Stop Coming On to Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
Inside the carriage with only the Count and me, I leaned against the window frame, lost in thought.
The Count’s words before we departed had been nagging at the back of my mind. I also recalled what Miss Julia and Misha had said—that I kept my distance from the Count.
It was the first time the Count had ever spoken to me like this. Perhaps he was finally showing me his discontent.
Why wouldn’t I treat him as a father?
But I had called him “Count” for far too long already. My tongue had never once formed the word “father.”
Wanting to lighten the mood, the Count spoke.
“They say no one can resist the beaches of Zebreon. Shall I tell you what color that sea is?”
I replied out of a sense of duty. I couldn’t play the sweet, affectionate daughter like Misha, but I at least wanted to answer him properly.
“What color is it?”
“Look in the mirror.”
“Oh. Right.”
He meant the sea’s color matched my eyes. I understood he was trying to cheer me up, but it felt a bit excessive.
“They say it’s a breathtakingly clear, strangely green sea. There’s one large hotel there, but it’s very quiet.”
A large hotel swarming with flies? That sounded disastrous.
“Did you confirm that? What if we arrive and the hotel has gone out of business?”
The Count chuckled softly.
“That hotel will never go out of business—don’t worry.”
“Right.”
I’d already used up all the forced sense of duty I’d squeezed out and leaned my temple against the glass again.
In truth, I still felt as if Misha were whispering beside me, chattering about Mother’s letter.
I would never forgive the Countess until the day I died, but right now, exhausted as I was, I didn’t want to waste all my strength hating her.
Should I tell the Count about the letter, or not? My wavering mind refused to settle on one decision.
But after failing to enter the Academy, it seemed pointless to pin my hopes on the future.
One character in a novel I’d read used to say, “I only live for today,” and now I finally understood that sentiment.
I felt I needed to unload something from my chest to breathe more easily. I just wanted to take things easy and live comfortably for once.
I opened my mouth.
“You know, Mother apparently missed you. I think she wanted to come back to you.”
The Count’s expression looked as if he’d been struck by a blunt object. He turned his head toward the window on his side—the one opposite me.
A silence too heavy to break settled inside the carriage. I could feel his struggle.
In a subdued voice, he asked,
“Where did this suddenly come from?”
“It’s just how it is. Please just accept it as truth.”
I couldn’t mention the Countess. That secret would only bring unhappiness to the Count as well. I wasn’t so reckless as to hurt him.
“……”
“I just thought… maybe you were hurt by Mother too. The woman you desperately wanted to keep by your side ran away, cut off contact for ten years, and even hid her child…”
The Count let out a faint, strained chuckle.
“How could I not? Did Melia appear to you in a dream?”
“I just know. It’s the truth, so please accept it as such.”
“……”
“Are you disappointed in me?”
“Rorisha. I would never be disappointed that you didn’t get into the Academy…”
“It’s because I call you ‘Count.’”
“……”
He let out a soft sigh and said,
“Perhaps once or twice a year, it wouldn’t hurt to hear you call me ‘father.’”
I gave a small laugh and replied,
“Alright. I’ll count it as your birthday present.”
“Ha. Goodness.”
“Father.”
“……!”
The Count looked at me in surprise, his lips trembling as he searched for words.
It felt good to see him flustered because of me—it had been so long.
“That’s for this year. Your birthday’s already passed, Father.”
The Count sharply turned his head to look out the window, hiding his expression.
I pressed my forehead against my own window and gazed outside. My heart pounded shamelessly.
“Father.” It felt like the last foreign language I’d ever learned.
The Count reached across the seat and took my hand, and we remained silent until we reached the inn.
I’d thought moving between several inns before settling on a hotel was a rather foolish choice. But that thought vanished completely the moment I stood before the Zebreon Hotel.
The pristine white brick building perched atop rough, black cliffs possessed a beauty unseen in either the capital or Roar territory.
The vast sky in the background, the gentle sound of waves, and even the breeze carrying a faint hint of salt—all stirred excitement within me. Seeing my expression, the Count smiled faintly.
“Let’s go in, Rorisha.”
We secured a luxury room at the top of the east wing, and the Count willingly gave me the room with the better view.
According to the decorative map hanging at the front desk, this place was a uniquely curved cape at the very southern tip of the coast.
I rushed into the room and stepped out onto the balcony—there, the green sea stretched out before me. Only then did I realize the Count hadn’t been making clumsy flattery.
The water along the shoreline truly matched the color of my eyes. The waves were clear and calm, as if nothing in the world could disturb the sea’s tranquility.
Listening to the gentle lapping of waves on the empty terrace made my heart feel refreshingly light.
So much so that I almost thought, “Not getting into the Academy isn’t going to kill me, after all.”
The Count had pointed out that I was too bound by the constraint of being a bastard, but he was the only one in the world who’d ever say such a thing.
If I wanted independence, I had to accept my limits in this world—limits as distant and daunting as the walls surrounding the Academy’s annex.
But I quickly realized it would be foolish to drag my worries onto this beach.
My future problems wouldn’t magically resolve themselves, but since I’d already decided to live only for today, I might as well enjoy the present.
I changed into comfortable shoes and headed down to the beach.
I dipped my hands into the lukewarm seawater and picked out beautifully worn seashells from the pure white sand.
