Don't Obsess Over A Married Woman (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
In truth, if one were to coldly examine reality, Liselotte’s remarriage could only ever be a political marriage dictated by conditions.
Could that truly be called new happiness?
‘Above all else, at this moment—so soon after losing her husband—it’s utterly implausible that anyone proposing to our stepmother would possess pure intentions.’
They must certainly have ulterior motives.
At the very least, they’d be someone eyeing the Dieren fortune or influence.
But let’s say, just for argument’s sake—against all odds, conceding a hundred or even a thousand times—that it truly was pure love.
Even then, the validity period of love is two years.
In other words, even if Liselotte remarried out of love, her happiness would last, at best, two years.
Perhaps even less.
Cardiel never trusted people’s hearts—especially not the integrity of noble gentlemen. That was the one and only lesson he’d learned from his father.
Thus, no matter how many times he reconsidered, this remained the right course.
He had to stop Liselotte’s remarriage by any means necessary.
‘Only my siblings and I can truly protect our stepmother.’
Cardiel’s blue eyes gleamed with resolve.
“Celsion, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
“U-uh… okay?”
Celsion blinked his large eyes anxiously and looked up at Cardiel.
Cardiel’s blue eyes were sharp, like a blade honed ice-cold.
“Our stepmother has cherished us more than her own blood children. She protected us even at great personal risk.”
“Y-yeah. That’s true.”
The same ten years flashed simultaneously through both brothers’ minds.
The dreadful era ruled by Duke Dieren—the demon himself.
One thing was certain: the Dieren siblings were alive and well today solely thanks to their stepmother, Liselotte.
“So now it’s our turn to protect her.”
“Right! Of course!”
Nod. His small head bobbed solemnly up and down. Even his tiny fists clenched with determination.
Though eleven wasn’t particularly young, Celsion’s behavior somehow felt far more childish than that of his peers.
Innocent, perhaps—that was the impression it gave.
Anyway, having exchanged knowing glances, the brothers quickly recalled what they needed to do.
“Brother! Let’s hold a strategy meeting right now! Didn’t they say the new tutor arrives today? So we should call Yupi sister too…!”
“Celsion. I clearly told you not to run in the hallway…”
“Oh! Right! Heeeying.”
[This is the timeline separator]The Dieren princess was a beautiful fourteen-year-old girl with cherry-blossom-colored hair tied in a high bun, resembling her late birth mother, and amber-colored eyes.
Her skin was flawlessly pale and translucent; her long eyelashes fluttered like wings with each blink.
Coupled with her signature vacant expression—which stirred maternal instincts—and her occasional unguarded, utterly innocent smile, she made hearts flutter regardless of gender.
Thus, anyone who saw this girl, Euphemia Cicelle Dieren, for the first time inevitably shared the same thought without fail:
“The day Princess Dieren makes her debutante ball, the history of the imperial capital’s social scene will be rewritten.”
She was, in every sense, a beauty who effortlessly inspired affection in everyone around her.
What made Princess Euphemia especially endearing was the tiny birthmark on her left cheek.
Whenever the girl smiled softly, this distinct, small beauty mark stretched horizontally along with the shape of her eyes.
That slight imperfection seemed precisely what held everyone’s gaze captive, making it impossible to look away from her face.
…That was others’ impression, at least.
Her brothers knew her true nature far too well.
“Euphemia, I knew you’d be in the greenhouse.”
“Yupi sister! Let’s have a strategy meeting!”
After finishing his conversation with Celsion, Cardiel headed toward the greenhouse connected to the back door of the mansion to find his second sibling, Euphemia—because they needed to plan their strategy for what was about to unfold today.
And as expected, Euphemia was found in a corner of the greenhouse—undoubtedly having rushed there as soon as dawn broke,
evident from her dress hem and gloves, thoroughly caked in mud.
“…Euphemia?”
“Sister?”
Yet strangely, despite her name being called several times, Euphemia didn’t turn her head.
Upon closer inspection, she appeared intensely focused on something.
Ah, right. He recalled now—the tutor had assigned her a special daily task no one else received:
keeping a botanical observation journal.
‘But she isn’t writing anything or observing plants.’
Euphemia was squatting on the floor, repeatedly pressing her thumb down firmly.
At a steady rhythm, over and over: thump, thump, thump, thump.
Though utterly baffling as to what she was actually doing, Cardiel couldn’t help but feel irritated.
“Sister! We said we came!”
“Just a moment, Celsion.”
It was then, unable to hold back any longer, that Celsion tried rushing toward Euphemia—but Cardiel grabbed his shoulder and pulled him behind.
Celsion looked up at Cardiel with puzzled eyes.
