I Became The Ex-Wife Of A Regretful Male Lead (2 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
“Whoa. It’s clear. Clear!”
Finally, it’s clear!
Waking up, I let out a joyful scream at the sharp sunlight streaming through the gap in the curtains.
The tiresome, damp, and cold rainy season had finally ended.
I bolted out of bed and slapped myself against the window, when a voice came from behind me.
“The rain… has stopped.”
I flinched and turned around.
Then I marveled.
“Oh. This is something new.”
Dante, just rising from bed, blinked sleepily with tousled hair. His face was full of confusion and a bit puffy.
Wow, that’s new too.
Even though we’d started going to bed together at 10 p.m., Dante always woke up earlier than I did.
Because of that, I’d never seen him right after waking—until today, when the sunlight dazzled me awake first.
Though perhaps it wasn’t the sunlight that woke me, but my intense longing for it.
Anyway, just-awake Dante was both fresh and adorable.
Was it really okay for the Monster Duke to look this cute? Of course—it’s because he’s naturally outstanding; everything he does is new, thrilling, cute, and utterly captivating.
I silently reeled off compliments that would’ve terrified Dante if he’d heard them, then turned my gaze back out the window.
“The sky is so clear. I guess the rainy season’s finally over.”
“Looks that way. It must be over.”
“I was about to die from boredom—now I feel completely refreshed. Ah, I hope it stays clear for a while.”
My muttering received no reply.
[This is the timeline separator]After a simple breakfast, Dante went to his study to work.
I prepared to work too.
“Give me my favorite dress. I’m going to wear it. And my favorite boots, my favorite hat, my favorite trowel, my favorite fertilizer…”
“Calm down, calm down, Madam.”
“I can’t calm down! Ugh, you have no idea how restless I’ve been. If it had rained two more days, I’d have held a funeral.”
I hastily changed clothes and rushed straight to my garden.
And then sank right to my knees.
“Oh no. Nooo!”
My garden.
My herbs.
My babies!
The herb patch was utterly devastated.
Just before the rain started, it had been our little ones’ sweet home—but now there wasn’t even a single spot left untouched.
Good heavens. Can someone please file a casualty report for my babies?
As I trembled and gently touched the mud-covered herbs, shadows began gathering around me one by one.
“I tried my best to protect them, but it was beyond my power. *Sniff.* I’m so sorry, so very sorry, Madam!”
Markops, tears welling up, gripping a huge shovel.
“Oh dear. Looks like your garden needs repairs. Or, while you’re at it, why not expand it further and add some new facilities? You could even cultivate a proper garden…”
Barhan, seizing the opportunity to push forward his garden development project.
“It’s okay, Madam! Plants naturally go through cycles of life and death. You’ll definitely succeed next time. But… does that mean… you won’t be baking cookies for a while?”
Sienna offered oddly comforting words—but the corners of her mouth kept twitching.
Even Mari shot her a sidelong glance.
Not just them—every servant passing by added their own words of condolence.
“Oh no. You must be heartbroken, Madam. We’d grown attached to those herbs too… But, um… does this mean no more cookies for a while?”
“You must be devastated. No more herb cookies for now. Oh dear, how disappointing.”
*Sigh.*
Truly, the ever-thoughtful Richter Mansion.
Wrapped in their kind words of sympathy, I steeled my heart.
“Right. I’ll just start over. I am a herbal-growing genius, after all. Right?”
“Of course! Absolutely!”
Markops gave a thumbs-up and nodded firmly.
I nodded back, then gently stroked our pitiful herbs.
Afterward, I shook off the still-decent leaves into the basket Mari had brought.
“Um… Madam? What are you planning to do with those?”
Sienna, who’d been quietly watching, cautiously asked.
“It’d be a waste to leave them like this. Since I’ve decided to start fresh anyway, I’ll take every usable bit to bake cookies, make cakes, brew tea, and share them with everyone. Sounds fun, right?”
“…Oh wow. Goodness.”
“Why that reaction? You don’t… dislike it, do you?”
“No way! I’m just so excited. Wow, I’m really, really happy. Ha, haha.”
Soon, Sienna burst into a radiant smile.
Heh, I knew she’d love it.
Seeing her delighted face, I grinned right back.
Maybe I’ll strike it big if I open a shop someday?
That day was busy from morning till night.
My first task was trimming the herbs and sorting them by type.
Some herbs used stems, others roots or leaves.
I sorted everything—what needed juicing, grinding, or fine chopping—and with Mari, Sienna, and Ena’s help, baked a mountain of cookies and cakes.
I fed one cookie each to the three exhausted girls, then called over the other servants and piled desserts into their arms.
“Wow, haha! Thank you so much. Really… truly…”
Everyone receiving treats seemed genuinely moved, laughing with happy confusion.
Some even teared up.
Ah, I really felt proud.
By the time I’d finished everything, evening had nearly turned to night.
“Ugh, I’m dead tired.”
“I’ve drawn your bath, Madam. Please wash up and get some rest—you pushed yourself too hard today.”
“Yeah, thanks, Mari.”
Thanks to Mari’s thoughtfulness, I headed straight to my room and sank into the hot water.
“Ahhh, I feel alive again.”
All the fatigue built up in my body seemed to melt away in the warmth.
Lulled by the soothing sensation, I stayed immersed in the tub for a while.
Then I remembered Dante.
“I wonder if he’s still working?”
Outside the window, the moon had long since risen.
The last time I saw Dante was that morning.