Walking along the narrow stretch of beach, I came upon a rocky wall. Its layered, tilted strata looked like natural coastal decorations.
I followed it up the rocky hill. At the very edge sat a man in a shabby cloak.
Even slouched on the rock, his straight back and broad shoulders stood out. Yet, to me, an indescribable weariness seemed to weigh upon his shoulders.
He absentmindedly moved his arm to feel for his sword belt at his waist—but since he wasn’t carrying a sword now, his hand grasped nothing but air.
It was a habitual gesture only a swordsman would make.
He was likely a knight who had recently returned from the Amata War.
The Empire was currently hailing them as heroes, so those who’d fought—from commanders to common soldiers—were undoubtedly overwhelmed attending endless parties.
Yet here he was, alone at this resort. He must have been injured, or perhaps assigned to guard a master who’d come here to recover.
But someone on duty wouldn’t be sitting like that—so it must be the former.
Just as I decided to turn back, the man sensed my presence and sharply turned his head. At that same moment, a gust of wind whipped off his cloak’s hood.
From beneath the hood emerged a silver-haired, strikingly handsome man who glared at me. His sharp eyes and narrow face were anything but ordinary.
It was hard to tell whether his irritable aura came from war trauma or his natural disposition.
“What are you doing, kid?”
His blunt, rude tone upon first meeting annoyed me, so I replied flatly,
“‘What are you doing, girl?’”
“……What?”
“I said ‘girl,’ not ‘kid.’”
“……Hah.”
The man looked utterly baffled.
I hadn’t meant to disturb his rest, so I felt a little wronged. I was busy relaxing myself—what was his problem?
I turned to cross over to the other rocky hill. After a short walk there, I’d return to the hotel—just in time for the Count to finish his errands.
“Wait.”
I turned back, holding down my wind-tousled hair with my hand.
“What?”
“Are you staying at the hotel too?”
“Why?”
Frowning deeply as if displeased with me, the man snatched up his hood and pulled it back on.
“Fine. Let me rephrase. Who are you?”
“……Ha!”
I placed both hands on my hips, exasperated.
“Hey, how am I supposed to answer such a heavy existential question from a total stranger?”
He let out an uncomfortable grunt, clearly suppressing his irritation.
“You’ve got a habit of shutting people up, don’t you?”
Even though I was dressed like a proper nobleman’s daughter today, this man kept using informal speech. Apparently, my commoner roots were impossible to hide.
But so what if they were?
I’d been about to retort just as rudely, but he seemed a few years older than me, so I decided to let it slide—as a gesture of respect for a returning warrior.
“Did you return from Tounbar?”
I saw a brief twitch pass over his eyebrows.
“Do I look like it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He asked, clearly suspicious.
What a distrustful man.
I was starting to grow tired of this conversation.
“I saw you absentmindedly checking for your sword as you climbed up here. Are you a knight?”
“Something like that.”
“You must’ve received many war commendations. That hotel’s supposed to be expensive, after all.”
Of course, I had no idea how much the hotel actually cost—I just assumed it must be pricey since the Count had chosen it.
The man chuckled quietly.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m searching for an answer to a question similar to yours—but far more practical than ‘Who am I?’”
“Ah.”
The man laughed, though he barely made a sound—only his shoulders shook slightly.
I turned to leave and gave a small bow.
“I hope you fully enjoy Zebreon—‘right now.’ Goodbye.”
At my offhand remark, the man’s eyes instantly sharpened. Oh my—what a shock.
“What do you mean by that?”
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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How sweet are they!! I’m curious how well our ML will come to know Roba. I have a feeling he’ll know more about her than she does herself. And we finally get to hear about the princess Roba will come to support. Roba will be the “little lion cub” she raises. I wonder if she has the intention to rise to the throne. Or if she really has no familial bond to the second prince. I think Roba will come to believe the princess hold romantic feelings towards ML and try to avoid him. ML knows the princess just wants him as a shield and will openly pursue Roba, Roba will just this he’s trying to get her in trouble with the princess. And the princess wouldn’t support ML courting Roba because she using her as protection. And ML wouldn’t like that cause only he can protect Roba, Roba can protect herself tho. This is my guess, I wonder to see if this is accurate or not. They are so cute hhehehe
How sweet are they!! I’m curious how well our ML will come to know Roba. I have a feeling he’ll know more about her than she does herself. And we finally get to hear about the princess Roba will come to support. Roba will be the “little lion cub” she raises. I wonder if she has the intention to rise to the throne. Or if she really has no familial bond to the second prince. I think Roba will come to believe the princess hold romantic feelings towards ML and try to avoid him. ML knows the princess just wants him as a shield and will openly pursue Roba, Roba will just this he’s trying to get her in trouble with the princess. And the princess wouldn’t support ML courting Roba because she using her as protection. And ML wouldn’t like that cause only he can protect Roba, Roba can protect herself tho. This is my guess, I wonder to see if this is accurate or not. They are so cute hhehehe
There is an error!! I spent more than half the chapter trying to figure out who the “earl” was—> it’s her father, “the count”. I’m a little confused, is she back countdom or back in the village? The duke seems very kind. I wonder if the prince will want Roba as an apothecary, and will make the ML bring her to their side.