Was it normal for no one to be seen in such a vast mansion at this hour?
Aelfrie, unlike usual, went into the forest trail and hid her body behind a tree.
After a moment, people began to appear here and there in the previously silent mansion.
They hurriedly opened the windows and swept the garden, moving hastily, as if they had postponed their work for a long time and now could finally move.
‘As expected… that was the case.’
Seeing the servants revealing themselves only after she was out of sight, Aelfrie hung her head.
So it was. They had been deliberately avoiding her.
Was it Calon’s command? Or was it their judgment?
It didn’t matter either way. Calon surely knew they were acting this way.
In other words, nobody, including the owner of the mansion, wanted to encounter her. That’s why, until now, nobody had shown themselves while she was there.
Aelfrie’s face turned red as she weakly turned her body.
She couldn’t raise her head in shame after facing the fact she had been desperately trying to ignore.
Stomp. Stomp.
Her already weak steps slowed even more. It took much longer than usual to leave the forest trail, and a hill overlooking the sea appeared.
And at the end of that hill was a small house.
It was an old house once inhabited by a researcher who watched the weather over the distant sea.
Now, it was where Aelfrie stayed.
“Lady Aelfrie!”
As Aelfrie approached the house, the door inside swung open, and a maid with tightly tied red hair rushed out. It was Jena, Aelfrie’s maid.
Long ago, Jena had called Aelfrie ‘Miss.’ Then, after her marriage, she had called her ‘Madam.’
But now she called her ‘Lady Aelfrie.’
A married woman couldn’t be called ‘Miss’ as before, but seeing Aelfrie’s face looking like she might cry when called ‘Madam,’ she seemed to have compromised on the title ‘Lady Aelfrie.’
“You’re later than usual, I was worried… Ah? Lady Aelfrie, did something happen?”
Chattering as she approached, Jena saw Aelfrie’s red eyes and face and hardened her expression. Then she turned her head to glare at the mansion beyond the forest.
As if thinking that the people in that place had done this to Aelfrie.
Aelfrie quickly lowered her head and grabbed Jena’s hand, then ran into the house as if escaping from something frightening. After closing the door, Aelfrie purposely cleared her throat and said to Jena,
“No, the wind was strong, and some dust got into my eyes. That’s all. I want to wash now. Can you prepare a bath?”
“Wha? You always took a bath befo… No, no, of course. I’ll prepare it right away.”
“Thank you. I’ll wait in my room.”
Upon Aelfrie’s request, Jena quickly ran inside.
Aelfrie climbed the steep stairs leading to the second floor, holding the railing one step at a time.
When she first came here, these wooden stairs were in such a rotten state that she was afraid to even step on them.
Now, not only the stairs but also the railings, and even the walls were all neatly repaired and shone brightly.
It was thanks to her husband Calon, who ordered the repairs after she had said that she wanted to make this place her accommodation.
At his command, laborers from Ash Trading Company had flocked in,
The shack that was on the brink of collapsing was transformed into a cozy space that was quite suitable for Aelfrie and Jinnoran to live in, in less than a week.
On the day she came here, Aelfrie was very satisfied. She had finally found a place that could give her a little peace,
But Jinnoran wept loudly, resenting Calon and questioning how he could drive his wife to such a place.
Even though Aelfrie repeatedly said that she had asked for it, Jinnoran wouldn’t listen. And then she cursed all the servants of the mansion, including Calon.
Aelfrie couldn’t stop Jinnoran’s behavior. She knew it all came from caring for her.
Perhaps that’s why. Like today, once a week, when Aelfrie came to the mansion to fulfill her duty to her, Jinnoran especially watched out for Aelfrie and faithfully did everything that Aelfrie asked.
Upon arriving on the second floor, Aelfrie went into her room and closed the door. Then she collapsed onto the bed.
She was always tired after dealing with him, but today the fatigue was especially more.
‘Yesterday was especially… persistent.’
He always pressed her enough to tire her, but yesterday was especially severe.
‘He might be thinking the money he spent on me is wasted since there’s still no child.’
When she buried her face in the bed sheets that Jinnoran had changed in advance, the fatigue of last night rushed back.
‘How long has it been?’
Aelfrie counted how long it had been since she married Calon. Exactly a year ago, the two had a wedding more grandiose than royalty.
It was a marriage that turned the entire continent upside down, not just the Kingdom of Denertum.
It was understandable. Calon Ash, who never even had a rumor of being in love let alone marriage, suddenly married the daughter of a fallen noble.
People said he had finally found true love.
All the newspapers and magazines on the continent heralded Aelfrie as the fortunate woman who captured the heart of the continent’s wealthiest man.
‘…But that’s not it.’
Aelfrie buried her face in the bed sheets. The tears she had barely held back fell again, quietly wetting the sheets.
‘This was just a buyandsell deal.’
People don’t know. That there’s not a single point of love in this marriage.
Why he wanted this marriage.
How coldly Calon decided her body’s worth.
People will never know.
The suppressed cry seeped between the bed sheets and disappeared.
‘I didn’t know it would turn out like this.’
Aelfrie recalled the first time she met him.
When he called her name and looked at her with eyes of trust.
The times he smiled when their eyes met.
The past when she hid her own fear and guilt, only cherishing her admiration for him.
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.]
