My fiancé became infatuated with the nanny’s daughter, and to elevate her status, he trampled over me. On our engagement day, 99 potential brides each received a tablet. Whoever was fastest would become his wife, a supposed method to find his soulmate. Yet, I knew the tablets had been tampered with. This absurd engagement ceremony was engineered to ensure a single, predetermined bride. In my previous life, I presented the family agreement and halted this charade, severing any opportunity for others to ascend. The following day, the nanny’s daughter took her own life, leaving no intact body behind. On the wedding day, my fiancé held her urn and set our bridal suite ablaze, with me trapped inside. Glaring into the flames, he declared with rage, “Cora, I’ve avenged you.” “You didn’t have a complete body, so I won’t leave her with even ashes.” “I’ll make her pray for you here for eternity!” He hired a Feng Shui master to bind my soul to the bridal suite, never to reincarnate. Yet perhaps the gods of the underworld could not bear my unjust death, and I was reborn on the day he chose his supposed soulmate.
“Congratulations to Cora for winning with a speed of 0.09 seconds and becoming Jasper’s chosen one.” The host’s fervent announcement brought a smile to Jasper’s face on stage. Today should have been our engagement celebration, yet to be with Cora, he staged a “fastest fingers first” event. Ninety-nine women each with a tablet; the fastest would join the Jasper Family as a wealthy wife. This move clearly disregarded our previous engagement. In my past life, I desperately stopped this spectacle with the agreement between my late parents and the Jasper Family, forcing him to honor the engagement. But it ended in tragedy for me. Now, with a new lease on life, amidst the mocking gazes, I stepped forward, took Cora’s hand, and placed it in Jasper’s. “Congratulations.” With that, I turned and left the stage. Jasper seemed taken aback by how smoothly things went and only after a long pause did he remember to pick up the microphone, announcing, “Thank you all for witnessing the moment I chose my destined one.” Hearing his words, I merely curled my lips in irony. The term “destined” was truly galling when applied to them. The tablet’s program had been preset; no matter how fast the other candidates were, they were doomed to lose. I sat below the stage, witnessing their entire ceremony. Throughout, Jasper’s gaze frequently glanced my way, unsure if I truly agreed to the annulment so easily. I certainly wouldn’t let it go. Having been reborn, I intended to make them pay dearly for their wrongs. As the ceremony concluded and Jasper and Cora exited, I stepped forward to block Mr. Jasper’s path. “Uncle, isn’t your family being too oppressive?” Guests were leaving, but my voice was loud enough for those in the front rows to pause. “Ah, this Lark Family girl is truly pitiful. Lost her parents early, and now a nanny’s daughter has stolen her fiancé.” “With no one left in the Lark Family, is she still a lady?” “The Jasper Family is bullying Maeve because she’s all alone.” “Even lost her job at the hospital because of them… poor girl!” … With murmurs behind me, I stood straight. “Uncle, though my parents are gone, the marriage agreement with the Jasper Family is signed.” “It was only because of that agreement that my mother handed over the pharmaceutical company to you, and now you’re breaking it…” Before I could finish, a sharp voice interrupted. “You little brat, how two-faced can you be?” “In front of guests, you pretended to congratulate Cora and Jasper, now you’re playing dirty behind their backs.” I looked at the familiar face holding a newborn, sneering. It was Nora, my former nanny and Cora’s mother. A year ago, she had a son with a small businessman in the capital, not marrying him but living as a wealthy woman, no longer needing to serve others. Now that Cora had latched onto the Jasper Family, she was in her prime. Those who once looked down on her had to call her Mrs. Nora. Now, holding a child, she had no filter. “Look at yourself, cursed by fate, killing your parents and even Jasper’s grandmother because of you.” “You still want to marry Jasper? Aren’t you afraid of cursing him to death?” I scoffed at her, as if I’d snatch her golden goose, and said, “Who says fulfilling the marriage agreement means marrying Jasper? Doesn’t the Jasper Family have another son?”
