The Savior Who Bites My Neck (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 2
There, the Asweld family’s half-penny has arrived.
Mocking laughter and scorn were clearly evident.
The words were spoken with unmistakable intent, yet the one who heard the term “half-penny” showed no strong reaction.
Despite the torrent of ridicule, Elaina merely walked on in silence, as if she didn’t care what the noble group watching her giggled and whispered—or perhaps she had simply accepted that no reply would make any difference.
“Going back to the bookshop again? You’re carrying a book.”
“Well, what else can she do? All she knows is reading. Still, it’s strange—how does she walk so well with those legs?”
“Maybe she’s just used to it. She’s been a cripple for more than ten years already.”
Elaina had two nicknames.
The Asweld family’s half-penny.
And the other: Cripple Elaina.
The latter came naturally, impossible to hide by appearance; the former was different.
“Hello, Elaina.”
A young man, whose clothes looked cheap and reeked of aristocratic excess, blocked her path.
“Where have you been?”
Elaina gave no answer. She simply stood still, gripping the book tighter in her hand.
“Let me guess. Where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing.”
The man smirked slightly, then continued in a voice that felt strangely secretive.
“I heard it from Layla. You’ve been looking for a new job lately.”
Layla.
Her half-sister’s name.
“I thought you kept wandering around with your useless body for what reason—turns out you’re seeing men? Going to the docks, where the gypsies and beggars gather.”
“…….”
“You’re selling your body there.”
The man’s words—no, Layla’s words—were a blatant lie.
Elaina had never even come close to the docks. It was too far for her injured leg.
She had never sold her body to gypsies or beggars. She wasn’t yet ready to sink that low.
The reason Layla, raised in luxury and treated with honor, concocted such an outrageous lie to crush her was surprisingly simple.
“What a waste. With that face, that figure, to be nothing but a cheap whore.”
It was because she was too beautiful.
Too bold. Beyond her station.
“After all, uneducated trash… disgusting…”
Some noble ladies listening to the man openly frowned and muttered curses.
“Did you buy this book with that money?”
The man stared at the book in Elaina’s hand and smiled.
“It’s a secondhand book, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“Well, of course. Even if you sold your body to gypsies and beggars, how much could you possibly earn?”
When no response came, the man seemed annoyed—or perhaps enraged—frowning slightly as he rummaged in his pocket.
“Is this enough?”
He shook several gold coins conspicuously.
“If you’d do it with me, you could even buy a brand-new book.”
The gold coins, gleaming in the sunlight, hovered above Elaina’s blue, empty eyes—like dead fish.
But that was all. Elaina said nothing. Did nothing.
She didn’t slap his face for the insult. Didn’t scream at him.
She simply stood, waiting for this entire situation to end as quickly as possible.
With eyes as vacant as a dead fish.
“…….”
When his mockery yielded no reaction, it was the man himself who grew embarrassed.
He muttered curses under his breath, glancing nervously at the noble group watching from afar.
“Look there, Rello.”
One of the group, apparently familiar with him, opened their lips with pity.
“Our Elaina has unusual tastes. No matter what you do, she won’t give in.”
Soon, a snickering laugh settled over the narrow alley. The man’s face reddened slightly, and finally he slipped the coins back into his pocket.
“Damn it. What a boring half-penny.”
Then, clumsily, he struck Elaina’s shoulder with all his strength and turned toward the group.
Alone, Elaina finally moved again. As if nothing had happened.
……Elaina had two nicknames.
Cripple Elaina.
And the Asweld family’s half-penny.
Never striking back, no matter what anyone said.
Even when slapped or grabbed by the hair, she merely endured.
A foolish half-penny who never fought back.
As the Asweld family’s half-penny painfully began to leave her place, only the mournful sound of her limping footsteps filled the empty alley.
[This is the timeline separator]Elaina arrived at the Asweld estate in the evening.
The moment she stepped inside, the scent of delicious food filled the air. Now that she thought of it, it was dinnertime. After walking all day, she was hungry.
Elaina followed the smell slowly toward the dining room.
There, she saw the cozy family already eating.
Her biological father, Count Melvin Asweld. Her half-sister, Layla. And Lady Melissa, the countess.
But they gave her not even a glance. As if she had never existed, they ate and conversed among themselves.
“Seems the servants have been neglecting the food lately. Is this how you roast meat?”
Hearing Melvin grumble as he cut into a steak, charred just right and oozing juices, Elaina walked calmly toward the inner part of the dining room.
There, she received a small envelope from a maid who carried a tray piled high with delicacies.
The envelope, handed to her as if it were routine, contained a few dried, shriveled pieces of bread.
This was her portion.
“Husband, we should fire the current chef and hire someone new. Probably because he’s common-born, the food just doesn’t suit my taste.”
“I agree, Mother. It tastes like garbage.”
Still, these bread pieces weren’t so bad. No mold had grown. Elaina thought to herself as she listened to her family’s conversation.
“By the way, you attended the gathering today, didn’t you? The noble ladies were in an uproar.”
“In an uproar?”
“Sinclair Butler has returned. That mad prince.”
Sinclair Butler.
Even Elaina, who had no interest in the world’s affairs, knew who he was.
The wretched Sinclair.
Once Crown Prince of the Empire, he had murdered the Emperor’s favorite concubine in broad daylight—right in the center of the imperial palace—and lost his title.
