Madam and the Stable Keeper (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
“You should be awake by now, Madam Sophia. And you made good use of what I instructed.”
A voice came from afar. More precisely, a group of three or four people were approaching, speaking in hushed tones.
“You’ve done well. Since she’s a woman who can be useful, she must be managed with special care.”
Soon the door opened, and the speakers entered: one man who looked like a physician, two servants, and a woman who had been addressed as “Madam Sophia.”
“Edith Lowell, is that correct?”
“……”
“I appreciate your reluctance to speak rashly. After all, talking carelessly always ends up giving the other side advantageous information.”
The woman elegantly swept back her thick black hair. Her cold, crimson eyes meticulously scanned Edith’s entire body.
“I am Sophia, the first wife of Nicholas Portrion. But… as you well know, my beloved husband suffered a grave injury at dawn and has fallen into a coma.”
Though she lowered her eyebrows as she spoke, a smile lingered at the corners of her lips—certainly not the expression of someone grieving for a lost loved one.
Edith instantly understood the reason behind her duplicity.
“Madam Sophia, if you release me, I promise I won’t tell anyone about what’s happened over the past few days. I have no interest whatsoever in inheritance or titles.”
“Your quick assessment of the situation is commendable. However…”
Sophia continued after meeting Edith’s pleading gaze.
“You must have heard about this, haven’t you? He never touched women because his elder brother, the former head of the house, was murdered during an intimate encounter. His pastime was paying others to perform amusements for him to observe.”
Sophia stepped closer with graceful strides and seized Edith’s chin.
“Ugh—”
“The problem is, that particular predilection is so well known that everyone knows the house lacks an heir. Do you have any idea how many people are eyeing Nicholas Portrion’s fortune, hoping he’ll die childless?”
Working at a clinic constantly visited by all sorts of people inevitably exposed one to every kind of rumor and gossip, making one well-informed about worldly matters.
Thus, Edith could roughly guess what would happen should the viscount die.
‘I’ve heard the Portrions are so short on heirs that there’s no collateral relative to inherit the title if the current viscount dies.’
Just as Sophia said, many would likely assume House Portrion might end with this generation and treat it lightly.
No matter how much the family’s fortunes had declined during Nicholas Portrion’s thirteen years as head, Portrion was still Portrion.
“Certain despicable individuals are practically drooling, waiting only for his death.”
“……”
“But fortunately, the viscount had a change of heart at the last moment—he went to your home, intending to take you as his fourth wife. Because of you, House Portrion has found a way to survive.”
“What do you mean…?”
Edith, lost for words, immediately protested.
“I didn’t even know the viscount had ‘bought’ me! I was captured while trying to escape. There’s absolutely no way I could be carrying his child.”
“What does that matter, Edith? You’re beautiful enough to tempt any man, and Nicholas Portrion’s marks are already upon your body.”
Sophia wrapped her elegant fingers around a lock of Edith’s hair.
“Nicholas had been searching for you for years—finally finding and claiming you after all this time. His first three wives were impulsive choices, but you… he searched for you persistently.”
Why on earth would the viscount—?
Before Edith could voice her confusion, Sophia continued.
“People already believe the viscount, on a whim, took you to bed.”
Sophia dismissed everyone else except herself, then gently stroked Edith’s flat stomach and whispered,
“Edith, if you want to live, conceive a child by any man—and deceive everyone into believing it’s the viscount’s heir.”
Edith couldn’t believe her ears.
“Within a month, you will publicly be Nicholas’s fourth wife. Whether the child is truly his or not, I’ll declare it the rightful heir of House Portrion.”
Sophia looked down at Edith, who gazed up at her with dazed eyes, and slowly composed herself.
“In return, during the ten months you carry this child, I’ll eliminate everyone scheming against House Portrion. We’ll cooperate as equal wives.”
Of course, that included dealing with the other wives who coveted the inheritance.
Sophia smiled as she added,
“When the child is born, I’ll reward you handsomely. Then you can take that money and run away with your child. Simple, isn’t it?”
