“Kids, get out quickly! Hurry!”
The carriage was tipping over. Although the coachman was leaning his whole body to steady it, there was a limit. The lady behind us urged us out of the carriage by pushing on our backs.
Even outside was a problem. The wind was harsher than expected, making it difficult to move forward. I feared my body might be lifted off the ground.
I looked around and spotted a nearby villa. I tried to head towards it, but loose strands of hair obscured my view. Without a clear line of sight, I couldn’t take a proper step.
“Lise! Grab my hand!”
Yurik extended his hand, which I glimpsed for a moment. After flailing my arms a few times, I succeeded in grabbing his hand.
With Yurik guiding me, we moved slowly, but the obstructed view and wind made it difficult. My body swayed as if I would lose my balance.
“Hey! Be careful!”
Fortunately, Roger, who was behind me, supported my back just before I fell.
“Sorry.”
“Walk properly; I’ve got you!”
Had it not been for Yurik and Roger, I might have been rolling down some hill by now. Thanks to them, we made it to the front of the villa safely. The lady, carrying Yune in her arms, was also safe.
[Dash]Thud!Turning around at the loud noise, I saw the carriage had finally tipped over. Luckily, the coachman had moved out of the way in time and wasn’t hurt. The problem was the horses.
The coachman was holding onto the reins tightly so the horses wouldn’t run away. The strong winds made the horses move erratically, giving the coachman a hard time. He groaned a few times and finally let out a quiet curse.
“I have to help.”
Yurik looked at the coachman.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
When the lady asked in a worried tone, Yurik nodded. I was about to help as well when Roger blocked my way.
“You’ll just get in the way. Stay here.”
“In the way?”
“My arm strength is much greater than yours. I’ll go.”
With those final words, Roger and Yurik braved the wind once more.
I watched their retreating figures with a pounding heart. Despite their youth, they managed to walk without losing their balance.
Yurik and Roger each took one of the horse’s reins. The frightened horses made noisy commotions, moving in all directions.
“Are you alright?!”
The lady’s question went unanswered as everyone was preoccupied.
“Brother, hang in there just a bit more!”
Yune also raised her voice.
We were all safely approaching the villa. If only the horses could make it to the barn without making a scene…
A step before that, one of the horses Roger was holding seemed to step on something sharp and spasmed.
[Dash]Neigh!“Damn it! What’s wrong?!”
“Roger!”
The horse turned suddenly and bolted, pulling Roger with it. Just as he was being pulled away, I managed to grab the hem of his clothes.
“Ah!”
“Agh!”
Our bodies collided as Roger let go of the reins. We both fell to the ground.
“Lise!”
“Lise, are you okay?”
The lady and Yurik called out from behind. My muscles felt tense from the shock, but otherwise, I was fine. The problem was Roger. I looked down at his face beneath me.
“Roger, are you okay?!”
“…Not okay.”
“Where are you hurt? Where? Where!”
I scanned Roger’s face, which was free from injuries. My hands then naturally felt his chest, and my eyes followed suit.
“I’m fine, just get off, you’re heavy!”
“Ah, sorry.”
Roger shoved me off and staggered to his feet. It seemed he wasn’t seriously injured either.
“What about the runaway horse? Lady?”
“We can’t do anything now. First, let’s get the other horses into the barn and warm ourselves up. There should be blankets inside the villa.”
At the lady’s words, everyone began to move. The situation was temporarily resolved, and we moved to warm our bodies so as not to catch a cold.
The window rattled as though it would shatter. Aside from this, the cottage had been quite sturdily built.
The floor, made of interlocking wooden planks, featured a wide foyer and a large fireplace; it was also equipped with a small dining room and kitchen.
Next to it, a wooden staircase led to the secondfloor hallway. The rooms there were furnished, suitable even for servants to stay.
“Is this the Fenton family’s cottage?”
As she dried her wet hair with a towel, the lady shook her head.
“No, it’s not. It’s a friend’s cottage who we’ve known for a long time. We borrowed it for this trip. As you can see, there’s nothing around here. It allows us to enjoy our holiday without any distractions. We even have the beach all to ourselves. Most essentials are available in the cottage, so there’s no need to go into town.”
“It would have been perfect if the weather had been good.”
“Don’t be too disappointed; the storm will pass in time.”
But the regret was inevitable.
“My lady, what should we do about the carriage? The last I saw, one of the wheels looked broken.”
Wiping sweat from his forehead, the coachman approached the lady.
“We’ll have to wait for the storm to subside first. Once the wind dies down, it might be best to go to the nearest town. I’ve heard that a small village is just a short ride away.”
“Understood.”
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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