The wooden tub was filled with steaming hot water, with various fragrant petals and herbs sprinkled on top. Adel was ushered into the bath by the busy hands of the maids.
Initially overwhelmed by this unprecedented experience, she soon relaxed as the hot water eased her tangled thoughts.
She exhaled contentedly. It felt like an eternity since she had indulged in such luxury, possibly even for the first time since coming to the North.
After the bath, the maids presented her with a clean, new dress. It was a beautiful green velvet dress, elegantly embroidered with gold thread. Adel’s eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected gift.
“These are just hastily prepared clothes.”
“We had trouble finding a dress befitting Your Highness, so His Highness sent someone to the next village. It might be a bit large as it’s not tailored, but…”
The maids’ tone was respectful, carefully avoiding any rudeness towards someone of high status. Adel quickly realized she didn’t recognize these maids; they must be new, hired after the dismissal of the previous staff for poor conduct.
“Do you not like it?”
To their worried question, Adel shook her head.
“I like it very much.”
“Thank goodness. We’ll help you dress.”
The maids skillfully dressed Adel. Looking at herself in the mirror, she barely suppressed a gasp of admiration. The skirt flowed smoothly, and the embroidery around the chest was incredibly delicate.
She gently ran her fingertips over the expensive velvet. She had never owned a dress made from such luxurious fabric. Even the dresses passed down from Charlotte were pilfered of their expensive fabrics by the maids, leaving Adel with only plain linen.
‘I wasn’t even this dressed up on my wedding day.’
“You look so beautiful.”
A maid smilingly commented as their eyes met in the mirror. Adel, unaccustomed to such friendly reactions, managed a smile in return.
‘This is fortunate, but…’
As a maid skillfully braided her long hair, she continued.
“We heard from the steward that you disposed of all your clothes when you planned to go to the convent.”
How did they hear that? Confusion spread across Adel’s face. The maids, sensing her discomfort, began to chatter.
“Don’t worry. This dress is just the start. We’re sourcing more from the neighboring village. We should have three or four more by this afternoon.”
“We even bought dresses others had ordered by paying extra.”
“And tailors are being sent too!”
“Jewelers and general merchants are being summoned. You can order handkerchiefs, gloves, perfume pouches without worrying about the cost.”
Who could have…
Stunned, Adel was met with a chorus of maids’ voices.
“All of these are orders from His Highness the Duke!”
It then dawned on her.
Perhaps Valentin misunderstood her suggestion for a ‘walk’ to be a public event in front of the domain’s people? Otherwise, there was no reason to spend so lavishly on a simple stroll in the castle’s front garden.
Adel had always learned that husbands can act as they please, while wives must cater to their husbands’ whims. A husband spending a fortune on his wife was often ridiculed as unmanly.
‘Even with lost memories, this is too much.’
She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, but her eyes frequently met the smiling faces of the maids. Each time, Adel awkwardly averted her gaze, feeling out of place, as if deceiving someone.
‘Would they still smile if they heard my rumors?’
Her past as a despised illegitimate child in Raihenau, treated worse than a maid for being incapable of anything, and the past three years being slandered as a fraud weighed heavily on her.
Eventually, these maids would hear rumors about Adel. Opening up now would only make it harder when they inevitably turned their backs on her.
‘If His Highness regains his memory, even this happiness will be unattainable.’
It was better not to get used to such unfamiliarity. Adel steeled her expression.
“Lady Adel.”
As the door opened, the steward appeared, following proper etiquette. On seeing Adel surrounded by maids, he gently urged her.
“His Highness is waiting on the stairs.”
“Already?”
“Just a moment more, please. We’re almost done.”
The maids hurriedly finished her hair, tied her waistband more delicately, and styled her cascading hair into elegant curls. Only then did they step back, allowing Adel to fully appreciate her appearance in the mirror.
“……”
The lady in the mirror was unrecognizably beautiful, nothing like the ‘Adel’ who usually wore shabby clothes and disheveled hair.
Adel tried not to feel awkward but blushed despite her efforts.
‘It doesn’t feel like me.’
The steward wrapped a fox fur shawl carefully around her shoulders.
“It’s cold outside. There’s a strong wind today. Be careful not to catch a cold.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
The steward smiled and bowed, leading her to the corridor where the wind howled eerily against the castle walls.
“Adel.”
As soon as she reached the railing, a dark figure suddenly loomed before her. Valentin had hurriedly climbed the stairs from below, looking tense. More impeccably dressed than ever, he seemed ready for a royal banquet.
However, on seeing Adel, he gasped in surprise, his admiration evident in his lingering gaze.
Adel, feeling self-conscious under his silent stare, shrank back.
“Do I look strange?”
“No.”
“……”
“You’re so, so beautiful…”
“……”
“Beautiful, Adel.”
His beaming smile made her cheeks burn hotter. Adel knew her face must be beet red even without looking.
Any woman would be swayed by such a handsome man who seemed utterly smitten, even if it were a delusion or an act of ignorance from lost memories.
Adel suppressed her desire to gaze longer at Valentin’s handsome face and lowered her eyes. She didn’t want to embarrass herself further in front of Steward Herman and the housekeeper.
“Thank you for everything you’ve sent.”
“It’s nothing, really. Just a small thing like this…”
“To me, it’s all significant. I didn’t expect such arrangements just for a short walk.”
“Don’t you like it?”
“Receiving all this so suddenly, I don’t know how to repay you. Please make sure to dismiss the tailors and jewelers you called.”
Valentin’s eyes showed disappointment, but Adel deliberately avoided his gaze.
He had improved his speech remarkably overnight. It was much easier to understand him, and his sentences were more coherent. Although his pronunciation was still somewhat broken, it was clearer.
This heightened Adel’s sense of unease.
“Your speech has improved significantly overnight.”
“I practiced… wanted to speak. Is there… something you want?”
It seemed this time, Valentin was struggling to convey his intended meaning. He tilted his head in confusion while a few maids cautiously passed by them.
Adel realized they were blocking the central staircase.
“Let’s not linger here; let’s head outside, Your Highness.”
As Adel extended her hand, Valentin held it gently, looking unsure of what to do next.
Steward Herman, standing behind Valentin, coughed subtly and gestured how to hold her hand properly. Understanding, Valentin adjusted his grip, holding her hand as if she were a delicate bird that might fly away.
“Allow me to guide you through the castle.”
Steward Herman quickly inserted himself between them, evidently deciding Valentin wasn’t capable of properly escorting her to the garden.
Passing through the grand central hallway, lit by torches, they stepped out through the castle’s rear door into the tranquil garden. They had just entered the first walking path.
“Lady Adel.”
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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