After breakfast, I had to make my way to Lord Joseph’s room, pushed by Kardiel.
Even if he hadn’t done that, I was planning to go see Lord Joseph anyway…
‘No. It might look cleaner to pretend I have the intention to apologize.’
Although it would put me in a somewhat, no, quite unfair position.
Still, even I thought the excuse of him being my husband or whatever was a bit pitiful. It was just embarrassing.
“Is Lord Joseph in his room now?”
The attendant maid Loretta quickly answered my question.
“Yes. I heard he’s been secluding himself for days.”
“Is that so? Then what about meals?”
“Fortunately, I hear he’s been eating regularly.”
That would be the case.
Lord Joseph is a person with considerable attachment to life, so he wouldn’t do anything foolish like starving himself.
That was truly fortunate. I felt relieved inwardly.
“But I also heard this. His Majesty the Emperor sent a courtier to invite Count Alperon to lunch, but he declined citing health reasons. They say His Majesty was very disappointed.”
Loretta would also relay to me rumors circulating among the palace staff while living in the annex these past few days.
More precisely, she would whisper things like this even without me asking.
‘Come to think of it, to decline the Emperor’s dinner invitation. Is his nerve that great?’
Thinking about it, I remember hearing something like that from Wilhelm York Baden around the time my seclusion period ended.
That His Majesty the Emperor invites Lord Joseph to dinner every time.
I thought it was a joke at the time.
Actually, among the numerous social invitations he received when he moved into the Daiern mansion, there were none sent by His Majesty the Emperor.
“But my lady, is that okay? Even if the Count is great, to refuse His Majesty’s invitation…”
“…Well.”
Under normal circumstances it would be unthinkable, but if he’s really bedridden, he can’t be forced to attend.
Still, given that we’re using the imperial annex, I think it would be good to accept once he recovers.
Well, it’s Lord Joseph’s business, so it’s not for me to worry about.
While having such a conversation, I arrived at Lord Joseph’s room.
Even the annex of the imperial palace was about the size of noble estate mansions, so there was quite a distance between his space and the space assigned to me.
‘I’m getting nervous for no reason.’
Having finally reached the door, I had Loretta keep watch nearby.
Whatever conversation I might have with Lord Joseph, it probably wouldn’t be an ordinary topic.
Knock knock.
When I knocked like that, a servant employed by the empire came out from behind the door.
I asked him if Lord Joseph was inside, then requested that he deliver my message.
Perhaps a bit reluctant to receive visitors even for a sick call, having declined even His Majesty’s invitation, the servant showed an ambiguous look.
‘Well. I’m different as his prospective fiancée.’
Besides, Lord Joseph needs me.
He might have even been secretly waiting for my visit.
But a moment later, the servant who went inside and came back out relayed an unexpected message to me.
“The Count says he doesn’t wish to see anyone.”
[This is the timeline separator]“My lord. A guest has come to pay a sick call.”
“…”
A sigh escaping from a heavily congested throat seemed to pass through a bundle of reeds.
Joseph stirred his curled up body.
The hired servant standing outside the thickly curtained bed was waiting for his response.
“Guest, who?”
“It is the Duchess of Daiern, sir.”
“…”
Muscles that had been languidly stretched suddenly tensed.
Joseph, who had bolted upright as if springing up, quickly tidied his appearance.
He fixed his hair which was sticking out in a mess, and found the chemise shirt he had torn off due to the heat and slipped his arms into the sleeves.
And what else should he do? He needed to look beautiful in front of her.
Now all he had left was this appearance…
“…”
Suddenly, Joseph dropped his arms onto the sheet.
Then he gave instructions to the servant in a cracked voice.
“…Tell her I don’t wish to see anyone right now, so please go back.”
“I will convey that.”
The servant left the bedroom without another word.
Only after confirming that his footsteps had faded away did Joseph slump his shoulders.
‘A week was quite an endurance.’
In fact, during the time he hadn’t met Lieselotte, Joseph had been through a time akin to hell.
Of course, the first reason was the persistent pain crushing his head.
He thought he had become quite accustomed to it after spending thousands of years, but it was still painful.
He knew well that it would be resolved immediately if he met Lieselotte, but…
“…”
There was a reason he was refusing contact with her despite that. The fear of meeting her.
That was the second reason.
‘Because this time I feel like I’ll truly be cast aside.’
The last words Lieselotte had engraved on Joseph were still vivid in his mind, as if they had been imprinted.
The meaning of those words was clear. This is what Lieselotte was saying:
‘Lord Joseph, you are now useless to me.’
So I will terminate the contract.
‘Please leave Daiern.’
Is what she meant.
“Haa.”
He was certain he would hear those words today. And he didn’t think he could withstand it.
He felt like he would lose his reason and erase her memories, erase her experiences.
He felt like he would ignore her stern warning and break his promise.
Ah.
“…Maybe I should just do that after all.”
To be honest, turning back time without her knowing is not a difficult thing.
If he went back to before she knew the truth about chronomancy, they could return to their daily life at the Daiern mansion as if nothing had happened.
Teacher Rogier would be brought back to life, and Sergei and the three children’s injuries would be undone.
He could continue to remain her pledged one and ally.
No one would impose restrictions when he used chronomancy to protect her either.
The shattering of memories and such was no big deal.
Becoming an idiot or lying in a vegetative state for life didn’t seem like such a great penalty either.
‘To think of living with a sound mind.’
That notion was laughable too. He was already unsound.
Just because one isn’t an idiot or vegetable doesn’t mean they’re sound. She doesn’t know that.
In any case, surviving was more important to Joseph than anything else. So…
“…”
So…
…Whatever he wanted to do, he just needed to survive. That’s what he thought.
