The door connecting the main hall and the corridor, which should have been closed, was wide open. The whole house was uneasy and chaotic. Something was seriously wrong.
“Father.”
Ariadne greeted Cardinal de Mare as she entered the main hall. Beside him, Lucrezia was restless, and Isabella’s face was deathly pale. Arabella was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is Arabella…?”
Cardinal de Mare replied briefly in a dry voice.
“She’s dead.”
Ariadne unknowingly repeated his words.
“What?”
Cardinal de Mare bluntly stated the facts.
“She stopped breathing this afternoon. They say she fell headfirst while playing on the stairs.”
Cardinal de Mare pointed to the center of the main hall with his chin. A coffin that was excessively large compared to Arabella’s figure was placed in the center of the main hall, which had been elevated by about 1 pied (approximately 45 cm). It was an imposing ebony coffin.
“It can’t be…!”
Ariadne rushed up to the platform and looked inside the black coffin. There lay her youngest sister, who seemed to be sleeping, with no wounds on her clean skin, her long amber eyelashes lowered and her eyes closed.
“Arabella? Arabella?”
Ariadne reached out and touched Arabella’s chubby cheek. The face that should have been warm was now cooling down as life drained away. The cheek, which used to be elastic and soft, felt strangely rubbery to her fingers.
“Ah… Ah…”
The sense of reality, which she had not felt despite hearing and seeing, hit her only after she felt the cold body temperature. Nevertheless, Ariadne did not give up and persistently spoke to Arabella.
“Arabella, wake up, look at your sister, okay?”
Her younger sister, cold and lifeless, did not respond.
“Arabella, your acceptance letter has arrived… You’re admitted to the second degree, okay?”
Tears welled up in Ariadne’s eyes.
“You need to go to Padua, you wanted to, didn’t you? Arabella, you should go to the big city and learn the music you wanted to, okay?”
Ariadne reached out, groping for Arabella’s hand. It was a small hand that she had to hold tight. Arabella’s hands were crossed quietly on her stomach, but her left hand was unnaturally clenched, not straight.
Ariadne discovered nail marks on Arabella’s left hand.
‘What is this…?’
As she raised her right hand to flip Arabella’s left hand over for a closer look, images suddenly began to flow into her mind. It was the same ability she had seen when she went to the Lambuye orphanage.
“Ah…!”
Scenes that were before Ariadne’s eyes flashed by. It felt closer to facts forcibly injected into the brain than watching a video.
Listening to Lucrezia’s shouts and chastisements while lying in the room, the scrappy fight with Isabella behind the stairs, Isabella who she thought would help but instead snatched the human hair wig in front of her.
‘I’d love to give it to Ari!’
Arabella thinking of the iron shackles.
‘When the college of music admission notice arrives… Call me sister.’
Arabella making a resolution.
Drip.
Tears that Ariadne couldn’t control at all fell down from her eyes. She clenched her fists.
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.]
