Tiendavis - For Perfect Salvation (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
“This side had a prior engagement—can you just leave like that?”
A heavy reproach, impossible to tell if jest or earnest, came from right behind her.
Ivy swallowed hard and looked at the Count’s hand resting beside her right cheek.
The hand was large enough to completely cover Ivy’s face. Moreover, its appearance was exceedingly rough.
Setting aside the knobby joints and prominent tendons, his hand was covered in numerous scars, both large and small, that looked quite old.
She had naturally assumed he’d have delicate, refined hands like other noble youths of Tienda, yet the Count’s hands were so coarse they could belong to a mercenary.
Because of this, Ivy suddenly realized anew: this man was Vis’s supreme commander—the very soldier whose livelihood was battle.
‘Must someone of his rank as supreme commander really act like such a ruffian!’
Thus, Ivy silently protested with all her might and once again calmly tried to pull the doorknob.
Naturally, it didn’t budge an inch.
The door’s weight reflected the Count’s determination toward Ivy Ariate, and understanding this, Ivy ultimately accepted the situation with humility.
“That’s right. I did have a prior engagement with you today, my lord. Ah—I intended to visit you after the purification ceremony, but our conversation ran long, and I completely forgot. Because of that, I’ve made you come all this way again.”
Ivy cutely chided herself and gently slipped out from under the Count’s arm.
Then she paused briefly in thought.
‘Should I thank him for helping me?’
In other words, thank him for rescuing me when I was being pitifully tormented.
According to Ivy’s deeply ingrained prejudice, formed through experience, men with a hero complex usually wanted to hear those words.
Moreover, Ivy thought the Count—who had abruptly pulled her away from Miel and Rio—must be quite self-absorbed.
So while a proper show of gratitude seemed necessary, after a brief deliberation, Ivy decided to keep her mouth shut.
Because thanking the Count for his help would mean admitting that what happened earlier was indeed bullying—and further, it would amount to accusing Miel and Rio of being wicked girls tormenting a small, precious commoner girl.
As a Holy Maiden candidate, she had her dignity to uphold; such petty tattling was absolutely out of the question.
‘So it’s best to just pretend I didn’t notice what happened earlier and let it go…’
Just as Ivy was thinking exactly this—
“Does that kind of thing happen often?”
“If you’re referring to being bullied by Miel Sedro, then yes, quite often.”
The Count asked abruptly, and Ivy, of course, blurted out the truth without hesitation.
She then gulped. Even the Count, who had maintained a blank expression, now looked slightly surprised.
Flustered, Ivy quickly added,
“But it’s not that serious. Besides, it’s quite natural—everyone gets sensitive on purification ceremony days.”
Ah, how pathetic.
Ivy judged her own words thus.
Pointing fingers like a ten-year-old child, naming names and calling someone “bad,” then belatedly trying to cover it up with elaborate excuses—
It looked exactly like clumsy scheming, and sure enough, the Count seemed to feel the same, tilting his head slightly askew.
“…You came today to give your answer, correct?”
Unable to bear her embarrassment any longer, Ivy deliberately changed the subject.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, the Count merely nodded and said nothing further about Miel or the earlier incident.
Ultimately, Ivy, now forced to settle things with the Count here and now, took a deep breath to swallow her tension.
The Count’s proposal—that she relinquish the Holy Maiden position as a condition for his guardianship—was, of course, to be rejected. Yet she mustn’t offend him while doing so.
Though the situation was burdensome from every angle, Ivy summoned her courage by recalling the purification ceremony just moments before.
If the Count had witnessed it, he surely couldn’t claim any longer that Ivy was unsuited to be Holy Maiden.
Calm yet resolute, Ivy began,
“I’ve made up my mind, my lord. First, thank you sincerely for such a generous offer. Ever since you said you’d look after me, these past few days have felt like a dream.”
Of course, that dream was a nightmare featuring you.
Ivy suppressed the urge to say this aloud and spent a long while explaining just how thrilled she’d been by the Count’s proposal.
Then, very delicately, she added,
“But I’m afraid accepting your offer would be rather difficult, my lord.”
The Count wasn’t particularly surprised by Ivy’s refusal—in fact, he looked as though he’d expected it.
Adopting a formal demeanor, he began to ask for her reason.
