Rather Than Be Taken, I Will Take (12 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 4
A strange embarrassment flickered across Kedilen’s face.
The only words that could possibly come from those lips were just one sentence: “I’m sorry.”
He had raised her that way himself—and indeed, Ludmila had never once strayed from that answer.
But for the first time, an unexpected reply slipped from her lips.
“Ludmila. Are you defying me right now?”
After everything that’s happened, she dares provoke me instead of begging for forgiveness? The words he heard were so unbelievable that the unfamiliar embarrassment on Kedilen’s face wouldn’t fade.
“Are you even in your right mind?”
However, that bewilderment didn’t last long. The brief silence swiftly turned to anger, and Kedilen scowled as he snapped.
“How many times have I told you? It’s an important banquet—memorize everything. Yet you forgot?”
“I was unwell.”
“What?”
“I couldn’t eat properly for several days due to fever. Didn’t you receive the report?”
Indeed, Ludmila had fallen seriously ill with a fever just before this banquet.
In that state, she had worked day and night on her duties as mistress of the house and memorizing the guest list without rest, leaving her health in poor condition.
“Unwell? That’s a report I’ve never heard of.”
“That’s unfortunate. I both submitted the report and told you myself.”
“You certainly have a way with words. But that doesn’t erase the fact that you forgot. Besides… your excuses are so pathetic they’re embarrassing to even listen to.”
He was endlessly lenient toward himself yet so oppressive toward his own wife.
As Ludmila silently scoffed inwardly, Kedilen turned his body.
“You’ll fast for two days once we return home. It’s only natural to be punished for your misdeed, so don’t think of it as unfair. Moreover…”
As Kedilen passed by Ludmila, his eyes raked over her up and down, and his face twisted in distaste.
“You seem to have gained weight recently.”
Only her husband would bluntly accuse her of gaining weight when noblewomen around her worried she was too thin.
The corners of Ludmila’s mouth lifted with a dry, quiet breath.
“Lose weight while fasting. I don’t want anyone saying my wife has become ugly from getting fat.”
In three years of marriage, they’d never once shared a night as husband and wife.
Nevertheless, Kedilen’s obsession with Ludmila’s body stemmed from his desire to increase his own worth as her reputation and prestige grew.
“Yes, I will. Be careful.”
Ludmila gave a short reply, feeling there was no point in saying more.
Kedilen stared at her silently for a moment, then sighed briefly and turned away, exiting the terrace.
The moment he opened the door and stepped out, resuming his pleasant mask, Ludmila paused as if waiting for something, then quickly inhaled and stepped out onto the terrace.
“Kyaaak!”
It happened in that instant. The moment she stepped outside, she collided with a noblewoman who seemed to have been waiting, and crimson wine splashed across Ludmila’s dress like blood.
“Oh—how… Oh heavens, Marchioness!”
The startled noblewoman, upon seeing Ludmila’s face, turned pale and trembled violently.
She’d spilled wine on Ludmila—the noblewoman revered among high society.
It was an incident serious enough that a single word from Ludmila could ruin the woman socially.
Indeed, nearby eyes turned toward them, and people began whispering as they stared at Ludmila’s wine-stained dress.
Kedilen, who had been walking ahead, seemed to grasp the situation, finished his calculation quickly, and turned back to Ludmila.
“Are you all right, my lady!?”
The nobles and gentlemen were astonished to see him bend down, using his monogrammed handkerchief to dab at Ludmila’s dress.
That a man of his rank—the Marquis himself—would kneel for his wife!
Everyone expressed admiration or envy, unaware this too was another calculated move from his cunning mind.
“I-I’m so sorry! It was my mistake…”
Ludmila watched silently as the noblewoman stood trembling like a criminal before them, then soon offered a gentle smile.
“It’s all right. Please don’t worry about it.”
“But still…”
“It’s my fault for not being more careful when I stepped out. It isn’t your fault at all, so please don’t fret. I can always change clothes.”
Yes, it’s not your fault—it’s mine for deliberately bumping into you.
Whereas before she couldn’t avoid it due to illness, this time she’d done it on purpose.
She wanted to escape this place, and to confirm whether she truly had returned to the past.
“I’m so grateful for your kind words, Marchioness. I’ll absolutely compensate you for the dress—without fail!”
“Thank you.”
Only the noblewoman, unaware of the truth, bowed deeply again and again. Meanwhile, Kedilen, who’d been watching the situation carefully, stood up.
“I’ll accompany you to change your clothes.”
“No, it’s fine. You should stay for this important banquet. I’ll be back shortly.”
