Hemos, who was concentrating on cooking, turned his head at the sound of a cough from behind.
Yuri Anesis, with beautiful blonde hair and red eyes, was standing behind, leading the maids.
“For whom are you making this food?”
The corners of Yuri’s eyebrows were raised, and her expression was dark.
“I won’t kill you right away for betraying my expectations. I’ll give you a special chance.”
The voice of the Grand Duchess was etched in her mind.
“Did you come to spy? How unpleasant.”
Hemos asked Yuri, glaring at her while clapping his hands.
“The Grand Duchess is quite worried, as it seems the Duchess’s cheeks are getting plumper by the day. She wonders if you might be helping in the kitchen.”
Hemos snorted and said,
“This is a snack to be sent for the Duke. Don’t worry needlessly.”
Yuri’s sharp gaze swept across the kitchen.
It wasn’t an illusion that Esika was becoming more beautiful.
Her dry silver hair was gaining luster, her sunken cheeks were filling out, and her rough skin was improving day by day.
“…Ah, really! How long are you going to stand there gawking? It’s distracting!”
Hemos burst out angrily at Yuri and pointed to the end of the shelf.
There was a moldy piece of bread on a shabby plate.
It must be Esika’s.
“Fine, well… I’ve checked what I needed to… But.”
Yuri continued, raising the corners of her eyebrows sharply.
“Soon, the Duchess will ask for refreshments to be prepared. For teatime.”
“Refreshments?”
Hemos asked, furrowing his brow.
“Serve plenty of refreshments, but include cookies with peanuts.”
“Peanuts…”
Hemos narrowed his eyes.
“If someone later reprimands you for serving peanut cookies, just mumble that the Duchess asked for them to eat alone. The Grand Duchess will handle the rest as usual.”
Hemos nodded with a sour expression and said,
“Well, that’s not difficult for me.”
Only then did Yuri turn around with a wicked smile.
After Yuri and all the maids following her disappeared, Cella poked her head out from the storage room.
Hemos and Cella exchanged glances.
**
Esika looked disinterestedly at the outsiders who entered with catalogs.
They handed Esika catalogs containing the latest dress designs.
“What is… this?”
Hans, the butler who came with them to see Esika, answered.
“The Duke has ordered to purchase dresses for his lady.”
Esika flipped through the catalog halfheartedly with an expressionless face.
The dresses were all expensive and beautiful, but she had no interest in such things.
Seeing that Esika showed no signs of joy, Hans continued, somewhat flustered.
“He said to provide as much support as needed if you need dresses in the future.”
However, Esika’s expression remained coldly indifferent.
After flipping through a few pages of the catalog, Esika handed it back to Hans.
Hans looked at Esika with bewildered eyes.
“There’s nothing I like.”
At those words, Hans said in confusion,
“I know you only have one dress. Because the Grand Duchess burned your other dresses… Anyway, since the Duke is being considerate, wouldn’t it be good to choose some?”
Callian was not a man who cared about his wife’s dresses.
But if she bought nice dresses and wore them to please Callian, he might be able to alleviate the guilt he had recently felt towards her.
However, Esika spoke as if she had no interest in such things.
“If it’s the Duke’s wish, I’m even less inclined to choose. Take it away.”
At her firm words, Hans let out a small sigh.
“My lady… for the sake of my position at least…”
“The butler still hopes for me to get along well with the Duke, even knowing all the circumstances of this household.”
At Esika’s words, Hans’s hands twitched.
Butler Hans was one of the few in the Klaus ducal family who had shown even a little consideration for Esika.
Meaning he had at least given her a dry handkerchief when she was crying.
“That’s because I’m a Brigitte.”
“…My lady.”
“It would be troublesome if I asked for the return of the massive dowry I brought when we divorce.”
Hans’s face hardened, but he couldn’t deny her words.
The precarious finances of the Klaus family had barely overcome the crisis thanks to the massive dowry Esika brought when she married.