“The reason is…”
“I absolutely must become the Holy Maiden.”
“Why…”
“Because it’s my duty, bestowed upon me by Manyanya’s blessing.”
“But even so…”
“For Tienda and Vis both, I must remain at the Manyanya Tower.”
Each time, Ivy interrupted the Count’s questions with a honeyed voice.
Having already experienced Ivy Ariate’s conversational tactics once before, the Count simply fell silent.
After a heavy pause, the Count spoke softly,
“Do you have a habit of not letting people finish their sentences?”
“No, I don’t.”
Ivy answered humbly to the Count’s irritated question, then diligently wiped the cold sweat forming behind her suddenly cheerful smile.
She’d assumed he’d cut her some slack right after witnessing the purification ceremony, yet the Count’s attitude toward her remained as domineering as ever.
Amidst this, she kept making verbal blunders—surely, in the Count’s eyes, Ivy Ariate must seem like the world’s biggest fool.
And Ivy’s prediction proved accurate.
‘What on earth is she doing?’
Sion sighed as he watched Ivy Ariate fluster about like a rabbit bitten by a wolf.
Being abruptly dragged here, her nervousness was understandable.
Yet Ivy Ariate’s repeated displays of recklessness couldn’t be explained by nerves alone.
The reputation Sion had confirmed in Tienda about Ivy Ariate had two sides.
One was that she was a miraculous being blessed by Manyanya; the other, that she possessed a purity befitting a commoner yet an elegance uncharacteristic of one.
But in truth, Sion found neither purity nor elegance in Ivy Ariate.
Her elegance had shattered from their very first meeting—no need to dwell on that—and even if he tried to generously interpret it as purity, Ivy Ariate’s maneuvers were far too transparent.
Of course, Sion did acknowledge Ivy Ariate’s ability to purify that vast amount of water.
When Ivy sang, her aqua-colored hair swirling, she seemed like Manyanya’s very incarnation—and Sion had been so awestruck he forgot even to breathe.
But that was all Ivy Ariate had.
After the purification ceremony, she’d been bullied in a storeroom; when he asked if that happened often out of concern, she eagerly confirmed it, then belatedly tried to act as if she understood everything.
It was behavior befitting a ten-year-old student—not a twenty-year-old woman.
‘This is nothing like what I heard.’
Of course, Sion hadn’t believed Tienda’s rumors reflected Ivy Ariate’s true nature.
Reputation was nothing but an illusion, easily fabricated.
Thus, rather than relying on hearsay, Sion had imagined Ivy Ariate based on the words of “that person” who’d entrusted her to him.
—“Ivy is strong. Strong, clever, magnanimous, perceptive, resourceful, eloquent, and incredibly hardworking…”
—“Hey, enough already.”
That person, who’d devoted everything to Ivy Ariate, never missed a chance to praise her.
As a boy, Sion had often groaned in exasperation and cut off his fervent speeches.
—“And she’s the most admirable person I know—someone who never gives up, truly.”
Then that foolish man would always end like this, with longing and foolishness brimming in his eyes.
Each time, Sion had gotten goosebumps.
In truth, that was a major reason he’d delayed meeting Ivy Ariate.
But when postponement was no longer possible, he’d finally come—half hopeful, half worried—only to find this.
‘Just where exactly is she admirable…?’
Sion clicked his tongue, recalling old memories, then refocused on the reality starkly contradicting his imagination.
Contrary to all the praise, the Ivy Ariate Sion saw was far too shallow for the power she’d been granted.
Having confirmed this, Sion decided there was no need to waste more time and said,
“Have you considered reconsidering?”
“I’ve already…”
“It would be far better for everyone if you resigned of your own accord rather than forcing me to make you.”
Ivy couldn’t believe her ears.
“What do you mean by…”
“If I intervene, it will certainly cause a commotion. I believe reaching an agreement here would be mutually beneficial.”
Ivy blinked, forcing a stiff smile.
She couldn’t understand a word this Count fellow was saying.
The Count, wearing his usual insufferably arrogant expression, was declaring plainly:
No matter which path you choose, the outcome will be the one I decide—namely, that you relinquish the Holy Maiden position.
“My lord, my own wishes…”
“I respect them, but I cannot approve them.”
Why must this Count keep spouting nonsense with a human face?
‘Then why give me time to think at all?’
