Surviving as the Adopted Daughter of the Genius Duke (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
The moment I stepped into the ballroom, it became immediately clear that it wasn’t the Duchess’s deep fashion expertise that stood out—but rather that her chief designer was excessively skilled at social maneuvering.
The other nobles’ outfits were also splendid, adorned with expensive fabrics and various jewels, yet their extravagance remained within the bounds of common sense.
Among them, my dress boasted a uniquely striking presence.
If it had been a shabby gown, I might have hidden myself at the edge of the ballroom—but unfortunately, my dress was so bold that it drew immediate attention even from the periphery.
The Duchess eagerly dragged me around, introducing me to everyone as proudly as if she were showing off the Duchy’s specialty potatoes, carefully wrapped in golden silk.
“It’s been a while, Countess. You’re meeting our daughter Reina for the first time, aren’t you?”
The Countess, who had been wearing a kindly smile, hesitated slightly upon seeing my dress.
“Oh my, what a charming young lady! And the dress… it’s quite unique and suits you well. I’ve heard rumors that eccentric designers these days are exceptionally talented…”
The Duchess smiled contentedly.
“Right? I was worried whether anyone could create a dress worthy of Reina’s beauty, so I put in a bit of effort myself.”
The Countess fanned herself vigorously, trying to mask her embarrassment. But she, too, seemed adept at social graces.
“You’re truly impressive. I had no idea your talents extended beyond swordsmanship to design as well.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Thus, another reason I absolutely needed independence was added to my list.
I had to go somewhere no one would remember me wearing this dress.
The Duchess glanced around.
“I suppose your son didn’t come today? If I recall correctly, he’s about Reina’s age.”
“Mother!”
Kirian, standing beside me, tugged at the Duchess’s arm.
“Oh, Kirian! There you are. Your father is over there speaking with King Ksia—won’t you go say hello? You love Ksia’s sphinxes, don’t you?”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.”
At that moment, another noblewoman approached us.
She was tall, with sharply cut emerald-like eyes and hair blacker than ink.
Our eyes met only briefly, but her snake-like cold gaze sent a chill down my spine.
“Good evening, Duchess Istira.”
The woman greeted us elegantly, her lips curved in a refined smile, though her eyes held no warmth.
“It’s been a while, Marquis Magine.”
Since they weren’t close, the Duchess merely nodded politely once.
“This must be the daughter you adopted?”
I found myself locking eyes with Marquis Magine again.
This time, his gaze lingered a little longer. Just as his stare began to feel uncomfortably persistent, the Duchess shifted her body to shield me.
“What a… striking dress on this young lady.”
After leaving that ambiguous compliment, the Marquis immediately turned his attention to Kirian.
“You’ve come as well, Young Master.”
“Yes.”
Kirian seemed more at ease with the Marquis than with the Countess.
“Marquis Magine, do you have only daughters?”
“As it happens, my daughter came with me too…”
At Kirian’s question, Marquis Magine nodded and gestured toward someone.
“You might have met before. This is my daughter, Esmeralda.”
A small girl approached through the crowd.
I stared blankly at the girl who had suddenly appeared before me.
Straight hair as dark as ebony, violet eyes, and finely chiseled features—she possessed a presence that wouldn’t fade even standing beside Kirian.
The ballroom’s dazzling lights, colorful dresses, laughter of guests, and softly playing music—all blurred like an out-of-focus camera.
Only that girl remained perfectly clear.
“Hello. I’m Esmeralda Magine.”
She was the original story’s heroine.
“Your Ladyship seems to be the same age as my daughter. It would be lovely if the two of you became friends.”
Marquis Magine subtly nudged Esmeralda toward me.
“Children’s opinions matter, after all.”
The Duchess lowered herself to my eye level.
“Do you want to play with Esmeralda? If you don’t feel like it, you can stay by Mother’s side.”
There was no hesitation.
This was a chance to befriend none other than the heroine herself. Moreover, unlike Kirian, the original heroine was known for her exceptional character.
Given that I was destined to die later for tormenting the heroine, befriending Esmeralda now could extend my lifespan by decades.
Plus, it would free me from being paraded around like a display potato—truly killing two birds with one stone.
“I’d love to play!”
The Duchess nodded and patted my head.
“Then go have fun.”
Kirian, whom I expected to join us, surprisingly just waved and said goodbye.
“Kirian, aren’t you coming with us?”
When I asked, Kirian shook his head firmly.
“You go ahead. I’ll stay with Mother—er, I mean, I’ll stay and keep an eye on Mother.”
Kirian gave that confusing reply and clung tightly to the Duchess’s side without even glancing at Esmeralda.
Perhaps because the original story hadn’t even begun yet, the two showed no special reaction upon seeing each other.
Still, with my life in danger, I had to prepare for the original plot in advance.
I lifted the corners of my mouth and extended my hand to Esmeralda.
“Shall we go?”
Esmeralda glanced at the Marquis, then took my hand.
“Yes, let’s go.”
We pushed through the crowd and moved to the room prepared for children.
The children already gathered there were too busy playing hide-and-seek or with dolls to notice us.
I’d been nervous Esmeralda might suggest joining those games, but fortunately, she picked up a few treats and headed toward where the adults were watching over the children.
I carefully observed Esmeralda as she sipped her tea gracefully.
