A Native Maid's Diary of Observing Transmigrators

The day I married into a noble family in my young mistress's place, she eloped with the stable boy.

Who could have guessed that just a month ago, she'd insisted I be matched with that same stable boy? All because she'd had a dream and was convinced I'd try to seduce my way into someone's bed someday.

Of course, I wouldn't do that. But I would fight back.

A great fire broke out, and she fell unconscious again.

When she woke up this time, her personality had changed completely.

She said everyone was equal. She said women shouldn't compete against each other for men's favor. She said the world was vast, and freedom was precious above all.

And she meant what she said. She had no prejudice about social rank, and fell in love with a stable boy. To escape an arranged marriage imposed by feudal tradition, she had me take her place and marry into a noble family.

That was how we exchanged our "husbands."

-

Being the wife of a nobleman was no easy task. My new husband was a famous figure in the capital, while I was nothing but a fake noblewoman pretending to be my young mistress, a real maidservant. I had no noble bearing, knew nothing of aristocratic etiquette, and could barely read.

But it didn't matter. Pretending was my specialty.

Rather than imitate a well-bred young lady, I chose to play the part of a dull, taciturn one.

Yet things gradually took an unexpected turn.

My husband's talented cousin, who had been pursuing him, suddenly gave up and fled the capital.

The timid concubine daughter in the household was always at my heels, her eyes brimming with joy and trust.

The son of the Grand Commandant, a renowned figure in the capital, blurted out, "The heroine!" the first time he saw me.

Even my handsome husband was nothing like the cruel, ruthless man in the rumors. He would do my eyebrows, help me care for my hair, feed me delicious food, and put an extra layer of clothing on me...

Before we knew it, we had become the capital's most famous loving couple.

Then my young mistress returned to the capital.

-

As expected, eloping didn't end well.

My young mistress's love story ended in tragedy. She returned to the capital wanting to reclaim her identity and set everything back the way it was.

Just then, someone in the household tried to poison me. I played along and used the opportunity to fake my death and give up my place.

But the person who was supposed to meet me never came. Instead, my husband sat beside the bed, his whole body reeking of blood, and looked at me resentfully.

"Madam, you can stop pretending. I switched out the soup the maid brought you a long time ago."

Years later, I was still the wife of a nobleman.

My young mistress was right: everyone is equal. Everyone has the right to fight for their own life.

▲

The capital had been very strange lately.

A beggar who should have died in the winter suddenly looked radiant and became a miracle doctor who saved lives.

A bride at her wedding suddenly lifted her veil and rushed delightedly toward a guest who had arrived with his wife, as if she'd just seen the love of her past life.

A pair of star-crossed lovers who once defied their families to be together met a miserable end. The man took a concubine, and the woman jumped from the city wall.

Before she died, she smiled and said, "I'm going home."

Joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, greed, hatred, and obsession: I watched it all, and had long since learned who I was.

Note:

1. The heroine is a local. She has many secret identities, is even-tempered and good-natured, and is slow to recognize her feelings. Her attitude toward the hero is like: "My heart is iron. Unless... my husband actively tries to seduce me~"

2. The hero is a black-hearted man pretending to be pure.

3. The young mistress and the heroine don't compete against each other for men's favor. They're on the same side, though their interests sometimes conflict.

4. There are no purely good people. Read at your own discretion.

5. The main story is told in third person.

Theme: Everyone is the protagonist of their own life.