To You, Whom I Shouldn't Love (24 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 10
The Captain of the Knights was flustered. It was an utterly absurd remark—how dare someone of unknown status appear and start issuing commands?
Yet what disturbed him even more was the realization that he might actually have to grant that request.
“Ten minutes.”
“……”
“I’ll give you exactly ten minutes. After that, I’ll use force if necessary to bring you back to the estate.”
“Fine. Then please leave at once.”
Only after the Captain of the Knights had departed with the other knight did Cassel rise from his seat. Without even bothering to brush off the wet mud staining his trousers, he murmured quietly to Riena.
“My lady, I understand what you must be thinking. Even if I carry Count Daik’s letter, it’s difficult for you to trust me outright. And I know it’s not easy for you to believe I’m truly the Cassel you knew from childhood—it’s been far too long.”
“……”
“But you’re clearly in a difficult situation right now, aren’t you? I wish to help you in every way I can, as far as my ability allows. It’s also my late master’s final wish. If I fail to assist you now, I won’t have the face to meet him again.”
Riena frowned slightly.
“How do you know I’m in trouble?”
“Well…”
Cassel hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Seeing you flee your family home at this hour, and knights trying to drag you back by force—it seemed obvious.”
His reasoning made sense. Indeed, even a complete stranger would find Riena’s current situation highly suspicious.
“Besides, of course, I gathered information about House Daik and you before coming here. I heard there are ongoing marriage negotiations with a viscount’s family—but it hardly seems like a match you’d welcome.”
“……”
“I apologize if my actions offended you. It was an unavoidable step, but still.”
“No, it’s understandable. You’d need to know whether there are marriage talks concerning me before deciding whether to propose.”
She genuinely meant it—she wasn’t offended.
“But I still can’t burden you like this.”
Seeing Riena still hesitant, Cassel changed his approach.
“Then how about this—think of it as cowardly Cassel returning to fulfill a childhood promise.”
“A promise?”
“You don’t remember?”
When Riena still showed no sign of recollection, Cassel recounted the promise himself.
“Didn’t you say we’d marry once we grew up?”
“Marry…”
At those words, a long-forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.
〈When I grow up and get married, I’ll marry you, Cassel.〉
That conversation in the field blanketed with golden wildflowers.
〈Marry?〉
〈Do you even know what marriage is? It’s when a man and a woman promise to spend their whole lives together.〉
〈But I heard marriage is something you do with someone you like.〉
〈Exactly.〉
What had she told Cassel then, as he looked so confused?
〈I like you.〉
〈……!〉
〈Do you dislike me?〉
She vividly remembered his reply—his face, neck, and ears turning tomato-red as he stammered:
〈……I like you too. If I grow up and get married, I want it to be with you.〉
The two children had hooked their pinkies and made that promise. They hadn’t stopped there—they’d even fashioned flower rings and placed them on each other’s ring fingers.
“But that was just childish play. I’d even forgotten about it.”
“I never forgot.”
Hearing Cassel’s firm declaration, Riena felt as though she’d done something terribly wrong.
When she remained silent, Cassel spoke again.
“I understand your hesitation in accepting my proposal. Even with my master’s letter, you can’t simply trust me.”
“……”
“Then how about this—for now, come with me and stay by my side temporarily, just until everything is resolved.”
“What do you mean by ‘temporarily’?”
“As a member of House Daik, you’re bound by principle to follow Count Daik’s wishes. Even if your family forces you into a marriage you don’t want, you have no way to refuse.”
Riena swallowed hard as she listened.
“On the other hand, if you marry me, my family can protect you. We’ll keep you safe until things settle down, and once they do, I’ll send you wherever you wish to go. I’ll also cover any expenses you need.”
“So you’re suggesting we pretend to be married—just temporarily?”
“Essentially, yes.”
Riena bit her lip.
“Why go to such lengths? This offer is generous for me, but you’re a duke—why would you make such a sacrifice?”
“My master was like a father to me. Helping his beloved daughter—and my longtime friend—is only natural.”
“……”
She needed to think rationally. Since she’d already been caught while fleeing, sneaking out again to meet Raoul was now impossible.
Thus, Riena had only three options left:
Marry Viscount Rotman against her will, marry the suspicious Johannes, or enter a sham marriage with Cassel.
Even though they’d been childhood friends, she still couldn’t fully trust him.
