I Became The Ex-Wife Of A Regretful Male Lead (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 8
Huh? Why that expression?
Your face was stiff as a board, your pupils wobbled helplessly as if lost, and your lips kept trembling nonstop, as if about to say something yet holding back.
……As expected, the one looking wilted is Dante.
I desperately wanted to drag Sienna and the others over right then to clear my name, but I held it in.
Sigh, if only it weren’t 3 a.m.
Swallowing my frustration, I spoke again in place of the speechless Dante.
“I didn’t realize—I sleep better when someone’s beside me. Lying alone in this huge bed makes my side feel empty and keeps me awake.”
My fairly convincing excuse melted Dante’s icy demeanor.
“…Ah. That sleep.”
“Then, is there another kind of sleep besides ‘that sleep’?”
“No. None at all. There isn’t.”
After giving that reply, Dante let out a laugh that sounded like a deflating balloon.
Oh my goodness.
He looks even more handsome when he smiles.
[This is the timeline separator]I dragged the suddenly even more handsome-looking Dante by the hand toward the room.
I lay down on the bed first and tapped the empty space beside me repeatedly.
“Hurry up and come.”
“…Are you truly sure this is alright?”
“Sure about what?”
I knew exactly what he meant, but pretended not to understand on purpose.
Sometimes, feigned innocence is the right answer.
This was one of those times.
Dante, too, after replying, “It’s nothing,” awkwardly lay down on the bed.
Oh wow, someone’s sleeping at attention.
I marveled at Dante’s rigid sleeping posture.
He lay perfectly straight, gazing at the ceiling, his arms pressed tightly to his sides.
Honestly, so tense.
Anyone watching might think I was about to gobble him up.
Haha. I let out a light laugh and, unlike Dante’s strict posture, sprawled out as if floating through the air.
It was my carefree, go-to sleeping pose that helped me drift off easily.
“Ah, now I’ll finally be able to sleep well.”
No reply came to my deliberately loud comment.
And then, about thirty minutes later…
“…This is a total disaster.”
I couldn’t fall asleep.
Was Dante the problem?
No. The rain was.
More precisely, the sudden downpour pounding relentlessly against the window.
Wow, it’s incredibly loud.
It was noise at a level that made sleep utterly impossible.
If this were apartment noise, people upstairs and downstairs would already be fighting by now, yanking each other’s hair.
Eventually, I forced my drowsy eyes shut, trying hard to sleep—
BOOM! CRASH!
“Mommy!”
Amid the heavy rain, a tremendous clap of thunder rang out.
Startled, I shrieked and shuddered violently.
And then…
“My lady?”
When I came to my senses, I found myself buried in Dante’s arms.
Well, to be precise, I’d rammed my forehead one-sidedly into his rigidly straight forearm.
His muscles were so firm it made my forehead throb. Is this a wall or a chest?
“Ah, ow…”
Grimacing and clutching my aching forehead, Dante quickly sat up.
“Are you alright, my lady?”
“Yes, I’m fine. My heart nearly jumped out from the thunder, and my forehead hurts like crazy from slamming into your arm, but…”
“Does it hurt that badly? Should I call a doctor at once?”
Seeing how seriously he was about to summon a physician, I hastily grabbed his arm and pulled him back down onto the bed.
“I’m kidding! Just kidding. If I joke one more time, you’ll call a mortician next.”
“A mortician? That’s absurd.”
“…That was also a joke.”
“Ah.”
“Um.”
An awkward silence hung between us for a moment.
BOOM! CRACK!
“Nooo! Mommy!”
Once again, thunder roared as if splitting the world apart.
Immediately after, a flash of white light lit up outside the window before vanishing.
I pressed my forehead once more against Dante’s arm and trembled violently.
Alright. Let me confess honestly: I hate thunderstorms.
They scare me.
I’m scared, okay?!
I hate loud noises and flashing lights—just everything about them.
