The Credentials of a Couple (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
By the time I returned home, twilight had already fallen.
I stared at Bake, who was perched on the bed with both hands covering his face.
The room was filled with a strong scent of perfume.
“…You’re back now?”
Bake lifted his head and asked cautiously.
Though the room was dark, it wasn’t hard to notice his eyes darting nervously, trying to read my expression.
Ever since I’d witnessed their infidelity, a cold war had persisted between us.
“The meeting with His Majesty ran longer than expected.”
Bake’s eyes widened for a moment.
He clearly hadn’t expected me to admit so readily that I’d met the Emperor.
“…You went to see His Majesty?”
I handed my coat to the maid standing beside me and instructed her to bring out the drinks tray, then walked onto the terrace.
On the terrace, there were two chairs and a matching table, prepared just for two.
“His Majesty seemed well aware of our situation.”
“Our situation…?”
“That you have another woman.”
“I—I’m sorry! That was a stupid thing to ask!”
Even though he’d asked himself, Bake looked even more flustered. I stared straight at him.
Then, as if to prove a point, I calmly continued.
“He even asked me something else—whether I’d consider remarrying.”
“…”
“He said he knew someone very suitable.”
“…So? What did you tell him?”
“Curious?”
I smiled and gazed out toward the garden visible beyond the terrace.
Merely staring at the wide-open landscape wouldn’t ease the turmoil inside me, yet I kept my eyes fixed on it for a long while.
“I told him I had no intention of divorcing.”
“…”
That seemed to surprise him as well.
Still not turning to look at Bake, I spoke again.
“Would you like to have a drink together after so long?”
“…”
“If you’d rather not, it can’t be helped.”
“No, of course not!”
I didn’t turn around, but I could hear the commotion behind me.
I looked up to see Bake hastily taking the seat opposite me.
“Sit.”
“Is that really okay?”
“I was the one who suggested we drink together.”
When I smiled, Bake awkwardly mirrored my expression.
Just then, the maid arrived with the drinks tray.
“…”
“…”
The tray was set, yet neither of us reached for anything first.
Amid the ensuing silence, I took a deep breath and carefully spoke.
“I’ve been thinking hard about what we should do from here on.”
“…”
“We can’t go on like this forever. It’s time we sorted things out.”
“You mean…?”
“I’ll consider it a mistake.”
“…”
Meeting Bake’s trembling gaze, I held out my glass to him.
The elegantly cut glass shimmered red, reflecting the evening glow.
“Everyone makes a mistake once in a while. I’ll think of yours that way.”
“…Do you really mean that?”
“I did make you sign that agreement in anger, but we still have Meriel.”
“…”
“I don’t want our daughter to lose her father over something like this. And I certainly don’t want anyone using this against Meriel.”
As I reached for the corkscrew to open the wine, Bake caught my hand.
Our gazes met midair, as naturally entwined as our overlapping hands.
“Starting today, I won’t bring this up again. Let’s forget everything and start over from the beginning.”
“You truly mean it?”
“It won’t be easy, but we’re husband and wife. Let’s try together.”
So we could return to how things used to be.
At my added words, Bake pulled me into a tight embrace.
The intensified perfume scent tickled my nose at our closer proximity.
Silently, I wrapped my arms around his back, feeling my shoulder grow damp.
No matter how thickly he masked it with perfume, it was useless.
Alongside the ambergris fragrance, I could also smell alcohol on my husband.
Still, I gently stroked Bake’s neck as if to soothe him.
After all, I’d already seen the reddish mark hidden where his gaze couldn’t reach—there was no point getting angry over something so trivial.
***
“Flowers? Your Grace is truly romantic.”
“Exactly! Most marriages grow cold over time, but the Marquess and Marchioness Crayton are not only avoiding that—they’re burning even brighter!”
“And not just any ordinary flame! Didn’t you see how His Grace escorted her all the way from the party?”
“Considering he asked a servant exactly when the party would end, he probably came to pick her up himself, right?”
The noblewomen burst into cheerful laughter, each adding their own remark.
Each of them cradled a lavish bouquet—Bake’s gift—in their arms.
Though the fully bloomed flowers seemed out of place in the lingering chill, that only made them more treasured.
Bake must have gone to great lengths—not only preparing a bouquet for every guest but also sourcing enough fully bloomed flowers to fill entire rooms.
“He’s always so thoughtful. Such a good man.”
I deliberately buried my face in the bouquet and smiled.
I knew precisely what kind of rumors people expected from me, but I had no intention of playing along with their expectations.
I was simply the happy Marchioness Crayton, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with our marriage.
Ever since I’d declared forgiveness, Bake had gone out of his way to win back my favor, and I’d gladly accepted all his efforts with a smile.
Thanks to that, we’d actually begun spending even more time together than before.
Spotting Bake waiting by the carriage outside the window, I gave a light wave.
Everything appeared peaceful.
Or at least, that’s how I made it seem.
