The Maid's Contract Marriage (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
“How have you been? For five years.”
Reina awkwardly answered for Miss Christina’s daily routine.
“I just… I’ve been well.”
“…….”
“On weekdays, I stayed home with my family… and on weekends, I went to the temple to attend Mass. …I prayed… that you’d return safely… that the war would end soon.”
Avoiding Arthur’s gaze, Reina stammered her reply, her eyes fixed solely on the teacup he had pushed toward her on the table.
He simply said, “I see,” and asked no further.
After a stretch of silence, he spoke again.
“Don’t you have anything you’re curious about me?”
Reina slowly lifted her eyes from the teacup and looked at him.
“…….”
As she took in his figure—so seamlessly blended into the everyday backdrop before her, cigarette alight—her lips moved before her thoughts could catch up.
It was as if she’d long yearned to ask this very question, one pushed forth from deep within her chest.
“…How have you been?”
Yet, upon speaking, she realized she’d merely echoed Arthur’s ordinary question back to him.
Her face flushed.
She felt her question had been far too indifferent.
After all, while she had merely stayed within the mansion, he had gone off to war.
Flustered, Reina quickly lowered her gaze and added,
“…Were you hurt anywhere?”
Arthur let out a brief, soundless chuckle.
“…….”
Still smiling faintly, he took a drag from his cigarette and replied,
“I got hurt and healed in fairly ordinary ways. Right now, nothing particularly bothers me.”
“…….”
The ember at the tip of his cigarette quietly burned down.
Arthur took a deep drag, exhaled the smoke, then stubbed it out in the ashtray and said,
“Do you know Lord Rembrandt?”
“…….”
At the sudden mention of this imperial dignitary’s name, Reina’s expression stiffened slightly.
Lord Rembrandt…
He had arrived about a week ago and was staying at the mansion as an envoy sent by the imperial court.
He’d come with a retinue of over ten attendants and was reportedly painting a portrait of the Marquis, who had recently been named crown prince.
Wasn’t he the Empress’s nephew, or something like that?
She’d heard he was an extremely high-ranking noble—but someone Reina would never have occasion to meet.
She’d only once or twice glimpsed one of his attendants sitting near the annex benches and occasionally bought imperial gazettes…
“…….”
Surely, Miss Christina hadn’t interacted with Lord Rembrandt either?
Reina considered whether ‘Christina’ and Rembrandt might have ever met.
Christina was never one to receive noble visitors at the mansion, no matter how distinguished.
If the two had met, it surely would have become gossip long ago.
After all, both the Marquis and Madam always made sure important guests couldn’t meet the young lady directly—they kept her well hidden.
They only arranged things so visitors could catch a distant glimpse of the young lady’s “appearance.”
Because, though exceptionally beautiful, she was far from the sociable and gentle lady others might assume.
Concluding inwardly that Christina had never interacted with Lord Rembrandt, Reina replied,
“…You mean the nobleman sent by the imperial court? I know he’s here, but I’ve only heard his name—never met him in person.”
Arthur’s silver-gray eyes fixed on her.
Reina gave an awkward smile.
‘Above all else, avoid appearing before “Lord Rembrandt” under any circumstances. You know—the imperial guest staying at the mansion? If he sees your face, things will get complicated. Just say you’re unwell or that you don’t wish to meet any man other than your husband.’
Reina anxiously searched for a way to refuse.
She couldn’t possibly claim to be sick on that very day already…
And saying she didn’t want to meet men other than her husband… when it was her husband himself suggesting it?
She didn’t want to spout nonsense again about wanting to be alone with him and leave Arthur baffled.
For now, perhaps she’d just say she understood, then pretend to collapse with illness the moment the situation arose?
The thought of telling such an obvious lie tightened her chest.
“…….”
Until that moment, she’d believed that would be the full extent of her emotional burden for the day.
Until Arthur spoke again.
“What about Taylor Lorenson?”
Thud.
Her heart sank.
His name—given in exchange for accepting the mission that exploited his weakness—rushed through her mind.
Why was he asking about him?
Why now, of all times?
Did he know something?
Unable to break eye contact, Reina broke into a cold sweat.
Her neck felt icy.
Though she hadn’t yet carried out any espionage that harmed him,
simply having accepted that order—hoping for her grandmother’s care—left Reina unable to stand confidently before Arthur.
She barely managed to answer from ‘Christina’s’ perspective.
“You mean… Doctor Lorenson’s son, my physician’s son?”
Her heart pounded.
Her hand, clutching the hem of her skirt, trembled.
“The one who looks after me is… Doctor Lorenson… so I don’t know him well… though I’ve heard he’s a capable physician. …Why do you ask about him?”
She spoke very slowly, barely managing not to stammer.
Did my voice sound too strange?
While waiting for Arthur’s reply, Reina thought her heartbeat might be audible even to him.
“…….”
Arthur, who had been staring intently at Reina, lowered his gaze with a faint smile.
He took out a new cigarette and placed it between his lips.
“……?”
Reina blinked, momentarily holding her breath.
That chilling sensation that had filled the air just moments before had suddenly vanished.
“…….”
Arthur lit his new cigarette, masking the cold smile lingering at the corner of his mouth.
Then, exhaling lightly a trail of smoke, he said,
“Nothing at all.”
“What?”
Reina quickly lifted her eyes to look at him.
“Let’s have dinner brought in.”
His voice, gentle as ever and warmly directed toward her, showed no change.
“…….”
Reina hesitated.
For a fleeting moment, she was overcome by the urge to grab him and ask what he’d been about to say just now.
