I Became The Ex-Wife Of A Regretful Male Lead (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 4
“What? Did you say the mistress wants to go out and greet the duke?”
Good heavens! Eep!
The maids, who had been huddled in small groups whispering, flushed bright red and squealed excitedly among themselves.
Seeing the two—once not even as close as strangers, let alone husband and wife—had secretly filled me with pity and exhaustion, yet now the mistress herself wanted to go greet him.
Each of them instantly began dreaming up sweet images of the couple together.
But there was one person—
One who couldn’t bring herself to smile.
“…It probably won’t be as romantic as you’re imagining…”
At Mari’s mutter, those lost in sugary fantasies snapped their eyes wide open in shock.
“What nonsense! Of course it’ll be sweet!”
“Yeah! Exactly! The mistress has clearly decided to open her heart to the duke—she’s definitely broken that tightly locked bolt on her heart!”
“That’s right, that’s right! Don’t jinx it now…”
“She even said she’ll bake him cookies.”
…
At Mari’s words, the mood turned suddenly solemn.
“…You don’t mean the mistress’s healthy cookies, do you?”
“Yep. Those ones.”
Well, that certainly won’t be sweet.
Not sweet at all—more likely bitter, strange, and astringent.
“S-Shouldn’t we stop her?”
“How can we stop her when she looks so proud? I couldn’t possibly do it.”
“…Let’s just… cheer her on, then.”
Hopefully, the duke’s palate is as strangely unique as the mistress’s.
One thing was certain: the romantic reunion they’d envisioned, straight out of a novel, was now thoroughly ruined.
[This is the timeline separator]The day my husband was due to return.
“Good morning—strong and energetic!”
I sprang up vigorously before dawn.
There was plenty to worry about today, given how special the day was.
Above all, this was my chance to take the first step toward erasing that pathetic first impression and all my past misdeeds.
My first stop was my small, adorable herb garden.
Already, the sprouts had grown more than a finger’s width tall.
Some even bore two or three tiny leaves the size of a fingernail—so cute and adorable I once tried to kiss one and ended up eating a mouthful of dirt instead.
Blech.
Just remembering it made my tongue feel gritty.
“Mistress, here’s the watering can.”
“Thank you.”
Sienna was doing well fulfilling the role she’d promised to take on.
Thanks to her, the watering cans never ran dry, and the spades were always neatly cleaned.
“No, Mistress! It was me who cleaned the spades! Markops, that’s who!”
Once Markops shot Sienna his indignant glare, her duties were effectively over.
As I watered the dry soil, I watched the two of them silently glare at each other.
May the best one win.
Whichever side wins, I’m on their side.
After enjoying their intense staring contest, I headed back to my room.
I changed out of my dirt-streaked clothes, washed my hands and feet thoroughly, and then proceeded solemnly to the kitchen.
“So you really are going through with it.”
Ena muttered in a tense voice, as if clenching her molars—her expression even sterner than usual.
Why’s she acting like that?
Does her tooth hurt or something?
“What kind of hell—er, I mean, what kind of cookies are you making today?”
“Chocolate cookies with decan root and mugwort mixed in.”
“Good heavens.”
“Pretty amazing, huh?”
“…Yes. Truly, really… incredibly amazing.”
Ena squeezed her eyes shut as she murmured.
Why does she have to sound so dramatically awed?
Still, I couldn’t help but puff my shoulders up a little proudly.
Not long after I’d started mixing the cookie dough, Barhan came looking for me.
“So this is the cookie, then?”
“Yep. Packed full of healthy stuff.”
“Heh heh. I see. They certainly look healthy. And as you instructed, I’ve double-checked the cleaning thoroughly. Both the bedroom and study have been arranged to ensure His Grace feels completely at ease.”
“What about the meal?”
“I’ve prepared dishes the duke enjoys, but made sure they’re not too oily.”
Ena interjected firmly before I could answer.
Just as I was serious about cookies and herbs, Ena clearly took meals just as seriously.
