While hanging her wet dress near the window, Esika frowned.
Esika had just gone to wash herself.
For a martial artist, bathing in a lake was not a big deal.
Of course, she had never bathed in a lake before awakening to her past life as a spirit.
At her maiden home, the Brigitte barony, warm water was always prepared for her, and here…
They always brought her ice-cold water to wash with.
After washing with that water, she always suffered from chills and caught colds countless times.
But since she couldn’t live without washing, she had no choice but to do it.
‘The more I think about it, the more ridiculous the petty and childish nature of the Dowager Duchess seems.’
Esika continued to think.
‘To think I met the Crown Prince because of that.’
Resban Deon Lucein, with his black hair and brilliant golden eyes, was the Crown Prince of the Turesian Empire.
Seeing those eyes somehow reminded her of a certain man.
“An eagle cannot be happy in a cage, spirit.”
What if she had heeded his words?
Esika, who had been wearing a bitter smile, shook her head.
It’s just that their eyes looked similar. Don’t dwell on it.
‘Anyway, I should be careful not to reveal my presence to a master at this time, as it would only cause headaches.’
Esika saw through Resban’s level as soon as their eyes met.
‘He’s undoubtedly a master comparable to the Extreme Demon.’
Resban was born with a martial body and was hiding power far greater than what he had shown to the world so far.
‘Even if I returned to my prime, I’m not confident I could win.’
In terms of martial artists, her current physical condition was no different from that of a novice.
Just as masters can recognize each other’s skills by their demeanor, if she stood out more in his eyes, it could arouse unnecessary suspicion.
Given Resban’s position and his aggressive personality as depicted in the book, she had a strong intuition that getting involved with him would be troublesome.
Fortunately, in the book, Resban spent very little time in the capital, Torres, as he led the conquest wars. Once he moved the capital to the conquered territory, her connection with the Klaus family would end, so she would soon forget this place.
‘Well then, I should eat.’
Esika opened the door.
In front of the door was a tray with various seasonal dishes.
They must have been stolen from the kitchen by Cella out of necessity.
‘Hmm?’
Esika’s cold blue eyes gleamed.
**
On a dim night when the half-moon had grown a bit more distinct, Callian was enjoying the breeze on the balcony of his room, holding a glass.
Under the dark night sky, only Callian’s purple eyes were gleaming cold and bright.
It had been ten days since Esika Klaus had not come out of her room.
‘What on earth is she plotting?’
Although it would be annoying to see her face if she came out, it was equally unsettling that she hadn’t.
The Dowager Duchess had said they needed to maintain a friendly relationship with the Brigitte family, and Callian agreed with that intention.
Although he disliked seeing Esika trying to throw her weight around with her family backing her.
‘Is she going to demand a divorce?’
Esika’s blue eyes had been filled with tears when she rushed at him.
Hmph.
‘As if.’
The corner of Callian’s lips twisted arrogantly.
The Esika that Callian knew didn’t have the guts to demand a divorce.
“That woman, you see, thinks she can buy the honor of the long-standing Klaus family with the pittance she brought as a dowry.”
She was a wicked woman who was always eager to show off the wealth her family had given her, and enjoyed bullying those weaker than her with it.
“There’s a black snake inside her. It’s a stupid snake that doesn’t know how to use its venomous fangs, so it’s not dangerous, but it’s certainly harmful. That’s why even married couples need to maintain some distance.”
His mother was strict and demanding, but she was good at discerning people’s characters.
After meeting her for the first time, the Dowager Duchess’s frowning assessment was not much different from Callian’s own thoughts, which only reinforced his opinion of Esika.
‘I don’t know what you’re hoping for by hiding in your room like that.’
The cool breeze ruffled Callian’s hair.
‘But nothing will go according to your wishes within this Klaus household.’
Callian’s thoughts were momentarily interrupted by the sound of a door.
When he turned around, he saw Yuri standing there with a tray, looking startled.