‘I should use chronomancy now after all.’
There was one thing Joseph never mistook.
It was the fact that the reason Lieselotte ‘stayed’ by his side was simply because of his usefulness.
Having experienced countless futures, Joseph knew well that Lieselotte needed him, and chronomancy.
Lieselotte also acknowledged this, which is why she accepted his proposal.
So without chronomancy, he was nothing more than a discarded card of no use to her.
That was something he could not tolerate. After putting in so much effort over an unmentionably long time to get this far.
‘How did I manage to get this close to her.’
No matter how many hundreds or thousands of times he thought about it, the conclusion was the same.
All that remained was to overlay the spell of chronomancy.
“My lord.”
It was then that the servant knocked on the bedroom door again.
Drenched in cold sweat, Joseph suppressed his ragged breathing.
Before he could ask what was the matter, the servant spoke.
“The Duchess says she came to apologize, and requests to see you even if just for a moment.”
“…Apologize?”
“Yes. Shall I turn her away?”
“…”
Perhaps due to the severe headache, his muddled mind seemed to refuse to quickly understand the sentence. Apologize?
He tried to think if there was anything she needed to apologize for, but nothing came to mind.
Their last conversation had ended with her unilateral notification. About whether or not to use chronomancy…
Ah! She must be coming to apologize for that.
As expected, it seems she has acknowledged the need for chronomancy.
At the thought of finally being recognized for his usefulness, Joseph’s face brightened.
In that case, he had to meet her, he had to meet her right away!
But when he had barely managed to get up and pull back the bed curtains to greet Lieselotte.
Joseph could instinctively tell that she had deceived him and invaded his bedroom.
She did not have the face of someone coming to apologize.
Rather, she had the face of a pursuer trying to root out a hiding fugitive.
“Lord Joseph.”
His body trembled at the voice uttered in an icy tone. She had suddenly appeared right in front of him and was reaching out her hand.
“I knew you’d be like this.”
Joseph felt as if his entire body was already fixed in place by a hand that hadn’t even touched him.
Knowing what kind of serenity she brought, he felt like an insect unable to refuse even while anticipating future destruction.
Male lead Asks for a Divorce Every Day
It’s not often you come across a plot like this in the female-dominant genre — make sure to check it out!
This is a novel I’m planning to reread as well.
The male lead is strong, skilled in martial arts, and not the usual fragile type you often see in matriarchal novels.
Meanwhile, the female lead is a scientist—rational and logical. Even when she falls for the male lead, she doesn’t let her emotions cloud her decisions.
If you push through the first few chapters, you’ll gradually find the story really intriguing.
It has a mix of mystery, detective elements, and romance.
The author’s writing style is like crafting a puzzle—except they deliberately leave out a few pieces, making it hard to predict what happens next, yet keeping you hooked.
In the end, everything will come together and be explained.
One-sentence summary: Wife, stop playing with beakers and look at me!
In a laboratory accident, research scientist Zhu Wansheng accidentally travels to a matriarchal world. The original owner of the body is an eighteen-year-old only daughter of a wealthy rouge merchant, already married with a handsome young man.
Zhu Wansheng grins: Nice! She always said she was heaven’s favorite granddaughter. After a life of toil in her previous life, she can enjoy blessings in this one.
However, her joy lasts no more than three seconds as bad news arrives: the original owner’s family is about to go bankrupt, and her husband wants a divorce.
Even worse, she’s stuck with a research system full of restrictions.
Zhu Wansheng: ? Is this the destiny of a research dog?
——
Faced with this mess, Zhu Wansheng pours herself a bowl of wine to drown her sorrows. In her drunken haze, her husband arrives.
His figure is imposing, holding a long sword, with a dignified air that captivates Zhu Wansheng.
Gu Yingqing, however, looks at the alcohol-reeking Zhu Wansheng with undisguised disgust and coldly asks, “Divorce or not?” The intoxicated Zhu Wansheng mumbles vaguely, “I think… it’s not… it’s not… impossible!”
——
The next day, after sobering up, Zhu Wansheng is full of energy, rolling up her sleeves ready to make a big move. As for yesterday? She has no memory of it.
Zhu Wansheng is ambitious; a research dog fears nothing!
Upgrading rouge, extracting fragrances, producing perfumes, researching lipsticks… all shall bow to the power of modern technology!
The original owner’s dying rouge shop is revitalized. Her mother is pleased and with a wave of her hand, passes on the family business to her. As she takes control and her experimental results gain popularity, it’s the pinnacle of her life…
——
But there are always those who can’t stand to see her doing well. Jealousy, scheming, assassination attempts – they want nothing less than her life.
The person who has always kept his distance from her suddenly holds her tightly in his arms, eyes full of concern.
She is unharmed, but he falls into a pool of blood…
Zhu Wansheng feels guilty, “I can grant you one wish.”
Gu Yingqing tentatively circles his arms around her, carefully resting his head in the crook of her neck, pleading softly, “I regret it. Can we not divorce?”
Zhu Wansheng: ? When did I agree to a divorce?
[Small Theater]
The newly developed rouge is beautifully packaged, and Zhu Wansheng is eager to try it.
Gu Yingqing suddenly appears: “My lady, may I apply it for you?”
Cool fingertips lightly brush her lips. His Adam’s apple bobs as he leans in for a light bite.
Zhu Wansheng: ?
Gu Yingqing: It smells so good, I wanted to taste it…
On a warm spring day, Zhu Wansheng tries a new perfume: “Spring Night.” Gu Yingqing corners her against a wall.
Warm breath lingers on her neck.
“My lady, from now on, may I test the fragrances for you?”
[Humorous female scientist vs scheming live-in son-in-law male lead]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