“You two have worked hard. I’ll give each of you two cookies specially.”
“…….”
“…….”
Huh? Why no response?
I paused my hands and turned toward them, puzzled by their silence.
“…Do you… dislike them?”
“No, not at all. It’s just… we hope His Grace gets to eat plenty of them.”
“I feel the same, Mistress.”
What else could I even say?
These two clearly cared deeply about the duke.
It was honestly quite touching.
I, too, reaffirmed my resolve—again and again—to become good friends with the duke.
My goal? A friendly, Hollywood-style ex-wife vibe.
“Butler! Mistress!”
Just as I was stamping out cookies with a pretty mold and sliding them into the oven, Mari came rushing into the kitchen, breathless.
“His Grace will be arriving very soon!”
What? Already?
He was arriving earlier than expected.
The cookies would need at least another hour to bake and cool properly.
Ugh. Nothing to be done about it now.
I untied the apron I’d been wearing.
“Could you keep an eye on the oven for me, Ena?”
“Yes, leave it to me!”
Ena’s brisk reply sounded reliable—but still left me a little disappointed.
My cookies…
I’d really wanted to hand them over myself. Now it felt as if 2% of my sincerity had vanished.
But what could I do?
Ugh…
“So exactly when is His Grace arriving?”
I let out a sigh as I asked, and Mari glanced toward the window before replying.
“Well… probably in 10…”
“Ten minutes?”
“No. 10. 9. 8…”
“What?!”
Startled by the unexpected countdown, I shrieked and immediately took off running.
“Oh dear, Mistress! Mistress! Please don’t run! You’ll hurt yourself!”
“Mistress!”
I ignored Barhan’s and Mari’s voices calling after me from behind.
My goal was to greet him with a grand “ta-da!” right at the front door!
“Wow, damn it—it’s so huge!”
Normally, I quite liked this cozy-yet-massive mansion, but not today.
No.
Actually, now that I thought about it, the problem wasn’t the mansion’s size.
“Huh… huhh…”
The problem was my own wretched body.
My ribs already ached as if they might crack—just from running for a few dozen seconds.
Still, I couldn’t stop now after coming this far, so I kept going, clutching my throbbing ribs until I reached the main entrance.
“Ohhh, I’m gonna die… huff.”
Gasping for every last breath, I leaned back against the door to push it open.
But somehow, the door opened far more easily than expected.
In fact, it swung wide open the instant I pressed my back against it.
“Huh?”
With a foolish gasp, I landed flat on my backside.
A pitiful thud echoed through the air.
I squeezed my eyes shut in shock, then opened them to find nothing but blue sky filling my vision.
What on earth?
“Goodness, Mistress! Are you all right?”
“What should we do? Should we call a doctor…?”
“Never mind that—help her up quickly!”
A chorus of anxious voices swirled around me.
Only then did I grasp what had happened.
Wow. I must be sprawled out like a starfish in the middle of everyone.
Should I pretend to faint right here? Or should I spring up as if nothing happened?
Either way, neither option felt remotely natural.
Just as I was wishing I could turn into a patch of herbs and disappear…
A large shadow fell over me beneath the sunlight.
Then, a big hand carefully helped me sit up.
A low voice soon followed, slipping into my ear.
“Are you all right, my lady?”
Through the shadow, a pair of blue eyes flashed brightly.
It was my husband—returned home after being away.
As if entranced, I stood up while staring at his face.
My backside throbbed painfully from the fall, but I didn’t care.
I couldn’t.
Because only one thought occupied my mind now:
“…Yep. Main lead. Insanely handsome—cough, cough!”
Just as I was praising my husband’s breathtakingly perfect looks, an unexpected cough suddenly choked me.
The aftereffects of my frantic sprint, previously drowned out by sheer embarrassment, had finally caught up with me.
“Cough, cough—gah! Ugh, I’m dying! Hack, hack!”
All sense of dignity was now gone.
Forget making a good first impression.
