The Credentials of a Couple (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
“Did you have a good conversation with Viscountess Fisher?”
“Yes. For now.”
It was a lie.
Right now, I didn’t have the mental capacity to chat with Margaret.
I stared straight up at him.
The ends of Bake’s hair, which he hadn’t managed to dry, were wet.
“Did you wash up?”
“I washed as soon as I got to the room.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“What is?”
As Bake approached, a familiar scent wafted over.
It was the perfume fragrance I knew from him.
“I thought you had washed before coming.”
Outwardly, I pretended to be calm, but my heart was pounding wildly.
“What do you mean? Me washing before coming?”
“You smell like soap.”
I smiled while meticulously observing Bake’s reaction.
Fortunately or unfortunately, his response was no different from usual.
“Ah, that. I met Sir Hunter today.”
“The one who likes horseback riding?”
“Right. That guy.”
Bake sighed deeply as if just thinking about it tired him, then continued.
“It wasn’t originally planned, so I was going to refuse, but he begged so much I couldn’t not go. Thanks to that, I went to an unplanned riding stable and sweated a bit.”
“You must be tired from exercising after a long time.”
“Still, I have the stamina to spend intimate time with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So you should wash up quickly too. Or, shall we just drink?”
Bake gestured with his chin toward the pre-set table.
He seemed to have had one glass already; one of the two prepared glasses contained wine.
“For reference, I like the latter too, but you hate it, don’t you?”
Perhaps mistaking my silence, Bake widened his eyes.
I quickly opened my mouth to the approaching Bake.
“I’ll go wash up.”
“I was hoping for a different answer; that’s disappointing.”
“You went out, so you should wash.”
I answered calmly and headed straight to the bathroom.
And as soon as the door closed, I immediately collapsed to the floor.
My body was already trembling.
A lie.
Bake had lied to me.
“……”
I blankly lifted my head.
At the end of my gaze was a neatly organized shelf, and there was soap there.
I hesitated, then barely stood up and picked up the soap.
The soap emitted the same scent I had smelled from Bake earlier.
Confirming that fact again made my body tremble.
The soap provided in the mansion was custom-made.
It wasn’t circulated in the market, and moreover, it wasn’t a scent that would be used in a riding stable mainly frequented by men.
‘Just why?’
I slowly closed my eyes and opened them again.
Everything had a reason.
There must be a good reason why Bake lied.
And the reason he had to wash, likewise.
Reaching this thought made my stomach churn.
The only things swirling in my mind were the worst imaginations my crude imagination could conjure.
My husband was a man who knew women.
I covered my ears with trembling hands.
There was no need to try hard.
Once suspicion arose, it spread quickly like paint on water.
Was the owner of these earrings really me?
If not me, then who on earth?
I reflexively frowned at the stinging sensation.
Unknowingly, I had applied force; a drop of blood formed on my thumb.
It was pricked by the earring post.
I stared at the roundly rising blood drop and bit my lip hard.
“Mom, you’re so pretty!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Mom is the prettiest in the world!”
Meriel buried her face in the dress, giggling.
I smiled looking at those innocent eyes.
There was no need to think deeply.
I couldn’t divorce.
Divorce among nobles was a flaw and a wrong thing.
Even if swept by momentary emotions and divorced, it would only be short satisfaction in the end.
The label of divorce would be inherited not only by me but also by the child.
I could never ruin my daughter’s life with my own hands.
‘Meriel likes her dad a lot too.’
I closed my eyes weakly.
Until I knew the secret, it was a perfect family.
In other words, if I just covered the secret, I could go back to how it was.
It was something I just had to endure.
“Aren’t you too pretty today?”
Bake smiled slyly and placed his hands on my shoulders from behind.
I looked at my husband in the mirror and raised the corners of my mouth.
“Yeah?”
“I can assert that at today’s party, there will be no woman more beautiful than you.”
My husband smiles.
With the affectionate face I know well.
I swallowed the rising anger and overlapped my hand on Bake’s.
“Don’t praise me too much.”
“Why? It’s the truth. Not a joke; I still haven’t seen a woman prettier than you. That’s why I fell in love with you at first sight.”
With that innocent face, how many lies had he told me until now?
They were sweet words, yet my insides twisted instead.
Nevertheless, I chose to smile rather than show it.
If he was just enjoying it for a while, I could endure it enough.
Everyone lives like that, so there was no reason I couldn’t.
Even if it was hard now, if I tried, this emotion would eventually dull.
I remembered my father’s long teaching.
A true noble knows how to smile nonchalantly in any moment.
“Today, may I have the honor of escorting the most beautiful lady at this party?”
The carriage stopped, and Bake extended his hand to me.
As always, he was smiling at me, and I was the same.
“Of course.”
I accepted Bake’s escort and got off the carriage.
Those who arrived first seemed already intoxicated by the party’s heat; the area around the ballroom was noisy from the start.
‘This year is particularly splendid, or is it natural?’
I slightly wrinkled my nose.
The New Year’s festival, marking the end of one year and the start of a new one, was one of the empire’s annual events counted among the grandest, but this year its meaning was even more special.
Today’s party was the first held after the crown prince, who seized power after the late emperor’s death, ascended the throne.
It was a kind of signal flare announcing the start of a new imperial family.
‘Moreover……’
I looked at the still-unopened curtain, then turned my head at the approaching presence.
