The Maid's Contract Marriage (1 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
Chirp chirp.
“!”
The moment Reina felt the morning sun shining before her eyes along with the birdsong, she reflexively bolted upright.
Morning!
‘I overslept!’
Arthur, who had been drawing back the curtains by the window, turned toward her with a puzzled look at the sudden commotion on the bed.
Their eyes met.
“…….”
His sculpted face bathed in the morning sun was dazzling.
Arthur gave a slight smile.
“Good morning.”
Reina replied in a dazed manner.
“G-Good… morning… Sir Arthur…”
Then it hit her.
Right. I’m not a maid anymore.
There was no need to leap up in panic like that.
Still dazed, Reina pressed her sweaty forehead, trying to calm her startled heart.
I am now Miss Christina.
And today marked the third day since she had seen him again.
Whoosh…
Arthur drew open the curtains, flooding the room with sunlight.
“You wake up quite spiritedly. I wish my soldiers would take example.”
“…….”
Too late, embarrassment flushed her cheeks crimson.
Unable to utter a word, Reina awkwardly smoothed her tousled bangs with a sheepish expression.
Arthur turned toward her with another faint smile.
“Did you have a pleasant dream?”
A pleasant dream.
At that question, Reina’s face turned as red as a tomato.
“Y-Yes?!”
She blurted out in alarm, her voice shrill like a scream.
She stammered as if she had committed a crime.
“?”
Taken aback by her unexpectedly intense reaction, Arthur paused and stared at her blankly.
“…I don’t think I said anything that shocking.”
He was right.
As Arthur spoke those words with his composed face, the dream from last night overlaid his image.
Flustered, Reina hastily lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.
Her face burned hot.
Cold sweat broke out, and her fingertips curled inward.
Last night, upon waking from that dream, she hadn’t been this embarrassed.
It was entirely different—stealing a glance at his sleeping face alone versus meeting his eyes directly.
The wild dream from last night and its lingering sensations vividly resurfaced.
She felt so ashamed she could die.
It was as if her thoughts might be exposed at any moment.
“?”
Arthur tilted his head, watching Reina.
Her face was nearly covered by the hair that had slipped forward as she bowed her head, yet her ears, neck, shoulders, and even arms were flushed bright red through the strands of golden hair.
Teasingly, Arthur chuckled.
“Why so red? Did you have some… lewd dream?”
“……!”
Reina’s shoulders visibly flinched.
Then, as if she’d heard something utterly scandalous from a rogue, she stared at Arthur in dismay.
“…….”
Arthur fell silent.
It had been a joke, but her reaction wasn’t joking at all.
Frowning slightly with an awkward smile, he muttered,
“…What? Seriously? Your husband returns after five years, you keep him celibate, and you’re the one having lewd dreams alone?”
“!”
Scarlet-faced and utterly mortified, Reina avoided Arthur’s gaze.
She clutched the sheets tightly, lips pressed shut, until tears of unbearable shame finally gathered at the corners of her eyes.
Unable to speak, Reina trembled with tearful, crimson eyes.
“…….”
Arthur hesitated, then sighed and sat down beside her, leaving a small distance between them.
He stared at Reina with an unreadable expression.
He opened his mouth as if to ask something—
Then simply closed it again.
With a bitter, oddly irritated smile, he turned his gaze away.
But Reina, head bowed in utter despair, didn’t see any of it.
[This is the timeline separator]“…Sir Arthur and the young lady have awakened. I sent up their washbasin a moment ago. Shall I ask if they’d like to take breakfast together in the dining room?”
The Marquis rubbed his brow and waved his hand dismissively.
“No. Either have it sent to a different dining room or bring their meals directly to their chamber. We have an appointment.”
They had a separate breakfast engagement with representatives from major trading companies—Lord Rembrandt himself had been invited.
Since the ‘Arthur Special’ brought unprecedented prosperity to Julius, every single appointment had become critically important.
After Arthur’s return, who Julius chose to invite—and when—had become a key measure of that person’s standing.
Merchants of note and high-ranking nobles were competing fiercely over how soon after Arthur’s return they received Julius’s invitation, eagerly awaiting the verdict on their worth in his eyes.
Especially the heads of major trading companies engaged in intense, behind-the-scenes maneuvering, vying desperately for an early invitation from Julius.
Everyone universally accepted that the ‘first’ invitation from Julius would go to the Imperial Palace—specifically, to Lord Rembrandt.
Thus, being second or third would be ideal. If not, then securing a place within the top ten was absolutely essential.
They tried to predict which ‘number’ their company would hold in Julius’s ranking,
and proposed outrageously favorable terms just to secure even one day earlier for a meeting, lest they miss any chance to climb higher.
For Julius, who needed to strike while the iron was hot during the ‘Arthur Special’ boom, this meant he had no choice but to accept all these generous offers with open arms, resulting in a suffocatingly packed schedule.
That was precisely why Julius’s days were completely filled—from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to afternoon tea and evening parties.
“Damn it! I don’t even have time to see Arthur.”
“It’s fine. You did promise to stay quiet as long as you held onto that girl. Smile. We absolutely must secure a contract with the Lernahe Trading Company if we’re to compete against Grand Duke Meyers.”
Most merchants wanted to meet both ‘Arthur’ and ‘Christina’ together, hoping to earn the title of ‘the merchant Julius allowed to meet Arthur and Christina.’ But the Marquis granted no one that privilege.
To be precise, he simply couldn’t.
The Marquis and Marchioness Julius repeatedly evaded requests with practiced smiles, claiming Arthur still wanted rest and hadn’t scheduled meetings yet, or that Christina was attentively caring for her returned husband so he could comfortably settle back in,
saying that leaving some anticipation behind would make the next joyful meeting all the more special—and that they’d surely arrange an opportunity later.
