Ariadne’s steps slowed at the sound of Lucrezia’s faint voice drifting through the crack in the door.
“I can’t do it. It’s too hard.”
There was no doubt that it was Ariadne she was talking about. She came to a complete stop.
To the flustered maid, Ariadne spoke calmly.
“I suddenly have a terrible stomachache. I think I need to stop by the back room. You go tell the home tutor that the second lady will be a bit late.”
“But, Miss…!”
“There won’t be any problem for you. Just go and tell him that.”
Ariadne took off the shabby pearl earring she had been wearing and put it in the maid’s apron pocket. It was the only earring she had, but it had to be used when needed.
“Be careful about what you’ve seen and heard, even to your own master. Go quickly.”
The maid who had been at a loss soon seemed to be overcome with greed upon receiving the pearl earring, and agreed to do as Ariadne had asked.
Ariadne pressed her body against a pillar in the corridor and listened to the conversation leaking out of the reception room.
“No, why are you doing this again? It was your idea to bring Ariadne in the first place.”
“That was then, this is now! You have no idea how stubborn and unruly that girl is, it’s so hard to deal with her!”
Even as he sounded incredulous, the voice of Cardinal de Mare, trying to soothe Lucrezia, could be heard.
“So what are you going to tell Cesare? He’s been hinting at his desire to meet every time we meet at mass.”
“The one who wanted Isabella in the first place will be satisfied with Ariadne? You should think of a good solution! You’re good at that! I can’t live with her.”
“If you can’t live with her, there’s always the option of sending her off to Cesare sooner.”
‘…!’
When she had eavesdropped up to this point, there was suddenly the sound of footsteps from the far end of the corridor. Ariadne was startled, and quickly moved away from the reception room door, pretending to be just passing by.
The ones making the noise were the maids going by to clean. They greeted Ariadne and chattered amongst themselves as they passed by, seemingly oblivious to any strange occurrences.
‘Phew.’
She had been holding her breath for ten years.
The idea of being sent to Cesare early sent shivers down her spine. Ariadne realized that just hiding and staying out of the way would not be a solution. If she just let things flow, the end would be the same as in her previous life.
A life where she is passed on to a man who loves her older sister like life itself, as a substitute, and serves his convenience like an old piece of furniture, and then is thrown away miserably when the time comes.
That couldn’t happen. Now was the time to act.
[This is the time separator]Ariadne instinctively realized that the interests of Cardinal de Mare and Mrs. Lucrezia did not perfectly align.
To Lucrezia, Isabella was her alter ego, a more perfect version of herself, a golden princess who absolutely had to succeed. But to Cardinal de Mare, Isabella was the best ‘possession’ he had.
Cardinal de Mare surely loved Isabella to a certain extent. He would have wanted her happiness, and for her smiles and peaceful daily life, he would have been willing to make a small sacrifice.
‘Only up to that point.’
Ariadne knew very well how coldly calculating Cardinal de Mare could be. She remembered his deeds in her past life and shivered in the approaching cold. The hairs on her arms stood on end.
Just like how a horse with good bloodlines is raised to win races, and a hunting dog might get hurt for the sake of catching prey, to him, the essence of his daughter was to serve the ‘de Mare family’, which was to continue forever, and to be sold as a commodity.
Once he taught her, groomed her, and made her beautiful, in exchange for his beautiful and famous daughter, there would be a title, land, gold, and glory for the family. Who the daughter liked or disliked was a mere secondary point.
The only reason Cardinal de Mare didn’t want to marry off Isabella to Cesare de Como was because Isabella was too valuable to hand over to someone like Cesare.
“Ah, our beautiful daughter! Indeed, she is our bloodline. It is because she is superior and is our bloodline that she is my daughter.”
Cardinal de Mare always praised Isabella’s beautiful appearance, intelligent mind, and popularity in social circles.
Even if I shook off the memories of my previous life, there was not a single instance where he praised Isabella’s efforts to achieve such results or her character.
Cardinal de Mare loved Isabella because she was superior.
The eldest daughter Isabella was at the top of Cardinal de Mare’s property list. To be precise, she was the second priority, as the Cardinal’s position undoubtedly came before Isabella in terms of importance.
Behind Isabella would be the horse that won the royal race, the emerald the size of a quail egg in the Cardinal’s staff, and if we continue further down, Ariadne would appear.
He wanted to receive the appropriate price for his most valuable possession through marriage with Alfonso, the only heir to the throne. That was all.
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.]
