Lanchisra.
A name that he missed.
After escaping from the Pembrook mansion, he had been hiding and making a living here for the past two years.
“……”
Pryde surveyed the shabby interior of the tavern with remorseful eyes.
From the lowest depths of the empire to a place so high that even the emperor couldn’t dare to command him.
He had crawled endlessly, leaving bloody footprints with every step, all for her sake alone.
Yet the woman herself had run away from him and was wandering in places like this.
Could there be another chase in the world as paradoxical and relentless as this?
‘Why, Delphine?’
Pryde repeatedly pondered with a bitter heart.
Why are you wandering in a place like this that doesn’t suit you at all?
When I said I would do everything for you.
You just need to sit quietly in the mansion, enjoy the fragrance of flowers, and experience only happiness.
Do you dislike me that much?
You can’t accept a man who was a lowly slave as your husband in the end?
Or is it that you, with the blood of a saint, can’t even bear to share a breath with an evil being who sold his soul to the devil?
Due to her endless deception and escape, his inferiority complex and sense of inadequacy had now reached the worst level.
Suddenly raising his head, Pryde surveyed the store with a dry gaze.
…Still, she had stayed here for a short while.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Although it was impossible, it seemed like he could feel her scent as if it were a hallucination.
Just being in a space where she had been calmed his mind a little, which had been about to go crazy for the past ten days.
He opened his closed eyes and searched for any traces of her that might be there.
That persistent gaze landed on a glass containing a pink drink placed on the bar.
“……”
Approaching slowly and examining it, he elegantly took a sip of the drink.
Amidst the sweet fruit alcohol, there was a bitter taste of sleeping pills.
That cunning owner probably intended to put her to sleep with this and capture her.
“That woman…”
“Yes?”
The man’s red lips parted.
Startled by the sudden question, Malli, who had been blankly watching him, was surprised.
‘I put in enough sleeping pills to knock out an elephant with a single sip…’
Why is that man standing there as if nothing happened?
Even with an incredulous look in her eyes, Malli quickly answered.
“Do you have something to say to me, sir?”
The man quietly asked, looking down at the pink glass.
“…Did she drink any of this, even a little?”
“Oh, no. Unfortunately… If she had taken even a single sip, she would have been captured by now, passed out, hehe.”
Malli, who only knew that the woman was a wanted criminal, tried to flatter him and laughed.
‘At least that’s fortunate…’
Who knows what would have happened if a woman with a child in her belly had drunk this?
Just as he felt relieved by that thought, Pryde soon smiled bitterly.
Crazy bastard.
A man born and raised lowly, with no self-esteem.
Even while chasing after a woman who abandoned him like a madman, he was thinking it was fortunate that she didn’t drink this.
“You may leave now.”
He sent away the owner, who was constantly looking around to see if there was any more money to be made.
Then the woman quickly disappeared through the back door, hugging a heavy gold ingot he had handed over.
Looking at that sight, a terrible madness began to cloud Pryde’s eyes once again.
Go and spread the rumors.
That Duke Pryde has gone mad and is looking for a red-haired woman.
If you capture that woman and hand her over to him, you can not only make a fortune but also turn your life around from this bottom.
…It seems the duke doesn’t mind if the process is a bit rough.
‘Delphine. The moment you are in danger will be my chance to catch you.’
His desire was surely to protect her.
How did we end up like this?
Thinking self-deprecatingly that even the devil wouldn’t have known his wish would be used this way, Pryde smiled bitterly.
[This is the timeline separator]Lin went out for a brief excursion alone, holding a possum filled with aurum.
When he returned with the possum, its light faintly fading, his face had darkened considerably.
Upon hearing the news he delivered, the faces of Delphine and Marian turned pale at the same time.
“Th-thirty thousand gold…?”
That amount would be enough to tempt not only commoners but also nobles.
Moreover, they are offering citizenship to live inside the central barrier…
In the Astrax Empire, one’s status is said to be a God-given fate.
Therefore, in principle, there was no way to rise in status in this empire, no matter what means were used.
But if they provide that opportunity to the one who captures her…
“Damn it. Are they crazy?”
Lin roughly cursed, ruffling his black hair.
“Putting out such conditions. Everyone will rush in with their eyes rolled back. This will put Delphine in danger!”
Even the usually calm Belly had a confused look on his face.
“Oh my. I thought his weakness was Delphine… I guess not?”
“……”
Delphine hugged her stomach with a pale face.
He was a man who always prioritized protecting her.
A man who said he would not hesitate to make any sacrifice to protect her…
Yet he had no hesitation in using an extreme method to capture her, one that was uncompromisingly aggressive.
As if he didn’t care if she got hurt or died in the process, as long as he could get her back.
Even knowing that his child was in her belly…
An astounding sense of heartbreak, surprising even to herself, washed over Delphine.
Really, he truly had no love in his heart.
In his heart that had sold his soul to the devil, only possessiveness and obsession remained.
‘So, I was the only one who loved…’
Her lower abdomen ached as if being stabbed with a knife.
“Delphine. Are you okay? You don’t look well… Lie down for a bit.”
Lin supported her as she staggered and laid her on a blanket prepared next to the campfire.
As she lowered her head weakly, Lin offered words of comfort.
“Don’t worry too much. We just need to avoid places where there are people.”
Belly, who was a short distance away, could be heard muttering softly.
“…We won’t be able to hold out for very long, though.”
[This is the timeline separator]She was wandering in a space where she couldn’t see even an inch ahead.
In front of her, trembling with fear, a man with red hair suddenly appeared.
…Father?
“Straighten your back, Delphine Pembrook.”
Her father, with a stern face as always, looked straight at her and added,
“I’m going to the center.”
Center?
What are you referring to?
Are you talking about that horrible imperial palace?
At that moment, her father’s eyes rolled upward and changed like a reptile’s.
Holding a black crystal in his hand, her father reached out towards her bulging belly.
“…To offer you and your child to the devil.”
No!
Not my child!
The moment she screamed wildly,
“Delphine.”
Her father’s appearance changed to Ioan’s without any context.
For some reason, he was carrying a massive rock on his back, like a mountain.
Seeing his pitiful appearance, Delphine muttered with a confused face.
“Ioan? Why are you carrying such a thing…?”
Then he raised his head and glared at her with a resentful expression.
“Why, you ask? It’s all because of you.”
“What? No, no…”
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this…”
He could just throw away a rock like that.
Then he could fly freely anywhere.
However, even though Ioan seemed to be crushed by the weight of the rock at any moment, he couldn’t bring himself to take it off his back.
He approached her step by step with a pained expression.
“I ended up like this trying to protect you… It’s heavy, miserable, and hard, but I can’t let you go…”
“No! No! It’s not because of me…”
Delphine shook her head and took a step back, then suddenly stopped.
Is it really true that it’s not because of her?
He ended up selling his soul to protect her.
Is it really the right thing to leave the empire, abandoning him like that?
But if she stays in this empire?
He became a devil to protect her.
As long as she remains in his arms, he will never try to destroy this empire.
This empire where everything is placed under his feet…
Above all, can she really call his feelings towards her love?
Can she and the child to be born truly be happy by the side of a man who shows such relentless possessiveness and obsession?
“Delphine. Del…”
Ioan pleaded, reaching out to her as she stood still.
Desperately.
“Don’t leave me. Don’t abandon me alone in this hell…”
But Ioan,
“You know my life has no meaning without you…”
I, I…
“Delphine!”
At the sound of someone calling her name strongly, Delphine let out a gasp and sat up.
It was quiet all around.
Late at night, she was still in the middle of the forest.
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.]
