I Ended Up Living Next Door to My Ex-Husband (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
The dessert presentation ended more quickly than I had expected.
It was thanks to Adrian swiftly summoning the servants.
Though their forced smiles were tinged with fear, the servants repeatedly tilted their heads in confusion.
Receiving treatment they’d never gotten from the Grand Duchess seemed less delightful and more unsettling.
A few times, I overheard whispers among the servants like, “Smell it first—make sure it’s not spoiled before eating.” I deliberately pretended not to hear and simply let a faint smile pass.
Of course, offering desserts couldn’t possibly erase the death flags from the original story, but as a first step to signal my change, it didn’t seem half bad.
‘Let’s get along well from now on, my half-demon lords.’
I instructed all the servants, including Mina, to take a break.
Then, Adrian and I began our private tour of the mansion.
Inside the Mansion of Darkness, everything was black, yet shimmered with an obsidian-like brilliance.
The floors, walls, staircase—even the massive fireplace—were all the same.
Especially breathtaking was the light cascading from the enormous chandelier, fracturing across the vast black marble floor.
‘Absolutely my style.’
The very pinnacle of sophistication.
A perfect match for the name “Mansion of Darkness.”
“It’s quite different from the Mansion of Light, isn’t it?”
To Adrian’s question, I nodded repeatedly with a satisfied expression.
“Yeah, completely.”
But that feeling lasted only a moment.
Something caught my eye.
“…What’s that?”
In the center of the grand foyer, between the twin staircases, stood a huge fountain.
It was lavishly adorned with tropical flowers unseen in the north.
“Ah, as you can see, since the Mansion of Darkness is all black, we often place these vibrant floral arrangements here to add a bit of accent.”
“…Did you arrange them yourself, Adrian?”
“Yes. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I have a knack for handling flowers and trees.”
Adrian smiled bashfully, but I thought this talent suited him wonderfully.
If I had to describe Adrian’s image…
Perhaps something like a gentle florist?
‘I like even that little detail very much!’
I’d secretly marked Adrian as the butler for my future seaside villa after the divorce.
Not just for his floral arranging skills—
But because his meticulous, diligent attitude shone through in how immaculately he maintained the mansion despite the Twins family rarely staying here.
‘Adrian, you’re my butler—not just in the Mansion of Darkness, but in my future seaside villa too. Consider yourself claimed.’
I looked up at Adrian with deep satisfaction and gave a slight smile.
“I think we’ll be seeing each other often from now on.”
At my words, Adrian blinked in disbelief, his eyes wide.
But only for a moment.
Then, he showed me the brightest smile I’d ever seen from him.
“I’m… truly, truly glad, Your Highness Rebecca.”
He paused briefly, as if collecting himself from overwhelming emotion.
“If you ever visit this place, I’ll always welcome you with the same sincerity. And if you ever need me, just call—I’ll come without fail.”
His amethyst-like eyes gleamed with unmistakable sincerity.
“I’d gladly do anything for you, Your Highness Rebecca.”
I stared silently at the moved Adrian before finally speaking.
“…So you’re not afraid of me, then.”
A faint bitterness seeped into Adrian’s expression at my words.
“Do you wish for me to fear you, Your Highness?”
“No, it’s just… Everyone else avoids me, yet you’re the only one who seems genuinely happy to see me.”
“…”
“It’s just… somehow… I feel grateful.”
I turned my head slightly away, murmuring as if to myself.
Adrian, however, seemed to catch even that soft whisper—and let out a quiet, gentle laugh.
His ensuing silence was strangely soothing,
Gradually calming something restless within me.
How long had that quiet moment lasted?
Then, a low voice came from behind.
“Because I’ve always been waiting… for Your Highness Rebecca to visit this place.”
.
.
.
An hour later, Adrian returned to the butler’s quarters after seeing Rebecca off.
He sank immediately into the plush armchair before the fireplace and let out a shallow sigh.
Leaning back comfortably, he loosened the cravat constricting his neck.
“Haa…”
Covering his face with both hands, Adrian remained slumped in the chair for a long while.
‘…Her Highness Rebecca actually came.’
He still couldn’t quite believe it.
Rebecca—whom he’d thought would never set foot in the Mansion of Darkness again.
To have spoken with her here, and even shared laughter…
As Rebecca’s smiling face surfaced again in his mind, a faint blush crept across Adrian’s handsome features.
‘Has she… finally forgiven me?’
The first time Adrian met Rebecca was on the night of her marriage to the Grand Duke.
She had been crying alone by the garden pond connecting to the Mansion of Light.
Moonlight softly caressed her tear-streaked, beautiful face—
Her pale forehead, the gentle curve of her nose, and tears trailing beside her crimson lips.
So hauntingly sacred was the scene that Adrian, as if entranced, approached her.
At the time, Adrian had just arrived in the human realm for training and didn’t know she was the Grand Duchess.
‘I’ve been abandoned even here. No one truly loves me.’
With a fragile, crumbling expression, Rebecca wept.
Her pitiful tears pierced Adrian’s heart like a blade.
Soon after, he learned she was the Grand Duchess—
And that Cedric had postponed their wedding night to verify “Lilian’s Heart,” leaving the bedroom that very night.
