Leah recovered her strength two days after taking the medicinal potion. At first, she struggled with its taste and often vomited it out.
“[Miss, do you know how precious this medicine is!]”
Pauline stomped her feet and sobbed.
The potion was the only cure for Leah’s illness, and Terran had gone through great lengths to obtain it.
“[I’ll spoon-feed you. Just gulp it down.]”
Although the potion’s efficacy played a part, it seemed Pauline’s dedication greatly contributed to Leah’s recovery.
Now, Leah was well enough to sit up in bed.
“Is this potion from the Eastern Continent?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Leah had heard about medicines from the Eastern Continent. Although the Hamilton Trading Company didn’t deal with them, she had seen rare items from around the world when trading ships docked.
“Do you know how the Duke got this medicine?”
Pauline shared the story she heard from Luke about Terran’s confrontation with Rapha. Before storming into Rapha’s stronghold, Terran had ordered Luke to plant bombs around the building, planning to blow it up entirely if necessary.
“Is that true?”
Leah’s eyes widened in disbelief. She never imagined Terran capable of such radical actions.
‘I thought he was only good at glaring icily at everything.’
To her, Terran always seemed disinterested in the world, enveloped in boredom. The revelation of his passionate and desperate side to obtain something was surprising.
‘After all, Grace’s death would put the Duke in a difficult position.’
Considering Terran’s guilt towards Grace’s brother Aiden, it made sense he would do anything to prevent Grace’s death.
In the cabin, Terran had exposed his post-war trauma, hinting at a sense of responsibility to protect Grace, possibly as a substitute for Aiden.
In some ways, Leah felt pity for Terran. With his own wounds unhealed and festering, he seemed incapable of caring for others. Yet, he did his best to take responsibility for his people.
She knew that if she, as Grace, had died too easily, it would have caused problems. Though selfish, she wanted to rely on Terran’s concern and protection for now.
“Pauline, thank you. For taking such good care of me.”
Leah grasped Pauline’s hand in gratitude, causing her to blush and react busily.
‘Is it that one becomes a different person when sick?’
Previously, Grace had never thanked Pauline, often using her as a scapegoat when things went wrong with Terran.
‘Maybe people mature after suffering.’
Grace’s newfound kindness was still uncomfortable, but not unpleasant. Pauline worried if Grace might suddenly revert to her old self.
Just then, a knock sounded. Knowing who it was, Pauline quickly opened the door.
“Grace, you’re awake.”
Terran looked relieved to see Grace sitting up in bed. Pauline made way for him.
“Duke Courtois, I’m sorry for worrying you.”
Confronted with Terran, Leah’s mind became cluttered, uncertain how to start the conversation. Knowing from Pauline about Terran’s efforts to obtain the potion made it difficult to pretend ignorance.
“Pauline told me. You went through a lot to get this precious medicine.”
“It wasn’t hard.”
“Really?”
“Do you know what’s most important in a fight?”
Terran’s unexpected question left Leah at a loss. She had never physically fought anyone, except for her ongoing battle with Allen.
“Technique?”
“No, it’s the first strike.”
“First strike?”
“To hit so hard that the opponent can’t even fight back.”
“That was the bomb, then.”
It was a thought only Terran could have come up with.
Leah wanted to continue the conversation with appropriate words, but she struggled to articulate her thoughts as Terran’s intense gaze seemed to consume her. She feared her face might burn under the fiery intensity of his eyes.
“Don’t get hurt.”
“!?”
Startled, Leah raised her head to look at him.
His simple statement felt different; it carried genuine concern rather than just a sense of responsibility as a guardian.
“Duke Courtois, may I ask you a question?”
Leah felt guilty about her deceit. Her soul was illegally occupying Grace’s body, and she knew Terran would feel deeply betrayed if he ever discovered the truth.
“Go ahead.”
“Do you believe in God?”
“What?”
Terran was taken aback by her sudden, almost heretical, question.
Despite his astonishment, this inquiry was crucial for Leah. She knew that more and more, her true self would emerge, complicating things and likely confusing Terran even further.
“You know, like those magical phenomena. Being possessed by a character from a book, regressing to a point before death, or souls switching places. Do you believe in such miraculous events?”
Leah blinked rapidly, waiting for his response. Meanwhile, Terran was momentarily speechless, captivated by the jewel-like sparkle in her eyes as she blinked.
‘Her eyes were beautiful…’
He had seen her for years but never felt this way before.
Terran briefly bowed his head to compose himself, surprised by his heart racing at the sight of her eyes, not her question.
“I believe only in verified facts, not in gods but in science.”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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