Yuri Anesis.
Having entered the duke’s household as Esika’s maid, she was completely different from Esika.
With her warm blonde hair and red eyes, she exuded a lively atmosphere that didn’t quite fit with the rigid ducal family.
She hesitated for a moment before approaching Callian.
A faint scent of apples tickled his nose.
“What brings you here in the middle of the night?”
At Callian’s voice, Yuri’s eyes wavered for a moment.
Come to think of it, his mother had recently appointed Yuri Anesis as the head maid, hadn’t she?
It was surprising that she would give such a position to Esika’s friend, even though Yuri was diligent.
“I… I just saw Esika,” Yuri said after a moment’s hesitation.
“But Esika…”
“I don’t want to hear about her.”
“But… I think Esika is misunderstanding our relationship. Because of the ring you bought for me, Your Grace. I want to clear up the misunderstanding, but she keeps pushing me away with harsh words, so I don’t know what to do…”
“Yuri. That’s enough.”
But Callian cut off Yuri’s words with a cold face.
“Ah…”
Yuri briefly put her hand to her mouth, then spoke in a dejected voice.
“I’m sorry. I forgot for a moment that I’m no longer Esika’s friend, but the head maid of the ducal family with a duty to obey Your Grace’s orders…”
Yuri Anesis was fundamentally different from Esika.
Even when Esika had done something wrong, she would stubbornly refuse to admit it.
She would also insist on doing things her own way, ignoring the hierarchy and procedures of the ducal family.
She would slap anyone and exhaust Callian.
“Please forgive me. I won’t go against your wishes from now on, Your Grace.”
Yuri was looking at him with warm red eyes, trying to gauge his mood.
As if blowing warm breath into a frozen heart.
After a moment of silence, Callian’s lips moved.
“You are truly foolish.”
“…Pardon?”
Swallowing the words “To defend such a woman even if she’s a friend,” Callian said in a low voice.
“And I’m a little disappointed too.”
Yuri’s eyes wavered.
“It’s a misunderstanding. To interpret that ring in such a way. I… I don’t think it was entirely a misunderstanding. When I gave you that ring, I mean.”
At Callian’s words, Yuri stared at him blankly for a moment before blushing.
It was a time when, like lovers just starting out, their expressions of interest in each other were growing deeper day by day.
Soon, Callian’s voice was heard.
“The weather is cool. How about we go for a walk together?”
Yuri, who had been gazing at Callian with shy eyes, slightly bowed her head in agreement.
A faint smile formed on her lips.
**
As Cella was putting the food tray in front of the door and trying to peek inside by slightly opening it, someone from inside forcefully pulled her in.
With a bang, the door closed, and Cella hit her forehead on the floor and closed her eyes.
“P-p-please… spare my life…”
Her body was trembling violently.
Someone brought a chair and sat down in front of her, crossing their legs.
And then spoke in a low voice.
“Do you know why, despite your pitiful trembling, you don’t appear pitiable in my eyes?”
“…M-my lord…”
Then, stretching out a foot, they pushed the tray Cella had brought earlier in front of her.
Seeing the untouched food, Cella’s face turned pale.
“Eat.”
And a voice flowed into her ear.
Cella’s hands were shaking uncontrollably.
“I said eat, Cella.”
Her name being called felt like a death sentence, and Cella squeezed her eyes shut even tighter.
The person sitting in the chair reached out and grabbed a fistful of Cella’s hair.
Cella kept her eyes tightly closed, trying not to look at them.
“Countless people have mixed deadly poison into my food. The Royal Consort, the Favorite Concubine, the Minor Consort… There were days when the Poison Sect’s coffers grew rich because of this lady.”
The chilling voice, impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or woman, felt like it was strangling her throat.
“However, this lady’s body, as the daughter of the Celestial Demon Cult Leader, is indestructible and immune to all poisons. Even the ultimate poison born from snakes, toads, and centipedes devouring each other in a jar cannot dare approach my dantian.”