“You mean Jasper’s bedridden, comatose brother, Finn?” Nora froze, then vehemently opposed, “No, I disagree.” I glanced at her, then spoke with a tearful tone, “Aunt Nora, can’t you tolerate me? Your daughter stole my engagement, can’t I marry someone else?” The guests, mostly genuine socialites, abhorred mistresses. Hearing my words, they began to criticize. “Some people should know their place. Who is she to speak here?” “What’s that smell? Do you smell it? A fox’s stink?” … Nora remained unfazed by the snide remarks. To reach her current status, she’d long discarded shame. Realizing her overreaction, she tried to cozy up to me. “Maeve, I watched you grow up.” “How could Aunt let you suffer?” “You don’t know how hard it is to care for a bedridden person…” She kept persuading me not to marry, forgetting Mr. Jasper beside her. No father likes hearing others speak ill of his son. He cleared his throat, casting a cold glance. Realizing her mistake, Nora quickly fell silent, blending into the crowd. Mr. Jasper focused on me, asking sincerely, “Maeve, are you serious about what you just said?” Finn had always been groomed as the successor, but a year ago, a car accident left him paralyzed and semi-conscious. The blow was hard for Mr. Jasper, but he had to shift focus to Jasper, as the family needed an heir. He’d planned to care for Finn in the hospital for life, but hearing my willingness to marry him brought tears to his eyes. I nodded, and he promptly agreed, “I’ll arrange it, and we’ll have the wedding with Jasper.” I didn’t expect Mr. Jasper to plan it this way, but the wedding date didn’t matter. What mattered was the leverage Finn had over Cora. I initially guessed, but Nora’s attitude confirmed that Finn’s injury was suspicious. … With my goal achieved, I returned home. Jasper’s wedding was set for a week later; I needed to prepare. Unexpectedly, my long-empty Lark Family villa was filled with laughter. “Come catch me, Jasper…” “Nope, I’m not there…” I rushed to the second floor, following the sound. Through the door crack, I saw Cora’s “Jasper brother” had caught her in my bedroom. They were laughing, playing. Jasper’s hand was under Cora’s clothes, and fearing they’d escalate on my bed, I kicked the door open. “Can’t you pick a place to fool around? Get out.” Jasper withdrew his hand, coughing, while Cora showed no embarrassment at being caught. Instead, she tearfully nestled into Jasper’s arms. “Jasper, she used to drive me away like this.” “If not for her, would we have missed so many years?” When Nora first came to work, she brought newborn Cora. No one wanted a nanny with a child, but my parents took them in, thinking I’d have a playmate. The Lark Family and Jasper Family were close, so young Jasper often visited. We were the best playmates. Who knew we’d grow to be like this? Cora’s voice was sorrowful, seemingly heartbroken. “Jasper, I’m so afraid of losing you again.” Jasper comforted her, “It’s okay, Cora. We’re getting married soon. We’ll be together forever.” Then, looking at me, his eyes were filled with disdain. “Maeve, do you think I care about coming to this cursed Lark place?” “If Cora didn’t want to relive childhood memories, who’d come?” He spoke with disdain, as if he wanted no connection with me. Yet, as a child, in the same place, he said only I could be his bride. Those days were gone. He was now a stranger. I didn’t want to waste words and directly grabbed Cora from the bed. “Get off my bed.” I used great force, so even as Jasper held her, I pulled her down. I dragged her to the door, but Cora suddenly hooked her foot on a bookshelf. The shelf wobbled, and the books tumbled down.
