The Maid's Contract Marriage - Chapter 2
The glass ashtray that hit Reina’s head and rolled on the floor stopped after hitting the wall.
Unconsciously trying not to touch her bleeding head, Reina composed herself and bowed as if nothing had happened.
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
Fortunately, her voice came out calmly.
A gentle voice sounded from the front.
“You’re late. What were you doing to arrive just now?”
For Reina, she had come as soon as she heard she was being called, but it was nonsense to argue.
Reina bowed her head towards the silhouette of the young lady with long hair cascading in the darkness.
“I’m sorry.”
Thankfully, Madam Hurst added a brief excuse.
“The Madam was giving a lecture.”
The young lady laughed.
“Oh, is that so? You should have said that earlier.”
You should have given me a chance to speak.
That’s just a thought.
Her mouth faithfully answers.
“I’m sorry.”
Drip. A drop of blood that had formed on her chin fell down.
The young lady crossed her long legs and looked at Reina through the mirror.
“Pick it up.”
Reina quickly picked up the ashtray that had stopped near the wall and approached Christina.
After confirming there was no blood on it, she bowed her head and held out the ashtray with both hands, but Christina clicked her tongue and gestured to another place with her chin.
Turning her head to where she pointed, Reina finally noticed the comb that had fallen on the floor.
After returning the ashtray to the table beside Christina, Reina promptly turned and picked up the comb.
While turned away, she discreetly wiped the blood flowing from her forehead with the black part of her sleeve.
Reina approached Christina again and respectfully held out the comb with both hands.
But Christina didn’t take it, silently looking at the outstretched comb before raising her eyes to look at Reina.
Under the soft light cast by high-quality beeswax candles, the noble young lady’s beautiful appearance entered Reina’s eyes.
“……”
Flawless, transparent skin. Hair rippling with dazzling golden light.
Mysterious emerald eyes like newborn green leaves soaking in sunlight, with long eyelashes cast over them.
Closed red lips that very rarely held a faint smile.
It was a face that was truly beautiful, and also looked extremely sensitive.
“……”
How did the Madam and Madam Hurst think to make me a stand-in for someone like this?
Among the maids, Reina was called a beauty, but she was a rough young lady with no trace of such delicate and refined qualities.
“……”
Christina, who had been looking up at Reina, turned her gaze to the mirror and spoke coldly.
“We’ll talk alone.”
Madam Hurst said “Yes,” bowed, and disappeared out the door.
Until then, Christina had been silently staring at the mirror.
A suffocating atmosphere.
Only after some time had passed since the head maid’s fading footsteps disappeared did Christina open her mouth.
“Brush my hair.”
Reina answered “Yes,” then withdrew her hand that had been holding out the comb and moved behind Christina.
And as she pulled Christina’s lush hair out over the back of the chair, she adjusted her grip on the comb.
The golden hair flowed through Reina’s fingers like silk threads.
The glass ashtray on the table refracted the candlelight, casting sharp patterns above it.
Five years ago.
The image of seventeen-year-old Christina causing a disturbance in this very spot, refusing marriage, overlapped with her current appearance.
…Back then, it was the Marquis who threw the ashtray at the young lady.
Come to think of it, I was the one who took that ashtray hit in her place back then.
Well, it’s not something anyone remembers.
“…Would hibiscus be alright?”
Christina silently pointed to another perfume oil on the dressing table with her fingertip. It was anemone.
Reina picked it up.
Starting from the bottom, slowly, careful not to let the comb pull her hair.
Reina began to gently smooth and comb down her hair, applying the slightly warmed perfume oil to her fingertips.
The hair glistened where her fingers passed once, then the comb once.
In between, the young lady’s dry voice flowed out.
“What kind of person was your husband?”
“……”
Reina’s gaze lingered on Christina’s reflection in the mirror.
Without looking at Reina, Christina continued speaking while looking at the dried flowers on the dressing table.
“I called you because I want to hear about it.”
“……”
…Husband.
Reina’s memory, standing still holding the comb, traveled back to that past from long ago.
·
·
·
“If anyone has reason why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”
“In joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, not only in youth but also in old age…”
“Until death do you part…”
“Do you take each other as husband and wife, to serve and cherish and love one another?”
“……”
“Please sign the marriage certificate.”
·
·
·
The night she trembled in fear, clutching the veil.
As if hoping the darkness would conceal the fake bride’s face even a little, only a single candle was lit in the quiet bridal chamber.
Recalling Madam Hurst’s words not to remove the veil until the candlelight was completely extinguished,
Reina gripped the veil tightly with both hands until they turned pale white.
“……”
If it were Lady Christina, she wouldn’t be trembling like this.
She wanted to feign composure, thinking her excessive shaking might look suspicious, but it wasn’t easy.
“……”
Reina tried to forget her fear by thinking of the reason she had come here.
Her grandmother was on the brink of death after rushing into a burning house to rescue the collapsed Reina.
The Julius family offered a large sum for treatment costs and sent their family doctor to her grandmother in exchange for this night.
Reina was willing to do anything if it meant saving her grandmother.
“…Are you afraid?”
Reina flinched at the man’s voice coming from the darkness.
The man, faintly visible through the veil, looked at Reina for a moment, then seemed to smirk before indifferently turning his head away.
“…What a foolish question.”
“……”
Fortunately, to the eyes of someone who knew neither the young lady’s face nor personality, Reina seemed to just be ordinarily fearful of her wedding night.
