You Can't Catch the Wind (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Morning arrived at the Aradis Viscount’s household. The viscount, his wife, and their daughter had attended a banquet at the royal palace the previous night and returned very late. Because of this, the servants moved about as quietly as possible.
The Viscount and Viscountess Aradis were famously hot-tempered. It was obvious as daylight that if anyone carelessly made loud noises and woke them on such a day, they would be severely scolded.
The servants actually thought this worked out well for them and, just like their masters, stayed in bed late without getting up.
In any other noble household, the butler or head maid would have sternly reprimanded them for this, but not here. The viscount had long ago dismissed senior servants like the butler or head maid because he could no longer afford their wages.
Only temporary hired hands remained, and even then, the household could barely afford to employ the bare minimum number of staff.
Thus, Ael was busy alone in the kitchen from early morning.
A month ago, her father had fired the head chef for failing to prepare a perfect dinner banquet.
It was only natural that the chef couldn’t manage such a banquet—he had originally been hired from an ordinary restaurant, not a noble household’s kitchen.
Moreover, the ingredients for cooking were insufficient.
Naturally, it was impossible to prepare a banquet on par with those of other noble houses.
〈Don’t they think I have nowhere else to work? I only came here because I figured I might as well add “worked for a so-called noble” to my resume! That’s enough—I’d already decided to quit anyway.〉
The head chef defiantly packed his belongings and left. On his way out, he even made sure to spit right in the middle of the entrance.
Viscount Aradis had roared furiously at the sight, shouting repeatedly for someone to catch that man.
But it was impossible. There were no strong, able-bodied male servants left in the viscount’s household who could carry out such an order.
Even if there had been, the chef hadn’t committed any crime, so there was no reason to detain him.
With the head chef gone, the household’s meals immediately became a problem.
The viscount ordered Jena, a maid who had only recently joined the household, to take full responsibility for all kitchen duties.
He accompanied this order with a threat that if she failed, she would be thrown out immediately without any severance pay.
Jena’s face turned deathly pale. Understandably so—she was a country girl who had just arrived in the city and taken this as her first job.
Having never done any kitchen work beyond clearing food scraps, there was no way Jena could single-handedly prepare meals for the viscount, his wife, and everyone else.
Eventually, Ael couldn’t bear to watch any longer and spoke to her father.
〈Father, may I help Jena?〉
At those words, Viscount Aradis bellowed in anger.
〈If you do menial work, what will the remaining servants think of me? How far do you intend to drag my dignity through the mud!〉
His rage stemmed solely from fear of losing face, not from any genuine concern for Ael.
Ael knew this better than anyone, so this time she turned to her stepmother instead.
〈Mother, you know how particular Elise is about her food. I doubt Jena can properly cater to Elise’s delicate palate. Besides, the social season is about to begin—we really must pay extra attention to Elise’s meals…〉
〈You’re right. Our Elise is indeed a sensitive child, isn’t she? That country bumpkin Jena probably won’t be able to satisfy Elise, who’s only ever eaten the finest things. So if you’re willing, I suppose you may help. Wouldn’t you agree, dear?〉
Just moments earlier, her stepmother had been glaring at Ael as if to say, “How dare a noble do such work?” But the moment Ael mentioned her half-sister Elise, her expression changed completely.
She then fixed her husband with a sharp look, clearly urging him to give his consent.
〈Since it’s for Elise… hmph. Very well, I suppose it can’t be helped. It’s only natural that you care for your younger sister.〉
Even the father, who had been shouting furiously moments before, calmed down immediately upon hearing Elise’s name. It was only natural.
Elise was the beloved daughter of the viscount and his wife—the very hope upon whom the future of House Aradis rested.
Born to the viscount and his new wife, Elise had been exceptionally beautiful since childhood and, upon her debut, instantly became the darling of high society, celebrated as the “flower of the social season.”
Despite their strained finances, the viscount and his wife spared no effort in surrounding Elise with only the finest things.