She was unmistakably the protagonist.
Doll-like beauty, flawless etiquette even to my untrained eye, intelligence shining through her clear gaze, and a dress that fit her perfectly—nothing was missing or lacking.
There was no doubt she was the heroine.
Yet, a small, nagging question remained.
“Should I address you as Lady Esmeralda Magine?”
In the original story, the heroine appeared as a baron’s daughter—not a marquis’s.
Esmeralda smiled faintly and shook her head.
“Just call me Esmeralda. ‘Lady Magine’ sounds too stiff.”
“Alright, please call me casually too.”
I composed my expression and smiled, but unease still lingered.
The heroine’s most defining trait seemed to have vanished.
In the original, she was the spirited and cheerful daughter of a humble baron who won everyone’s affection. She stood up for justice even before high-ranking nobles.
Her first encounter with Kirian famously involved her scolding him for his rudeness—the so-called “wine slap” incident often discussed among readers.
But as a marquis’s daughter, all those traits seemed to evaporate.
“Lady Esmeralda, what do you usually enjoy? Swordsmanship? Horseback riding?”
I tried to ease the awkwardness between us with a friendly question.
In the original, Esmeralda enjoyed swordsmanship, horseback riding, and archery—unlike other young ladies.
That was also one reason Kirian found her interesting.
“Do you like archery? There’s a range set up over there—would you like to shoot together sometime?”
I focused on using this knowledge to win Esmeralda’s favor.
Esmeralda glanced somewhere briefly.
Following her gaze, I saw the Marquis at the end of it.
“Well, I’m practicing hard. But I’m not skilled enough yet to shoot backward…”
Her response was unexpectedly lukewarm.
The original Esmeralda, who shared common interests with Kirian and showed perfect chemistry, seemed absent. Perhaps she hadn’t developed an interest in archery yet.
“Haha, actually, I can’t shoot backward either.”
(Truthfully, I couldn’t shoot forward either.)
“Then, aside from archery, what do you like?”
I quickly searched for something Esmeralda might enjoy. Then I noticed the biscuit in her hand.
“Do you like snacks? Sweet ones?”
I tried steering the conversation toward a treat every child would surely love.
Fortunately, my guess seemed correct.
Esmeralda nodded and finally began to smile.
“Yes, I do.”
She had been wearing a gentle smile, but as she looked down at her biscuit, her expression suddenly turned gloomy.
“But I can’t eat sweets often—they make me gain weight…”
“Huh?”
Not because of cavities, but because of weight gain? That wasn’t something a child should say.
Now that I looked, Esmeralda’s plate held only biscuits, light hors d’oeuvres, and cheese.
“Gain weight? Why worry about that?”
“You can’t look pretty if you get fat.”
Again, not something a child should say. Just as I was about to press further out of concern, Esmeralda spoke first.
“Lady Reina, do you get along well with Prince Kirian?”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
(Though it’s becoming more than I’d planned, which is troublesome.)
“Then you must play together often?”
I thought carefully.
“No, not really. I mostly enjoy reading books in the library.”
Esmeralda’s eyes sparkled.
“Books? I love books too! Have you read Beauty and the Beast?”
“Um… the fairy tale?”
I’d once glimpsed the ‘Beast’ illustration in Kirian’s copy of Beauty and the Beast over his shoulder. Kirian was always disappointed when the Beast turned into a prince at the end.
Esmeralda clapped her hands. Unlike her dull expression when discussing swordsmanship or archery, her eyes now twinkled brightly as she smiled.
“Yes! My dream is to wear the dress Belle wore at her debutante ball in the fairy tale!”
Now Esmeralda’s true self seemed to emerge. However much a heroine she was, she was still a child who loved princess play and pretty dresses.
“Haha, fairy tales are really fun.”
But I didn’t know much about fairy tales.
Just as I sank into worry over how to continue the conversation, Esmeralda flinched and dropped her plate.
“Lady Esmeralda! Are you alright?”
Esmeralda pressed one ear with a pained expression but shook her head stubbornly.
“I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t just not worry—”
“It’s just a slight tinnitus.”
Esmeralda gave a faint smile and firmly cut me off. Then, abruptly, she changed the subject.
“Invite me to the Duke’s manor sometime. It’d be fun if the three of us—Prince Kirian included—played together.”
Instead of answering right away, I picked up Esmeralda’s plate.
“Let me take your plate. I’ll bring back something more delicious.”
I smiled lightly and headed toward the table displaying light finger foods.
First, I needed time to think.
I’d assumed I could easily befriend Esmeralda using knowledge from the original story—but I’d been mistaken.
The real Esmeralda differed too much from her original portrayal.
Moreover, her comments about not wanting to gain weight and constantly glancing around as if checking for someone’s reaction—all clashed sharply with the bold, confident heroine I remembered.
“She’s definitely the heroine. Could these differences be because the original story hasn’t started yet?”
I shook my head to clear my thoughts and began piling snacks onto the plate.
Strange as she was, it didn’t matter.
Befriending her had just become a bit harder—but winning her favor remained essential.
The moment I carefully stacked the plate half with the plain finger foods Esmeralda had originally chosen and half with sweet treats to my own liking—
Thud.
Someone pushed me from behind.
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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BWAHAHAHAH if only we all had a buff in life 🫡🫡it should be tha easy 😩