“I thought he’d finally die and stay dead. But if surviving over and over again counts as skill, then I suppose it is.”
The Emperor, desperate to rid himself of the fallen prince, had sent Sinclair to every impossible battlefield, where victory was unthinkable.
Yet Sinclair returned alive, just as Melvin described.
“That’s why he’s even more terrifying. Wasn’t it no accident he was called a lunatic? Killing the concubine like that?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that story often. Duke Dorel said he kills relentlessly on the battlefield—like a man obsessed with murder.”
Layla added.
“But what’s the problem with Sinclair returning? He’ll just be sent back to the battlefield anyway.”
“Why? The lady who attended the gathering has royal blood in her family.”
“And?”
“I heard from her that before this campaign, Sinclair dared to make a demand of His Majesty.”
Melissa murmured with a shudder.
“He said that if he wins, he wants one wish granted.”
“…….”
“It was a war started by a foreign nation, and on the day he left, His Majesty even reduced the number of soldiers accompanying him. Everyone avoids saying it outright, but His Majesty was desperate.”
The wretched prince, driven to death by his own father’s hand—what was he thinking each time he went to battle?
Perhaps, unlike others’ expectations, he thought nothing at all. It was simply too familiar. Elaina blinked quietly, clutching the envelope.
“But since he won, won’t he make his wish? His Majesty promised, so he can’t break it.”
“Is he going to demand his position as Crown Prince back?”
“Layla, even if Sinclair wins big, that will never happen. The current Crown Prince is Hester.”
Hester. The son of the concubine Sinclair murdered in broad daylight.
What wish would Sinclair ask for?
It was curious, in many ways. But it had nothing to do with her. So Elaina began to leave the dining room without hesitation.
Or rather, she tried to.
It wasn’t until a piece of meat flew through the air and struck her.
“Eat, Elaina.”
Layla laughed, tossing her half-eaten, cold piece of meat.
“If you only eat bread, you’ll ruin your health. It’ll suit your taste perfectly.”
Elaina slowly bent down, picked up the meat rolling on the floor, and placed it inside the envelope with the bread.
“Thank you, sister.”
She looked at Layla and spoke flatly.
“I’ll take care of my health.”
That was the end of their conversation. Elaina began limping away, and Layla, displeased by her reaction, muttered under her breath.
“What a stupid half-penny… Just watching her limp one leg is creepy and bizarre.”
“But don’t even think about marking her face.”
Melvin said firmly.
Of course, it wasn’t because he cared for Elaina.
“There are many who find Elaina appealing. I’m planning to marry her off to a suitable match soon. If her face is scarred, they’ll change their minds.”
It was only about selling her to an old nobleman for a high dowry.
“At least her face is still pretty. If her legs were ugly too, no one would take her.”
“What do you mean she’s still pretty?”
Layla scowled, but the count and his wife paid no attention. Layla’s hysterics were nothing new.
Soon, the count and his wife began calculating which nobleman would yield the greatest profit from marrying Elaina, while Layla popped a perfectly roasted cake into her mouth.
[This is the timeline separator]The attic of the Asweld estate.
Spiderwebs hung everywhere, untouched by cleaning, and cluttered with all manner of junk, making the air thick and stale—but this was the only space ever granted to Elaina.
Returning to her room, Elaina placed the newly purchased secondhand book beside a filthy blanket and opened the envelope given to her by the maid.
She bit into the hardened bread and shoved in the dusty meat, cutting it into manageable pieces.
Others might call her existence pitiful, but pity was weaker than expected, and familiarity stronger.
So for Elaina, today was merely an ordinary day.
“…….”
Having finished her meal, Elaina lay down beneath the filthy blanket and stared blankly at the window, its panes coated in cobwebs.
How long can I stay here?
When will Father sell me off? And to whom?
The marquis who killed his wife by accident last month? The viscount who grew furious last week because his concubine gave birth to another daughter? Or perhaps the duke, old as a grandfather but rich beyond measure?
Elaina knew perfectly well why Melvin never cast her out.
And she also knew, even while knowing this, that there was nothing she could do…
Elaina looked down at her foot, barely visible beneath the blanket, with a slightly sorrowful gaze.
Once, long ago, Elaina had dreamed.
She had held a great hope: to escape the Asweld family and live her own life.
But that hope shattered into pieces the moment her leg was broken.
Shattered hope became daggers, mercilessly tearing apart everything Elaina was.
Elaina smiled bitterly as she lay quietly.
……Tomorrow, I must pack Mother’s belongings in advance. Judging by how things are going, they plan to sell me off within days.
She no longer had the strength even to feel sorrow or despair.
That kind of strength had vanished entirely the day her leg broke.
Poor Elaina slowly closed her eyes.
But she did not yet know.
She would not be sold to the marquis who killed his wife.
Nor to the viscount whose concubine kept bearing daughters.
Nor to the duke, old as a grandfather.
[This is the timeline separator]It was barely early morning.
She never slept in late, but today she woke earlier than usual. Her body was tired, her mind foggy.
But there was no choice.
“What on earth have you been doing?”
Melvin, furious, gripped her collar and glared at her with bulging eyes.
What now?
Confused, Elaina looked up at Melvin with a puzzled expression.
And then…
“Sinclair Butler has come to the imperial palace right now!”
Melvin shouted, his voice trembling.
“He came with a marriage proposal!”
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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