“Are you okay? I’ll bring something to wipe it off right away.”
To avoid giving the impression of mistreating a guest from Lexion, Betty, the head maid, rushed to Edith herself.
Edith accepted the warm towel she offered and quickly surveyed her surroundings.
‘I need to create an opportunity to have a private conversation with this person.’
In a place with many onlookers, Betty would find it awkward to disclose certain information. That’s why Edith had already asked Casius to ensure that he would guard within a certain distance wherever she went.
“It seems to be wet quickly, probably because of the winter clothes. If it’s alright, can I dry them briefly near the fire?”
Betty looked at Edith’s belly. Although she couldn’t tell who she was or what influence she held, one thing was certain.
‘If I don’t properly attend to the guest brought by Marquis Lexion, the Marquis will throw a fit.’
There were no adult women in the Humphrey territory, and there were no prepared clothes for a lady to change into.
In such a situation, both Edith and Betty knew that it was appropriate to quickly dry the clothes to maintain body temperature, especially in a situation where there were no clothes ready for a lady to change into.
“There’s a room inside. I’ve already lit the fireplace, so please rest for a moment.”
“Thank you. If it’s okay, will you guide me?”
Betty nodded briefly, indicating an affirmative answer, and moved her steps.
The rest area prepared for guests was cozier than expected. When the warm air touched her body, it felt like all tension would be released, but Edith tightly held onto her composure.
“Thank you for guiding me. What’s your name?”
“I’m Betty. If you sit in this comfortable chair, it should be fine. I apologize for not preparing clothes for you to change into in advance.”
“No, it’s not a big deal. It’s my fault for making such a clumsy mistake.”
Betty bowed her head toward Edith, thinking to herself.
‘It would be nice if we could welcome a gentle lady like her instead of the energetic and bright Humphrey Marquis who acts like a child.’
But leaving the Marquis’s place meant her life was already entangled with the mansion, like ivy on a wall.
Above all, if she sought another job and left, she would undoubtedly be faced with the troublesome situation of finding a new person, not to mention that the Marquis, burdened with having to find a replacement, would more likely curse her than recommend her.
‘Given the promises made, do I have no choice but to endure under the Marquis for the rest of my life?’
While Betty inwardly chewed on the seemingly inhuman Humphrey Marquis, contemplating leaving her seat, Edith opened her mouth.
“If it’s alright, can we move closer to the fireplace? I think the clothes will dry faster that way.”
As soon as the sound of Edith pulling her chair was heard, Betty reflexively grabbed the chair Edith had been sitting on.
“If you move closer, what if you get burned…!”
A rough and urgent voice, in contrast to the composed tone she had maintained until now. Edith already knew the reason why she showed such an intense reaction.
‘My sister said she suffered severe burns all over her body.’
Looking at Betty’s slightly pale face, it seemed that the stories she had gathered by frequenting the Humphrey Berry shipping site threshold were true.
“That maid’s family was the owner of a very large farm, but while trying to burn weeds and debris, the fire spread due to the wind…”
“Everyone else died, and only your sister survived, right?”
“She’s alive, but it seems she’s living a life worse than death. She suffered severe burns all over her body, to the point where she can’t even go outside, and her younger sister is taking care of her.”
Due to the proposal of a way to sell slightly flawed crops to the capital and throughout the empire, the ladies at the shipping site were in a relaxed state.
Since Betty’s family was also farming, Edith could hear quite detailed family stories from the ladies at the shipping site.
‘If it’s true, it’s really remarkable. Taking responsibility for someone who is ill while working at a clinic must be a difficult task.’
Thinking that she could possibly help Betty if she shared a story she wanted to hear, Edith subtly dropped a hint.
“At this distance, you won’t get burned, Betty. And even if the skin is damaged, using a recently developed ointment can make scars disappear remarkably.”
“…An ointment? What kind of ointment is that?”
As expected, Betty showed desperation at the thought that it might erase her sister’s scars.
“It’s something our family is developing. How about going for an employee interview if you need it? If you work at the mansion, the employees can freely use the ointment.”
In fact, Edith’s words were only half true. The Lowell family and even the Lexion Marquis had never developed an ointment for burn scars.
However, it was true that an ointment that almost eliminated burn scars was discreetly circulated among the ladies.
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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