The End Of The Special Contract Marriage (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
The sky was dyed orange at dusk.
Someone knocked on the door of Damian’s office, where he was busy with paperwork after finishing afternoon training.
It was Isaac Wind, the vice-captain of the Crimson Hawk Knights and the eldest son of House Wind.
“Captain, are you busy?”
“What is it?”
Damian asked indifferently, not lifting his eyes from the documents.
His face, bathed in the sunset light streaming through the tall window, was truly exquisite.
Silver hair like woven moonlight, golden eyes set within delicate eyelids, and crimson lips beneath a sharp nose.
His appearance alone was enough to captivate women and inspire admiration among men.
“I heard Colin received an intriguing letter, so I came to deliver the news myself.”
Isaac pulled a lavender envelope from his coat and handed it to Damian.
Damian paused his reading for a moment, glanced at the name written on the front, and raised an eyebrow.
“…Aracila Hugo?”
“Yes, that eccentric mage from the Mage Tower—remember her? She’s the one who sent it.”
“Why?”
“How would I know? Just open it quickly. Why would a mage send you a letter?”
Prompted by Isaac, Damian reluctantly unfolded the letter.
On fine paper, the message was written in an exceptionally graceful hand…
“To Lord Vandermir,
It seems we’ll soon need to get married. Let’s meet before the ceremony, shall we?
I have something important to discuss with you. Let’s arrange a time when we’re both free.
For your reference, I’ll be available starting three days from now.
—Aracila Hugo of House of Marquis Hugo.”
Damian let out a disbelieving chuckle—it was utterly absurd.
“What does it say?”
“She’s insane.”
“Huh? Really?”
Damian tossed the letter onto his desk. Unable to contain his curiosity, Isaac discreetly leaned in for a peek.
“Gasp! Are you getting married, Captain?!”
“Isaac.”
“I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet.”
At Damian’s icy tone, Isaac clamped his mouth shut and bowed his head.
But watching Damian pick up his documents again, Isaac slowly parted his lips once more.
“Aren’t you going to send a reply?”
“What for? It doesn’t even seem like it was written by someone in their right mind.”
“But she’s still the daughter of House of Marquis Hugo. For the sake of smooth social relations… Ah, actually, I recall their second daughter rarely participates in society.”
In other words, ignoring Aracila’s letter wouldn’t cause any damaging rumors in high society.
Not that Damian had calculated all this when deciding to ignore her letter.
“…But I’ve heard she’s rather reckless and odd. Are you sure it’s safe to just leave such a mage alone?”
“Isaac, are you afraid of mages now?”
“No! Not at all!”
At the sharp question, Isaac snapped rigidly to attention.
Showing fear of mages in front of Damian—the Empire’s youngest Sword Master—was not only unacceptable but also shameful for a knight.
“Be careful.”
“Yes, sir!”
“You may go.”
“Yes, sir! Goodbye!”
Isaac bowed deeply and left the office.
Damian skimmed the letter once more and clicked his tongue lightly.
‘They say few mages are sane—it seems that’s actually true.’
Unlike knights who trained their bodies under the open sky, mages were a reclusive lot, holed up in tower chambers, conducting eerie research.
Sometimes they’d snap, attack people, cause incidents—or even start rebellions.
‘Even if she’s a rare female noble mage, she’s no different.’
He rose from his seat and tossed the letter into the fireplace. The paper instantly burst into flames and turned to ash.
Thus, Damian completely forgot about the letter from that eccentric mage.
[This is the timeline separator]Three days later.
The Crimson Hawk Knights’ training grounds were unusually bustling and chaotic.
All because of a woman standing near the entrance, dressed in a yellow gown that matched springtime perfectly, holding a lace-trimmed parasol.
Her undeniable presence made it impossible for anyone to ignore her, and the knights gathered in small groups, whispering instead of starting their drills.
Isaac, unable to tolerate the scene any longer, stepped forward.
“My lady, what brings you here?”
“I came to see Lord Vandermir. I even sent a letter ahead—where is he?”
Before Audrey could answer, Aracila spoke up herself.
From afar, she’d seemed beautiful—but up close, she was beyond imagination. Isaac unconsciously swallowed before snapping back to his senses.
“The Captain hasn’t arrived yet. I’m sorry, but if you remain here, it’ll disrupt training, so…”
“Oh dear, is your commander terribly lazy? Or perhaps he’s the type who loves sleeping in?”
Aracila cut through Isaac’s dismissal with a light laugh and a bright smile.
Her boldness in insulting the captain right in the middle of the knights left Isaac momentarily speechless.
“…Please refrain from speaking disrespectfully of the Captain.”
“Did that offend you? Don’t worry—it’s nothing compared to how your commander ignored my letter and forced me to come all the way here.”
At those words, Isaac flinched and looked at Aracila again with renewed attention.
Since she mentioned the letter, she must be that eccentric mage who’d sent his commander a strange message days ago.
Aracila rarely appeared in society, so Isaac was seeing her for nearly the first time—and was thoroughly flustered.
Damian himself had been fully aware of ignoring her letter, so Isaac had no defense.
Hesitating over what to say, his eyes suddenly landed on something, and he bowed sharply as he called out loudly,
“Captain! You’re here!”
