The Maid's Contract Marriage (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 1
Hello. My name is Reina.
I’m a maid working in the grand mansion of Marquis Julius, and the only family I have is my grandmother, whom I love more than anyone in the world.
Aside from that, I have a hobby of collecting news clippings, and my lifelong dream is to someday live quietly by the seaside with just my grandmother.
You ask if I have any dreams about a husband and children?
Ah, I almost forgot to mention this.
I am married.
It’s a fact I sometimes forget myself.
Five years ago, I married a certain knight in place of our precious young lady.
Because he’s due to return in a few days, the entire mansion is in an uproar, so I’ve been reminded of it quite often lately.
[This is the timeline separator]Three o’clock in the morning. The maids’ attic in the Julius Mansion.
Reina, a maid lying face down on the top bunk bed against the wall, carefully unfolded a newspaper, glancing around so as not to disturb the other sleeping maids.
Rustle…
The dim candlelight flickered over the words on the page.
【Sir Arthur, the Hero of the Century, Enters the Viscounty of Pontel】
【Pontel citizens shower flowers upon the triumphant army】
【The Julius Marquisate lies within reach—Will his reunion with Lady Christina, his betrothed separated for five long years, soon come to pass?】
【The Julius domain celebrates in festival mood awaiting the triumphant army】
【Marquis Julius—Will he reap benefits from his son-in-law? New Prince-Elector* power dynamics—Marchioness Julius remains tight-lipped】
【Special Feature: ‘The Knight of the Century, Arthur’—Son-in-law and heir of the Julius Marquisate】
【Crown Prince Kyle has recovered his health】
Reina rubbed her tired eyes and reread the newly acquired newspapers once more.
Then, wearing a satisfied smile, she carefully sorted them into three scrapbooks in her preferred order.
【Crown Prince Kyle’s Recovery】 went under the black cover.
【Special Feature: ‘The Knight of the Century, Arthur’】 joined other special features beneath the blue cover.
All other articles were neatly arranged under the gray cover in order of publication date.
However, news from slower regions sometimes arrived out of sequence, requiring rearrangement.
After finishing the sorting, Reina deftly punched holes in precise spots and threaded the pages together with practiced ease.
Finally, she blew away the paper dust with a soft “Haaah.”
Having swiftly compiled the newspapers into three neatly bound scrapbooks, Reina looked down at them with pride.
In the past, she used to cut out unnecessary parts from old newspapers and paste only desired sections onto fresh sheets,
but recently, the newspapers have been filled almost entirely with content she wants, eliminating the need for cutting.
What does Reina want to read, you ask? Nothing special, really.
It’s the same news everyone in this empire longs to hear:
stories of Commander-in-Chief Sir Arthur returning in glorious victory and the army he leads.
People are so eager for tales of Sir Arthur that, reportedly, the temple’s newspapers have never sold this briskly since their inception.
“The Crown Prince’s story is only tucked into a tiny corner. No illustration either.”
“The Crown Prince? I can’t believe he’s still alive.”
Apparently, some maids besides Reina were still awake; faint whispering drifted from the far end of the dormitory.
They must have bought this latest paper too.
Worried they’d stop talking if they knew she was awake, Reina lowered her breathing even further.
Her bunk was in the farthest corner of the attic lined with over a dozen double-decker beds, which fortunately kept her out of sight during moments like this.
“You’ve changed! You used to cry when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince went off to war.”
“That’s ancient history! Five years ago, I said—five years! Who cares about the Crown Prince these days? That pampered hothouse flower… He’d probably be dead by now if not for Sir Arthur.”
Peeking discreetly through the darkness, Reina saw two maids in the corner huddled over a single newspaper, whispering.
Like her, they relied solely on the faint, swaying candlelight by the window.
Suppressed giggles echoed softly.
“Hey, look at this illustration. Don’t you think they drew Sir Arthur with too much bias? He looks at least three meters tall.”
Reina nearly laughed herself but managed to disguise it with a tiny, forced cough—“Ahem”—before carefully placing her scrapbooks into the document drawer and hiding it under her bed.
Then, pretending indifference, she quietly slipped back under her covers and listened intently to their chatter.
“Oh my! Look at this. Could it really be true?”
“Goodness! It’s about our young lady—how come we never heard a word about this?”
Reina knew exactly which part they were reading and discussing.
After all, she’d read that very story over ten times and practically memorized it.
【Shocking! Lady Christina of House Julius and Sir Arthur officially married five years ago with Imperial approval, yet kept it secret…】
【Numerous noble heirs, who once cherished hopes for Lady Christina, expressed deep disappointment…】
【One young count is said to have collapsed in shock…】
“They’re officially married? Does that mean they’ve already… you know?”
