Chapter – 01
“Th-there is a messenger from the Imperial Court!”
The butler shouted urgently.
“They say Lord Gerard is alive!”
Anais, who had been trimming medicinal herbs, froze where she stood.
It was the news that her husband, whom she had believed to be dead on the battlefield, was alive.
However, that was not all.
The imperial messenger spoke solemnly.
“Gerard Valdif has achieved remarkable military distinction and raised the prestige of the Empire. Therefore, he is elevated to the rank of Count.”
The people of the Valdif family embraced one another and shed tears of emotion.
The messenger looked at Anais, the only one who remained calm, and marveled inwardly.
‘She truly is a remarkable woman, just as I heard.’
Her voluminous golden hair sparkled brighter than sunlight, and her deep violet eyes held a glass-like luster. Her sleek nose bridge and plump lips captured one’s gaze, refusing to let it go.
While her appearance was rare even in the capital, that was secondary.
The Valdif territory used to be terribly poor.
So much so that the heir had gone off to war on his very wedding day just to get their imperial taxes exempted.
Yet, the bride—who had not even shared her first night with him—accomplished something great.
She successfully cultivated a precious medicinal herb that grew only in the wild.
The territory that once begged the Emperor was now diligently paying its taxes.
The messenger let out a sigh without realizing it.
‘How difficult it must have been for her all this time….’
Anais remained indifferent, even upon hearing that the husband she thought dead had returned as a victorious general and was elevated to a Count.
As the messenger recalled what was currently happening in the capital alongside her composed composure, he could not help but feel deeply sorry for her.
However, what could he possibly do?
Suppressing his uncomfortable feeling, the messenger approached Baron Raymond Valdif, Gerard’s father and the head of the family.
“Let us speak privately for a moment.”
“By all means. Shall we go to my office?”
Raymond stepped forward, thrusting out his plump belly.
The office had been left empty for a long time, giving off a faint smell of mold. The layer of dust neatly settled over the room seemed to say that while the daughter-in-law worked tirelessly, the head of the family had done nothing but idle away.
Frowning, the messenger handed over a letter written by Gerard.
“Keep the contents written here strictly to yourself.”
“Of course. I will keep that in mind.”
Raymond took the letter with his chubby hands. Comparing them to Anais’s rough hands made the messenger knit his brows.
The next day, Raymond demanded that Anais hand over the management of the estate.
“You have worked hard all this time. We want to hand it over to Gerard ourselves when he returns, so please understand.”
It was tantamount to snatching away with a single sentence what she had built with her blood and sweat over the past three years. Yet, Anais showed not a single trace of upset.
Gerard returned only three months after the messenger’s visit.
Under the family banner came numerous knights, infantrymen, and even a luxurious carriage. It seemed endless.
The long procession finally stopped in front of the castle.
Gerard leaped down from his horse and approached his parents.
“I have returned.”
His manly jaw and sharp mouth remained the same, but his hair, once black as pitch, had faded to gray, and his gentle brown eyes were sunken like deep wells.
“How terribly you must have suffered all this time.”
His mother, Josephine, shed tears, while Raymond slapped his shoulder and laughed heartily.
“My son, welcome back!”
His younger sister, Tonya, hung around his neck.
“Brother, I’m so glad you came back safely.”
Before long, Gerard stood before Anais.
He stared at her with a complex, indescribable expression before barely opening his mouth.
“Wife.”
It was at that moment.
The carriage door opened, and a languid voice drifted out.
“It’s more shabby than I thought.”
With hair and eyes as dark as the night sky, fair translucent skin, and lips like red flower petals, she was an exceptionally striking beauty.
A nearby knight held out his hand to help her step down from the carriage.
However, she ignored him completely. Her burning gaze was fixed on Gerard and Anais.
When she stubbornly refused to come down, Gerard walked over with heavy steps. When he offered his hand, the woman pouted her red lips.
“You’re mean, Jerome. Shaiya told you she can’t do without you.”
“It’s my family whom I haven’t seen in years.”
“So mean. It’s better for someone who waited years to wait a few more minutes. Shaiya doesn’t have any patience, you know.”
She smiled brightly and spread her arms wide. Gerard picked the woman up in his arms and introduced her.
“This is Princess Shaiya Codiar of the Lanta Kingdom.”
Everyone except Anais stood with their mouths agape. Tonya muttered like a groan.
“Lanta is an enemy kingdom. What are you doing with that princess wrench over there? Are you crazy…?”
