To The Eternal Knight (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 2
Nerea’s preparation before going out was simple.
She wore whatever outdoor clothes and shoes Heather always prepared for her, and simply ran her fingers through her hair a few times or tied it up.
Each time, Heather stood by with a comb in hand, wearing a strange expression—today, Nerea finally realized that expression was Heather’s patience.
“It’s almost done, miss. Really!”
It was already the twelfth time she’d said the same thing. But ever since Nerea glimpsed a sense of solemn duty flicker across Heather’s face in the mirror, she’d given up trying to stop her.
Nerea simply couldn’t understand.
Heather not only curled and braided Nerea’s hair—despite it having already been smoothed by dozens of brushstrokes—but also pinned it in place, and finally crowned her with a wide-brimmed white hat trailing long lace behind it.
Though neither the braid nor the pins were even visible, Heather gasped in delight and clapped her hands.
“Goodness! Miss! You’re absolutely, utterly beautiful!”
Nerea calmly examined her reflection in the mirror.
A wide-brimmed white hat with long trailing lace, red hair coiled and secured with pearl pins, and pale, almost sunless skin framing dazed, watery eyes.
“Nowhere in Castarti will you find anyone with hair as lustrous and beautiful as yours, miss.”
Heather didn’t cease her praise for even a moment—not even after they’d boarded the hired carriage.
The kind coachman, who had nodded along sympathetically to Heather’s chatter several times already in the open-sided carriage, now stared straight ahead. Apparently, the effect of the herbal sachet Heather had given him during their bargaining had worn off.
Nerea gave a soft chuckle and let Heather’s words wash over her.
Beneath the hat brim shielding her from the sun, the midday light felt pleasantly unfamiliar after so long. The faint scent of grass, tiny flowers blooming by the roadside, and the lace tickling her neck in the breeze.
Just as Nerea became newly aware of this soft, unfamiliar sensation, Heather’s admiration moved to the next stage.
“Everything in that shop was so lovely! If only I’d known you’d want to visit yourself, I would’ve bought all sorts of things ahead of time. Of course, the owner gave me a discount since I was just browsing every day anyway.”
Pride at having acquired fine goods cheaply shone brightly on her youthful, baby-faced features.
Innocent Heather.
Nerea smiled faintly and fiddled with the lace tickling her neck. The silk lace on the hat was clearly top quality, the pearls set into the pins genuine, and the metal filigree platinum.
This style of hat must have long gone out of fashion in the capital—if she’d wanted one like this years ago. Yet since the lace hadn’t even faded, it must still command a fair price.
No matter how heavily discounted, this wasn’t something Heather—charged with managing Nerea’s near-zero luxury budget—could afford boldly.
Thus, there were only two possibilities: either the shopkeeper had rock-bottom prices, or he’d deliberately sold it cheaply to win Heather’s favor.
The former would be fine, but if it were the latter, she needed to check on the situation for young Heather’s safety—even though she’d already worn the hat before identifying the owner.
At the village entrance they finally reached, Nerea caught a strong whiff of sweet floral fragrance and began to vaguely understand why Heather had gone to such lengths to dress her up.
“Is it festival season?”
Could that be why Heather had recently kept tempting her to come down to the village, saying a delicious pastry shop had opened? It was a trivial question, yet Heather’s face instantly turned pale.
The coachman chuckled and answered in her stead.
“It’s been ten years since the end of the Hundred-Year War, hasn’t it? The imperial summer commemoration festival is going to be absolutely magnificent.”
The Hundred-Year War.
Hearing that phrase again after so long made her stomach churn. Nerea unconsciously held her breath. Her grip on the carriage loosened, and she consciously tried to distract herself with other thoughts.
The last time she’d seen such beautiful floral decorations had been during her first summer at the Alfern country estate. Suddenly, vivid memories rushed back—days filled endlessly with cheers, applause, and encouragement.
But forgetting had been swift. The very next year, no one stood outside the estate gates. Perhaps that was why her room had ended up being the one with the clearest view of the main entrance.
“…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you beforehand. But I knew you wouldn’t have come if you’d known.”
As her vision sharpened again, a small voice reached her ears. Heather bowed her head deeply, begging Nerea’s forgiveness.
“It’s been ten years. Those cheers should have belonged to you. I just couldn’t let it go unacknowledged. I’m so sorry. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll turn the carriage around right now. Truly, I’m sorry.”
.
.
.
