In the Midst of Revenge on Cinderella (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
“There’s the Outer Palace.”
The man, who had been walking silently for a while, stopped and pointed somewhere. Following the direction of his chin, I saw a large palace and people moving about nearby.
“High-level magic is cast over the palace, so the layout changes every time. The palace staff receive a notice every morning—didn’t you know that?”
“I didn’t. It’s my first day here.”
I had gone straight to Floria before heading to the head maid, so I hadn’t had a chance to hear about such things.
“Come to think of it, you’ve become a maid now.”
The man, who had been staring at me blankly, said with a puzzled expression.
“Aren’t you a count’s daughter?”
It struck me as odd that he, a servant working in the Second Prince’s Palace, hadn’t heard—but I simply nodded.
“That’s how it turned out. Anyway, thank you for showing me the way. Thanks to you, I arrived safely.”
I’d suspected he might deliberately lead me astray out of spite, but nothing of the sort happened.
‘Maybe he’s not so bad after all.’
Our first meeting had been unpleasant, but seeing him so kindly explain things now, he didn’t seem like a bad person…
“Now you owe me one debt.”
“…Huh?”
“You’re not seriously pretending you don’t remember that I saved your life, are you?”
“Saved my life? You just showed me the way.”
“Didn’t you notice no one else was around? Without me, you might have died right there.”
“Aren’t you exaggerating a bit too much?”
“You clearly don’t know—people often lose their lives getting lost inside the palace.”
“No, that’s just absurd…”
“Actually, this is the second time I’ve saved you.”
“Hold on. If you’re talking about the day I escaped through the window—it was only the first floor! Even if I fell, I’d have just twisted my ankle a little. And speaking of that day, I’ve got plenty to say too.”
“You never know how things will turn out. The world doesn’t always go as you expect. Besides, you said you came out to retrieve your luggage—but you really were trying to run away.”
“W-well…”
Having just confessed to running away myself, my words stuck in my throat.
Damn it—why does someone who looks so cold and reserved talk so smoothly? Realizing I couldn’t possibly win an argument with him, I glared, but the man just smiled calmly.
“I’ll collect this debt properly later.”
With that, he turned away without a moment’s hesitation. He walked so fast he was already far off in the distance.
“I take back what I said about you possibly being a decent person, you insufferable jerk!”
“Next time? Let’s never meet again for the rest of our lives!” I shouted toward his retreating back.
[This is the timeline separator]By the time I returned to the Second Prince’s Palace with the Royal Physician, it was already well into the afternoon. The maids, apparently thinking I’d deliberately delayed bringing the Royal Physician, wore deeply displeased expressions. I declined Floria’s repeated offers to rest and headed straight for the servants’ quarters.
As I walked toward the head maid’s room, the other maids’ glances were predictably unfriendly. Moreover, it seemed someone had been broadcasting everything in real time—they even knew about what had happened in Floria’s room.
“She deliberately stepped on Lady Eileen’s foot, didn’t she? How awful.”
“Her condition must’ve been serious if they called the Royal Physician. But she went out first and didn’t come back for ages.”
“Oh my, could she have done it on purpose? Honestly, causing such a commotion on her very first day? She’s definitely not ordinary.”
“His Highness is far too kind-hearted. In my place, I wouldn’t have let it slide.”
Criticized here, criticized there—I was becoming the neighborhood punching bag.
But honestly, this was exactly what I’d expected, so it didn’t bother me at all. Seeing my lack of reaction to their deliberately loud whispers, they started saying I was shamelessly bold for walking around with my head held so high. Fine then—should I just stare at the ground while walking?
“What time do you think it is? If you’re going to be late, you should notify us in advance!”
“I’m sorry.”
The head maid scowled the moment she saw me and scolded me, but when I obediently bowed my head, she clicked her tongue in surprise and stepped back.
“Just be more careful from now on. Three instances of tardiness will count as an absence—keep that in mind.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Silvia.”
The head maid turned and called out someone’s name.
“You’ll work alongside Silvia from now on to learn the ropes.”
I looked toward the maid approaching me. Silvia, with her black hair and dark eyes, quickly lowered her head the moment our eyes met.
Having effectively dumped me onto Silvia with nothing more than “Teach her well yourself,” the head maid shooed us out of the room to get to work.
Silvia kept glancing nervously at me, her lips twitching.
‘Is she acting like this because of my reputation?’
Unable to bear it any longer, I spoke first.
“Do you have something to say to me?”
Flustered, Silvia shook her head quickly. Watching her tremble like a herbivore facing a predator softened my heart.
“My name is Reneola Violet. I look forward to working with you.”
