In the first-floor dining room, a worn and cheap rectangular table for eight was placed awkwardly. Calling it a dining room of a lord was almost embarrassing.
Emperor Maxwell sat at the head of the table, crossing his long legs, tolerating the extras at this gathering.
“Arabel has been raised better than my own daughter, Margo. She’s like a daughter to me. Arabel also regards me, her great-aunt, as a father.”
“Even when funds were tight, we always had a dedicated maid for Arabel, Your Majesty. I raised her with abundant love in place of her runaway mother.”
Baron Cander and his wife, sitting beside the Emperor, incessantly emphasized how much they had invested in Arabel. Listening to them, it seemed as if the estate’s financial troubles were all because of Arabel.
Competing in earnest,
“Although I have three daughters, Arabel has always been the most special to me. From a young age, I favored Arabel so much that my other two daughters often felt discontented. While the other two had to help with the estate’s affairs, Arabel was spared from any work.”
Arabel’s father, sitting next to Baroness Caden, flashed a sycophantic smile.
Camille, Roxi, and even Margo joined in at the table, desperate to show they were closest to Arabel.
“As her sister, I raised Arabel from a young age in place of our mother. She was always quite a handful. Although Arabel still lacks in many ways, I will follow her to the royal palace and teach her diligently.”
“Arabel is my most beloved sister. She might find royal life challenging due to her naivety, but I will accompany her and be her hands and feet as I always have been.”
“Arabel is my closest friend. We shared secrets, covered each other’s mistakes—though most were Arabel’s… I often took the scolding. I’ll accompany her to the palace, where she’ll be lonely without her closest friend.”
The three young women were eager not to miss this opportunity to go to the capital.
A kind smile formed on the Emperor’s lips, and Arabel’s family internally rejoiced. The immense reward they would receive wasn’t the issue. Perhaps they would gain fertile land or a higher title.
Lost in their grandiose fantasies, they failed to notice the Emperor’s red eyes growing cold.
“It seems you really do favor her more than your own daughters.”
Finally, Maxwell spoke, his gaze resting on Arabel, who stood with her head down at the end of the table.
“The fact that you don’t serve this poor excuse for food to Lady Arabel proves it.”
On the table were seven plates of supper and seven wine glasses.
As the Emperor entered the dining room and took his seat, Baron Cander and his wife, their daughter Margo, and Arabel’s father and two sisters took their places.
Only Baron Cander gave up the head seat for the Emperor and sat where his absent son Eric usually sat. Arabel, following her family, entered last and stood at the end of the table to serve them.
The butler from the kitchen unconsciously handed Arabel a water jug. She took it and filled the cups in front of everyone, who naturally accepted her service.
The dull-witted family couldn’t immediately grasp the Emperor’s sarcasm. Their faces turned pale simultaneously when they finally realized they had completely forgotten the main subject of their conversation, Arabel.
“Ah, Arabel, why are you standing there? Come and sit down quickly.”
Baroness Cander sweetened her voice as she called Arabel. Her father, Jonathan, shook his head and quickly added,
“Arabel is just so slow in her actions; it’s quite a hassle for us.”
Arabel’s large eyes, hearing the urging to sit, fluttered in confusion. There was no seat for her at the table.
“Roxi, what are you doing? Why are you sitting in Arabel’s place? Can’t you get up?”
Baron Cander frowned and scolded Roxi. Her face turned bright red as she pushed her chair back and stood up.
“Ma, Margo has been gaining weight recently, so she’s not having a late-night snack, which is why I think the kitchen only prepared for seven. Arabel, come and eat.”
At Baroness Cander’s excuse, the quick-witted Margo abruptly stood up and approached Arabel.
Margo’s affectionate arm around Arabel made her lean shoulders twitch. The Emperor’s red gaze caught this and twinkled amusedly.
“Arabel, quickly take your seat. She’s so clueless about how to behave that I always have to teach her everything. Oh, don’t worry, Arabel. I will accompany you to the palace and help you.”
As Margo led Arabel to sit down, Camille and Roxi glared at her. They were infuriated at losing the opportunity to impress the Emperor.
Arabel’s family began arguing that it would be better for them all to go to the capital together.
“Enough.”
The Emperor raised his right hand slightly.
The benevolent smile on the Emperor’s lips vanished, and the air in the dining room instantly turned chilly. The mouths that had been busily moving clamped shut.
“That’s enough of my generosity. I need to speak privately with Lady Arabel, so everyone leave.”
The Emperor’s red eyes, which hadn’t given any attention to anyone else, settled on Arabel.
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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