“But… all right, then.”
His reluctant agreement looked almost comical to Ludmila.
Feeling no need to continue the conversation, Ludmila gave a brief nod and turned away.
Unlike before, she no longer glanced back repeatedly to check Kedilen’s expression or gauge her husband’s mood.
She simply walked away with her back straight, accepting everyone’s stares.
[This is the timeline separator]It felt different from back then. The her of the past had been shattered—and afraid.
Even though it hadn’t been her fault, she’d feared what harsh words or blows awaited her upon returning home.
For Ludmila, life had been survival—a desperate struggle just to keep going.
An imperial bastard with nowhere to return, she had done everything she could to survive even on that barren, treacherous plateau.
Like a plantain growing in harsh soil, trodden underfoot yet still scattering its seeds, she too had chosen her own method of survival.
It was just a pity that her efforts had been as useless as meaningless flapping wings.
“Marchioness…!?”
Ludmila’s appearance as she opened the door to her assigned room thoroughly startled the maid inside, who had been busy with her tasks.
A deep red stain marred the once-subtle blue of her dress—
a mark perfectly sized and colored to mar her image of perfection.
“I-I’ll prepare another dress right away!”
“Take your time.”
Unlike Ludmila, who spoke calmly and quietly, the maid’s feet moved frantically. Changing the soiled dress wasn’t easy.
From the corset to the accessories and hair—everything needed redoing, a task too much for a single maid.
Even the experienced, skilled maid seemed flustered, biting her lip as she began unfastening Ludmila’s dress.
While the maid bustled about nervously, Ludmila’s expression remained eerily calm.
To Ludmila, changing clothes was no different from playing with a doll.
She’d stand still while someone undressed her, adorned her with jewelry, styled her hair, and fitted her into a new dress.
All she had to do was stand motionless.
That was all. An ordinary, unremarkable routine—only slightly slower than before.
‘Back then, I was late and got scolded for it.’
Ludmila’s eyelids lifted slightly as she calmly exhaled, recalling that day.
She’d arrived at the banquet far too late after changing clothes and ended up slapped across the face by Kedilen.
A faint smile formed on her smooth lips over her otherwise expressionless face.
Back then, she’d thought herself lucky.
She’d expected worse—so being slapped felt like a reprieve. Yet that moment had also been the turning point when she’d made a decision.
What was it again?
Ludmila sifted through her hazy memories, trying to recall what had happened that day.
It remained elusive, like something veiled in fog—but she knew something had happened. Nothing extraordinary, just… something.
“Oh!”
The maid’s flustered voice broke into Ludmila’s thoughts.
Ludmila, who had been as still as a rooted tree, turned her head.
Her gaze fell on the maid, who had been adjusting the dress at her side—
but the maid was staring past her, toward the door, with a look of panic.
Ludmila’s thick, lush lashes lifted. Through the slight parting, her red eyes gleamed even more vividly.
“…”
When her blood-red eyes—beautiful as fresh blood—met the door, Ludmila finally remembered what she’d forgotten.
The tall, dark-haired man standing there.
His golden eyes, reminiscent of a predator, caught the crimson glow of the setting sun and turned fiery red.
‘Aden…’
Remembering his name at the sight of him, Ludmila bit her lip. Yes—this was it. She’d forgotten.
The coward who’d waved away her desperate plea like a piece of driftwood. And yet, also the man who’d made the most pragmatic choice.
She’d completely forgotten this encounter with him—she didn’t know why.
He’d been the man whose fingertips had brushed against hers in her final moments, when she’d reached out just to survive.
It should have stayed in her memory—yet she’d forgotten.
Seeing the bare backs of the noblewomen clearly exposed on either side of her, the man had only one reaction.
“Ex—”
“Please don’t apologize. Just go. You don’t even need to offer help.”
“…What?”
The tall man looked more flustered than he had upon seeing her bare skin, his dark eyebrows knitting together as tightly as his formal coat.
Ludmila swallowed softly, turned her waist, and faced forward.
“You may leave.”
She no longer intended to beg this man to kill her husband. Survival of the fittest.
With no one left to save her, all Ludmila could do was safely see this banquet through to the end.
Afterward, whether she killed Kedilen herself or fled—those decisions could wait.
“It doesn’t matter if my back is visible.”
Her voice, devoid of emotion, sent chills down the spine. Her back, bathed in the evening sun, glowed rose-red.
As scars—resembling fresh wounds torn open by violence—gave the illusion of being soaked in blood, Ludmila turned her head slightly, and her crimson eyes tore violently into the man’s, Aden’s, vision.
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)