She had countless enemies.
She had reached a level where she could tell if food was poisoned just by looking at its color.
“And no one who mixed poison into my food has ever lived.”
“…Hick…”
“Since the situation is not favorable to tear your bones and flesh apart, I’ve decided that you shall atone for your sins by eating your own crime. Eat.”
With that, she pushed Cella’s head down by her hair.
In front of Cella’s eyes was the salad she had sprinkled with poison.
If she ate that, she would surely die with her eyes rolled back.
Cella clasped her hands together and begged earnestly.
She had already realized that her poisoning attempt had been discovered.
“Please… please spare me. My lord, my lord.”
“Come to think of it, even the word ‘my lord’ is quite irritating.”
Frowning, Esika lifted Cella’s head by her hair.
Cella’s face was filled with shock as her eyes met Esika’s.
“Ma… Madam…?”
The person staring at her with cold blue eyes devoid of any mercy was none other than the owner of this shabby room, Esika Klaus.
“You knew who I was and still called me ‘my lord’?”
Come to think of it, Esika had never once claimed to be someone else.
The idea that she was an assassin hiding and threatening the Duchess was just Cella’s assumption.
‘She’s the Duchess, but… different…’
Like a herbivore in front of a carnivore, Cella could instinctively feel it.
The woman in front of her, who had detected the poison in the food and was calmly trying to push her head into it, was not the Duchess she knew.
That was clearly the expression of a ferocious beast.
But she couldn’t die like this.
“Ma… Madam… Why… why are you doing this to me…?”
Cella trembled violently as she confronted Esika.
“You… you weren’t this kind of person…”
However, Esika replied with icy eyes, without even twitching an eyebrow.
“Are you referring to my foolish past self who cared about the feelings of worms like you who are not even worth calling vermin?”
Cella’s body flinched greatly at the knife-like voice.
Esika Klaus had been a young and easy target.
A woman who had bought the position of Duchess Klaus with money, but wasn’t acknowledged by anyone and had to beg even to maids like herself.
But now she was…
“You have committed a great disrespect by always bringing me trash-like food.”
She was as cold as frost and as threatening as holding a knife to one’s throat.
“And yet, you squandered the opportunity to seek my forgiveness by bringing quality food again. How dare you…”
As Esika’s hand tightened, Cella felt pain in her scalp.
With a grip strength unimaginable from those delicate wrists, Cella couldn’t even turn her head.
She felt like she would stop breathing under that murderous gaze.
“You tried to kill me by poisoning my food.”
“Madam… please spare me. Please forgive me… Ugh…”
Tears flowed from Cella’s eyes.
They were tears of fear welling up from the depths of her heart.
She had only tried to silence the assassin because she thought they knew her secret.
“You’re already a dead person. If it becomes known that a mere maid tried to poison the Duchess Klaus, even your family members won’t be able to die peacefully.”
Cella’s trembling body flinched again.
The imperial law was strict.
Even if it was the unloved, outcast Duchess…
If Esika had eaten this and died, and that fact became known, not only Cella but also her family would not be able to escape execution.
And even if she died now, there was no guarantee that her family would be safe.
Esika already knew all about her misdeeds, and she had counted the number of people she would kill.
“Ugh… I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Madam… Please…”
Cella cried profusely and begged for forgiveness.
“Please spare my family…”
She didn’t know what had happened, but the Esika Klaus in front of her was not the old mistress she knew.
Her gaze was even more piercing and intense than that of the Dowager Duchess, which could make one feel chilly even in midsummer.
Like a lion returned from hell, it evoked instinctive fear.
A belated regret rushed into Cella’s heart.
“Please, if you give me one more chance…”
Cella appealed to Esika for a final act of mercy with tear-filled eyes.
“I will live for you from now on, Madam.”
Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
_____
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