***
“Why haven’t you been answering my messages?”
“I told you not to come looking for me recklessly!”
Bake roughly grabbed Margaret’s shoulder and dragged her into the alley.
Margaret complained of pain from her aching shoulder, but that was the least of Bake’s concerns.
Liviana was waiting in the building right beside them.
If even a single careless word reached Liviana’s ears, it would truly be over.
He might have been forgiven once, but he couldn’t possibly expect mercy a second time.
“But what else could I do? You never came to see me!”
Bake’s grip had left her shoulder flushed red, yet Margaret could only desperately clutch at his sleeve.
Habitually watching the woman’s eyes grow moist, Bake clenched his teeth.
She really was useless—always crying for no reason.
“I already told you. It’s over between us.”
“Over?”
“Liviana forgave me.”
“…Forgave you? Liviana would never do that.”
Her damp eyelashes fluttered slowly.
Liviana had inherited her late father, the Late Marquess Crayton’s, stubbornness and utter lack of flexibility.
There was no way she’d willingly forgive Bake for his betrayal.
“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that Liviana, knowing everything, still chose me.”
“You really think she chose you?”
“What?”
“Don’t cling to false hope. She just needs a father for Meriel. And even that won’t last long—now that her real father is back, why would she need a fake one?”
“…Meriel is my daughter.”
“Is that what you truly believe?”
Margaret’s lips curled slightly upward.
Though feigning calm, she understood men better than anyone.
“You were the one who first said Meriel doesn’t resemble you at all.”
“…”
“And you also said… eight years ago, Duke Pierne secretly returned to the capital, and coincidentally, that was exactly when—urk!”
“If you don’t want to die, stop talking nonsense.”
“B-Ba—Bake!”
Choking, Margaret frantically slapped Bake’s hand away.
He’d gripped so tightly that her vision blurred instantly.
“Do you understand now?”
Through her fading vision, his gleaming eyes appeared crimson.
Margaret barely managed to nod her head, and only then did the hand around her throat loosen slightly.
“Huh… huh…!”
Clutching her throbbing throat, Margaret gasped for air.
Her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground—but the man looking down at her showed not even a trace of remorse.
He merely scraped his shoe furiously against the pavement, as though scrubbing away filth.
Watching the grass crushed beneath Bake’s heel, Margaret’s eyes grew wet.
Her neck, her shoulder—everything ached, but none of it mattered.
“…So you’re going to pretend not to know again?”
“Don’t interfere.”
“It’s not interference—I’m worried.”
“…”
“Out of pity for you, having to pretend not to know your wife met another man, and even raising another man’s child.”
Her hand trembled from the earlier shock, but she didn’t care.
Smiling with the tenderness of a saint, Margaret reached out her shaking hand.
“You don’t have to pretend anymore. I already heard it from you when you were drunk—eight years ago, you yourself saw Liviana meeting Duke Pierne with your own eyes…”
Slowly, the man’s and woman’s hands intertwined.
Like serpents coiling before mating.
Margaret ran her tongue over her parched lips.
The rough texture sent a shiver down her spine.
“I won’t ask for everything. Just promise me this one thing.”
She guided Bake’s hand to rest on her lower abdomen.
Though not visible to the eye, a subtle swell could be felt upon touch.
“Your first child. Not Duke Pierne—the man you despise—but your own blood. Your real first child.”
“…”
“The child who will one day become the true heir of Crayton.”
“…”
“You can’t seriously be planning to hand everything over to his bloodline?”
Yet it wasn’t as if he could simply take the child from Liviana now.
Margaret’s eyes narrowed knowingly.
Liviana had suffered multiple miscarriages before finally carrying Meriel to term—but even then, the birth hadn’t come easily.
Everyone had urged her to give up, yet Liviana clung to that child with sheer stubbornness, and though Meriel was born safely, Liviana’s body was ruined in the process.
“Think carefully. Even if Meriel adores you now, she’ll inevitably seek out her real father later. Do you really want to regret it then? It would be too pitiful.”
“…”
“Just admit it already. Everyone’s noticed how Liviana dotes on Meriel—why are you the only one pretending not to see?”
“…”
“No matter how hard you try, Liviana will never love you.”
Liviana had only been with him for ten years, but she herself had been with him even longer.
Margaret prided herself on understanding Bake better than anyone else.
This man before her had always chosen Liviana at every crossroads, past and present, and had always knelt easily before her.
Even though Margaret had been the one to come first.
How utterly humiliating that was.
Her own lover was a miser who begrudged even a wedding ring, while Liviana’s husband was a devoted husband who gave his wife only the finest things.
But now, none of that mattered anymore.
Even if the man before her remained indifferent to his own wounds yet fretted over the tiniest scratch on Liviana—even if he kept confessing his love to her—it no longer concerned Margaret.
The moment life stirred within her womb, the final victor had already been decided.
No matter how well repaired, trust once broken could never return to what it once was.
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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