The Price is Everything of Yours (76 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 10
Pale blue summer skies carried flocks of clouds.
The stone wall, bleached by white sunlight, had long worn down with age and no longer conveyed its former grandeur—but it still served its function as a barrier without issue.
Cledwin walked lightly down the path lined by the stone wall, where stiff summer grasses brushed against his head. His black hair gleamed with a bluish sheen, appearing as cold as steel despite the heat of summer.
His fine white linen shirt fluttered brightly in the sunlight and breeze, radiating a refreshing aura as though untouched by the sweltering weather.
At the end of the wall stood the Zacharia Library, silent as ever. The librarian was away at this hour. Cledwin ascended unhesitatingly to the top floor and moved toward a pillar near the fourth bookshelf in the reading room.
The chair was empty—as it always had been, as far as he knew.
Well, almost always now.
Cledwin reached out toward the chair but did not sit. Instead, he channeled mana into the carving on its armrest.
Creeeak. A faint mechanical sound, barely audible even to trained ears, echoed softly. Cledwin leaned his back against the pillar.
Soon, a frivolous voice emerged from within the pillar—so quiet only he could hear it.
“Too loud.”
The voice from within the pillar burst into laughter. Cledwin asked coldly,
“What did I ask you to check?”
“What?”
Cledwin raised one eyebrow. A strange smile appeared on his handsome, youthful face.
“So you’re saying it was coincidence that someone found that place?”
When his father had died, he had just enrolled as a freshman at the academy.
The Emperor surely must have rejoiced. If the young heir of a Grand Ducal House were to “accidentally” perish, it would be like a pumpkin rolling straight into his lap.
The thorn in his side, Maindlant, would suddenly seem like easy plunder.
Yet, years later, Cledwin Maindlant still lived—having personally ended countless “accidental” threats.
When he learned someone had entered the spot where he and his men exchanged coded messages, Cledwin naturally assumed it was the Emperor’s spy.
So he deliberately drew his sword to intimidate them, expecting a spy to react within predictable bounds.
But the culprit defied his expectations in every way. First, they showed no signs of training—and seemed even more startled by Cledwin’s sudden appearance than he was.
Yet those eyes soon turned icy, glaring at him with unwavering focus.
Those eyes.
Calm violet eyes that belonged not to a twelve-year-old child but to someone weathered by life’s trials. Cledwin carefully retraced his conversation with the child—and found himself smiling unconsciously.
An amusing new element had joined the school.
[This is the timeline separator]As the first week of cautious mutual probing drew to a close, the freshmen began tentatively hosting parties.
Noble Academy parties came in two main types: those organized by the student council, and those hosted by students themselves.
The former were official events; any student within the council’s designated scope could attend freely. The latter resembled high-society gatherings—only those invited by the host, bearing invitations bearing their family name, could attend as representatives of their house.
Children from wealthy, high-ranking families received invitations to most parties, while those from poorer backgrounds or with parents of lower nobility were invited to far fewer.
The freshmen quickly took pleasure in critiquing, like adults, whose parties were breathtakingly refined and whose had embarrassing missteps.
In that regard, Diane MacKinnon’s pajama party was flawless.
Perhaps because it was an informal gathering, the children forgot their critical impulses, losing themselves in toys or giggling through pillow fights.
Since Diane’s dormitory occupied an entire mansion, there was no need to worry—as in typical pajama parties—about disturbing neighbors’ sleep.
Yet keen-eyed guests noticed that the pillows and bed linens Diane had prepared for the occasion were all top-grade imported linen, that the servants attending the students were exceptionally courteous, and that the snacks—provided for anyone who grew hungry—were lavishly made with ingredients as precious as gold.
“Amazing, Diane! Thank you for inviting me.”
Alecto Islani, already known among peers for her wit, spoke admiringly.
“I should thank you for coming. If anything bothers you at the party, just tell Betty.”
Diane sat like a grown woman, wearing sky-blue silk robes heavily trimmed with lace over snow-white linen pajamas. Nearly all the freshmen attended tonight’s party, and Diane’s nightwear stood out immediately as exceptionally luxurious.
Even her maid Betty wore fine-quality garments, looking more like a knight’s lady than a servant. Since servants typically wore clothes provided by their master’s household, the children deduced the MacKinnons’ wealth and couldn’t hide their envy.
Neris sat silently beside Diane, observing the party’s atmosphere.
She felt strangely unsettled. In her past life, after becoming House Elantria’s adopted daughter, she’d received many party invitations—but never truly felt welcome.
Even at the graduation ball everyone looked forward to, she’d been left with nothing but horrific memories. Yet today, Diane had repeatedly urged Neris to “come early” and “stay right beside me.”
As Alecto left to join her friends, Diane instantly turned her head and asked Neris sweetly,
“Liz, is there anything you’d like to eat? I had them prepare lots of things you can’t get in the school dining hall. There are cookies with rose jam, almonds dipped in chocolate… Should I have them bring you warm milk with honey?”
Though the school’s meals were quite decent, they inevitably had limitations. Neris, having often gone hungry even as crown princess due to her husband’s whims, never fussed over food—but children accustomed to meals tailored precisely to their tastes frequently complained.
