“What’s on the dessert menu?”
“Ah… It’s a pie baked with cinnamon, topped with preserved berries, and drizzled with lime juice.”
“Sounds quite sweet.”
“Yes, indeed.”
The attendant seemed puzzled by my sudden interest in desserts. As I appeared ready to conclude my meal, having left more than half of my meat untouched, the attendant began to wonder if she should fetch a different dessert.
“Prepare the dessert for me. But not here.”
“Yes? Where should I prepare it then?”
“Pack it in a way that’s easy to carry.”
After giving these instructions, I started to organize my documents. I had been curious about Celeste’s doings, so I planned to visit her cabin under the pretext of bringing dessert.
“Your Highness.”
Clovis, perceiving the direction of the dessert’s journey, called out to me in a heavier tone. Regardless of how he addressed me, I continued to organize my documents.
He signaled the attendant and the other knights to leave the cabin and cleared his throat.
“Is she… the Countess Louizette?”
“What?”
I recoiled as Clovis leaned in to whisper, his lips nearly touching my ear.
“Are you asking if she’s the real Countess Louizette?”
“What do you mean?”
His voice was filled with anxiety. While he hesitated, I finished organizing the papers and stood up.
“The baby with the Countess… is it the child from the story you told at the barracks last time?”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Strangely enough, I thought the child resembled Your Highness a lot.”
My steps towards the cabin door halted.
“Resembled me?”
“Yes.”
Didn’t he notice that? Clovis blinked in disbelief. To him, the child’s resemblance to me was strikingly obvious, and he was certain the knights who visited the Countess’s cabin would have thought the same.
“So, the woman you mentioned was indeed Countess Louizette. No wonder you went all the way to that remote village. It was all to see the Countess…”
Clovis finally understood. Despite my status as royalty, I had personally traveled a great distance for what seemed like a mere summoning for an investigation, which didn’t seem plausible to him. However, he had kept silent, obeying my orders.
Countess Louizette and I? An unimaginable combination. Hadn’t I always detested her? When and how did such a situation arise?
Despite his best efforts, Clovis couldn’t make sense of our connection.
Capital Laht,
On a hill, a large mansion bustled with renewed activity. The estate of Countess Louizette was lively after being quiet for over half a year, due to news of the Countess’s imminent return. The message, however, came not directly from her but through knights from the imperial palace, which added a hint of unease.
Among the staff, the head butler, Muller, was the busiest. He was reorganizing the mansion and preparing a procession to welcome the Countess, who was expected to arrive in three days.
“Muller, is it true? Did a telegram really arrive?”
From a distance, Liv ran towards Muller, calling out loudly. She was originally a maid serving the Countess closely. Now, in the absence of her mistress, she was handling various chores around the mansion.
“Is it true that Countess Celeste is returning to the capital?”
“It’s a telegram from the imperial palace, so it must be true.”
“It’s unbelievable. Even when Hanna visited last time, there was no mention of this. And now, so suddenly…”
“Instead of dawdling, hurry up and call Kendrick from the knight’s quarters. We need to prepare the procession for her arrival in three days.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Muller sighed with relief. The Countess was finally returning.
Half a year ago, Celeste suffered a sudden carriage accident and remained unconscious for over ten days. The doctors said there was no significant external trauma, but for some reason, she was in a coma.
Though she appeared unharmed, there were concerns about potential severe damage to the back of her head. Just as these worries grew, Celeste woke up.
It was exactly 11 days after the accident.
But the Celeste who awakened was entirely different in her manner and speech. The servants of the Louizette household murmured that the last bloodline of the Louizette family might end with their mistress’s strange transformation.
After being secluded in her room for a few days, Celeste declared she needed to leave for convalescence.
“I think I need to go away for some rest.”
It was a Wednesday, ten days and one after the accident, and two days since she had awoken.
Without any resistance, Celeste left the mansion abruptly. Who could stop her? Moreover, Hanna and Kendrick had a hard time following her, as she left early in the morning without any escort.
If they hadn’t found the letter Celeste left, Kendrick might have turned the capital upside down looking for her.
Fortunately, Hanna found Celeste at the station and accompanied her, thus ending the brief commotion.
‘I need some quiet time alone for recuperation. I’ll return quietly, so don’t look for me.’
Muller still kept the note Celeste left. Just in case any problem arose, he held onto it as a precaution.
Everyone expected her to return within a month. But a month turned into over half a year without any news or contact from Celeste. Muller even developed insomnia from worrying about her.
Though Hanna sent telegrams or visited the capital monthly, it wasn’t enough to ease their concerns.
Just when the retainers started to consider sending knights to look for her, the news of her return arrived.
“Countess Louizette is finally returning to the mansion!” Muller ordered the cleaning of Celeste’s bedroom, smiling brightly.
The scene Karl found upon arriving at Celeste’s cabin with the pie was utterly unexpected.
“Countess!”
Even before opening the door, I could hear a baby’s crying. It wasn’t a mistake.
The baby was sitting alone on the floor, crying inconsolably with a tear-streaked face. Celeste was nowhere to be seen.
Quickly scanning the room, Karl noticed a scatter of purple hair hidden in a space between the bed and the dining table.
“Countess. Are you alright?”
Celeste lay motionless, her eyes closed, her face alarmingly pale. Already fair-skinned, the loss of color made her appear almost like a deceased person.
“Klovis!”
At Karl’s shout, Klovis immediately rushed into the cabin. He too seemed visibly shaken by the scene before him.
“Is there a medical officer in the cabin?”
“There should be one for emergency treatment.”
“Bring them quickly.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Under Klovis’ direction, a cabin attendant hurried off to fetch the medical officer. Karl turned Celeste to face upwards. Feeling her neck for a pulse, he detected a faint but present heartbeat.
“Celeste, Celeste?”
He tapped her cheek lightly, but there was no response. What had suddenly happened?
He tilted her head gently to ensure her airway was clear while waiting for the medical officer. Karl looked around for any clues that might explain Celeste’s condition.
Before Celeste boarded the train, he had personally inspected it. The interior of the cabin hadn’t changed since then, except for the variety of foods Celeste had brought in from outside, now spread on the table.
Karl rose to inspect the plates and forks on the table.
Where had the Countess’s assistant gone? The muscular woman, who usually shadowed Celeste closely, was nowhere to be seen.
“Celeste, Celeste! Wake up!”
He shook her shoulder slightly, but still, there was no movement. He checked her shallow breathing by placing a finger under her nose and swiftly unbuttoned one of the buttons of her shirt that seemed to be constricting her neck.
“Your Highness!”
At that moment, the door burst open with a loud “bang.” The person who appeared with such a loud entrance was Celeste’s missing assistant.
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.]
