You Can't Catch the Wind (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
It was truly a day whose course no one could have foreseen. She had merely gone out to run an errand—who could have imagined it would turn into such an eventful day?
Ael opened one of the boxes she had brought back with Jena. Most of the boxes had been ordered by the Viscount to be moved to his study for his own inspection, but he had permitted the food items to be taken directly to the basement kitchen.
“Jena, I have something for you.”
“Huh? What is it?”
At Ael’s words, Jena leaned forward eagerly, wondering if there was yet another remarkable item. Ael smiled and took something from the box, handing it to Jena.
“This is an Imperial confection. I really wanted to give you some too….”
“Kyaa! Goodness! Look how pretty it is! And it smells absolutely wonderful!”
Jena took the pastry Ael offered, jumped up and down excitedly, then carefully held it tight, afraid it might break, and kept turning it over and over in awe.
Jena’s excitement continued long after that.
Ael understood her feelings perfectly. After all, the box was filled not only with tea and pastries but also with fruits she had never seen in her life.
Yet, beyond all those gifts, there was something else that made Ael even happier.
Her gaze drifted toward her own bag resting on the worktable. Inside it lay a book she could now finally understand—thanks to the explanations he had given her throughout the afternoon….
To receive the knowledge she had longed for so desperately, just like this.
Ael took a pastry from the box and popped it into her mouth. The rich aroma of butter filled her senses, accompanied by just the right amount of sweetness and nuttiness.
With an utterly contented expression, Ael thought:
Today, she had truly received the perfect day as a gift.
[This is the timeline separator]Two weeks had passed since that chaotic day.
For the first few days, the mansion had been enveloped in an awkward atmosphere unlike anything it had ever experienced before. After all, this was the first time Ael had ever drawn attention within the household.
The few servants would gather in groups of two or more and chatter endlessly about the astonishing gifts they had witnessed that day.
Whenever Jena joined them, their gossip grew even more animated, momentarily forgetting their duties.
Viscount Aradis and Viscountess Aradis scolded the servants loudly each time they saw them idling and ordered them back to their tasks.
Yet, once everyone had dispersed and he was left alone, he couldn’t help but let a smile slowly creep onto his face.
And no wonder—he had claimed most of the luxurious items Ael had received, excluding the food.
The box had spilled forth an astonishing variety of goods, as if someone had thoroughly emptied an entire Ash Company branch. The moment Viscount Aradis spotted a high-end fountain pen among them, he naturally took it for himself.
If the Viscount acted so boldly, the Viscountess was no less assertive.
She immediately snatched up a small handbag, saying with a smile, “I was just about to buy something like this anyway—what perfect timing!”
Thus, the delicately embroidered, ornate handbag became the Viscountess’s possession.
Naturally, all the other feminine items went straight to Elise.
She did phrase it diplomatically, claiming that since Ael had returned late and hurt her feelings, the least Ael could do was show sincerity by handing over these gifts for her healing.
Thus, the presents from Ash Company were torn apart and distributed into the hands of others.
Ael wasn’t particularly surprised or saddened. She had anticipated exactly this outcome.
More than half of the tea generously packed by Ash Company was used by Elise as gifts whenever she was invited to tea parties at other households.
As for the pastries, under the thinly veiled threat disguised as advice—“You can’t possibly store them for long; it’s virtuous to share with those around you”—most of them also ended up with the Viscount couple and Elise.
Even so, enough pastries remained for Ael to share with Jena a few times to soothe their weary afternoons.
That alone was enough to satisfy Ael.
Ironically, the one who grew truly angry was Jena.
“She kept grumbling, “Those were all yours, Miss! They were gifts meant for you!” unable to hide her frustration.
Of course, she only raised her voice when they were alone in the kitchen, but Ael was already content just knowing someone cared enough to stand up for her.
The gifts from Ash Company had another effect on the household.
Elise had become slightly more lenient toward Ael.
On the day of the commotion, after he had left, Ael handed Elise the paper bag she had been carrying. Inside were fine stationery sheets carefully prepared by Nisha.
