My Insolent Shadow (22 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2
My eyes stayed wide open the entire time as I passed through the garden.
The immaculately arranged fountain and the flawless blooms filling the garden gave the impression that the servants’ hard work was evident just by looking.
‘So he really is a perfectionist, just as they said.’
As soon as I stepped inside, a man who appeared to be a butler glanced once at my attire, frowned, and had me changed into a maid’s uniform.
I’d taken care to wear something decent, yet even this seemed wholly unacceptable to them.
My appearance in clothes so oversized that the sleeves hung half a finger’s length beyond my hands looked quite ridiculous, but he pretended not to notice and resumed guiding me.
We walked down a long corridor toward a detached wing crowned by a tall spire.
He gave me several instructions along the way.
“Always show proper respect in front of the Young Master. His respiratory condition is poor, so clean up even the slightest speck of dust immediately. Always return anything he has used to its exact place….”
The butler, adjusting his monocle, glanced at me to check whether I was paying attention.
His furrowed brow remained pinched, showing no sign of softening.
He wore the same resigned expression as Aunt Mary—a look of weary acceptance, as if wondering how long this would last.
“And under no circumstances are you to go up to the attic.”
“Yes.”
“You surely understand, of course, that you must never open that door without the Young Master’s explicit permission.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, you are Yuriciel of Viscount Vilord’s household.”
In this world, even a commoner merely breathing the same air as Blanchet’s heir would be cause for serious trouble.
I roughly grasped the butler’s intention: to eliminate any potential issue from the start.
Though I already knew this, repeatedly being reminded that I belonged to a completely different world from that man left me slightly weary.
“Of course.”
My curt reply seemed to irritate him, so he made me repeat everything he’d just said.
Of course, this wasn’t really a big deal.
My experience, honed through countless menial tasks, hadn’t been gained for nothing.
The family-run restaurant where I’d faced hostility, the fishmonger who’d exploited my labor and then withheld my wages….
Compared to those memories, this was barely a challenge.
At the very least, a place filled with such highborn individuals wouldn’t cheat me out of my pay.
When I recited back every word the butler had said, without missing a single syllable, he looked at me with evident surprise before opening the door.
Inside lay a figure on the bed, motionless as though asleep.
Just as I stepped forward to enter, the butler stopped me, bowed respectfully, and made his report.
“I’ve brought the girl who will attend to you.”
Silence spread through the room.
That brief pause created palpable tension.
I worried that after coming all this way, I might be dismissed outright.
Sure enough, my uneasy premonition never misses.
“I already said I don’t need anyone like that.”
His hoarse voice, had it not been cracked, would likely have sounded clear and refined—indeed, it carried the same noble elegance as the fine white porcelain I’d seen in the corridor on my way here.
Though he’d spoken only a single sentence, his manner was so polished he didn’t seem his age at all.
Of course, the actual meaning behind his words was anything but refined.
Referring to a person as “that thing”—indeed, just as rumored, he wasn’t quite sane.
Still, it didn’t affect me much.
It was common for highborn masters to treat their servants this way.
Moreover, having heard about his foul temper, I felt strangely immune to it.
But the image I’d formed of him—a man living on borrowed time—was now utterly shattered.
Any trace of pity, or even more useless sympathy, melted away like snow in sunlight.
It was laughable to think I’d ever worried about him.
Given my situation—if I were turned away now, I’d have to worry immediately about my mother’s medicine for this month—what had I been thinking?
The butler anxiously tried persuading the Young Master, but his resolve was firm.
He was the kind of person who could dominate others through silence alone.
For a moment, I genuinely wanted to see his face.
The butler, as if accustomed to such rejections, kept insisting until the Young Master, clearly annoyed, gave a slight flick of his finger.
Only then did the butler turn and walk toward the door.
As he passed me, he made sure to lock eyes sharply, as if issuing one final warning.
Even after the door closed carefully behind him, I didn’t move an inch from my spot.
I stayed still, as instructed, until I received his permission to move.
Judging by his temperament, this Young Master was clearly prickly—there was no reason for me to give him cause for complaint.
Not if I wanted to secure even today’s wages.
How much time had passed like this?
Cassian, who had ignored me thus far, slowly raised his upper body.
Though even that small movement seemed difficult, I kept my head bowed and pretended not to notice, offering no help.
With his difficult disposition, I feared offering assistance might only wound his pride.
Having finally managed to lean against the edge of the bed, he ignored me completely as if I weren’t there and reached for a book on the nearby table.