This wasn’t even a quirky “cute” moment anymore.
Bent double, coughing uncontrollably, I heard more murmurs rising around me.
My main lead stared at me, clearly flustered—then reached out his hand toward me before suddenly…
“…Quickly, take her inside and have her lie down.”
He pulled his hand back with a flinch and spoke those words instead.
Immediately, the servants rushed forward to support me.
“No, wait—I just wanted to say ‘welcome back,’ cough! Hack, cough, cough!”
My earnest plea vanished beneath a sea of assorted coughing sounds.
No, just let me say hello!
I glanced back quickly—the main lead stood there silently, watching me.
Still standing with the sun at his back.
His face, hidden in dark shadow, remained unreadable.
[This is the timeline separator]Embarrassing.
Absolutely mortifying.
Dante Richter.
Lord of the North. Monster Hunter.
The young duke, known as the “Monster Duke,” couldn’t hide his bewilderment at seeing his wife again after such a short separation.
Well, “short separation” might not even be the right phrase.
After all, he’d only been away for just over a month.
The last image of his wife before leaving home remained vivid in his mind.
〈“I’ll be back. I’ll need to be away from home for a while.”〉
〈“…Alright.”〉
〈“…Rest well.”〉
Breathe and live while I’m gone.
He’d swallowed the words he couldn’t bring himself to say aloud and departed the ducal estate with a handful of knights.
Truthfully, it had been an early reconnaissance mission.
One he didn’t strictly need to undertake—but he’d deliberately moved up the timing to leave the house sooner.
Because he’d pitied her—cooped up in curtained, gloomy rooms, slowly fading like ash-colored shadows eating away her vibrancy.
Because he’d wanted her to sleep peacefully, instead of lying awake drenched in cold sweat, groaning restlessly.
He’d known exactly how she looked at him.
He’d known from the very beginning what emotions she held.
On their wedding day—
Ironically, it wasn’t until their actual wedding that he first saw his bride.
Her face had been pale and drained of color.
Her green eyes trembled faintly atop that pallid face.
And the moment their eyes met, she’d hastily lowered her gaze.
As if even looking at him was too much to bear.
In that instant—
Her green eyes held only unmistakable terror. No other emotion could be read within them.
…Ah. Had he truly appeared as a monster in her eyes?
Perhaps he had.
After all, even as he stood before this trembling woman—forcing trembling steps forward—he’d been utterly helpless against the frantic pounding of his own heart.
So if that wasn’t a monster… then what else could he possibly be called?
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
9 Comments
Chapter Comments (205)
Oh no, please! Serafina will ruin all the good impression Dante has of her. Don’t give him the cookies; he’ll think she hates him and wants to poison him.
it is important to make a proper apology and win the other person’s forgiveness. good job, serphina 🌸👍✨
dante, you were lost in such deep thought that you didn’t hear the knock on the door.
my grape cake dante🍇
Inline Comments (239)
I stepped briskly forward and firmly grasped Dante’s hands with both of mine.
It’s funny how she thinks she can do that and then part without hurting him. Because to him she is his wife. That’s the way you build a marriage.
She was a woman from the capital, after all—perhaps growing medicinal herbs in g
Hey, don’t destroy her uniqueness! Isn’t it obvious that she herself is just very different?
Somehow, instead of finding color, she’s become a chaotic, jumbled rainbow.
Nice description! “A jumbled chaotic rainbow 🌈” is exactly how she feels like!
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Miioo
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, what is this catastrophic meeting, poor hero, Amal, or will their relationship improve?
agustus_orchid
well done baby you can make it. if the cookie is bitter, then let her husband drink fruit juice with it.
agustus_orchid
Why did they announce the male lead’s arrival early? Seraphin couldn’t have the encounter he wanted.
Blairwoods
She is kinda like maomao. loves herbs, unfamiliar with people emotions, and unbothered 😂
agustus_orchid
dante, my dear, you must be very hurt and upset. my grape vale Dante