It’s customary to marry for the prosperity of the family when one comes of age, but this is not the case. The blessed first marriage turned into a cruel death sentence.
I’m being sold as collateral for Uncle’s business funds.
To a man twenty years older than my late father, who had four previous wives and is now old, so old that he can’t move properly without assistance.
Yet to a madman who lusts and desires young and inexperienced women.
(This is a time marker.)
Riley was orphaned at the age of fourteen when she lost her only father.
Her father died right before her eyes in a carriage accident. Thus she was left alone, and all her relatives turned their backs on her.
Except for one person, Uncle Ryan Aeadalin.
He was a philanthropist and an inspiration to all. He regularly visited those in need and volunteered. He visited disasterstricken areas to help rebuild, operated orphanages for parentless children, and even created social enterprises to provide jobs for them.
He made money by selling products made by orphans or disabled individuals or through donations.
In this way, Uncle expanded his charitable activities, becoming a renowned exemplary noble.
His fame grew day by day, and eventually, he even rose to the position of a ‘subordinate lord,’ managing the territory on behalf of the lord.
He was a good man to others. Riley also thought of Uncle as a good man. There was a time when she had foolishly thought it was fortunate to be taken in by such a wonderful person.
All that glitters is not gold. Hidden behind his facade, his true nature was far from that of a good person. Even his charitable activities were merely a means to gain honor and accumulate wealth.
A man who enjoyed recognition. A man consumed by vanity. A man with great ambition for advancement. That was the true ‘Ryan Aeadalin.’
‘You should be grateful that I took you in when you look so low and useless. Don’t do anything stupid; always be careful not to bring shame to the family. I took you in because I had no choice, but I don’t think of you as my child. I have no intention of accepting you as family. So don’t feel any sense of belonging and don’t do anything. Don’t listen to anything, don’t say anything. Act as if you’re there but not there. Don’t be noticeable or irritating. You should be able to do at least that, no matter how stupid you are.’
‘Just live as if you are there but not there, and when you grow old enough, you can marry into a suitable family. I took you in because you might be useful to our family someday. This also means that I can cast you aside whenever you become useless.’
Overwhelmed by a fear of being alone at such a young age, perhaps it was a fixation.
“I lived as the guardian told me.”
Unnoticeably, without annoyance. I had lived doing my best to obey.
I thought that if I were grateful just for taking in someone with nowhere to go, and if I tried to look good, they would eventually open their hearts to me. I clung to the vain hope that I could become a real family.
In a controlled environment, only eating what was given. I lived a life of dependence, not autonomy.
Is this the result of holding back and not speaking out of fear of being abandoned and scared of being alone?
No matter what, this is too much. No matter what… this is not it.
“I don’t want to get married, I don’t want to. I have to share a room and body every day with such an old man… match his temperament, and live with his illnesses? I will be driven out like his other exwives. Without knowing whether I’m alive or dead…
I hate it! It’s dirty! It’s disgusting!”
I felt like the emotions that had been lodged in my chest would explode.
An intense feeling of betrayal towards my guardian. And a sense of disillusionment with the painful reality. The stupidity of myself, who lived clinging to a vain hope.
“Should I jump and die…….”
I was overcome with the urge to jump out of the window right away. I felt that death would be better than miserably prolonging life. The current situation was so unbearable and painful.
“Riley, I’m sorry… but you must live. You must live defiantly. Even if it’s hard, even if you regret it, you must endure it.”
As her father’s words on his deathbed came to mind, Riley muttered with her face covered.
“…why did you say that, why did you say that last, so that I can’t even give up on myself.”
The words left by her father, struck by a carriage just before he died.
It was his dying wish.
No matter what happens, survive. That would have been his desperate plea for his daughter, who would be left alone in the world.
And this last request was the driving force that made her continue to live, even when it was hard and painful, and it was a shackle she could never escape from.
“Why should I die? Why should I? How have I lived so far…”
Sadness soon turned into resentment.
Riley didn’t want to live unhappily anymore. But she also felt too aggrieved to die, considering her father’s dying wish and all the years she had endured.
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.]
