“‘Theus?'”
Does this man not remember me?
The moment Theus’s gaze turned towards me, an elderly man beside him approached.
“…?”
Treating me in front of him as if I didn’t exist, the old man whispered something to Theus. Theus’s composed face stiffened in an instant.
“…Oh.”
Theus touched his forehead once. Something seemed to have gone wrong.
“Unfortunately, it seems we won’t be able to exchange more greetings. Though a brief encounter is regrettable, I look forward to meeting again next time.”
Without giving me a single glance until the end, he swiftly boarded the carriage as if chased by time. Initially, it seemed he wasn’t interested in me at all, considering he referred to me as his daughter, not a guest.
‘What connection does that man have with Father? Are they particularly close? Enough to be invited to the mansion?’
Even when I first saw him a few years ago, I felt that the man was extraordinary. I tried to recall if I had ever heard the surname Theus in Hosh Village.
To my knowledge, there was no one with the surname Theus.
…What is the identity of that man?
“Oh, Miss Rize?”
“Julia.”
“You came without any notice?”
Julia, who had come outside sensing something, discovered me and approached.
“It seems a guest came and left.”
“Right. But you could have at least informed me before coming.”
Julia looked me up and down. My figure, grown taller than before, seemed unfamiliar to her, and she glanced at me curiously.
“I didn’t know how empty the mansion was without you.”
“Who is the guest who came?”
“I don’t know the family. Ah, his name was Theus. Miss, please give me your hat. And the bag too.”
Theus was a name, not a surname!
I didn’t even think about it.
Why did he tell me his unique name, not his title or family name? Considering the expensive carriage he owned, his attire, and the servant-like person beside him, he was undoubtedly a noble…
I tried to pry more from Julia about Theus but stopped because I realized I knew nothing about him.
“…Miss, the mansion might have changed a bit.”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head, not understanding her words, until Julia opened the front door.
‘What’s this…’
The entrance was so shocking that I completely forgot about Theus’s existence.
Originally, the Marsen mansion’s entrance was neat enough to look a bit empty. It was good to hang expensive decorations, but not too gaudy. It’s okay if the appearance is extravagant, but the interior of the mansion shouldn’t be cluttered.
That was Isabelle’s taste, who stayed at the Marsen mansion.
“It… became more dazzling?”
Julia awkwardly smiled and said. It was a funny sound.
“You think this is just ‘a bit’? If someone sees it, they might think a clown is performing here.”
If Isabelle were here, she would have ordered the maids to tear down the tacky decorations immediately.
The current appearance of the entrance looked like a warehouse where sparkling items were collected. Or perhaps a room where children stick stickers everywhere to decorate their rooms.
The sparkling items everywhere hurt my eyes.
Without questioning, it seemed to be Stiana’s doing. It was surprising that Father didn’t stop this disgraceful scene.
“Is my room okay?”
“Miss’s room is as it is.”
“Luckily unfortunate.”
“…”
“What on earth is she thinking? Surely, she can’t be satisfied with this messy entrance, right?”
Julia didn’t offer any response.
I just entered the mansion, but my head was already throbbing.
“So, who is she?”
“She must be resting.”
“Did Father say nothing after seeing this entrance?”
“He expressed some dissatisfaction.”
Though Father lacked morality, it seemed he still had some aesthetic sense. I asked Julia to take care of my coat and leave it in the room.
“Is Father in the study?”
“Yes. Ah, should I organize the clothes in your bag?”
“It’s okay. Just leave them in the room. I’ll be in the study.”
As I moved, cautious glances were felt. Except for Julia and a few existing maids, all the new employees seemed unfamiliar. They, too, were intrigued by my presence, rumored through gossip.
Upon reaching the study, I knocked.
“Come in.”
Father, apparently aware of my presence, responded. When I opened the door, Father’s face, now more wrinkled than before, appeared. He didn’t take his gaze off the documents during the time I sat at the table.
“Why are you here now? I heard you graduated a week ago.”
“I was in Polon Town.”
Finally, Father’s gaze turned to me.
“Nothing’s changed about you being independent. I thought you might change after graduation.”
“Is there a guest?”
“You wouldn’t know.”
“I happened to meet him in front of the main gate. His name was Theus. Who is he?”
Father remained silent. Who was judging whom for being independent?
In my eyes, Father, who hadn’t changed in just six years, seemed more remarkable than I, who had aged about fifty years. Of course, in a bad sense.
“Forget about the guest. I plan to stay in Hosh Village from now on. After legally becoming an adult, I intend to leave the mansion. …I can leave right away if necessary.”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
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