached up and pulled out the black ribbon binding her hair into a single tail. Her crimson hair cascaded over her shoulders.
Meeting Victoria’s gaze in the mirror, she fiddled with her earrings.
Her red hair transformed into golden locks flowing down to her chest, and her green eyes shifted to blue. Watching her own metamorphosis, Sydney closed and opened her eyes, then moved her lips,
“Sarah, please do my makeup to match this look.”
“What? Oh! Yes—please sit here.”
Sarah seated Sydney before the vanity and began moving her hands busily, like a painter crafting a masterpiece.
“Is that an artifact? Goodness, even your eye color and earring shape changed!”
“I’ll tell you the really important secret later.”
Sydney gave a faint smile in response to Victoria’s question. At the word “secret,” Victoria’s face brightened visibly.
“But it’s a little disappointing.”
“…?”
“Blonde hair and blue eyes are so common. Your fiery red hair and clear emerald eyes suit you much better.”
“That’s right.”
Sarah, shaping Sydney’s eyebrows, quickly agreed.
The earring artifact could change her hair and eye color into anything—but Sydney always insisted on blonde hair and blue eyes.
Since she had no particular reason for this preference, Sydney tilted her head in confusion.
“Is it really that common?”
“A great many Arsenal nobles look just like that.”
Now that she thought about it, that did seem true. Her younger sister Emilia had blonde hair and blue eyes, as did Walter and Logan…
No—Logan’s hair was closer to platinum.
Sydney made a face and mentally banished him from her thoughts. Then she looked back at Victoria, who was waiting for her reply.
Her friend’s hair and eyes, as if yearning for her touch…
“But I’m glad—we look like sisters.”
“I’ll be the older one! My birthday comes first, after all.”
“Fine by me.”
A bright smile spread across both Victoria’s raised hand and Sydney’s lips as she watched her friend.
Thus, after completing their outing preparations, they boarded the carriage. Victoria looked at Sydney with deep satisfaction and whispered,
“Sydney, it’s ‘Lovers’ Night.’ A passionate night with a man you’ve never met before…”
“Vicky.”
“Just kidding.”
She should have realized it then—that this sweet friend was planning something for Sydney.
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.]
Ahhhh the “I have a friend” line. How did she keep her gender hidden this long smh lol
Could it be he was the one who designed the dresses Victoria gifted her?