“Wow… Really? If that were true, wouldn’t we have known? There are so many watching eyes in this mansion!”
“But they kept it secret. Let’s ask around tomorrow when everyone wakes up—maybe someone knows something.”
Even in hushed tones, the maids’ excited voices carried clearly.
Quietly, Reina pulled the bedsheet over her lips.
There was no one among them who could answer their burning questions.
Except Reina herself….
“…….”
Well, it was a simple matter.
Five years ago,
Marquis Julius, desperate to become a Prince-Elector, sold his daughter to secure the Imperial family’s trust.
Her groom was the Emperor’s bastard son—despised in high society.
For a proud young lady born and raised in Julius, this was an unimaginable calamity.
In aristocratic circles, reputation and honor mattered deeply, and being a bastard certainly wasn’t honorable.
Moreover, the Imperial court had remained silent about his lineage at the time, so his Imperial blood wasn’t even officially recognized.
Thus, he was merely a low-ranking noble rumored to possibly be the Emperor’s illegitimate child—hardly a suitable match.
While his lineage remained uncertain, the disgrace such a union would bring upon the Marquis’s daughter was absolutely certain.
Marchioness Julius adamantly refused, unwilling to send her beloved only daughter into such a humiliating marriage.
Yet Marquis Julius overruled all objections, declaring:
“Since he must depart for the front lines immediately anyway, we’ll hold a quiet wedding now. Once His Majesty the Emperor publicly acknowledges his bloodline and restores his reputation, we’ll reveal the marriage then!”
“No social gatherings are permitted during wartime anyway—if we keep quiet, no one will find out!”
“The Imperial family has already agreed to this much consideration.”
Why, then, did the Marquis’s daughter have to marry under such circumstances?
Marriage wasn’t something you could just whisper, “Let’s pretend we’re married,” and call it done.
Even an ordinary noble daughter would have caused a scandal,
let alone a highborn lady accustomed to never wearing shoes she disliked—she’d never willingly wed such a man.
Naturally, she threw a fit, refusing outright….
In the end… Reina—young, of similar age, and occasionally remarked upon as rather pretty—was quietly summoned….
And that’s how it happened.
Lying still under her covers, Reina blinked up at the ceiling—or rather, the rotting underside of the top bunk above her.
“…What kind of person is he, I wonder? Sir Arthur…?”
She heard the maids on the other side whispering curiously.
They probably planned to interrogate every maid tomorrow, but Reina doubted they’d ever come asking her.
Because of secrets she couldn’t easily reveal, Reina always felt somewhat distant from the other maids.
Though, even if they did ask… she couldn’t possibly answer.
—CRASH!
“All maids, assemble!”
The door burst open, and Head Maid Mrs. Hurst’s booming voice echoed through the sleeping quarters.
Maids who had been sound asleep or quietly gossiping groaned as they dragged themselves up.
This wasn’t anything new.
It had become routine over the past month as the entire mansion was cleaned within an inch of its life day after day.
All maids, including Reina, grumbled at being roused from deep slumber in the middle of the night,
yet instinctively and efficiently shook awake any still-sleeping companions, scrambled out of their beds, and began searching for their uniforms.
“Here—who was assigned to clean this?”
Marchioness Julius peered down at a barely visible smudge on the staircase railing.
Among the lined-up servants, one young maid stepped forward with a pale face and bowed her head apologetically.
Without even glancing at her, the Marchioness swept open the window curtains and asked,
“And here?”
A bird must have flown into the window and died—feathers and a faint bloodstain were visible.
Another maid silently swallowed hard, stepped forward, and bowed her head.
Several more maids and servants were called out in the same way.
No one hesitated.
Everyone knew that showing even a hint of reluctance would lead to unpleasant consequences.
“…….”
The marble floor within Reina’s downward gaze was so clean it reflected faces clearly.
No matter how vast the mansion, after over two hundred maids had been relentlessly scrubbing it for more than a month, anything less than immaculate would have been strange.
Yet faint smudges like these appeared several times daily as servants carried luggage through,
and there was nothing anyone could do to stop birds from crashing into windows.
Still, everyone did their best to appear remorseful, so as not to offend Madam’s temper.
Most of the time, such obedient behavior ended without bloodshed.
Even the youngest maids, who initially trembled at Madam’s sharp reprimands, had grown relatively composed after a month of repeated drills.
Everyone knew the issue wasn’t really about cleanliness.