As Ivy pondered this, she found her answer in the Count’s shameless expression.
He’d given her time to think—not the right to choose.
At this blatant intention, Ivy screamed inwardly.
‘So it was a trap after all! And the claim that you were asked to look after me—that was a lie too!’
Disbelief flooded Ivy’s eyes. As if reading her thoughts, the Count spoke.
“What I said before was true. I swear it on my family name.”
At the oath of a high noble, Ivy halted her accusations and stared at the Count with even greater incomprehension.
“I don’t understand. Are you saying you’ll personally prevent me from becoming Holy Maiden?”
“Yes.”
“And afterward, you’ll still care for me as promised?”
“Yes.”
“Then… what if I become Holy Maiden despite your opposition?”
“A meaningless hypothetical.”
Sion replied flatly to Ivy Ariate’s question.
At that, Ivy Ariate’s large eyes trembled despondently.
‘To you, this must feel like a bolt from the blue.’
Sion murmured inwardly as he watched the silent Ivy.
Though he had no intention of backing down, a trace of pity stirred within him—and without thinking, he uttered words he needn’t have said.
“Is it too harsh?”
He’d meant it as an invitation for her to resent him, but her reply was utterly unexpected.
“No, actually, I’m glad.”
Ivy Ariate suddenly declared with spirit.
Sion involuntarily furrowed his brows.
“Why?”
“If you’re prepared to act however I respond, then that’s fine by me too. If I become Holy Maiden, my original goal is achieved—that’s good. And if I don’t, I can receive your help—that’s also good.”
Sion felt as if he’d been struck on the head by Ivy’s audacious reply.
And Ivy, having been brutally honest, screamed inwardly.
‘Ivy isn’t this shameless!’
Because of the curse that activated if she hesitated, she’d even recited her inner calculations aloud.
As Ivy floundered, unable to take back her words, the bewildered Count opened his mouth again.
“You’re using me as insurance?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Is that your usual disposition?”
“I’m thoroughly calculating by nature.”
“But then why…”
‘Stop it!’
As the Count’s question continued, Ivy—her mouth seized by the curse—panicked and lunged forward, desperate to silence him.
And that desperate attempt turned, quite spectacularly, into an accident.
The uneven stone steps, the Count leaning slightly against the wall, and Ivy Ariate’s urgency all combined—causing Ivy to tumble down with the Count in a loud crash.
Caught off guard, the Count—now pinned beneath Ivy—asked from his seated position on the stairs,
“What are you doing…”
But before he could finish, Ivy, straddling his knees, clapped both hands over his mouth.
Thus, the Count found himself suddenly pounced upon and muffled.
Ivy, who’d committed this brazen act, looked at the Count with tearful eyes.
At point-blank range, the Count silently gazed back at her.
It felt like a wordless command to remove her hands, yet Ivy couldn’t bring herself to either pull away or keep them there.
So she simply held on—until the Count reached out his hand.
Ivy naturally assumed he meant to remove her hands and prepared to retreat.
But unexpectedly, his hand didn’t move toward his own face—it moved toward Ivy’s.
The Count’s rough fingertips brushed Ivy’s cheek.
Ivy flinched and tried to pull back, but seated on the Count’s knees, she couldn’t escape far.
Eventually, the Count’s large hand covered Ivy’s face.
At the unfamiliar touch, Ivy’s eyes flickered anxiously.
Yet the Count paid no mind—he firmly pinched both her cheeks between his thumb and middle finger.
‘Ughhh!’
Her face instantly squished, and Ivy, shocked by such rudeness, scrambled away from him in a flash.
She then covered both cheeks with her hands and stared at the Count in disbelief.
She wanted to protest, but since she’d touched his face first, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
So she just stood with her back against the wall, swallowing hard—while the Count rose and brushed off his wrinkled clothes.
“I understand your meaning well—and that there’s no need for you to worry.”
The Count put back on the coat Ivy had handed him, then concluded calmly, as if nothing had happened.
“Our agreement was mistaken; it seems we’ll each pursue what we want. After the Holy Maiden selection concludes, please let me know how I should care for you.”
With those words, the Count strode briskly out of the stairwell.
And Ivy, only after a long while, recovered from her shock—and lamented his sheer audacity.
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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is this chapter from another story?…… it doesn’t make sense at all…