To demand she bear any man’s child just because it served her plan—
‘She’s insane…’
Edith shuddered.
Sophia drew the dagger the attending physician had been holding and pressed it against Edith’s throat. The cold metal made her flinch.
“It would be far better for you to side with me. The viscount’s second and third wives are utterly ruthless—they’d never let live any woman who might share the inheritance.”
“……”
“Besides, didn’t Nicholas settle your family’s debts? Don’t you owe him something in return?”
Edith clenched her jaw shut. Otherwise, she feared she might vomit.
She loathed the woman before her, who demanded she conceive a child by any man just to survive, and she cursed her uncle who had thrown her into this pit.
But the saddest truth was her certainty that no one would come to rescue her.
Not her late parents.
Not her clinic colleagues.
Not even her first love, who had promised marriage long ago but ultimately abandoned her and severed all contact.
Since no one would save her, she had to save herself.
Edith struggled to suppress her rising fury and shame, speaking as calmly as possible.
“I understand what you’re saying—now put that dagger away.”
“What did you just—”
“You yourself said we’d be equal wives. And didn’t you just claim that careless words always give your opponent useful information?”
“So?”
“That means you, too, have no heir to continue your lineage. To claim the inheritance for yourself—to outmaneuver everyone inside and outside the house—your only option is to use me to fake the existence of an heir.”
“……”
“If you keep treating me like this, I’d rather die and leave you in a bind than cooperate willingly.”
Edith had overheard patients gossiping about the viscount’s first wife—though House Portrion had declined, she came from provincial nobility and was said to be virtuous and intelligent, managing the family affairs in the viscount’s stead.
‘Virtuous, my foot. Even a stray dog would laugh.’
Judging by her scheme to monopolize the inheritance using Edith, this woman was clearly insatiably greedy.
“Well… since you seem to understand my words, I won’t threaten you further. But if you defy me, you’d better be prepared.”
Sophia soon withdrew the dagger, emphasizing her words with force. Though she tried to appear composed, her frustration and inner turmoil were plainly visible. To keep from sneering, Edith gave a small, feigned nod of agreement.
“Aside from bruises caused by the carriage overturning, you appear unharmed.”
The physician Sophia had brought examined Edith and stated flatly, his tone as detached as someone inspecting newly acquired goods.
“Thank you for applying the ointment.”
Edith offered a bitter smile as she thanked the man, who was likely the estate’s personal physician.
He showed no reaction—he was clearly fiercely loyal to Sophia.
“Then please remain quietly here until Madam Sophia arranges your quarters.”
After the physician left and his footsteps faded completely, Edith clutched the thin tweezers she’d secretly taken from his medical bag.
She’d planned to feign cooperation to lower their guard, but they’d accepted her act more readily than she’d expected—as though convinced she had no other choice.
‘Either they’re fools, or they’re hiding something.’
Whatever the case, this was her only chance to escape. If she stayed docile, she’d surely be used and discarded.
‘I’ll take the night carriage straight to the capital. At the academy, I’ll beg—plead for admission, promising to do any clerical or cleaning work they assign. They’ll at least pretend to consider it. If that fails, I’ll seek patronage from an influential noble house. They say such families don’t mistreat true talent.’
If she stayed locked away in the academy until graduation, they’d eventually give up trying to control her. The capital’s academy trained elites destined for key government positions—local nobles couldn’t possibly cause trouble within its walls.
Squeak—
Using the sharp edge of the tweezers, she sliced through the cloth binding her ankles.
Instead of checking her sore ankles, Edith immediately moved toward the door. Her bruised body, weighed down by exhaustion and fear, felt as heavy as lead.
‘No one’s here. I have to escape now.’
Confirming the absence of anyone nearby, Edith slid the tweezers into the door crack.
Having grown up nearly as a commoner after her family’s fall from grace, picking locks with metal tools was second nature to her—she’d become so skilled from constantly repairing their dilapidated home.
‘Please… if I end up pregnant under these circumstances, I’ll lose everything.’
Just as Edith moved her hands with unprecedented desperation—
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.]
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