As I flailed like a fish out of water, a gentle warmth settled softly on my shoulder.
It was Dante’s hand.
At first, the large hand rested there hesitantly, unsure what to do, but soon it began lightly patting my arm.
“Are you comforting me?”
“Are you afraid of thunder?”
“…I asked first.”
“I’m just patting.”
“I thought you were comforting me.”
“If you say you’re scared, then I will comfort you.”
What? I thought he was just a human version of a sweet potato, but he actually jokes around pretty well.
After pondering his answer for a moment, I finally nodded.
“Yes. I’m a little scared. Just a tiny bit. A really, really tiny bit. Seriously, juuu—”
My desperate attempt to maintain dignity was shattered by another thunderclap.
The next instant…
“Pfft.”
Hearing a small laugh from above, I shot an angry glare upward.
“…You didn’t just laugh, did you?”
“No.”
“No, you did. You saw someone terrified and laughed. Like someone completely devoid of human empathy, laughing at another’s misfortune!”
“…Is it really that bad?”
“Yes, of course it is!”
At my huffily defiant reply, Dante quickly averted his eyes.
His pupils, momentarily lost, wavered briefly before closing tightly.
“I didn’t laugh.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Truly?”
“Truly.”
“Really, really, really truly?”
“Really, really, really truly.”
As our silly exchange continued, our voices gradually grew quieter.
Rumble… crash…
Through my drowsy haze, distant thunder seemed to echo once more.
Yet instead of waking fully, I moved my lips one more time.
“Really… truly…?”
That was my last memory of that night.
I can’t recall what Dante answered.
We both slept in very late the next morning.
[This is the timeline separator]An early monsoon season lasted for quite a while.
It was an unusual monsoon even for the Empire’s coldest northern region.
Since the rains began, Dante had developed one new habit:
checking the morning sky as soon as he opened his eyes.
Today, again, the sky was dark and gray, without a trace of blue.
Pitter-patter.
Fine raindrops tapped against the window. Soon they’d pour down in torrents again, then lighten once more—a repeating cycle.
“How fortunate.”
What?
Fortunate?
He was startled by his own words.
Dante blinked rapidly, flustered.
He couldn’t recall ever particularly liking rain in his life.
Especially during reconnaissance in the Beastforest or battles against magical beasts—rain had always been a terribly bothersome obstacle.
The ground grew slippery, visibility dropped, and sounds were muffled.
It felt like fighting behind a semi-transparent curtain—annoying and dangerous.
Because of that, he’d never welcomed rain in daily life either. So why was he thinking it was fortunate now?
As he sat blinking, puzzled by his own thoughts, voices drifted from afar.
“Hiiing. My poor babies… what if they all die from too much rain?”
Even without seeing her face, he could picture her expression clearly:
pressed flat against the window, eyebrows furrowed downward, lips jutting out in a pout.
“That’s true. At this rate, the whole field might get ruined. Although… once the rain stops, the soil condition might actually improve.”
“…Hey, Mari. Just comfort me. No—better yet, just tell me everything will be fine.”
“I’m sorry, my lady. How could I possibly lie to you?”
“How strange. You used to be much more polite… Did I accidentally give you poisonous herb cookies instead of medicinal ones?”
Dante’s lips curled into a faint smile at their murmured conversation.
The sound of their footsteps drew closer to his study.
Before he realized it, Dante had straightened his slouched posture and sat upright.
He even unnecessarily pulled nearby documents toward the center of his desk.
Knock knock.
“My lord, I’ve brought a snack—may I come in?”
“Come in.”
The door opened immediately, revealing a fair face peeking in.
Her long, braided golden hair swayed gently over her shoulders.
“Am I interrupting anything?”
“Not at all. I was just about to take a break.”
“Exactly! Didn’t I tell you my timing is impeccable?”
Serphina entered with a proud smile, wheeling in a trolley.