But what if his question about Taylor had been related to the fact that she wasn’t truly Miss Christina?
‘Be Christina—completely and utterly—whenever you’re with Arthur.’
“…….”
Feeling as though she’d just clamped a shackle over her own mouth, Reina bit her lip and lowered her head.
Arthur spoke again.
“Lord Rembrandt said you’re exceptionally virtuous.”
Reina looked up.
“…What?”
Arthur continued calmly.
“He said you could only be seen at the temple’s victory-prayer Mass, that you never socialized with anyone else. He praised your devotion—waiting faithfully for your husband who’d gone off to war.”
“…….”
Arthur smiled at Reina.
“Thank you.”
[This is the timeline separator]His hand interlaced with hers, pressing them both onto the bed.
Reina stayed silent and simply nodded.
Blue moonlight cut through the darkness, pouring in.
Pearlescent light shattered across her damp skin.
He moved over her without a word, overwhelming her completely,
and beneath him, Reina unraveled just as she had five years ago.
‘Arthur.’
‘Arthur.’
His calm, silver-gray eyes gazed at her,
as if peering into the very depths of her being.
Her breath caught.
His gaze never wavered, hungrily tracing every inch of her.
Reina felt utterly stripped bare beneath his eyes.
Though only his hands on hers and her waist pinned her to the bed,
she felt bound entirely, unable to move even a finger.
‘Ah… Ah…!’
No matter how hard she bit her lips to hold back, sounds escaped her throat beyond her control—
just like that night five years ago, when stifling her voice proved utterly futile.
He abruptly quickened his pace.
Over her thrashing, shaking body, he surged forward.
A chilling wave spread through her.
Amidst his rough movements, the hand pressing her body down felt deceptively gentle.
He drove her to the edge of a precipice.
She felt she might suffocate from unbearable pleasure.
‘Stop… please… stop…!’
It would’ve been easier if it were just dreadful.
Instead, a sensation of losing herself completely washed over her body.
As if being swallowed whole.
A lightning bolt of pleasure surged through her, whitening her mind.
‘Ah…! Ah!’
So hot.
So hot…
Torn between tender affection that nearly brought tears and trembling surrender, she finally sobbed out her plea.
‘Please…!’
Reina wept as she confessed,
‘You already know I’m not Miss Christina.’
Arthur, who had been relentlessly lifting her hips in silence, laughed—coldly yet tenderly—as if he knew everything all along.
‘Did you deceive me?’
“!”
Reina jolted awake from her dream.
Her whole body was drenched in sweat.
“Hah… hah…”
An unfamiliarly soft bed.
A heavy blanket wrapped around her damp body.
“…….”
She sensed the presence of a man beside her—someone she didn’t recognize.
Holding her breath, Reina squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
No… don’t make a sound.
She didn’t want to wake him.
“…….”
Pressing down the anxious thumping in her chest, Reina desperately tried to steady her breathing.
Her throat felt tight, as if she’d been crying for a long while.
She felt drained and hollow.
Afraid, yet sorrowful.
She herself couldn’t understand what she was feeling.
Reina covered her eyes with the back of her hand.
Soon, her trembling subsided, and in the stillness of the bed—free even of the slightest movement—Reina turned her ear toward Arthur.
“…….”
His breathing was quiet.
‘He’s sleeping peacefully…’
Without making a sound, Reina carefully shifted her gaze beside her and watched him sleep.
“…….”
Moonlight fragmented across the bridge of his nose and his eyelashes.
He was beautiful.
“…….”
Reina gazed at him endlessly.
Only now, while he slept, could she finally take in the sight of him she’d always been too afraid to meet eye-to-eye.
“…….”
In her heart, she asked him,
‘…How have you been?’
“…….”
She continued silently within herself,
‘Truthfully, I’ve been incredibly busy—no time to even blink. That’s just how life as a maid is.’
“…….”
Especially this past month—I’ve been terribly busy. Ever since word came that you’d be returning, Madam’s been driving us all relentlessly.
“…….”
For five whole years, I’ve lived as an ordinary, busy maid, and sometimes visited home to spend time with Grandmother.
I’ve always only gone home occasionally…
“…….”
Sometimes, I bought gazettes that carried news of you.
…Actually, not just “sometimes”—I bought them very diligently.
I regularly donated to the temple so I’d never miss their newsletters,
and whenever the Marquis discarded gazettes, I always volunteered to clean his room just so I could get my hands on them.
If I arrived late and missed a gazette because they’d sold out, I’d scavenge through the square’s trash bins to find it.
Sometimes I’d walk all over town to track down rare issues,
even paying extra to get them…
And whenever I saw someone holding a precious gazette I hadn’t seen before, I’d wait beside them until they finished reading, then strike up a conversation…
So I actually have quite a few rare ones now.
“…….”
…It doesn’t mean anything else.
It just made me oddly proud, knowing you were doing well far away in that distant world.
But you must have had it hard, right?
After all, you went to dangerous places…
“…….”
How was it for you?
How… have you really been?
“…….”
Reina gazed at him endlessly,
then quietly turned her head toward the ceiling and closed her eyes.
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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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (35)
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)
Aww I hope there is a way for him to get his sight back🥺.
Such a bittersweet tragic chapter… the ball is rolling but at what cost and what resolution
Inline Comments (172)
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
"Say it again, but longer."
This is the second time he has said this lol 😆 , blunt isn’t he
After long hesitation…
Ohh that’s a whole other can of worms waiting to be opened
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Saraluvsleads
Oh my gosh my heart aches for reina… everyone is just tossing her around