Not only her clothes and jewelry, but even the smallest stationery item that touched Elise’s hands was of the highest quality.
Naturally, Elise had developed a refined and demanding palate.
Moreover, although they’d lashed out in pride earlier, the viscount and his wife well knew they couldn’t afford to hire another head chef.
Yet here was Ael volunteering to take on the work herself—not out of “financial hardship,” but for the sake of her “beloved younger sister.”
〈Indeed. It’s admirable that you’d go so far to help. From now on, you’ll manage the kitchen together with Jena.〉
Having said this, the viscount and his wife returned to their room. From then on, kitchen duties were shared between Ael and Jena.
While Ael was alone, preparing ingredients and adding seasonings to a pot on the stove, the kitchen door opened, and Jena entered, her face flushed and coughing.
“Miss, why didn’t you wake me…? Give that to me—cough—I’ll do it…”
“I deliberately didn’t wake you. Why are you up? Go back and rest a bit more.”
“No, I can’t! How can you do everything alone…? Cough! Cough!”
Jena, trying to stop Ael, doubled over in distress, clutching her chest as another coughing fit struck. Ael hurried over and patted her back. Jena then muttered in a pained voice,
“They say even dogs don’t catch summer colds…”
Ael couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. She’d been worried Jena was seriously ill, but at least she still had the energy for jokes.
“Anyway, go back and rest. If I catch it too, what will we do?”
“But still…”
Jena’s eyes wavered, unable to find a proper reply.
“But you can’t possibly do it all by yourself. Even if it’s just simple tasks…”
“No, it’s fine today. Mother, Father, and Elise came home late last night, and the servants who attended the banquet are all sleeping in. I just need to prepare enough for the few who are awake.”
“But…”
Jena knew Ael wasn’t wrong. Just as she tried to respond, her eyes welled up, and she began to sob quietly.
“It’s just… the masters are so unfair. You were invited to the banquet too, Miss… yet they only took Miss Elise… and left you all alone…”
At Jena’s words, Ael gave a bitter smile.
Jena had grown up in a close-knit family. Naturally, she couldn’t understand how Ael—though the daughter of the previous wife—could be treated so poorly despite being family.
“Jena, at this rate, I’ll have to add nursing you to my list of duties. There’s some soup I’ve already made—take it and go back to your room.”
Ael spoke deliberately in a cold tone, and only then did Jena stop crying, bow her head apologetically, and leave weakly carrying her portion of soup.
Ael felt guilty for being harsh to a sick girl, but Jena seemed ready to cry all day if she didn’t put her foot down.
After Jena left, Ael worked even more diligently. Thanks to her efforts, by the time there was about an hour left until lunch, she had nearly finished not only the midday meal for the household but also preparations for dinner.
After checking the clock, Ael fell into brief thought, then quickly made up her mind and headed upstairs.
Entering her father’s study on the second floor, Ael walked as silently as possible—so stealthily that anyone seeing her might mistake her for a thief.
‘Well, I’m not wrong.’
She really was a thief—she’d come here to steal something.
Quietly opening a drawer and rummaging inside, Ael’s face lit up. There it was—the item she’d been looking for.
A small, square identification card, about half the size of her palm.
Slipping it into her pocket, Ael hurried out of the study. Fortunately, the hallway remained empty as she made her way back to her room.
Once in her room, Ael quickly changed clothes.
She put on a plain yet neat outfit suitable for a tutor in a noble household—simple enough that no one would mistake her for a noble young lady.
Fully dressed, Ael slipped out of the mansion through the back door via the kitchen.
‘It’s 11 a.m. now.’
Her parents and Elise hadn’t returned home until nearly dawn. Barring any special circumstances, they wouldn’t wake until late afternoon.
‘I can make it back before then.’
Ael hurried to the main road and flagged down a passing carriage.
“To the Academy Library! Please hurry!”
“Yes, yes, understood.”
The coachman gave a thoroughly unconvincing reply as he set the carriage in motion.
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.]
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