The Maid's Contract Marriage - Chapter 15

“How have you been? For five years.”

Reina awkwardly answered about young lady Christina’s daily routine.

“Just… I’ve been well.”

“…”

“On weekdays I spent time at home with family… On weekends I went to the temple for mass. …I prayed for your safe return… for the war to end quickly.”

Avoiding Arthur’s gaze, Reina stammered her reply while staring only at the teacup on the table he had pushed towards her.

He said “I see.” and didn’t ask anything more.

After some silence, he spoke again.

“Don’t you have anything you’re curious about?”

Reina quietly raised her eyes from the teacup to look at him.

“…”

As she took in the sight of him smoking a cigar, blending into the scene before her like an everyday occurrence, her mouth moved before she could even think.

As if she had wanted to ask it for a long time, it was a question pushed up from her heart.

“…How have you been?”

However, she realized she had simply returned Arthur’s question in an ordinary way.

Her face flushed.

She thought it was too careless a question.

While I’ve just been at the mansion, he’s a person who’s come back from war.

Reina hastily lowered her gaze and added.

“…Are you injured anywhere?”

Arthur laughed quietly and briefly.

“…”

And with a smile remaining on his face, he puffed on his cigar and answered.

“I got ordinarily injured and healed. Right now there’s nothing particularly uncomfortable.”

“…”

The cigarette ember quietly burned at the tip of the cigar.

Arthur deeply inhaled the cigar smoke, then stubbed it out in the ashtray and said.

“Do you know Lord Rembrandt?”

“…”

At the sudden mention of the royal guest’s name, Reina’s face stiffened slightly.

Lord Rembrandt…

The envoy sent by the royal family who arrived about two weeks ago and started staying at the mansion.

I heard he visited here with about a dozen attendants, and is painting a portrait of the Margrave who became the Grand Duke.

The Empress’s brother’s son?

I heard he was a very high-ranking nobleman, but not someone Reina would have occasion to meet.

Once I happened to come across one of his attendants sitting on a bench near the annex, and I bought a royal newsletter…

“…”

The young lady didn’t have any interactions with Lord Rembrandt either, right?

Reina wondered if “Christina” had ever met Rembrandt.

Christina was not someone who would meet guests of noble status even if they came to the mansion.

So if the two had met, it would have become a topic of conversation long ago.

The Margrave and Madam always carefully hid the young lady so that important guests could not meet her directly.

They would only cunningly arrange for guests to see the young lady’s “appearance” from a distance.

The young lady was very beautiful, but she could never be called a sociable and gentle lady.

Reina internally concluded that the young lady likely had no interaction with Lord Rembrandt and said.

“…You mean the nobleman sent by the royal family? I know he’s here. But I’ve only heard his name, and haven’t seen him up close.”

Arthur’s silver-gray eyes looked at her.

Reina smiled awkwardly.

“Especially avoid appearing before ‘Lord Rembrandt’ no matter what excuse you make. You know the royal guest staying at the mansion, right? If you show your face to that person, things will get complicated. Make an appropriate excuse that you’re not feeling well, or that you don’t want to meet men other than your husband.”

Reina anxiously thought of excuses to refuse.

I can’t say I’m planning to be sick that day already…

Saying I don’t want to meet men other than my husband… but it’s at my husband’s suggestion?

I didn’t want to say nonsense like wanting to be alone with Arthur again and shock him.

Is the only option to say I understand for now, then suddenly fall ill when the time comes?

Her heart tightened at the thought of telling such an obvious lie.

“…”

Until then, she thought that would be all the mental energy she’d need to use that day.

Until Arthur opened his mouth again.

“What about Taylor Lorenson?”

Thump.

Her heart sank.

Her face stiffened at a speed incomparable to when she heard the name “Rembrandt”.

That was the name of the person she was promised in exchange for bringing his weakness.

What does he mean by asking that?

How can he ask at this timing?

Does he know something?

Reina broke out in a cold sweat while unable to take her eyes off him.

The back of her neck felt chilly.

Although she hadn’t yet done any spying activities to harm him,

Just by accepting that order hoping for her grandmother’s care, Reina couldn’t be confident in front of Arthur.

Reina barely managed to answer from “Christina’s” perspective.

“You mean… Dr. Lorenson’s son?”

Her heart pounded heavily.

Her hands trembled as she gripped her skirt.

“Since Dr. Lorenson is the one who takes care of me… I don’t know much… I’ve heard he’s a capable doctor. …Why do you ask?”

By speaking very slowly, she barely managed not to stammer.

I hope my voice didn’t sound too strange?

While waiting for Arthur’s response, Reina thought her heartbeat might reach Arthur.

“…”

Arthur, who had been staring intently at Reina, lowered his gaze with a faint smile.

And he took out a new cigar and put it in his mouth.

“…?”

Reina blinked, momentarily holding her breath.

Suddenly, the chilling sensation that seemed to fill the air disappeared.

“…”

Arthur lit the new cigar, hiding the cold smile on his lips.

And sending cigar smoke on a light exhale, he said.