Still, even the pickiest child would find it hard to fault the fare provided today by the MacKinnon heiress.
“I’ve eaten plenty. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
Neris replied with impeccable manners. Just then, Angharad Nain, who had been watching them shyly from nearby, approached.
“Um… thank you for inviting me to the party, Diane. Nel… um… your hair looks really pretty today.”
Angharad kept shortening Neris’s name to “Nel,” trying in her own way to appear close to her.
Neris’s platinum blonde hair, though cared for by no attendant, was famed for its angelic luster—and today, styled in an especially charming half-updo, it truly deserved the praise.
“Thank you. Yours looks lovely too.”
Neris answered with fluent, melodious speech that made listeners lose themselves without realizing it.
Angharad wore a cream satin ribbon currently fashionable in high society. In her past life, during her original school days, Neris had heard Angharad boast about this very ribbon.
Baron Nain, wanting to ensure his daughter wouldn’t be outshone at the academy, had bought it from a famous haute couture house in the capital and gifted it to her.
‘What’s with her?’
Meanwhile, Diane—the very host who’d just received thanks—looked distinctly displeased.
She knew Neris disliked being called “Nel,” yet Angharad acted as though they were old friends and seemed oblivious to this.
When neither Diane nor Neris showed her much interest, Angharad slumped and went to mingle with other children.
The lower nobles had already held a couple of gatherings among themselves, and Angharad—thanks to her rather cute appearance—had recently made several friendly acquaintances.
The moment Angharad left, Diane instantly softened and spoke gently to Neris,
“I have a card game I really like. Shall we play together, okay?”
“Sure. How many players?”
“Just two!”
The MacKinnon household staff, who had advised their young mistress to invite everyone and worked tirelessly to prepare for tonight’s party, exchanged uneasy glances among themselves.
Good manners dictated that a host show equal attention to all guests. Though this “Neris” miss was graceful and intelligent—likely a positive influence on Miss Diane—the art of high society favored broader connections.
Just then, a servant carrying lavender-infused drinks collided with a partygoer dashing about recklessly.
Though still a child, the twelve-year-old had charged in full force; the servant stumbled, nearly losing balance. Fortunately, he didn’t fall—but several drink glasses he carried spilled.
The child who’d bumped into him shrieked as icy, sticky liquid drenched them.
“Ah! It’s cold!”
“My deepest apologies, miss! Truly sorry!”
“Hahaha! Joan’s soaked through!”
Laughter erupted around them. A personal maid quickly arrived to change the thoroughly drenched child’s clothes.
A few others nearby were also splashed, though less severely—and those with only minor wet spots simply continued enjoying the party.
Neris, glancing at Angharad’s half-soaked ribbon, suddenly brightened.
[This is the timeline separator]Neris reached into her bag—and abruptly froze.
A rustling sound, thin and light yet stiffly dry. Having experienced this before, she immediately recognized the texture.
“What’s wrong?”
Diane, unpacking her own bag beside her, tilted her head curiously. Neris replied casually,
“Nothing at all.”
She wasn’t even offended—it was a prank she’d endured every few days in her past life.
In fact, this “dry” sort was preferable. Better than a dead mouse—much better than a live one.
Still, despite causing minimal disgust, it left her with an odd feeling.
Who had placed dead spiders in her bag? And not just one or two, it seemed.
Among this year’s freshmen, several would already relish doing such a thing—especially Megara and her followers.
Yet only a few possessed both the initiative and stomach to procure such “disgusting” creatures personally.
Neris mentally listed a few suspects. Could the culprit be a boy?
Young boys often delighted in seeing others startled, even without deep grudges. Neris, who had frequently been their target, had always loathed their conscienceless antics—but in the past, she’d been powerless to stop them.
Now… fortunately, she had far better options than tearfully pleading injustice.
The freshmen chattered brightly about the weekend’s enjoyable party while awaiting their teacher. Then a cautious voice beside her spoke to Neris.
“Nel, why did you stop when you reached into your bag earlier?”
Angharad Nain. Seeing her once again approach without reading the room, Diane’s patience wore thin.
‘She’s back beside us again.’
Had it not been for the lavender-scented drink staining Angharad’s ribbon at Diane’s party this weekend, Diane might have snapped rudely—“What’s it to you?”
But she still remembered that removing the drink’s color and fragrance would require special laundering.
Diane’s hesitation gave Neris ample time to study Angharad. She offered her a brighter smile than usual.
“Why do you ask?”
Angharad’s round eyes always made her seem harmless and innocent. But Neris already had a rough idea who’d done this to her bag.
Glancing sideways, she saw Megara watching this way too. When their eyes met, Megara flinched slightly—and Neris smiled at her as well. Then she waited for Angharad’s reply.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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The male lead being so proud of his wife is honestly adorable, even when he gets jealous.
And the female lead is so elegant and beautiful—I can’t wait to see this scene illustrated
Haha, did the ML really just say that to the FL? He’s so cute when he gets a little jealous.
Can’t wait for next chapter
The ML is so considerate of his wife. He treats her with so much care and gentleness, even when she doesn’t say a word—he just understands her. He’s honestly so perfect, I can’t 😭
I really hope the FL can overcome these painful feelings soon. I can’t bear to watch her suffer this much. 💔