“Marquess Crayton and his wife are as affectionate as ever today.”
“Oh, Count Naret.”
“I’m hurt by the stiff title between us. And if I’m going to receive a greeting anyway, I’d rather hear it from a beauty than a stiff man. How have you been, Marchioness Crayton?”
Count Naret placed a hand on his chest and bowed to me.
He was one of Bake’s close friends.
“I’m always doing well.”
“Marchioness Crayton seems to grow more beautiful day by day. At times like this, I really envy Bake.”
“You always have a talent for flattering people.”
“I only ever speak the truth.”
Count Naret deliberately made exaggerated gestures to liven the mood, and starting with him, familiar faces gathered one by one.
Even on a special day, it wasn’t much different in the end.
People naturally gathered with those they usually associated with, and as always, it was enough to appropriately respond and continue the conversation with smiles.
The only difference might be the interested gazes focused on me.
I covered my face with a fan amid the gazes that couldn’t be hidden even if I tried.
I didn’t want to come knowing this would happen, but there was no choice.
With his return becoming a foregone conclusion, past stories were bound to come up naturally.
Hiding clumsily or showing unnecessary reactions would only become good fodder for gossips who love to spread words.
Until the interest died down, the best was to show as nonchalant an appearance as possible.
Like everyone does.
I smiled following the woman shyly smiling next to Count Naret.
She was here as Count Naret’s fiancée, but everyone present knew well that title wouldn’t last long.
There was no need to mention how many women had smiled in that position.
In the end, love between men and women was like that.
It ignites easily and fades just as simply.
I gripped my hand tightly, and at that moment, music began to play.
Amid the music ringing in my ears, I blankly watched the opening curtain.
Where everyone’s gazes naturally gathered stood the young emperor. And beside him……
My heart beat quickly.
Nevertheless, I forced a smile and leaned toward Bake.
The emperor was reciting a toast in an excited voice, but honestly, it didn’t register properly in my ears.
Even from afar, I recognized him at a glance.
Calix Pierne.
The man who was once my fiancé, whom I had passionately loved. And……
At the suddenly rising memory, I clenched my eyes shut and opened them again.
It was an old story.
It wasn’t a good enough story to laugh and reminisce about.
I leaned a bit more toward Bake.
I couldn’t tell whose fault the churning stomach was, but what was certain was that I would keep smiling until the party ended.
“How is it? Your feelings on seeing the lover you loved again.”
“……”
“You’ve been wanting to see him all along.”
The empire’s young emperor, Luzean, tilted his glass with an elegant smile.
The reunion of Duke Pierne and Marchioness Crayton was interesting to him as well.
They were once called the couple of the century.
Though hushed in front, everyone knew what happened to the century’s couple and that the two had an unwanted separation.
If not for that incident, the promising heir of the duke’s house wouldn’t have been dragged to the border like a beast, and the flower of high society praised by all wouldn’t have been hastily sold to a worthless half-noble.
Tragic love stories, as always, were good for word of mouth.
To put it more bluntly, there were more people curious about when the two would get together again than those lamenting the unfulfilled love.
“It’s been a while, so less than expected? People often say that. First love is beautiful left as a memory. They say regret comes when you actually see them.”
“……”
“Or was she still beautiful? Well, such a beauty isn’t common, so it’s hard to forget easily.”
“……”
“Hey, Calix. Say something, anything. That way I can decide my stance.”
Luzean’s eyes narrowed.
He prided himself on knowing him for a long time, but Calix was always hard to read.
Especially when it concerned an old lover.
Luzean stroked his chin without hiding his regret.
“I hear there are so many starting anew these days.”
“……”
“If you want, I can help.”
“……”
“For a loyal subject who has done his best for me until now, I can do this much anytime.”
Luzean spread his arms wide as if to show off, but again, no response came.
Calix didn’t even glance at Luzean and just drank wine continuously.
Accustomed to border life, wine now felt like water.
Even after emptying several glasses, no intoxication rose.
Luzean sipped his wine while watching Calix, then grinned.
Fortunately, he had one story to pique the interest of the blunt duke.
“Or, how about this? A story about a woman.”
“……”
“Make that ‘not worth dealing with’ face later. If you hear my story now, you definitely won’t regret it.”
“……”
“It’s true? You don’t believe me?”
At the glancing eye contact, Luzean smiled playfully.
He couldn’t know exactly what feelings Calix harbored toward Liviana.
Calix loved Liviana, but Liviana betrayed Calix.
To Calix, Liviana was his first love and his enemy.
Even if he sought belated revenge now, Luzean had no intention of stopping it.
Liviana’s well-being wasn’t important.
They just needed a common enemy to solidify the alliance ahead.
“Well, whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. Even if I babble, your heavy mouth won’t open. Of course, hearing this story might change your mind.”
“……”
“There was a woman?”
As if there was nothing more to hear, Calix set down his glass.
It meant he would leave now.
But Luzean didn’t hold Calix as usual.
Instead, he finished his glass with a fully satisfied smile.
The young emperor knew that his next words would surely bind the indifferent man’s ankle more than any shackle.
“Bake, that guy had a woman.”
“……”
“Even before becoming Marquess Crayton. And he’s still meeting that woman.”
Luzean leisurely shook the empty glass.
Through the glass, Calix’s distorted face looked warped.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
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)