“It’s nothing.”

“Pardon?”

Reina quickly looked up at him.

“I’ll have them bring the meal.”

Arthur’s voice addressing her was as gentle as ever, smiling softly.

“…”

Reina hesitated.

For a moment, Reina was overwhelmed by the urge to grab him and ask what he was about to say just now.

But what if his question about Taylor was related to the fact that I’m not really young lady Christina?

“In front of Arthur, be thoroughly Christina.”

“…”

Feeling the voice putting shackles on her mouth, Reina bit her lip and lowered her head.

Arthur spoke again.

“Lord Rembrandt said you are extremely virtuous.”

Reina lifted her head.

“…Pardon?”

Arthur continued calmly.

“That you’re someone who can only be met at the temple’s victory prayer mass. He praised your fidelity in not interacting with others at all, waiting for your husband who went to war.”

“…”

Arthur smiled at Reina.

“Thank you.”

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His hand interlocked with Reina’s, pressing it down on the bed.

Reina responded without saying anything.

Blue moonlight cutting through the darkness.

Pearly moonlight shattered on her moist body.

He moved silently, overwhelming her,

And Reina crumbled beneath him like five years ago.

“Arthur.”

“Arthur.”

Calm silver-gray eyes gazed at her.

As if looking into the depths of her soul.

Dizzying breaths.

His gaze explored her without wavering for even a moment.

Reina felt completely captivated by his eyes.

Though only her hands pressed to the bed and waist were held by him,

Reina couldn’t move an inch, as if her whole body was bound.

“Ah. Ah…!”

Though she tried to hold back by biting her lips, uncontrollable sounds echoed in her throat.

Like that night five years ago when she tried but failed to suppress her voice.

He roughly increased his pace.

He poured himself over her as she writhed, shaking her head.

A chilling sensation spreading.

Amidst the rough movements, the hand pressing her body is unbelievably gentle.

Driven to the edge of a cliff.

Feeling like she’ll suffocate from the unbearable pleasure.

“Stop… Stop…!”

If only it were dreadful.

The sensation of losing herself swept through her entire body.

A feeling of being swallowed up.

The pleasure surging through her body like lightning turned her mind blank.

“Ah…! Ah!”

So hot.

So hot…

Overwhelmed by the tenderness that made her want to cry and the thrill of abandoning herself, she finally sobbed and pleaded.

“Please…!”

Reina cries out.

“You know I’m not young lady Christina, don’t you.”

Arthur, who had been thrusting his hips without a word, smiled coldly yet gently as if he knew everything.

“Did you deceive me?”

“!”

Reina jolted awake from her sleep.

Her body was drenched in sweat.

“Hah… Hah…”

An unfamiliarly soft bed.

The heavy blanket clung to her damp body.

“…”

She sensed the unfamiliar presence of a man beside her.

Reina tightly closed her eyes then opened them, holding her breath.

No… Don’t make a sound.

I don’t want to wake him.

“…”

Desperately steadying her breath, Reina tried to calm her anxious heart.

Her throat felt choked as if she had been crying for a long time.

She felt dejected and empty.

Fearful yet sad.

She herself couldn’t understand what this emotion was.

Reina covered her eyes with the back of her hand.

Soon the trembling subsided, and on the bed where even the slightest movement had ceased, Reina listened for Arthur.

“…”

His breathing was calm.

‘He sleeps quietly…’

Reina carefully shifted her gaze to the side without making a sound, quietly observing him as he slept.

“…”

Moonlight shattered on his nose bridge and eyelashes.

He was beautiful.

“…”

Reina gazed at him endlessly.

As if finally taking in the sight she had been too afraid to look at directly, only able to do so now that he was asleep.

“…”

Reina asked him a question in her heart.

‘…How have you been?’

“…”

Reina quietly continued her inner monologue.

‘I’ve actually been busy without a moment’s rest. That’s how a maid’s life is, you know.’

“…”

Especially this past month has been extremely busy. The madam worked us to the bone because you were coming back.

“…”

For five years I’ve been busy as an ordinary maid, and occasionally spent time with my grandmother at home.

I only go home occasionally, you see…

“…”

I occasionally bought and collected newsletters with news of you.

…Actually, not just occasionally, but very diligently.

I also consistently donated to the temple to receive their newsletter without fail,

And whenever the Margrave read and discarded a newsletter, I always volunteered to clean that room to try to get it.

When I was late and missed out on sold-out newsletters I had to line up for, I even dug through trash cans in the square to find them.

For hard-to-get newsletters, I’d go to great lengths to find them.

Sometimes paying extra to obtain them.

Occasionally when I saw someone with a rare newsletter I hadn’t seen before, I’d wait for them to finish reading and approach them…

So, I have quite a collection of rare newsletters.

“…”

…I didn’t mean anything by it.

I just felt proud somehow that you were doing well, soaring in a distant world.

But you must have had a hard time, right?

Since you went to dangerous places…

“…”

How was it for you?

How… have you been?

“…”

Reina gazed at him endlessly,

Then quietly turned her head towards 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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