We’d each been so busy from morning to evening that we ate lunch and dinner separately.
…Come to think of it.
“I never even brought dessert to my husband, did I?”
[This is the timeline separator]Silence.
Dante generally liked this kind of quiet.
Whenever he went out, eyes and whispers inevitably followed him.
〈He really looks terrifying.〉
〈Isn’t that the Monster Duke?〉
〈Will he even make it past thirty-five this time?〉
〈He must’ve slaughtered the beast terribly to get cursed like that. Even if it’s for protecting the empire, it’s still horrifying.〉
〈Did you hear the news? About the young Duke Richter. Something about breaking off an engagement…〉
They say she’s dead.
Apparently, she took her own life.
And the one who found the body was none other than…
“Ugh.”
Bile rose in his throat.
The surging nausea made his head spin. As he exhaled a shaky breath, he felt short of air.
It was strange.
He’d always liked silence.
He’d always liked the quiet that came without those pointless whispers trailing behind.
Then why did this silence now feel so grating—so intrusive that it dredged up useless memories?
Just then—
*Tap. Tap-tap-tap. Clatter.*
The pen Dante had been holding rolled off his hand with a clatter, dropping under the desk.
It made quite a ruckus—as noisy as rain tapping against a window.
Only then did Dante realize why the silence had felt so bothersome.
No—he’d known all along, really.
Because every morning, he’d selfishly wished for the rain to stop… and that wish had never come true.
Until today.
The rain had stopped.
Serphina was overjoyed.
And Dante…
“Did I feel… left out?”
Yes. He had.
Left out—and also guilty.
He didn’t know why exactly. Maybe because he’d cherished the warmth of sleeping beside her, or because he’d felt proud blocking out the rain’s noise for her on those wet nights.
He still didn’t understand.
Even after watching Serphina all day—energetic and lively—he couldn’t pinpoint the reason.
Wearing a mud-stained, faded dress and boots,
a straw hat with a hole in the back, gloves on her hands, happily digging in the soil.
Dashing around with a few maids, the gardener, the head chef, and the butler in tow.
Baking cookies, making cakes, brewing hot tea, and pressing armfuls of treats into everyone she met.
He’d watched her all day, yet couldn’t find the source of that strange sense of loss.
The one thing he did know was this:
Serphina was like sunshine.
Sunshine that shone brilliantly when surrounded by people.
Then, what was he?
Am I a storm cloud?
A dark, ominous storm cloud heavy with gloomy curses.
Under his own private storm cloud, Dante suddenly felt as if he’d just woken from a dream.
The moment the fierce downpour abruptly ceased, he’d been yanked back into reality.
Maybe those past nights had just been a dream—like an early summer night’s illusion.
His spiraling thoughts finally settled on one anxious conclusion:
“Could it be… that Serphina is starting to fear me again?”
How ironic.
The rain had clearly stopped—yet his heart was filled with storm clouds.
Just as he stood there, quietly catching his breath—
*Knock knock.*
“Can I come in?!”
His head, which had been lowered unknowingly, slowly lifted.
His blue eyes turned toward the door.
“Hello? Duke? Are you in there?”
Suddenly, a thought came to him.
People say a voice holds power.
Sometimes, a certain voice…
“Duuuke? No, seriously—are you even here?”
can instantly dissolve the storm clouds crowding one’s mind.
Like a single ray of sunlight piercing through dark clouds.
As if entranced, Dante rose from his seat and walked to the door.
Then, with a deep breath, he opened it.
At the same moment—
“Where on earth were you—oh! Whoa! You scared me!”
Serphina, who’d been pressing her ear to the door, lost her balance and wobbled.
Her golden hair fluttered through the air.
For some reason, the whole scene seemed to unfold in slow motion.
Fluttering golden hair.
Two hands steadying herself on his arms.
A round forehead bumping softly against his chest.
“Oh, I almost cracked my head open.”
Slowly, she looked up—and blinked those eyes at him.
“I came to bring you a snack. Are you done working?”
Behind her calm question bloomed a cheerful smile.
“If you’re all finished, forget the snack—let’s just go to bed, okay? I’m kind of tired and want to sleep early.”
Dante still didn’t understand.
Where this feeling of being left out had come from.
Why the storm clouds in his mind had vanished in an instant.
But there was one thing he knew for sure.
Indeed, Serphina was radiant sunlight.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
4 Comments
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Chapter Comments (177)
it seems like there might be a misunderstanding because of the book’s title.
Haha, what a strange misunderstanding! I hope the story isn’t too slow.
this is what happens if you put everything you see into your mouth.
Inline Comments (229)
"Shall I make furrows as well?"
No, seriously, why is he so eager to do work?! It would be 1 thing if he just helped lessoning seraphina’s work, but he’s even offering to do more!
"…Th-this can’t be real."
Oh my…I can just see the problem brewing, with that book title, the maid’s misunderstanding, the fact that she’s a gossiping maid, etc etc.
"When You’re Ill—Shall We Try Healing with Herbs?"
Oh my 😓…. another thing just screaming to exaggerate the already absurd understanding😭
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agustus_orchid
dante, put your delusions aside, observe serphina and make your decision.
my grape cake dante🍇
agustus_orchid
herbal-infused cookies, i support you. even if you were bitter, i would still eat them.
Miioo
Oh my God, poor Dante! Serafina, why did she leave him alone?
agustus_orchid
we have to have a funeral for the plants.
rip plants.