Her hands moved frantically to stop the bleeding, but it was in vain. If only her father, her sister Camille, or her brother Roxy, who inherited the family’s healing abilities, were there, they could have surely healed the injured panther.
‘I should go down to the manor and ask for help.’
Thinking this, Arabell stood up, but soon sat back down. They would surely kill the beast on sight.
The black panther was officially declared a demonic beast by the imperial royal family. Every citizen of the empire was obligated to report or kill a black panther upon sight. Killing one granted even a commoner the privilege of becoming a noble, while releasing it resulted in the most severe punishment in the empire.
After a hundred-year campaign, black panthers had long been eradicated from the continent. Yet, Arabell had encountered one in the back mountains of her estate that dawn.
Arabell clutched her family of rabbits close as the slowly approaching beast neared. She had secretly planned to release the experimental rabbits into the forest but ended up as prey for the panther along with the rabbits.
Despite its chilling gaze, the beast’s movements were slow and weak. Arabell’s gaze shifted to the panther’s belly, smeared with blood. She hadn’t noticed the dozens of short spears embedded in it in her panic.
After releasing the rabbits in the opposite direction, Arabell approached the panther. Despite its aggressive stance and bared fangs, she spoke soothingly,
“I’ll help you. Does it hurt a lot? Just hang in there.”
Despite her voice breaking with fear, Arabell reached out her hands towards the black panther. The beast, seemingly understanding her intent, calmly allowed her to remove the spears embedded in its abdomen.
Once the spears were removed, the panther collapsed onto the grass. Arabell looked at the brightening morning sky and thought,
‘If left like this, it will either be discovered by humans and killed, or become prey to carnivores.’
She remembered the cave behind the waterfall where she had once met her mentor. It was there she had struggled to drag the enormous body of the beast for shelter.
“It could move on its own until dawn.”
Now, the beast seemed to have lost all its strength, lying with its head drooping, barely blinking. Arabell realized that the poison had spread throughout its body, leaving her powerless to help.
She wrapped her slender arms around the beast’s thick neck, holding its cold body close, trying to share her warmth. Wet-faced, Arabell whispered into the drooping shoulder of the beast,
“All life in nature is precious. Why must it end so cruelly… I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
The beast’s heartbeat was no longer perceptible to Arabell. Thick tears fell on the panther’s wounds. The relentless rain outside the cave and the crackling fire mingled with the exhaustion of both, leading their eyes to close simultaneously.
A vibrant parrot’s chirp faintly reached Arabell’s ears, as morning sunlight seeped through the ivy vines, tickling her closed eyelids.
Half-asleep, she wriggled, reluctant to leave the warmth she was pressed against. It felt as though she was encased in a firm, smooth stone, a sensation both comfortable and warm, as if the stone itself was radiating heat.
Still lost between dream and reality, Arabell buried her head deeper. Unthinkingly, she spread her palm over the warm stone, feeling its fine texture and elasticity with her fingers.
Her fingers playfully explored the stone’s surface, smooth in some places and rugged in others, as if carved by a scythe.
As Arabell’s hand moved lower, a long hand gently but firmly grasped her wrist.
“It’s fine to explore, but why not open your eyes? It would be more satisfying,” a strange man’s voice echoed above her head. Arabell’s eyes snapped open in shock.
A vast expanse of tawny brown filled her view. Only when she craned her neck back did she see the owner of the long neck – a face so unrealistically handsome it seemed like a work of imperial art.
Breath caught in her throat, Arabell quickly shut her eyes again, hoping that closing them would awaken her from this dream.
“Feigning sleep won’t change how much your naughty hands have explored,” the man’s voice, tinged with laughter, reached Arabell’s flushed ears. It was a slightly hoarse but pleasant baritone.
Contrary to Arabell’s hope, her clarity of mind informed her that she was in the arms of an unfamiliar man, and he was completely bare.
In a state of shock, Arabell timidly shifted, trying to extract herself from his embrace, her once-bold hands now timidly clenched. Unfortunately, her efforts to escape were in vain.
Arabell’s body was tightly embraced by the man’s unyielding arms. In fact, the arms that imprisoned her body tightened even more.
Feeling the robust body of a man in a way she couldn’t even imagine in her dreams, Arabell’s mind started to become hazy…
Suddenly, from outside the cave,
“……Arabell……!”
“Lady Arabell!”
Voices calling out for Arabell grew louder and closer.
“The black panther!”
Regaining her senses, Arabell lifted her head from the man’s embrace. Her wide eyes searched the cave for the dying beast she had fallen asleep holding.
She had certainly fallen asleep last night embracing the black panther. But upon awakening, she found herself in the arms of a strange man instead of the panther.
Her large eyes, meeting the golden-red eyes of the man, were lost and trembling. A quivering voice escaped her purple-stained lips.
“……The black panther……?”
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.]
