“It was a warning that she could never be more than a mistress. Verita’s face drained of color, and soon she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.
I watched Verita with a dry gaze before turning away.
As I opened the door and lifted my gaze, I unexpectedly faced someone I hadn’t anticipated.
“Lady Lirien?”
“Countess…”
Lirien, sweating profusely, wore an ambiguous expression of laughter and tears, so – umm –
“The weather is really nice, isn’t it?”
She wore the awkward expression of someone who had accidentally overheard a conversation.
We sat in silence on the terrace, serene as the dawn streets.
Between us were two cups of lemon tea and a cream cake that Lirien had made in her baking class.
I stared beyond the white arched railing. A servant was busily watering plants and polishing the fountain until it sparkled.
It was all because of Edmun’s recent return.
I watched the gardener arranging the landscape with interest before turning my gaze back. My eyes met Lirien’s.
She looked at me like a startled puppy, her eyes wide open.
She was quite adorable.
“You heard the conversation.”
“I’m, I’m sorry… I heard from the butler that your sister was visiting and thought I should greet her, but…”
“I’m not scolding you. I wanted to tell you it’s okay.”
Devon’s infidelity, the argument with Antara, the preparations for divorce.
After already having seen the worst of me, there was no harm in seeing this too.
“Thank you for understanding, Countess.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Lirien awkwardly smiled, pulling her shoulder-length hair forward and fiddling with it.
It seemed she wanted to ask something but was hesitant, fearing she might upset me.
Finally, after a long time, with reddened eyes and a quivering voice, she asked.
“I’m the same to you, right? The same as him.”
“No, you were deceived.”
“But, but I’ve contributed to the Countess’s hurt. I wanted to help…”
Ah. Now I understand why Edmun keeps me confined in the mansion.
With the realization striking me, I sighed softly.
It seems to Lirien, I’m more than just a kind person; I’m a complete friend.
And thus, Edmun became even more wary of me. All the friends she had introduced me to had rotten characters.
Feeling frustrated by the tangled situation, it wasn’t fair to blame Lirien, who had no idea her fondness for me was causing trouble.
I remember my college roommate advising me to act weaker around the weak, but what can I do? It’s in my nature.
Huh, my soft sigh made Lirien jump.
“I’m, I’m sorry, are you tired? Of course, you are, you’ve just been through a lot emotionally, and I’ve been holding you up…”
Her overreaction to my sigh left me a bit bewildered. Could it be… Lirien was still cautious about that matter?
‘Well, I never explicitly spoke about Devon.’
I didn’t like the idea of innocent Lirien feeling wary because of Devon’s misdeeds.
“Lady Lirien, let me make it clear this time. I neither resent nor blame you. We are both victims.”
Lirien’s eyes widened like a rabbit’s. Then, as if recalling something, she smiled gently, her eyes lowered.
“The Countess was like that from the first time we met. Even though you must have had no good feelings towards me… you comforted me.”
I smiled awkwardly. It seems she has some illusions about me.
It wasn’t a grand act of heroism. It was a faint sense of guilt for almost killing someone, compounded by the coincidence of being in that place at that time. Lirien doesn’t know that she was the target of an assassination attempt, hence her reaction.
As I blinked absently, Lirien smiled knowingly.
“I know it wasn’t a significant action for you. But sometimes a small spark can ignite a large fire. That’s how it was for me.”
She calmly shared her struggles, like how her uncle tried to sell her off to an old noble, and the loneliness she endured for about 9 years while Edmun was away, avoiding her uncle’s disapproval.
“No matter how hard I tried to make friends, it didn’t work out. I always found fault within myself… but your words gave me an epiphany.”
Lirien, meeting my gaze, smiled and played with her half-tied hair.
I instinctively avoided her gaze, feeling both proud and embarrassed that my words had comforted someone.
“Yes, I really like this hairstyle because you complimented it, Countess. And I want to get closer to people who like me just the way I am.”
She twirled her silver hair around her finger and looked at me earnestly.
“For example, like the Countess.”
Then, embarrassed by her own words, she groaned and pulled her hair over her face.
‘So cute…’
I couldn’t help but smile. People who are honest with their feelings are truly endearing. Or is it just Lirien who is so adorable?
In a life filled with revenge and fury, her presence was like a warm spring sun.
Suddenly, I hoped that when I leave the mansion after the divorce, Lirien would have many people by her side so she wouldn’t be lonely anymore.
“Lady Lirien, can you call me more casually from now on? I don’t want to be referred to as his wife anymore.”
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.]