Yet Cardiel ignored his brother’s gaze, too absorbed in Euphemia’s actions, and slowly approached her alone.
‘Ah.’
Only when he drew quite near did he understand what his sister was doing.
With her usual blank, vacant expression, she was relentlessly moving her thumb…
crushing an ant trail.
One by one.
Ensuring not a single ant escaped.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump…
“Stop it, Euphemia.”
“Hmm.”
The girl finally reacted—though she didn’t cease moving her fingers.
Even for someone as cold-natured as Cardiel, the sight sent chills down his spine.
“I told you to stop!”
“Hyaang!”
In the end, Cardiel seized her wrist roughly. Forced upright, Euphemia blinked in innocent confusion for a moment.
Her face almost twisted into something frightening—but upon recognizing Cardiel, she quickly offered him a docile smile instead.
“When did you get here, Brother Karl? Chelsea’s there too? Good morning.”
“Hah.”
Good morning, indeed.
She smiled with such pure innocence, utterly unaware of what was happening outside or why Cardiel was acting this way.
Cardiel alternated his gaze between her blank face and the blackened clump of tiny insect corpses stuck to the thumb of her glove.
What was the point of scolding her?
If he’d believed he could ever correct his sister’s incomprehensible behavior, he would’ve done so long ago.
“But my wrist hurts, Brother.”
“…”
Cardiel finally gave up on reprimanding her and released her wrist—but he still had other things to say.
“Change out of that filthy outfit and put on a new pair of gloves, Euphemia. There’s been a problem.”
“My dress? Why would I… Kyaaak!”
Euphemia, who had been tilting her head curiously, suddenly shrieked.
Cardiel, anticipating her reaction, had already covered his ears a beat early.
“My dress is so dirty! And my gloves too… Why? Who did this?”
“You did, Euphemia. You were sitting right in that mud—you couldn’t possibly be clean.”
“Disgusting, filthy. I’ll have to throw this dress away… It’s been so long since I wore something that wasn’t black…”
Euphemia spoke in a sorrowful tone.
Yet as she spoke, she viciously tore off her gloves and hurled them onto the muddy floor, her expression as if shaking off some dreadful insect.
Indeed—Princess Euphemia suffered from extreme mysophobia—a fact known to everyone residing in Dieren.
“S-sister!”
“Wait. Don’t go stripping off your dress right here, Euphemia.”
“Th-there are sooo many people at home right now!”
The brothers urgently stopped her before she could discard her clothes entirely.
After all, seeing their sister in her undergarments would cross an uncomfortable line.
Fortunately, Euphemia easily became distracted by another topic more urgent than changing clothes.
“Why are there people here? Visitors are banned.”
“Sister, that rule was only until yesterday!”
“That does sound familiar… But who came? And why?”
Well.
Cardiel exhaled a short sigh before answering.
“…Didn’t I already tell you yesterday, Euphemia? Starting today, people from across the continent might flock here to propose to our stepmother.”
“Oh.”
Only then did Euphemia’s expression revert to its usual dazed vagueness as she finally recalled Cardiel’s repeated warnings over the past few days.
After blinking a few times and tilting her head side to side, she spoke.
“I have a good idea.”
Her lovely face smiled sweetly, though no one could guess what she was thinking.
“If the people who propose just… die, then they can’t marry Mama, right?”
Consequently, both brothers were simultaneously rendered speechless.
[This is the timeline separator]“Ahem! I am a noble count! Unlike those others who sent merely perfunctory letters and gifts, I have risen early at dawn and waited patiently for a long time to propose to the Duchess myself! So, please, no matter how busy she may be, kindly inform her that I request even a brief audience.”
“I have already informed you—Her Ladyship’s schedule is too full today to receive any suitors in person. This applies even to a noble count such as yourself.”
“Oh dear, butler! Surely there must be some way? Here—this is but a modest token…”
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.]
Chapter Comments (4)
Inline Comments (64)
“Yet you claim to have attained scholarly mastery—on par with what imperial-born
This is like watching the regressor’s buff from a 3 rd person perspective
A creature that slowly devoured a person’s brain, driving them inevitably to mad
Ohhh I wonder what it is about her that makes his headaches go away
‘she must be there.’
Oh, I like this development… the novel synopsis made it seem like he was obsessed before the story started. But it seems like what brings him towards her is a need for survival rather than love…that means we get to see him fall in love during the novel :)))))
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Soo all this talk about the dungeons being a maze and very dangerous was for what???
Aww this is such a tesrjerker of a chapter 🥲🥺 . Now she knows they love her ( they made it obvious though)
This is crazy omgosh what is going onn this amount of darkness and trauma gave me whiplash. I can also see where this is going amnesia arc incoming isn’t it.