“Oh dear, I have to go see the reproduction unveiling right away—how about returning around four instead?”
The coachman, looking troubled, ultimately didn’t turn the carriage around.
The street, filled with children selling lavish floral arrangements and people walking cheerfully, stretched before them. Nerea watched the departing carriage and shrugged her shoulders.
Unlike her bold scheme, Heather couldn’t even lift her head. At this rate, the trouble she’d taken to come all the way down to the village just to see the shopkeeper’s face seemed wasted.
“Kind miss, wouldn’t you like some flowers?”
A youthful voice called up from far below. The flower-selling child looked about six or seven years old. Nerea gave a light nod toward the nervous little face.
Heather immediately offered coins, and the child beamed, quickly selecting flowers with small hands.
“Thank you, miss! I’ll give you the prettiest ones.”
She offered pink tulips, white daisies, and red roses—a fresh, fragrant bouquet—and chattered on.
“I’m so glad the war finally ended! My grandmother’s greatest wish in life was to see peace before she passed.”
The child’s excited words pricked Nerea’s heart. Though this little one hadn’t lived through the war, her words carried the vivid memories of her grandmother.
Nerea’s lips stiffened just as she was about to say, “Indeed, how fortunate,” thanks to last night’s dream.
That rainy day, the muddy water, and that child kneeling before her, pleading as if everything had been perfectly alright.
What blocked the flood of memories, surprisingly, was an unexpected question.
“The reproduction unveiling is at the square—why are you two still here?”
“A reproduction?”
Heather asked in reply. Now that she thought about it, even the coachman had mentioned needing to see the unveiling. The child excitedly pointed in a direction—exactly where the crowds were heading.
“Yes! Since it’s a Le Souer painting, it seems all of Alfern has gathered at the square! I saw it earlier—it was enormous! At least twice my height!”
“L-Le Souer?”
The vaguely familiar name slipped from Nerea’s lips before she gave a pale laugh. After ten years of living with eyes and ears shut to the world, how could she possibly know a painter’s name?
But the child interpreted Nerea’s reaction differently.
“Yes! He’s the most famous painter in Castarti right now! Even His Highness the Crown Prince personally came to view his work! Everyone’s rushing there now—soon all the shops here will close!”
The child was right.
Even the pastry shop Heather had boasted about was closed, as was the store that had sold Heather the hat. Countless people poured into the streets like a tide, all flowing toward one place.
“Oh, miss!”
In an instant, Heather was swept away by the sudden surge of the crowd like a cloudburst. Nerea reached out, but Heather was already far ahead, carried off by the current.
Nerea hurried after the direction Heather had been swept toward. Voices, each brimming with excitement, reached her from all sides.
“It was unveiled in the capital ten days ago—they’re only showing it here in Alfern now.”
“I deliberately avoided reading reviews. They say it’s so powerful it made a noblewoman faint—I’m even more excited now!”
Nerea found Heather in front of a painting draped in black cloth. She gently soothed the startled girl and began pushing through the crowd. Swimming against the tide of people was no easy task.
Then, a loud voice rang out from near the painting.
“Now, the artwork by Castarti’s artist, Le Souer, will be unveiled! Ten, nine, eight….”
Naturally, the crowd cheered along with the countdown meant to build anticipation. Moments later, a rustling sound signaled that the curtain was being drawn.
Instantly, the surroundings fell utterly silent.
What kind of painting could silence a crowd like this?
Just as the quiet stirred her curiosity, a shout of shock erupted from somewhere.
“The Black Knight! It’s Nerea Esteban!”
Nerea unconsciously held her breath. Could all this be an extension of last night’s dream?
Immediately, thunderous applause and cheers broke out, and flowers thrown toward the painting drifted slowly through the air.
“—Miss! Miss!”
Someone waved an arm. Nerea unconsciously stepped forward again. Only when her shoulder began to ache from bumping into people did she realize she no longer held a bouquet.
Her palms were already drenched in sweat. Heather stared at her with tear-filled eyes.
.
.
.
“I-I’m sorry, miss.”
After returning home, Heather burst into tears and collapsed before Nerea, sobbing. She must have been terribly frightened by Nerea’s earlier dazed expression.
“I just… it felt so unfair. You’re the one who saved us! I only thought those flowers, those cheers—they all belonged to you…. I didn’t want to be left as someone who pretended not to know, someone ungrateful. And honestly, even after seeing your portrait just now, I was still happy deep down… But I’m still so sorry.”
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.]
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