Certainly, here is the adapted translation: — As a child, in that very same place, he confidently declared that only I was worthy to be his bride. But those days are long gone, and now he is just a stranger to me. I didn’t want to waste any more words on them, so I reached out and pulled Cora off my bed. “Get off my bed.” I used all my strength, and even though Jasper held onto Cora, I managed to pull her down. I dragged her toward the door, but just as we reached it, Cora suddenly stuck out her foot and hooked the bookshelf by the entrance. The bookshelf wobbled, and ancient books came crashing down. 3 I couldn’t spare a thought for Cora. Letting go of her, I used both hands to try to catch the falling ancient books. There were too many, thick and heavy, and I only managed to catch one. The rest fell directly onto Cora. Cora cried out in pain and ran to Jasper to accuse me, but I was only worried about the scattered ancient medical books on the floor. These were unique copies left to me by Grandma Jasper, her treasured possessions while she was alive. She entrusted them to me for safekeeping, and I had failed to protect them. For a moment, I was overwhelmed with guilt. But just as I was anxiously trying to gather the books, a large hand suddenly snatched the book from my grasp. Jasper, with a dark expression, said, “Didn’t you see your books hit Cora? Apologize.” I clenched my fists tightly. “She tripped the bookshelf herself.” If she hadn’t hooked the bookshelf with her foot, it wouldn’t have fallen. Hearing this, Cora’s eyes shone with cunning. “Jasper, the books really hurt me. How about we burn them?” Jasper frowned slightly but, after glancing at the old and worn cover of the book, immediately agreed. “Sure, these old books dared to hurt my baby; we might as well burn them.” Saying this, he actually took out a lighter from his pocket and headed toward the balcony outside my room. “These are the books your grandma left me,” I tried to appeal to Jasper’s conscience. The hatred in Jasper’s eyes deepened. “My grandma died because of you. What right do you have to keep her things? Why not burn them for her!” Grandma Jasper’s death is a lifelong sorrow in my heart. I’ve explained many times, but no one believes me. Right now, I just want to keep the last things Grandma Jasper left me. “No,” I followed them to the balcony, jogging. “I apologize. I’m sorry, Cora, I shouldn’t have pulled you.” Cora looked down at me with mockery. “Kneel.” Kneel to her? I’ve never even knelt to my parents. Seeing my reluctance, Cora snatched the lighter from Jasper’s hand. With a “whoosh,” the flame flickered, just a centimeter away from the ancient books. “No…” My eyes widened as I reached out to grab them. Cora stepped back, bringing the flame even closer to the books. “Kneel!” she commanded. Watching the ancient books get closer to the flame, I had no choice but to kneel in humiliation before Cora. “Hahaha… Maeve, you finally got what you deserve!” Cora laughed heartily and urged Jasper to take a picture. I couldn’t avoid the camera, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth, “The books… can I have them now?” “Of course, I always keep my word.” Saying this, Cora smiled maliciously, and suddenly brought her hands together, letting the flames engulf the ancient books. “Stop!” I frantically tried to snatch them away. She disdainfully threw the burning books at me and then retreated into Jasper’s arms, feigning fear. “Jasper, the fire is so big, I’m scared.” “Do you think I’m cruel? I’m just mad at her for making us miss so many years.” Jasper consoled her, “Of course not. It’s just a few old books. Who cares if they hurt my baby?” “Does it still hurt? Let me get you some ointment.” Saying this, Jasper took Cora and left my room. I was left alone, desperately facing the ancient books about to be consumed by flames. I frantically grabbed the nearby garden hose and sprayed the half-height flames. But paper is flammable, and by the time I put out the fire, the ancient books were unrecognizable. I was afraid a gust of wind would scatter what little was left of the books. So, ignoring the heat from the charred remains, I picked up the remaining pages one by one. By the time I brought all the ancient books back inside, my fingers were covered in blisters. I went to the living room to find a first aid kit for bandaging, but Jasper and Cora were nowhere to be seen. After a simple bandage, I took my phone and left. With the wedding approaching, I needed to visit my bedridden fiancé at the hospital.