Gerard set the woman down carefully and approached Tonya.
Slap!
Tonya staggered from the slap to her cheek.
“Watch your language.”
His warning was terrifyingly cold. Shaiya laughed as if the scene was amusing.
“Is she your sister? She’s quite cute. Her temper really is something, just like I heard.”
She shrugged her shoulders and continued speaking.
“The war is already over anyway. His Majesty the Emperor joined us together. We are, so to speak, a symbol of reconciliation.”
As Shaiya stroked her belly with a somewhat bashful expression, Gerard wrapped his arm around her waist as if she were precious to him.
“Don’t tell me….”
Tonya could not finish her sentence.
On the other hand, Raymond and Josephine looked away as if they had already known in advance.
Shaiya shifted her gaze and scanned Anais, who was standing beside them, up and down.
“I was curious about what kind of person the wife who didn’t even get to share her first night would be, but she’s quite pretty.”
She then hung onto Gerard’s thick arm, acting coy.
“Darling, say something to her. She’s just glaring at me scary-like.”
At that, Gerard looked at Anais with a complex expression and spoke.
“…Please treat her well.”
The surroundings became as deathly quiet as if frozen over.
The estate residents who had been cheering all shut their mouths. As if the horses knew something too, they stopped snorting and perked up their ears.
Snort.
A light scoff broke the heavy silence.
Anais, who was expected to burst into tears at any moment, sneered and said:
“You really are consistent.”
The welcome ceremony for the young lord, who had returned after three years, was completely ruined.
My name is Anais de Laville.
I am living my third life.
In my first life, I was a complete fool.
Even though my husband brought another woman along, I endured it for a while, hoping Gerard would change his mind. Above all, I couldn’t leave behind what I had built.
However, not a single one of my desperate hopes came true.
Abandoned by my husband, my people turned their backs on me one by one. I was treated like a maid, used continuously, and eventually framed and kicked out penniless.
Misfortune did not leave me easily. Trying to pick myself back up, I wandered the mountains in search of medicinal herbs, only to be bitten to death by a monster.
That was how I gained my second life.
I was born in a different time and space called South Korea.
Nature doesn’t go anywhere; I worked hard this time too.
After graduating from a college of Korean medicine, I started as a salaried doctor and eventually opened my own Korean medicine clinic.
Just when I had nothing left to do but live well, I died from overwork.
When I opened my eyes, I had returned to my first life.
It was a truly dazzling and dizzying regression.
How wonderful would it have been if it were before I got married? Regrettably, it was three months before Gerard returned with Shaiya.
Still, this was better than nothing. For whatever reason, thanks to retaining the memories of my past lives, the experience and wisdom given by time remained intact.
I quickly assessed the situation and moved busily before they arrived.
‘This time, I will never let myself be taken advantage of!’
The head maid let out sigh after sigh.
“We’re going to ruin at this rate.”
Ever since Gerard arrived, the castle had become a mess.
First of all, after Raymond, the head of the family, took over management, nothing ran properly. He squandered money in places that would have been unthinkable when Anais was in charge, straining their finances.
Tonya and Shaiya growled at each other every day. Whenever their eyes met, they fought, making every day feel like walking on thin ice.
The army Gerard brought was also a problem. Serving them food and booze all day and attending to their minor needs caused setbacks in winter preparations. Furthermore, the men drooled whenever they saw a female servant, making the servants too scared to even walk around.
Unable to take it any longer, the head maid went to see Josephine.
‘Madam, it is cautious of me to say this, but… we are experiencing some discomfort because of the knights.’
Josephine asked back coldly.
‘If it’s uncomfortable, who should be the one to endure it?’
She had changed.
To be precise, she had returned to her old self—the days when she looked only for her son, Gerard, and no one else.
Josephine grew even more shameless.
A few days ago, the head maid happened to see it while passing by.
Josephine was smiling brightly, caressing Princess Shaiya’s swollen belly. That smile was one that used to be directed only at the young madam, Anais.
Through it all, Anais stayed away from the castle, staying outside constantly.
“Sigh, she must be so troubled.”
Just then, a maid came running over.
“Head Maid, I think you need to come and see this.”
The head maid crumpled her face tightly and shook her head.
“I can’t bear to watch that sight.”
The maid looked close to tears.
“The old madam is calling for you. She said you must come and help….”
The head maid bit her lip firmly before getting up.