At my gentler tone, Silvia’s eyes widened in surprise. After hesitating, she slowly nodded, and a soft voice finally added, “Silvia Mann.”
Hmm, she’s quite shy. She reminded me of a rabbit—adorable.
Among everyone I’d met since entering the palace, Silvia seemed the gentlest, and I took an immediate liking to her.
“What should we start with?”
“Oh, we need to clean the annex today.”
“You’re around my age—just drop the formal speech.”
“B-but you’re nobility…”
“Nobility? We’re both maids now. Where’s the annex?”
“This way.”
Following Silvia’s cautious lead, I arrived at the annex—and my jaw dropped at the unexpected sight.
‘There’s a place this filthy inside the Second Prince’s Palace?’
“It’s been unused for a long time, so it’s a bit worn…”
Silvia spoke in a voice so small it barely rose above a whisper. “A bit” was a massive understatement—the annex was thoroughly filthy. It was quite far from the main palace, so perhaps it hadn’t been properly maintained. Looking around, I saw no other maids besides us.
“Where is everyone?”
“T-they’re not here.”
“Not here?”
When I asked in surprise, Silvia nodded. Could she really have been managing this place alone all this time? Even at a glance, it was clear two maids couldn’t possibly handle this workload.
‘No wonder it’s in such a state.’
In the main palace, even a single window had two or three maids assigned—but here, despite no shortage of staff, the work distribution made no sense.
“Isn’t there been some mistake? Did you tell the head maid?”
“It’s no use.”
After a brief hesitation, Silvia continued.
“There’s a rumor that a ghost appears here, so nobody wants to come.”
“Ah.”
I see. So everyone dumped this dreaded chore onto this timid girl. Given how thoroughly neglected the place was, the ghost story probably wasn’t limited to just the maids—it likely gave the higher-ups a convenient excuse too.
‘Hmm? Wait a minute. This is actually great!’
If nobody comes here, then nobody will notice if I slack off! Plus, I won’t have to deal with those sharp, judgmental stares—peace of mind guaranteed.
Just as I was about to cheer, Silvia’s next words dampened my spirits slightly.
“I try my best to maintain it, but after finishing the main palace duties, I’m completely drained…”
Damn it. So they expect us to handle the main palace duties on top of this too. Of course they do.
But my disappointment lasted only a moment before I rolled up my sleeves with renewed determination.
“Shall we start cleaning right away?”
My enthusiastic tone made Silvia’s eyes go wide.
“Why?”
“I thought you’d just leave, saying it’s impossible…”
“Do I really look that irresponsible? Besides, I actually like this place.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah!”
My body might suffer, but gaining a personal hideout like this was worth it. I planned to clean quickly and then enjoy it to my heart’s content.
Unaware of my ulterior motives, Silvia looked genuinely touched.
“To be honest, I like it here too. It’s such a romantic place.”
This was the brightest I’d ever seen Silvia’s face. Her voice rose with unmistakable affection for the place. True, despite the current mess, the exotic landscaping surrounding the garden suggested that with a little effort, the atmosphere could become quite charming.
“How romantic that there’s a ghost!”
Huh?
Clasping her hands together, Silvia continued with sparkling eyes.
“I can’t understand why everyone finds it creepy. It means there’s a mysterious being here! Every day, I pray to be able to see the ghost.”
One thing became crystal clear: my earlier suspicion that she might be ostracized was completely unfounded. Silvia was here because she genuinely loved the place.
Matching her hopeful tone, I asked the ghost-obsessed Silvia, “Haven’t seen it yet?”
“No, unfortunately…”
Her face fell with genuine disappointment. I patted her back to comfort her.
“If you wish hard enough, it’ll come true. You’ll see it soon.”
“You’re the first person to say that, Lady Reneola. Everyone else just complains about how gloomy it is…”
Silvia’s eyes shimmered with tears. After a brief pause, she added softly,
“You’re nothing like your reputation, Lady Reneola. You seem like a truly kind person.”
“Really? Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
It felt almost silly to be thanked for something so small, but seeing someone open their heart to me felt genuinely nice—especially after enduring nothing but hostile stares since entering the palace.
Gently reassuring Silvia, whose eyes now held trust, I followed her inside the annex. Though signs showed Silvia had tried her best to tidy up, the interior was still a mess. I sighed inwardly.
‘It’ll take forever to clean this up. Damn it.’
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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Shes smart. I love her for this.yeah dont care about the ruin reputation
Girlboss. YEAH LETS GO PLAYING VILLAINESS UNTIL THE END!
Shes really got caught by the demon king. Good luck for the grim future