“If I had known you were such an interesting person, I would have seen you earlier.”
Margaret’s eyes widened as she saw a handsome man approaching and offering greetings.
Although she hadn’t seen him up close, she had occasionally seen his face from a distance.
Claude Naret, Viscount. A long-time friend of Bake.
Margaret smiled, recalling the name she had heard so often.
Every time she was with Bake, there were opportunities to greet him, but she had to let them pass each time because Bake didn’t allow it.
But not anymore. There was no reason to sneak around.
There were still two trials ahead, but just by looking at the way she was treated, she could be sure.
Rivianna still hadn’t presented a proper successor, and there were rumors that she was discreetly searching for a collateral blood relative.
Above all, Margaret knew it was not just a rumor. Although she had left the imperial family to avoid public attention, she still exchanged information with the emperor.
“If there’s anything you need, you can tell me. I was Bake’s closest friend, no matter what anyone says. I’ll help with anything that can be helpful.”
“Even hearing your words is appreciated.”
“I hate men who just talk big. I always keep my word. Didn’t Bake tell you?”
“Of course, I’ve heard a lot. You wouldn’t know how much he praised his friends.”
More precisely, it was more swearing than praise.
Even if Bake had kept quiet about his friends’ secrets while drunk, if he hadn’t, they wouldn’t have known the truth.
Even the viscount Naret, born into a prestigious family and increasingly in debt due to his extravagant lifestyle, was looking for a woman to repay his debts.
Knowing that, Margaret didn’t find the dimple of the attractive man attractive. Instead, it reminded her of another man.
Every time he smiled, she thought of another man with dimples on his cheeks.
Margaret involuntarily thought of Lujan and quickly erased the thought.
It was a thought that shouldn’t happen, or was it?
She was a different person from before.
Margaret stared silently at her reflection in the glass.
Was her face red because of the wine, or was it for another reason?
A droplet of water on the glass rolled down.
“If the wine doesn’t suit your taste, shall I change it to something else?”
“No, it’s okay.”
“It’s not okay for me. I just brought a precious drink for today.”
A servant who was holding a bottle rushed forward at the viscount Naret’s gesture.
Although the label on the bottle was written in an unfamiliar language and couldn’t be read, judging by the reactions around, the viscount Naret’s claim that it was a precious drink seemed accurate.
“Come on, it’s precious wine from overseas! I specially prepared it, thinking it would go well with today’s party!”
Like a street performer, people crowded around Viscount Naret, who raised his voice.
Despite the crowd, Viscount Naret willingly maintained his smile and urged the servant.
“First, a glass for the beautiful lady.”
Amidst everyone’s attention, Viscount Naret, who was the first to receive a glass, reached out to Margaret.
Margaret, though flustered, cautiously accepted the glass he offered.
It was clear what Viscount Naret intended, but Margaret didn’t feel bad. She felt like the protagonist.
“Come to the terrace adorned with red flowers.”
Except for the voice heard in the midst of the commotion.
Startled, Margaret turned around. However, with the crowd gathering, she couldn’t tell who said it.
“Why are you like this, my lady?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Margaret forced a smile and lifted the glass.
She must have misheard. That’s what she wanted to think.
While thinking about that, her gaze was still searching for the terrace adorned with red flowers.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
“…Who are you?”
Margaret shrank back, ready to run outside if necessary.
“Sent by Viscount Craiton.”
“But he’s [dash].”
“He got very angry. He said you spoke nonsense.”
“…”
Margaret’s face turned pale.
Although she had doubted whether Bake was alive, he still hadn’t returned on the day of the trial. The chance of his return was extremely low.
To be more honest, even if he did come back, it didn’t matter.
Since the birth of the child, Bake Craiton was not needed.
He was the one who trampled on her love first, not the other way around.
“…What nonsense did I talk about? No, right?”
There was no need to be afraid. She was different from before.
Margaret inflated her chest with effort and strengthened her gaze.
The party venue was crowded. Everyone was paying attention to their movements, so if something happened, they would notice it right away.
“His Excellency has lost his honor because of this incident.”
“It’s better than losing Craiton itself.”
“…”
“For me, this was the best. Think about it. If I didn’t present the child, how could I, without any backing, beat that woman?”
“…”
“And above all, it was the emperor who planned this incident. Do you think I could have defied that order?”
Although he asked a question, the answer was not important.
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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