Woke Up And I'm A Married Woman (17 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 15
I’m going to the garden, so you hurry back inside.
It was meant as a simple suggestion, but unexpectedly, Cedar didn’t head toward the front door—instead, he began walking beside me.
Somehow, it felt oddly strange, as if I were accompanied by an enormous golem.
‘Ugh, why am I so strangely nervous?’
Was it because he possessed strength I could never possibly overcome?
Or was it the sheer presence of the man himself—Cedar Grenit?
‘But how much mana does he have inside him for his magical aura to be so severely distorted? If he’d allow it, I’d love to measure his mana capacity.’
Of course, he’d never give permission.
Neither mages nor sword users ever reveal their internal mana levels—it’s as vital as their livelihood. Still, I held onto a faint hope, like a gentle breeze in my heart.
Soft rustling sounds accompanied each of my steps.
That was the only noise drifting between us. Cedar, clearly unnerved by the silence, finally spoke first.
“…Why the sudden urge to go to the garden? Have you finally decided to exercise? You’ve been holed up like a mole, never stepping out of your own living space.”
He truly had no gift for pretty words—of all things, comparing me to a mole.
‘Well… he’s not wrong.’
My lifestyle really was no different from a mole’s.
Even if I didn’t have to feign illness anymore, I doubt I’d have willingly come downstairs from my second-floor sanctuary.
I was the type who found comfort in staying buried inside my own space.
“Why would I exercise? As long as I’m alive, I’ll never willingly move my body for exercise.”
At my reply, Cedar’s eyes flickered with momentary unease. He crossed his arms and let out a long sigh.
His deeply furrowed brow clearly showed he had a mountain of nagging words he wanted to unleash.
Yet, in the end, only one sentence escaped his lips.
“You’ll die young like that.”
I’d been bracing myself for what harsh thing he might say next—but instead, I gave a light, amused chuckle.
“Mages naturally have short lifespans.”
“What…?”
Surprised by my answer, Cedar’s eyes widened.
“Mages die young? Are you serious, or is that just a joke?”
“Yes.”
At my simple affirmation, embarrassment spread across Cedar’s face.
After a brief pause, his lips moved hesitantly before he cautiously asked again.
“If sword users live long lives, why do mages—who also wield mana—have shorter lifespans?”
“Because we don’t use mana to reinforce our bodies like swordsmen do?”
“…Why the question mark?”
“Because there’s not enough concrete evidence to state it definitively. At this point, anything we say is just a hypothesis.”
“You sure know how to complicate things. So you’re saying your early death is just a hypothesis, too?”
“No, that’s backed by statistical data. There are plenty of historical records stating that Swordmasters have lived up to 200 years.”
Suddenly, it struck me—the man standing before me would live far, far longer than I ever could, like a turtle.
The time I’d spend as “his wife,” merely a name tucked into a corner of his official family registry, would be but a fleeting moment compared to his long life.
‘Thinking about it like this… he really does seem less human and more like a dragon.’
Of course, dragons no longer existed in this world—at least, not for certain.
‘It’s kind of romantic, though.’
Though I wasn’t usually sentimental, the idea that the descendants of dragons—who once ruled this world—could still live vastly longer than ordinary humans felt deeply romantic.
Just as I was lost in that whimsical thought, Cedar, arms still crossed, poured cold water all over it.
“So in the end, you’re just too lazy to move. And your short lifespan? That’s just an excuse you’re making up.”
It seemed his specialty was casually slipping in cutting remarks. I bristled and snapped back.
“I’m not lazy! I’m going to check if I can grow medicinal herbs in the garden!”
“Medicinal herbs? You want to cultivate them right in our front yard?”
Cedar replied as if he’d just heard the most absurd thing imaginable.
At first, I thought it was because the garden was in such disarray.
“You?”
“…”
Apparently, he’d lost a great deal of trust in me.
‘How did things turn out like this? I’m pretty sure our relationship wasn’t like this when we first met.’
Was it because I was caught picky-eating and removing vegetables from my plate?
Or because I showed up at meals with my eyes barely open, suffering from severe morning hypotension?
‘This treatment is quite new to me.’
Since I began walking the path of magic, I’d always been treated as a proper adult—no matter how young I was. So Cedar’s current attitude felt completely foreign.
‘He probably doesn’t even remember I’m an Archmage.’
Of course, that fact hadn’t mattered much when he agreed to marry me—so I couldn’t really fault him for forgetting now.