The moment Elise opened the bag, a delicate scent of lily of the valley wafted out.
When she looked inside, she found the sheets neatly sorted by type into smaller envelopes, each adorned with beautiful, intricate patterns.
From their soft hues to the faintly embossed designs—these were items even Elise, who considered herself accustomed to luxury goods, rarely had the chance to handle.
She immediately wrote a letter on them and sent it to the Grand Duke, who replied faster than usual.
Though his reply was as brief as always, it included praise for Elise’s exquisite taste in selecting such beautiful stationery.
Having exchanged letters with the Grand Duke many times before, this was the first time he had complimented her in such a manner, and Elise felt as if her spirits soared to the heavens.
This was especially significant because Elise had been constantly on edge about Riena, the Marquis’s daughter.
She had been tormented daily by paranoid thoughts that Riena—unlike herself, born into a wealthy and refined family—might capture the Grand Duke’s attention with even greater opulence and discernment.
Thus, when the Grand Duke sent a letter praising her taste, Elise finally felt reassured that he acknowledged her worth.
This sense of satisfaction granted Elise a newfound grace and generosity.
Consequently, she was able to let go entirely of the irritation and anger she had harbored all day over Ael’s lateness.
Moreover, the tea her maid had practically snatched away played a major role in enhancing Elise’s reputation.
Initially, she brought it to a tea party hosted by an acquaintance who had shown little interest in her, thinking it might serve as a decent gift since she’d never heard of this tea before.
But the moment the hostess saw the name, she became visibly thrilled.
“This is the new Imperial tea from yesterday’s catalog! How did you manage to get your hands on it already? They said deliveries wouldn’t even start until next month at the earliest!”
To this question, Elise replied with a casual smile, “Ash Company owed our family a favor, so they sent this as a token of gratitude.”
It wasn’t a lie—after all, Aelfrida had indeed exchanged assistance with them.
However, Elise’s words left ample room for varied interpretations among her listeners.
What kind of favor could the Aradis family—a mere fallen noble house—possibly have rendered to obtain goods even the royal family and high nobles hadn’t yet acquired?
As is common with most people, those who heard Elise’s answer quickly convinced themselves of the most dramatic scenario imaginable, as if they had witnessed it firsthand.
Within just a few days, rumors spread that the Aradis family were great benefactors of Ash Company, having even saved their lives.
Declaring that a true lady would not dwell further on the matter, Elise stopped discussing it and instead began generously gifting the tea everywhere she went.
As a result, more and more families started inviting Elise, eager to be among the first to obtain the tea.
Among them were even wealthy, prestigious families who had previously ignored her.
Receiving their invitations, Elise felt certain her social standing had risen significantly.
After all, she had recently encountered Riena of the Marquis’s household, who had glared at her with unmistakable displeasure.
Unaware of all this, Ael simply assumed Elise was in a good mood because she had taken the gifts.
That didn’t mean Ael was left with nothing of value.
She thought of the space beneath her bed—the usual hiding spot for her old blanket and occasionally borrowed books. Now, that space was filled with boxes from Ash Company.
There had been so many boxes delivered that day that even after Elise and the Viscount couple had taken their share, countless empty packaging boxes from Ash Company remained.
Ael gave a few of them to those who wanted them and carried the rest to her room, using them to neatly organize her few belongings.
Until then, the storage containers in Ael’s room had all been old, cracked, or beginning to rot and darken with age.
After clearing them away and arranging the bright-colored boxes in order, the room already looked noticeably brighter.
Next, Ael took the ribbons that had wrapped the boxes and fashioned a large flower-shaped decoration, hanging it beside her bed. It became the only item in her room valued purely for its decorative purpose rather than function.
Every night before sleep, Ael would look at the decoration hanging by her bedside. She still couldn’t quite believe what had happened that day.
The first day in her life she had ever received gifts.
Ael had no doubt that this day would remain the most astonishing and joyful of her entire life.
Gradually, as the commotion of that day faded into memory, Ael returned to her ordinary life.
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.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)