“Duke, what’s going on…!”
“This bastard snuck into my room.”
Upon the Duke’s words, Lawrence examined Lina.
A brownhaired boy, unable to move under the pressed blade, looked too clumsy to be an assassin. And above all.
The emptied basket the boy was holding, and the liquor bottles on the table.
With that, Lawrence seemed to have grasped the situation and spoke.
“Duke. It seems this boy is a worker at the inn. I ordered the liquor you were going to have earlier, and he must have come into the room for that. There are new bottles of liquor on the table as well.”
Hearing his words, Duke Valige glanced at the bottles on the table.
“Is he a worker of this inn?”
Lina nodded her head just enough to prevent the blade from cutting deeper.
“……Can’t you speak?”
“It seems so…”
Seeing Lina, who could not speak, Lawrence guessed and spoke as if to stop the Duke. Upon his words, Duke Valige withdrew his knife.
“Uh…”
But blood was still oozing from her neck, unable to withstand the sharp blade. Looking at Lina, who was bowing her head and covering the wound, the Duke spoke indifferently.
“If you value your life, don’t loiter in my room without permission.”
Lawrence signaled Lina to leave.
And as soon as his signal dropped, Lina bowed and fled the room as if she had been waiting.
“I apologize, Duke. I will ensure that this does not happen again at the inn.”
But Duke Valige kept stubbornly staring at the door Lina had fled through without responding to Lawrence’s words.
Then, he lifted his sword and wiped the red blood on the tip with his fingertips.
“Duke…?”
Valige, who was rubbing the blood stained on his index and middle fingers with his thumb, muttered quietly.
“It’s strange.”
“What? What’s strange…”
A strange uneasiness was pricking him deep inside.
“Really, it’s strange.”
So, Duke Valige stood blankly, staring at the door where Lina had disappeared for quite a while.
(This is a time separator.)
“Haa, haa[Dash].”
Lina, who had returned to her room as if running, exhaled her breath that had risen to her chin.
“Why on earth is the Duke here…”
If the Duke was coming to the capital, he was planned to stay in a hideout provided by the Crown Prince.
That’s why she never imagined he would stay in such an inn where commoners or travelers would lodge.
“Of all the inns, why here?”
Lina exhaled deeply once again and soon sat down, leaning against the door, as if her legs had given out.
“Good thing I was disguised. If I had been in my original form, I would have been discovered…ugh!”
She suddenly stopped mumbling to herself and, feeling the pain in her neck, stood up and approached the mirror. Blood was still flowing; the wound was deep.
“I’ve been cut deeper than I thought.”
She looked at the wound as she wiped her neck with a wet towel.
“It’s going to take a while to heal…?”
The wound from falling off the cliff had almost healed, and now another wound. Lina, who briefly clicked her tongue, sat down heavily on the bed after stopping the bleeding with a towel.
Lina thought of the bottles of liquor and medicine that had been in the room earlier.
“What on earth has been happening all this time……”
The Duke of Fermaenus she knew was not a man who enjoyed alcohol. Especially not so much of a strong liquor.
“Even those medicines.”
One by one, the painkillers and sleeping pills scattered on the table came to Lina’s mind.
Especially the painkiller made from Alkinto, known as the devil’s flower, was a medicine containing strong hallucinogenic ingredients.
“He was even taking such a poisonous medicine…… Is his headache getting worse?”
For a moment, Lina, who was worried about the Duke’s condition, became indignant again.
“No, he’s no longer my concern. Let’s not worry about him.”
Lina sighed as if the ground were caving in. It was impossible to continue working here now that she knew the Duke was here.
But there was nowhere else to go except the inn right now.
“After all, the Duke will not stay here for long.”
The reason for coming to Festius in the first place was to take the princess, so it was clear that he would leave here as soon as he met the princess.
“There’s nothing I can do about it now, let’s just hold on for a few days.”
The full moon was coming up soon. And she had already applied for a twoday leave in preparation for her body changing that day.
“I’ll have to stay a few more days at the lodging I’ve arranged and look for work elsewhere. And since I can’t keep silent, I’ll need to buy a magical potion to change my voice.”
Lina opened the drawer and counted the money she had.
“It looks like I’ve almost spent it all……”
Magic potions were too expensive a luxury for commoners to buy. Thanks to that, she almost ran out of the money she had been saving, and it somehow made her feel bitter.
“Still, there’s nothing I can do.”
Lina flopped down on the bed and recalled what had happened earlier.
“I should have looked at his face a little longer.”
He was a man she had endlessly repeated in her mind during their time apart. She was afraid that the Duke would recognize her, but on the other hand.
She wished he had recognized her…
Such contradictory feelings came to her.
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.]