Audrey, who had been watching behind him, startled and quickly nodded. Aracila turned around leisurely.
First, the hem of her gently fluttering dress came into view, then the white lace-trimmed parasol, and finally the chest of a man in uniform standing before her.
Aracila tilted her parasol back and lifted her head. Her glass-like blue eyes met his deep golden gaze.
She was well above average height for a woman, yet she still had to look up at him—the tall man’s face was sculpted, perfect, and breathtakingly handsome.
“Hello, Lord Vandermir. I’m Aracila Hugo. Did you hurt your hand by any chance?”
Aracila offered a pointed greeting. Damian replied calmly.
“Good afternoon, Lady Hugo. I’m Damian Vandermir. No, I’m unharmed.”
“Oh, I rushed here thinking you might be injured since you never replied—but I’m glad you’re fine.”
She added a smile laced with subtle reproach, cutting off any chance for him to question her visit.
Indeed, had Damian simply replied properly, Aracila wouldn’t have come here at all.
Keeping his eyes fixed on her petite face, Damian turned to Isaac and said,
“What are you still doing here, Isaac? Training time has already passed.”
“My apologies, Captain.”
“Everyone runs fifty laps around the field.”
Isaac accepted the punishment without protest. As he hurried off to organize the knights, Damian spoke again.
“Shall we move to my office, my lady?”
“Alright.”
[This is the timeline separator]For a while, the only sound between the two seated across from each other on antique sofas was the soft clinking of teacups.
Finally, Damian broke the silence.
“I apologize for not replying to your letter. I was busy and forgot.”
“Well, if your memory’s that bad, it’s understandable.”
“But if that’s why you came, please go home. I have no intention of marrying you.”
After a perfunctory apology, he cut straight to the point. At his firm rejection, Aracila simply took a sip of tea, as if she’d expected this all along.
“You do realize there’s a political marriage agreement between our houses, don’t you?”
“I’m hearing this for the first time.”
“That makes sense—you only found out recently yourself.”
Her snow-white fingers set the cup down silently.
An eccentric mage, so obsessed with magic she’d abandoned her duties as a noble lady.
Despite such rumors, Aracila’s demeanor was graceful and flawless.
“Because of that agreement, we must marry.”
“No.”
Even at his immediate refusal, Aracila wasn’t hurt. Instead, she sighed and shook her head gently.
“This isn’t something you can just dismiss so thoughtlessly.”
Before Damian could retort to her tone—as if lecturing a disobedient child—
“And why not?”
Aracila asked, genuinely bewildered.
“Top of my class upon entering and graduating from the Academy’s Magic Department, and appointed chief mage at the Mage Tower.”
“…”
“Last year, during the large-scale monster outbreak in the south, I earned a Class-One Merit and was granted the title of Countess.”
“…”
“Besides what I’ll inherit from my family, I currently possess a personal fortune of 3 billion gold.”
Smoothly and effortlessly, she listed her achievements in that plump, crimson mouth. It was so natural Damian momentarily thought she was talking about someone else.
“And though it’s a bit awkward to say myself, during my time at the Academy, I was renowned as one of the ‘Three Goddesses’ for my exceptional beauty.”
She swept back her flowing lavender locks to better reveal her face.
Of all the boasts she’d just made, this last one was the least disputable.
Her features—so finely drawn they seemed painted—were more dazzling than any masterpiece, making Damian think she had remarkable self-awareness.
“Honestly, with all this, aren’t you even a little tempted to marry me?”
Aracila smiled confidently. Not stopping there, she drove the point home.
“Marry me, Lord Vandermir.”
She made a loveless proposal and added,
“You want to push your brother aside and claim the dukedom for yourself. I’ll help you.”
Damian visibly flinched. A flicker of disturbance crossed his ice-carved face.
Within the House of Vandermir, Oscar was firmly established as the heir. Damian had kept his claws hidden, biding his time silently.
Outwardly, he appeared indifferent, staying in the capital and leading the Crimson Hawk Knights, while secretly watching for any opportunity.
Only a few of his closest confidants knew this—how could a noble lady he’d just met today possibly know?
‘…Did she investigate me?’
Damian’s eyes narrowed sharply. Aracila, seemingly oblivious to the sudden wariness in his expression, remained perfectly composed.
“You won’t easily find a wife anywhere else who’s as intelligent, beautiful, and capable as I am. You understand, don’t you?”
“…”
Damian stared quietly at Aracila, who waited with a calm smile. Finally, his lips parted slowly.
“During last year’s southern monster subjugation campaign—was it you, my lady, who shamelessly stole credit from our knights after we’d done all the work?”
“…Huh?”
Caught completely off guard by his unexpected accusation, Aracila was flustered. She’d assumed he’d accept her proposal.
Her expression twisted instantly.
“Wow! I saved your life when you were nearly dead, and you call me shameless? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be sitting here—you’d be buried six feet under!”
“That’s not funny. You only jumped in after carefully testing the waters, hoping to reap benefits for yourself.”
“What did you say? Hey!”
Unable to contain herself, Aracila slammed her hands on the table and stood up.
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
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Thank you for translating/sharing this. Such an adorable story!