Under the faintly flickering candlelight.
In Reina’s heart were both the hope that he wouldn’t recognize her and everything would pass safely,
And the hope that he would realize she wasn’t the “Marquis’ daughter” and storm out of the room in anger.
Reina shut her eyes tightly and tried to think only of her beloved grandmother.
He, who had been silently quiet, opened his mouth again after a while.
“…If you’re willing.”
His low voice continued quietly after a short pause.
“I can’t delay any longer.”
“I wish I could wait longer, but…”
“The night is short, and I’m out of time…”
Reina was silent.
After removing a few heavy decorations and accessories from his ceremonial attire and placing them on the table, he approached.
Standing before the trembling Reina, he looked down at her for a moment.
“This night will be a bit more difficult for you…”
“I’ll try my best, but you’ll have to endure it, I’m afraid.”
“…Please bear with it.”
“I’m sorry in advance.”
That was a bit unexpected, it seemed.
Reina looked up at him for the first time.
“……”
A tall physique with a sculpted face.
Mysterious gray eyes held the quietly burning light.
He was a man reminiscent of a winter wolf in the snow.
“…My introduction is late.”
“My name is ‘Arthur’.”
“…You saw it when signing the certificate earlier.”
As if all this was ridiculous, he slightly bowed his head with a faint smile.
“I am to be your husband.”
Was it meant as a joke?
Or did he want an obvious and mundane introduction?
“……”
Reina couldn’t say anything.
It wasn’t just because of fear.
It would be better… not to let him hear her voice if possible.
Seemingly not disappointed by Reina’s lack of response, he calmly spoke for her instead.
“…You don’t have to say your name.”
“……”
The candle went out.
With a soft thud,
The veil fell limply at his touch.
Feeling his cool hand on the nape of her neck,
Reina closed her eyes.
·
·
·
She thought it would be terribly awful.
It’ll be over in one night, it’s nothing, no one pays such a high price for a maid’s first night.
She tried to comfort herself,
But deep in her heart, she thought she would feel miserable, ashamed, and violated.
However, he was courteous and considerate of Reina at every moment.
So this is how a lady like Lady Christina is treated so preciously.
To the point where she felt like she had caught a glimpse of a new world she didn’t know.
It wasn’t that it wasn’t difficult.
But he treated her so respectfully that it made him feel guilty.
…Thanks to that, no great wound was left in Reina’s heart.
·
·
·
“……”
Returning to reality, Reina gently moved her hand that had paused, combing the young lady’s hair a couple of times as she opened her mouth.
“He was…”
After a brief pause, Reina continued.
“Quite handsome.”
“……”
At the deflating answer, Christina, who had been sitting like a statue, coldly glared at Reina in the mirror.
It was a cold look that seemed to say, ‘You think I called you to hear that kind of talk?’
Reina met Christina’s face in the mirror with a faint smile.
“…Don’t worry too much. He wasn’t such a bad person.”
“……”
Christina didn’t answer.
Reina continued brushing gently, very softly, as she began her story.
* * *
After her time with Christina ended.
Madam Hurst, who had been waiting outside the door, called Reina aside to confirm that her guess was correct.
Along with that was the promise to double her wages if she kept her mouth shut to others and quietly left the mansion to hide for a while.
What she didn’t expect was the addition that they would extend the care for Reina’s grandmother, which was originally promised only until this year, for five more years.
Surprised, Reina opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Thank you… Thank you!”
With a face full of emotion, Reina bowed her head several times to Madam Hurst before happily retreating in front of Christina’s closed bedroom door.
* * *
It was near dawn when Reina returned to the maid’s attic.
The time when all the maids, who had barely gotten a wink of sleep coming in at dawn, would have woken up again and gone out to work.
A small ray of sunlight was just beginning to enter through the narrow attic window that always let in drafts.
Leaning against the closed door, Reina smiled after confirming she was alone in the attic.
“Yawwwn…”
Then, raising her arms behind her back to stretch, she let out a long yawn and moved towards her bed.
Getting paid double without even working… It was an unexpected windfall.
The people taking care of her grandmother were only supposed to do so until this year, but now they would care for her for five more years.
Although she had made various preparations in case the support was cut off, this gave her much more leeway.
Perhaps she could soon look for an old house by the sea with the money she had saved up.
‘I should go see grandmother tomorrow.’
After thinking that, she changed her plan to rest well for a day before going.
Her tired body, which hadn’t been able to lie down properly for even five hours in two days, was being pulled by the bed.
Thinking she should catch a quick nap before the maids returned, Reina rubbed her sore eyes.
…Would leaving for about a month be enough?
Since she didn’t have much luggage anyway…
‘I’ll pack the things to take home and then rest.’
Reina crouched in front of her bed and began organizing her belongings.
Thud―.
As she was organizing her few belongings, her hand brushed against the document box, causing the lid to shift slightly open.
Reina’s gaze stopped on the scrapbooks peeking out through that gap.
“……”
Newsletters yellowed with the passage of years piled up layer by layer.
Gently touching those old, soft corners with her hand, counting the time embedded in them, Reina smiled.
My one-night husband.
I really resented you during that month of grueling cleaning, but now I’m happy thanks to you.
I’ll gratefully accept your last gift.
I hope you’ll be happy when you return.
Your former wife.
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.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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