No matter how brightly the mansion sparkled, the in-laws, who had been treated coldly for five years, wouldn’t suddenly view it fondly.
The maids clearly understood this was just the Marchioness venting her stress—her anxiety over Sir Arthur’s imminent return after neglecting him and his conscripted soldiers for half a decade was obvious to all.
“I don’t pay your wages so I can see such shameful work.”
The Marchioness passed right in front of Reina.
“…….”
Just as Reina felt a tiny flicker of relief at escaping her notice,
heavy footsteps approached—and the Marchioness suddenly spun around, striking the maid standing right beside Reina with her fan.
“…!”
The struck maid stumbled and collided with Reina’s shoulder.
Reina held her breath.
“Were you dozing off?”
The dazed maid hurriedly bent her waist, stammering.
“N-no, Madam…”
“No?”
Smack.
The Marchioness struck her cheek again with the fan.
“So you’re saying I saw wrong?”
The delicate fan splintered and instantly fell apart.
Tension spread among the servants.
Reina froze.
Had the maid really dozed off?
She couldn’t tell—didn’t feel a thing.
All she knew for certain was that things were heading in a bad direction.
“Reina Astalin.”
Her name was called almost immediately after she steeled herself.
“Yes, Madam.”
Reina tensed as she answered.
Yet what followed was completely unexpected.
“You’re exempt from today onward.”
Reina’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…Yes?”
Several nearby maids looked equally shocked, forgetting to bow as they stared at her in astonishment.
Ah… could it be?
Reina suddenly had an inkling.
The reason her name was called for exemption at this exact moment.
But she quickly hid her realization, hastily bowed her head, and waited for the next words.
After all, the reason she’d guessed was a secret known only to the Marquis’s family and the Head Maid.
“Olga.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Marchioness Julius beckoned the Head Maid and jerked her chin toward Reina before turning away.
Head Maid Mrs. Hurst continued in Madam’s stead.
“You’ve been personally requested by Miss Christina as her personal maid. I’ll brief you on your duties—follow me.”
Hiding her bewilderment, Reina clasped her hands respectfully and bowed.
“Yes, Madam.”
The exhausted, hollow-eyed maids quickly turned away from her.
Reina gave a bitter smile inwardly.
…Normally, serving a noble young lady as a personal maid would be preferable.
Though their current duties are grueling—barely allowing sleep—no one envied Reina for being excused by Miss Christina’s summons.
That alone spoke volumes about the young lady’s standing among the maids.
[This is the timeline separator]Following the Head Maid toward Miss Christina’s room, Reina anxiously fidgeted with her fingers hidden in her apron.
‘Her personal maid…? That doesn’t seem right…’
Reina thought, watching the back of the Head Maid’s head.
‘…He should be arriving soon, probably.’
According to the newspapers, Sir Arthur and the triumphant army reached the neighboring Pontel territory two days ago.
It was customary for the army to stay five to seven days in each village.
Pontel was roughly a three-day ride by horse from here, the Julius Marquisate,
so accounting for the army’s slower pace, about a week.
Thus, Sir Arthur should arrive here in roughly ten days at the earliest.
Once he comes, Miss Christina must step forward as his bride—so why would they want me lingering nearby?
Knock knock.
Seeing the Head Maid lightly tap on Christina’s bedroom door, Reina straightened her posture.
“Young Lady. I’ve brought Reina.”
“Come in.”
The Head Maid opened the door and gestured for Reina to enter.
Reina stepped inside and bowed deeply.
“Young Lady. You sum—”
THUD!
An ashtray flew and struck her head, rolling across the floor.
Drip… Blood trickled down from her scalp.
―――――
*Prince-Elector: One of seven high nobles holding the right to elect and be elected as Emperor—the highest honor among the aristocracy.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
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.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (37)
Omgosh I forgot how much I dislike the misunderstanding trope
Oh my gosh my heart aches for reina… everyone is just tossing her around
Oh gosh reina 🥺… even in this day and age taking contraceptives mess you up … I can’t even imagine how it was back then. ( yes I’m aware it’s fiction but sympathy is free)
Inline Comments (174)
“...Are you claiming to be my wife?”
Phew he knew right away, I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to tell. With her wearing thr veil and all 5 years ago
How would he report what had happened: the Marquis household thrown into chaos b
Even I am stressed reading this right now. How is this going to get resolved?
I wanted the time we spent together to remain good memories.
Not possible brother… you two can’t be on equal standing. Reina has a bigger threat looming over her and she can’t even be her self around you
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Saraluvsleads
Great set up, good writing so far. I hope by the time I get to the last chapter, the missing chapter would be uploaded