However, by law, if there is clear fault on the husband’s side, the wife has the right to ask for the return of her dowry.
The reason Callian couldn’t openly have affairs was also due to Hans’s admonition, mindful of this.
“And perhaps you’re also expecting financial support from the Brigittes through me.”
He, acting for the sake of the family’s finances, couldn’t fully be the Grand Duchess’s person either.
Apart from condoning her tyranny, that is.
“…I apologize.”
Hans bowed his head to Esika.
And he calmly said,
“I know you’ve changed recently. Unlike before, you seem to have no interest in the Duke at all.”
Hans’s words continued.
“Of course, I have no words to say about how the Duke and the Grand Duchess have neglected and abused you until now. But divorce is…”
Hans’s eyes were downcast.
The Grand Duchess seemed to think that the Brigittes were no longer needed, confidently predicting the results of the Tzuchen investment, which was not yet clearly decided, but his thoughts were different.
“…Please consider carefully.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
But at Esika’s words that followed, Hans’s shoulders twitched.
Looking ahead, he saw the beautiful face of Esika with a deep smile on her lips.
Her blue eyes were clear like jade and cool like a tidal wave.
“The butler has worked for the Klaus ducal family all his life, and will continue to do so. No matter who becomes the master of Klaus, you, Hans, will forever be the butler of Klaus.”
At those words, Hans’s eyes wavered.
Hans was quick-witted and immediately understood the meaning embedded in the context of ‘master of Klaus’.
“It’s instinct for a capable servant to want a capable master. The current master keeps making holes in the bottom of the jar, so there’s no way gold coins will remain.”
However, in her eyes, there was a cold fire that could not have been originally hers.
A fire of a relaxed strong person, leading thoughts to certainty.
“…”
Esika, who approached Hans, spoke in a whisper.
“I want to try to make a proper Klaus… What do you think?”
The close and cool voice flowed into Hans’s ear, making his heart race.
**
Knock knock− With the sound of knocking, Hans entered Callian’s office.
Callian was engrossed in reading and signing documents.
“I visited the lady with the designers from the shop.”
For a moment, Callian stopped his pen and focused on Hans’s words.
Not knowing Callian’s increasing urgency, Hans took his time.
“…However, that…”
Callian put down his pen with a thud.
“I apologize. It seems the lady has no interest in dresses.”
“Are you saying she refused the dresses?”
Callian’s brow furrowed.
“Yes. I tried to persuade her, but she was so adamant that there was no way.”
“From now on, don’t try to persuade her, just turn around immediately.”
“Pardon?”
Hans wore a puzzled expression at Callian’s words.
“I offered a hand, and she tries to climb all the way to the top of my head.”
The corners of Callian’s eyebrows were raised fiercely.
He expressed his anger at the unfavorable result that came after long patience.
“Although it was a misunderstanding that she was being extravagant, does that give her the right to refuse her husband’s goodwill?”
After consulting even with his friend Gaven and showing consideration, Esika had kicked away that goodwill.
The daughter of the Brigittes who bought their title with money, acting as if she were a noble as lofty as the Klaus.
“Esika Klaus will be forbidden from purchasing new clothes for the time being. I’ll make her pay the price for her choice.”
Esika, she should have gratefully accepted that dress catalog.
And she should have been moved by Callian’s thoughtfulness.
“…Understood, Your Grace.”
Feeling twisted inside, Callian couldn’t work anymore and stood up from his seat.
Esika is a woman he cannot defeat.
No matter how wrong Callian and Riona had been to her, that’s the nature of the ducal family.
But lately, she had been engaging in a battle of wills without backing down an inch.
“How about getting some fresh air?”
Hans, who had been watching Callian’s mood, casually threw out the suggestion.
Callian, who had been standing with an angry expression, immediately moved his feet.
“I should do that.”
In his current state, it wouldn’t be efficient to continue working anyway.
Intending to cool off his anger, he went outside.
In the garden, a tea party was in full swing with fragrant tea and sweet desserts.
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.]