Pages flew roughly under his fingers.
He skimmed carelessly, then tossed the book down with a thud—again and again.
Without a word, I returned each scattered item to its proper place.
And each time, he created more for me to tidy.
I couldn’t tell if this was deliberate torment or simply the result of his difficult nature.
For someone trying to torment me, he was surprisingly restrained—and not particularly taxing.
Ironically, that was what made it uncomfortable.
Accustomed to constant movement, staying still made me restless. Out of habit, I quietly tidied the surroundings.
While doing so, I occasionally caught glimpses of his face behind the turning pages.
I kept my distance just enough to observe Cassian without being noticed.
His face was pale to the point of transparency—aristocratic, as rumored, yet gaunt as though he hadn’t eaten a proper meal.
His thin arms and legs looked as fragile as branches ready to snap at the slightest touch.
Yet his red eyes, when touched by sunlight, radiated a unique vitality.
Beneath those clear eyes, his finely chiseled nose and jawline formed a harmonious, sculpted beauty, as if crafted by a master artisan.
The more I looked, the more his face matched his clear voice—and even his noble name, Cassian….
After that, Cassian controlled everything with nothing more than the slightest flick of his fingers.
Though he completely ignored me, he clearly hadn’t forgotten I was there.
A flick, and I’d bring him a book; then he’d flip a few pages haphazardly and toss it aside—this pointless cycle repeated endlessly.
By the time this trivial routine had repeated dozens of times, he slammed the book down roughly once more.
《The Prince’s Demeanor》
A book utterly unsuited to someone his age.
Even the minor dukes in the capital typically read such works only after reaching adulthood—and even then, only to cultivate the virtues expected of a lord managing his domain.
After all, clan heads often used these texts to judge their children and select the heir to lead the household.
In other words, this book held no value for Cassian, whose time in this world might end at any moment.
As Blanchet’s only son, he certainly had no need to read such things to compete for succession.
There was no explanation for his behavior other than a deliberate intention to torment me.
Then again, if I were told I had little time left, wouldn’t I be furious too?
Everything in the world would start to grate on me—
the sound of human laughter, the sky turning reliably each day, even nature changing its clothes with the seasons.
Perhaps he felt everyone should share his suffering.
And indeed, as Blanchet’s sole heir, he held the position to inflict such misery on others.
Just as I reached to pick up the book he’d once again thrown—
Cassian’s gaze pierced straight through me.
The intense red glare that shot toward me was so powerful I could no longer pretend not to notice.
When I turned my head, his oppressive stare met mine.
His eyes were sharp and piercing, as if trying to see straight through to my bones.
His voice, slipping from his lips a moment later, was cuttingly sharp—
like a sword honed against the open sky.
“Get out.”
How many attendants had he driven away like this before?
Now it was simply my turn. Images of those predecessors overlaid his face in my mind.
“You’d treat the next one exactly the same even if you chased me out too.”
Cassian looked at me challengingly, as if daring me to try harder.
His gaze pressed down so heavily it seemed to freeze the air—but if I was going to be dismissed anyway, I might as well say everything I wanted first.
“Even if not me, Her Ladyship the Dowager couldn’t possibly leave you alone.”
That was certainly true. The mistress of this estate wasn’t him—she couldn’t possibly neglect him, not when it came to Blanchet.
Cassian, too, seemed painfully aware of this.
“So?”
A faint, bitter smile spread across his face.
“Then shut up and attend to me?”
“I’ll be better at it than your other servants.”
“You’re awfully confident.”
His tone dripped with sarcasm.
“You’ve lasted over an hour already, haven’t you? I can do anything you want.”
I staked my hope on the fact that he hadn’t dismissed me yet.
Knowing dozens had been driven away before me, I’d moved with utmost caution—and now, arrogantly, I concluded it had worked.
But then—
an unmistakably clear sneer bloomed across the Young Master’s pale face.
“How would you know what I want?”
The clear voice I’d heard moments ago was gone—only a deep, resonant tone remained, vibrating in my ears.
His cold, sweeping gaze shifted from my face back to my eyes.
Within those ruby-red eyes, nestled beneath his shimmering golden hair like finely crafted gems, my own reflection wavered vividly.
“Do you really think a dying man wouldn’t be capable of anything?”
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.]
Damnnnnn why is this so interesting am I a masochist for liking this haha
I feel like the young master is probably going to get her back one way
I feel bad for Hael, he likes her so much but I feel like it’s hard for the FL to return that type of love