When I arrived, the nurse was changing the medication. I immediately noticed the color was off and asked the nurse to show it to me. The nurse handed it to me, saying, “This is a new drug from Jasper Corporation, said to be twice as effective as before.” “Is that so?” I examined the medicine closely. “Did your doctors also tell you the toxins are several times higher than before?” The nurse looked alarmed. “Miss Maeve, you shouldn’t say such things. This is the Jasper family hospital. How could we harm the eldest young master?” I knew this drug was not something a small nurse could procure, so I waved her off without causing trouble. Unexpectedly, as soon as she left, Cora walked in. “Maeve, you have quite the reach, don’t you? Meddling with what drugs Finn uses?” “Do you really think you’re a miracle doctor? Why didn’t you save Grandma Jasper back then?” She had just burned Grandma Jasper’s keepsakes, and hearing her mention Grandma Jasper now made me want to tear her apart. Back then, she insisted she saw me have a conflict with Grandma Jasper, claiming it was my fault Grandma had a stroke. But I hadn’t even seen Grandma Jasper that day. Yet, Jasper only believed her. Seeing me ignore her, Cora snatched the bottle from my hand to continue Finn’s treatment. “Maeve, it’s best not to meddle in others’ affairs.” I blocked Finn with all my might. “Who’s meddling now?” “You, about to marry Jasper, yet appearing in Finn’s room, aren’t you afraid of rumors?” Cora was at a loss for words. “You…” I quickly snatched the bottle and smashed it to the ground, shattering glass and medicine everywhere. The commotion drew attention from outside. Soon, a crowd gathered, and someone called Jasper. Within ten minutes, Jasper appeared in the room. Cora, seeing him like a savior, tearfully ran into his arms. “Jasper, I heard Maeve wouldn’t let brother change his medicine, so I came to check.” “I was afraid of delaying brother’s treatment, but she smashed the medicine bottle.” “I know she’s upset about me marrying you, but she shouldn’t take it out on brother…” With each accusation, Jasper’s anger grew more intense. He grabbed my collar and flung me aside in a rage. Instinctively, I caught myself with my hands, and the shards of glass pierced my freshly bandaged fingers. The pain was excruciating. Jasper’s accusation rang in my ears. “Maeve, it wasn’t enough that you killed my grandma, now you want to kill my brother too?” Saying this, he ordered someone to drag me out like a dead dog. Through the glass, I saw Finn still being administered the medicine. Supporting my battered body, I went to see Mr. Jasper. He was shocked by my appearance and even more startled by my words. He said, fearing problems with the marriage, he hadn’t told Jasper about me marrying Finn. But since I was to spend my life with Finn, he could arrange for me to work as Finn’s personal caregiver at the hospital. I could oversee his medication. Having already lost one son, he couldn’t afford to fall out with Jasper. This was the best he could do. I thanked him and left. … A week later. The whole city was filled with a sweet atmosphere. Today was the wedding day of the Jasper family’s second young master. Every seat on public transportation had a rose. Everyone assumed it was the doing of the Jasper family’s second young master, unaware that Jasper was puzzled, wondering who could outdo his grand gestures. Mr. Jasper had said our wedding would be on the same day as Jasper’s, but not so shabby as to share the same hotel. The top two banquet halls in Kyoto, one in the west and one in the east. By coincidence, the wedding processions met on the road. It could have been uneventful, but Cora insisted on swapping bouquets with me. The window rolled down, and in my bright red wedding attire, I held up my golden bouquet. “Sorry, sister-in-law, my bouquet is made of pure gold, can’t swap it with yours!” Sitting beside her, Jasper’s eyes widened. “You’re getting married today? Who are you marrying?” Finn, who had been resting with his eyes closed, leaned forward slightly. “Marrying me, brother.” “Hey, you’re awake?” Jasper was taken aback, completely missing the fact that Cora beside him had turned pale. Finn ignored him and instructed the driver to start the car, so as not to miss the auspicious time. The car started moving again, but at some point, the car behind us had changed.
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