Instead, for truly crucial meetings, they asked Lord Rembrandt to join them.
This was the couple’s best possible compromise, since they couldn’t present Arthur and Christina directly.
“Bloody hell.”
After the maid stepped back, the Marquis gritted out through clenched teeth, his eyes blazing.
“That damn brat isn’t getting mixed up with that maid girl, is he? If Christina hasn’t even had a chance to do anything, and that child ends up with a bastard…”
The Marchioness cut him off coldly.
“I’ve already taken care of that, so stop worrying. And control your expression.”
The Marquis ground his teeth.
“That mad girl Christina, in the middle of all this…!”
His words trailed off mid-sentence.
Smiling broadly, the Marquis and Marchioness welcomed the arriving trading company representatives and Lord Rembrandt into the dining room.
[This is the timeline separator]“Shall you take breakfast in the dining room?”
“No. Bring it here.”
“Yes, sir.”
The maids exchanged glances, then asked Reina.
“Young lady, shall we help you change your clothes?”
Relieved as if rescued, Reina quickly nodded.
“Yes, please. Could you also style my hair? And makeup, if it’s alright.”
All hesitation about playing the part of a noble young lady vanished in the face of sheer embarrassment.
It might seem brazen to command others so soon after arriving here, but that paled in comparison to the difficulty of being alone with Arthur.
Reina’s cheeks were still flushed.
She couldn’t bear to look directly at him.
How absurd was this?
If the mood settled even slightly, she’d burst into tears,
and while he accused her of forcing celibacy on her husband, he himself was the one having such dreams.
Please, don’t let him find out.
His mere presence in this room was three times more intense than her darkest nightmare.
Reina stiffly avoided Arthur’s gaze.
“…….”
The two maids simply looked at each other, utterly bewildered.
Arthur, looking aggrieved, watched her for a moment before reluctantly stepping back.
[This is the timeline separator]“Would hibiscus be acceptable?”
It was a familiar question.
After all, Reina herself had asked the young lady the very same thing not long ago.
“…….”
Recalling how Christina had answered, Reina pointed to a different scented oil with her fingertip.
“Yes, then I’ll prepare peony for you.”
After dressing her, Brody went downstairs to fetch breakfast, while Marina, who remained, began brushing Reina’s hair with the scented oil.
A fresh, youthful fragrance filled the room, and Reina’s hair gleamed with a moist, luminous sheen.
Her previously dry, brittle strands now flowed down, shimmering and supple as if by magic.
Not spending too much time on her hair, Marina picked up tools from the vanity.
With a few light strokes, she combed and neatly shaped Reina’s brows, transforming her formerly hazy, droopy expression into something crisp and defined.
A simple base—lightly patted onto her face—evened out her skin tone. A few deft brushstrokes added dimension to her features.
With just a few gentle, tickling sweeps over her eyelids, her eyes appeared astonishingly deep and vivid.
Finally, a touch of pink floral tint on her lips added a luxurious vitality to her previously dull appearance.
Reina stared blankly at her changing reflection under Marina’s skilled hands.
Her plain, unadorned face had become unrecognizable.
None of it looked difficult, nor did it take long—
Only now did Reina recall hearing that Christina’s makeup was handled by a black-haired maid.
“…….”
Until now, swept along in chaos and confusion, she’d never had a chance to calmly observe herself like this.
Looking at the unfamiliar face in the mirror, she finally understood why Madam and Mrs. Hurst had chosen her as Miss Christina’s impersonator.
She resembled Miss Christina.
Undeniably so.
With her hair styled and makeup applied, Reina looked startlingly similar to the young lady—even to herself.
Anyone who didn’t already know her, or lacked particularly sharp eyesight, would likely fail to tell them apart at a glance.
“…….”
Reina was bewildered.
‘How did Sir Arthur… recognize right away that I wasn’t Miss Christina?’
Five years ago, he’d only seen her briefly, and that too in the darkness.
[This is the timeline separator]By the time Marina had finished styling Reina, Brody arrived pushing an antique three-tiered trolley loaded with breakfast.
Brody and Marina spread a tablecloth over the large round table in the bridal chamber and meticulously arranged the dishes and utensils.
The meal setup was quickly completed.
“Please enjoy your meal comfortably.”
“If you need anything, just call for us.”
As they moved to leave—
Reina, still unprepared to be alone with Arthur, hastily grabbed the maids.
“Let’s eat together.”
“…Pardon?”
Marina and Brody, caught off guard, echoed in confusion.
Reina quickly turned to Arthur and asked,
“Sir Arthur, there’s so much food… May I share the meal with them?”
“…….”
Remembering how Christina once used the same excuse to dine with him in front of the Marchioness, she quickly added,
“They’ve taken such good care of me. I’d like to look after them too.”
“…….”
Arthur, who had been leaning against the desk with arms crossed, narrowed his eyes slightly with a faint smile.
He was smiling, yet his displeasure was unmistakable.
The two maids nervously exchanged uneasy glances.
‘Does anyone even need to ask? He clearly doesn’t approve…’
Without answering, Arthur wordlessly took out a cigar and lit it.
“…….”
After exhaling a puff of smoke,
he finally spoke.
“Does my wife dislike being alone with me?”
“…….”
Thud.
The maids froze, utterly unsure what to do.
Reina hurriedly tried to fix it.
“N-No, it’s not like that—”
Arthur exhaled another plume of smoke and gestured to the maids.
“Sit. But only until the meal ends.”
“…….”
The atmosphere grew unbearably tense.
It felt as if he were saying: Eat quickly and get out.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Chapter Comments (35)
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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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