‘I’ll tell you the way to Mount Manakin. His Grace the Grand Duke is there right now.’
He shouldn’t have said it.
Seeing Rebecca so utterly broken, his heart had softened—but those words should never have left his lips.
From that day on, the relationship between Cedric and Rebecca deteriorated rapidly.
Cedric began keeping his distance, wary of her, while Rebecca grew increasingly hysterical, fixating on him.
Though the servants’ gazes toward Rebecca grew colder, Adrian couldn’t follow suit.
The Grand Duke and Duchess’s worsening marriage.
Rebecca’s tyranny over everyone in Twins Manor.
Princess Bianca’s eventual escape.
And above all… Rebecca herself, slowly turning into someone consumed by madness.
Adrian felt all of it was his fault.
If it meant repaying the debt he owed her from his heart, he’d do anything for Rebecca.
He waited faithfully for another chance to see her—but she never appeared before him again.
He assumed she avoided the Mansion of Darkness because she resented him.
Thus, after five years, he’d resolved to leave the Twins estate and return to his demon realm home.
He’d hoped to forget both his memories of the mansion and his guilt toward Rebecca.
‘And yet… she finally came back here today.’
Adrian pulled an envelope from his jacket pocket.
His resignation letter, meant to be handed to the Grand Duke’s aide this afternoon.
Without hesitation, he tossed it into the fireplace.
The faint orange glow from the hearth flickered across his face.
‘I think we’ll be seeing each other often from now on.’
Rebecca’s gentle voice echoed clearly in his ears.
He couldn’t be sure if her words were sincere—but at least, he could dare to hope again.
[This is the timeline separator]All the way back to the Mansion of Light across the path between the two estates, Mina couldn’t hide her happy expression.
“You’re that pleased?”
“Of course! It’s been so long since I’ve seen Lord Adrian—and you know how popular he is in the demon realm!”
Finding Mina’s delight endearing, I let out a small laugh.
“Right, he is quite handsome.”
“Handsome? Lord Adrian is incredibly, unbelievably popular! He’s the second son of an ancient, noble demon family!”
“Oh? Then why is someone like that working as a butler?”
At my question, Mina happily swung her wicker basket, then suddenly stopped and tilted her head in puzzlement.
“That’s true… I heard he came to the human realm for practical training with the Grand Duke’s household and just never left. But why exactly… I’m not sure…”
She was about to continue—but paused.
“…Huh?”
Her eyes slowly widened as she looked past me.
Her expression was as if she’d just encountered someone completely unexpected.
.
.
.
Moments earlier, as the carriage entered the gates of the Twins estate,
Cedric, lost in thought the entire ride, finally opened the document envelope he’d been holding.
The divorce papers bore the official seals of both the Imperial Palace and the Papal See.
As Emperor Retz had said, once both signatures were added, their marriage would be irrevocably over.
It was what he’d always wanted—and finally, the end was in sight.
Yet…
Cedric couldn’t understand why he felt so unpleasant.
‘When you deeply love someone and that love fades, there’s no going back. Since the Grand Duchess loved you so much, she surely has no regrets now!’
It was just a throwaway line.
The old Cedric would’ve dismissed Emperor Retz’s use of the word “love” as absurd—since the Emperor knew nothing of their marriage.
But after hearing those words…
Strangely, that night’s Rebecca kept returning to his mind.
Especially her eyes and voice—utterly devoid of emotion.
She had clearly said she no longer loved him, no longer wanted him.
“…”
Until now, Cedric had been certain Rebecca agreed to the divorce for ulterior motives—
That it was her last desperate attempt to win back his affection.
But now… he realized something.
Her attitude was far too composed to be hiding another agenda.
‘As if she were genuinely waiting for this divorce.’
That thought kept circling back to the Emperor’s words.
‘…Did Rebecca truly love me?’
Frowning slowly, Cedric sank deeper into thought.
Even if she had genuinely loved him—what did it matter now?
Their marriage had long since reached a point of no return.
‘She must have finally accepted that truth and let go of her feelings.’
Though he’d logically concluded this, an inexplicable irritation persisted.
Mind and emotion pulled in opposite directions—
A first for Cedric, who’d always relied solely on reason.
‘She’s becoming quite a nuisance in more ways than one.’
Just then, as he smoothed his brow, his gaze drifted out the carriage window.
In the distance, a red-haired woman was walking out of the Mansion of Darkness.
For a moment, he wondered if it was a mirage—but it was unmistakably Rebecca.
Her crimson hair, porcelain skin, and elaborate attire were all as before—
Yet something about her was undeniably different.
Rebecca… was smiling.
A smile brighter than lilacs in full bloom on a spring night, illuminating everything around her.
Cedric’s gaze remained fixed on that smile, unable to look away.
“…I’ll get off here.”
Unconsciously, he’d already ordered the carriage to stop.
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.]
It had to be something like this, Original Rebecca sounds pittiful
He’s going to be soooo surprised when the new Rebecca comes back
LOL I KNEW IT. LOVE IT. I’M IN LOVE WITH THIS NOVEL!!!