Previously, maids had delivered snacks, but at some point, Serphina began bringing them herself.
The mistress of the mansion pushing a trolley—
Anyone else would be shocked, yet strangely, everyone in Richter Mansion had quickly adapted to this eccentricity,
thinking, “Well, it’s Lady Serphina—of course she would.”
Rolling the tray in, Serphina hurried over carrying a plate.
“Lately, it’s been raining so much that gathering medicinal herbs has become difficult. It’s hard to harvest from the garden, and I feel bad about dipping into the mansion’s emergency herb stocks too… So today, I just made plain cookies. Ugh.”
Right after her sincere sigh, a cheer echoed faintly from the hallway.
Someone’s muffled exclamation of “Plain cookies today!” seemed to carry through as well.
Luckily, Serphina didn’t seem to hear it.
“But… do you think my herbs are going to die, my lord? Or… have they already died? Should I hold a funeral for them? My poor babies…”
Her grumbling face, eyes fixed on the window, matched exactly the image Dante had imagined earlier.
Ah, darn it. Almost laughed again.
Dante barely managed to suppress the laugh threatening to escape.
Good thing he did.
Had he laughed here, he might’ve been mistaken for a shameless scoundrel who chuckles at others’ misfortune.
Yet the smile lingering at the corners of his lips was impossible to hide.
He saw the same pouting Serphina from last night, lying in bed and grumbling under her breath.
〈“It’s already chilly for spring, and with the rain continuing, it’s getting even colder, isn’t it?”〉
〈“Shall I light some firewood?”〉
〈“No, it’s not that bad. If I just bundle up well under the blankets… ugh, but then it gets damp again. Really, this is tough.”〉
Serphina had frowned at the sound of rain hitting the window as she muttered to herself.
Then, as if it were routine, she gently took his hand and covered her ears with it.
〈“Ah, now it’s much quieter. I guess even your hands have muscles, my lord. Big, thick, and firm—they’re perfect for blocking noise. Can I ask you for this whenever it rains from now on?”〉
〈“…Do as you please.”〉
〈“Wow, thank you! Oh—that means ‘thanks,’ by the way.”〉
Even though she’d already done this for several days straight, his belatedly granted permission made him smile.
Serphina, who had been staring directly at his smiling face, also briefly smiled back before closing her eyes.
Soon, soft, steady breathing filled the air.
“Ah. That’s why…”
Suddenly, realization struck like lightning.
Dante slowly shifted his gaze from the empty air to his own hand.
Just as Serphina had said—it was big, firm, and thick.
A hand calloused and scarred from countless battles.
For some reason, his palm began to itch.
As if long strands of hair were gently tickling it.
Undoubtedly, that hair would be dazzlingly radiant gold.
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]
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MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (182)
Im a bit annoyed right now, I get that he has issues (lots of them) but she hasnt done anything for him to think like this XD
dante, put your delusions aside, observe serphina and make your decision.
my grape cake dante🍇herbal-infused cookies, i support you. even if you were bitter, i would still eat them.
Inline Comments (235)
I fed one cookie each to the three exhausted girls, then called over the other s
Poor people! Nobody dares to tell her the truth!!! But she tried them too… I think she has a different taste.
I sorted everything—what needed juicing, grinding, or fine chopping—and with Mar
Now I am curious 🧐 too! Is farming and baking really supposed to be this fun?
Waking up, I let out a joyful scream at the sharp sunlight streaming through the
😂😂😂
Glad for you my lady, but I think someone might be upset about it
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agustus_orchid
dante, are you starting to fall in love? are you pretending to work so serphina will notice? there’s a scent of love in the air.
My grape cake dante🍇
agustus_orchid
serphina, you need to strengthen your muscles. otherwise, they might call the doctor again.
agustus_orchid
you’re done, you’re burned out, Dante. congratulations, you’re in love.
Miioo
Hahaha, they’re really cute! I adore my cute heroes!