Still, did he have any idea how hard I’d worked to become an Archmage?
‘This must be why mages struggle to adjust after leaving the Academy and end up returning.’
Imagine going from receiving endless admiration at the Academy to being treated as insignificant in the outside world—how utterly disorienting that must be.
But for me, having lost my mana, Cedar’s indifference was actually somewhat comforting.
I kept my feet moving briskly toward the garden as I replied.
“I was thinking of making and selling magical potions.”
“Magical potions? What kind do you plan to sell?”
“Just simple ones—like potions to change hair color or let you dream the dream you want to have.”
“Is that even possible?”
I hadn’t meant to sound boastful, but before I knew it, the words slipped out sharply.
“Of course, not every mage can do that. But I can—I’m an Archmage, after all.”
“Huh.”
Cedar let out a small, intrigued sound.
His gaze, looking down at me, seemed genuinely curious. I frowned slightly.
“What? Don’t you believe I’m an Archmage?”
“To be honest, it’s hard to believe. You’re so tiny.”
“Magic skill has nothing to do with physical size.”
“I’ve never actually seen you cast magic, either. Can’t you at least use magic for something like washing dishes?”
Is dishwashing really the best he can hope for from magic? Couldn’t he wish for something grander?
‘Well, at least it’s better than asking me to destroy a kingdom or assassinate someone.’
Besides, even if he did ask for those things, I couldn’t possibly fulfill them now.
“Hmm… I’m not using magic right now due to… circumstances.”
“Circumstances?”
I’d cast a colossal spell that reversed time across the entire world—and now, not a single drop of mana remained inside me.
In truth, I’d lost my status as a mage, but it was difficult to explain that to Cedar.
‘I know he’s not a bad person, but I can’t fully trust him either.’
After all, he wasn’t going to spend his entire life with me anyway.
I shrugged, my gaze fixed on his faintly bluish silver-gray eyes.
“You look like a Swordmaster on the outside, too.”
“You mean I look rugged?”
“I just mean you look good holding a sword. Why do you have to twist my words like that?”
He really was ruggedly built. No matter how hard I trained my whole life, I’d never develop muscles as massive as his.
Curious, I stared at his biceps and asked,
“Did you undergo brutal training from childhood? Or do you have some secret method? Given how often Swordmasters emerge from the Grenit family, maybe there’s a secret family technique?”
At my speculation, Cedar gave a bitter smile.
His expression looked as sour as coffee left out too long—and it didn’t suit him at all.
“There’s nothing like that. My father has been bedridden for a very long time. If he’d been healthy, maybe he would’ve taught me swordsmanship—but he was already ill when I was very young.”
“Oh… I see.”
I made an awkward face. It seemed this was common knowledge in high society.
‘The Duke’s household must have consulted every renowned physician they knew. If there’s been no improvement, it must be a serious illness.’
Since I hadn’t lived with my parents, I didn’t know much—but if they’d been bedridden like that, wouldn’t the household atmosphere have been constantly gloomy? Especially in such an old, prestigious ducal family, there must have been countless responsibilities weighing on them.
“Then shouldn’t you be the one protecting the ducal house?”
At the very least, this didn’t seem like a situation where he could be living alone so carefree in a small manor with no servants.
At my question, he simply shrugged.
“My mother’s handling everything just fine.”
But despite his casual gesture, his expression grew even darker than before.
“And honestly… I don’t really get along with her.”
His low voice carried a thick, heavy emotion—something sticky and dense—that even someone as insensitive as me couldn’t fully grasp.
Even a fool could tell his relationship with his mother wasn’t good.
‘I suppose that happens.’
What could possibly be worse than having your own sibling try to kill you? I gave a disinterested nod.
“I see. Well, families don’t always have to get along. Since your mother’s managing everything well, there’s no need to worry.”
At my bright, carefree reply, Cedar’s eyes widened in surprise.
Then, just as quickly, he brushed off his earlier negativity and returned to his usual self—Cedar Grenit—and fired off another teasing remark.
“You really do accept everything so easily. If you meet your sister again, you’ll probably be swayed and convinced by her right away.”
There were limits even to teasing—and Diana was absolutely off-limits. I scrunched up my face and shot back,
“That’s not true! I’ve completely given up on Diana. I’ll never change my mind about her.”
“He’ll probably come running the moment he hears you’ve opened your eyes. Right now, he just doesn’t know—so he’s lying low. But I think it’s only a matter of time.”
Just imagining Diana showing up and knocking on my door sent chills down my spine.
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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