Honestly, she wasn’t even certain this man truly was the Cassel she remembered.
Moreover, for some reason, she didn’t want to use him.
“As I said, I can’t accept your offer just for my own safety.”
Cassel smiled faintly—a smile that looked almost like tears.
“I’m asking you to use me.”
“What?”
“I came all this way precisely to be used.”
His gaze, fixed earnestly on Riena, was utterly sincere. Though eyes could be feigned, this man seemed completely genuine in that moment.
Which made it even harder for her to accept his offer.
“Time’s almost up.”
As Cassel urged her, the Captain of the Knights called out.
“My lady, the Countess is waiting. It’s time to return.”
At that moment, Cassel raised his voice deliberately, ensuring the Captain and his men could hear.
“Let me ask once more, Lady Daik—will you marry me?”
The moment of decision had truly come. After nervously chewing her lip, Riena impulsively responded as she looked at the large hand he’d extended toward her.
“Yes. Alright.”
Strangely, the moment she gave that answer—after what felt like endless deliberation—she felt an overwhelming sense of freedom.
“My lady!”
The Captain of the Knights cried out in shock, but Riena ignored him and took Cassel’s hand.
“I accept your proposal.”
“This is unacceptable!”
Just as the Captain rushed forward to forcibly pull her away, the man who’d been gazing gently at Riena suddenly turned fierce.
“Have I overestimated the knights of House Daik? Since when did a mere knight gain the right to interrupt his lord’s conversation?”
The Captain flinched briefly but quickly retorted.
“Isn’t it a retainer’s duty to prevent his lord from walking the wrong path?”
“The wrong path?”
“How can I stand by while my lady accepts a proposal from a man whose name and house she doesn’t even know!”
Only then did Riena realize she didn’t actually know his full name. She’d learned “Cassel” from her father’s letter, but not his surname.
‘I didn’t know Cassel’s surname back then, either.’
Even with her father’s letter in hand, promising her life to a stranger was reckless.
In the worst case, he might even be a commoner with no noble house at all.
Yet Riena didn’t regret her choice. Even if he turned out to be not just a commoner but a war slave, she’d still marry him.
The man looked briefly troubled by the Captain’s valid point. He bowed his head toward Riena.
“I apologize, my lady. In my haste, I forgot to properly introduce myself.”
“No, it’s fine…”
“Let me formally present myself. I am Cassel of House Winkler.”
At his quiet declaration, both Riena and the Captain—who’d been about to protest—fell silent in shock.
Winkler. One of only three ducal houses in the Empire.
[This is the timeline separator]“Do you have belongings to collect from the estate?”
Riena, who’d been staring blankly at the rain-soaked mansion, turned her head at the voice beside her. The man from her dreams—no, Cassel Winkler—was watching her intently.
After introducing himself, Cassel had suggested returning to the Daik estate to announce their engagement.
Given how things stood, Riena agreed—it was necessary to firmly close the matter of the marriage talks with Viscount Rotman.
‘And I should also give Lord Belliar my answer. Fleeing without any reply would be impolite.’
The Captain of the Knights, who’d come to retrieve her, had returned to the estate ahead of them to relay everything, while she rode back on Cassel’s horse. Despite her soiled clothes, he hadn’t hesitated to let her mount.
In fact, after seeing her drenched and bedraggled like a drowned mouse, he’d even removed his hood and offered it to her. Riena, accepting his kindness, had just arrived back at the estate wearing it.
She belatedly recalled his question and was about to answer—when Countess Daik emerged from the house, accompanied by a maid.
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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Chapter Comments (2)
Inline Comments (5)
“Taking a walk in the rain at this hour of night? Do you have any idea what kind
Fuck that pedophile freak!!! 😡😡😒😒 I hope the step mother suffers 😡
“Why should I care about that, Joanna?”
Nah this is foul. Joanna’s a commoner this is the only way for her to survive. I don’t blame her. Pretty classist sentiment this is.
“It’s been a while, Lord Winkler. Or should I say, Your Grace, now that you’ve i
I physically can not take this mf seriously when his last name is ‘ringlet’. Bruh whatttt
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I still don’t get how the countess has this much power when she’s not even blood related. Like I get she’s the elder but then when riena turns of age shouldn’t she be the proxy head or smth?? Idk I feel like that’s more plausible.
Wat happened to the other guy—raol or smth??? Wasn’t as going to go to him first?