Tame or Be Captured (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 008
Geb frowned slightly as he spoke.
“…This woman doesn’t understand a word I say at all. Or is she just as stubborn as an ox?”
When the Head Chef brought over a bottle of liquor, Geb waved his hand with an annoyed expression and said,
“Never mind that. Bring me what I asked for. Mix up a bomb drink or something. If we’re bonding, you at least owe me that much, right?”
“Geb, take it easy. Are you trying to kill a lady?”
“Kill? Who? I was just about to congratulate her early, like she said herself, for joining the patrol squad.”
Geb replied with a crooked grin, and Asha spoke up.
“I’m fine. Please bring it.”
Geb raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
“Confident, aren’t you? Looks like you can hold your liquor better than you seem.”
Asha didn’t respond to that remark.
Geb twisted the corner of his mouth and began mixing various liquors into a single bowl.
The nearby gang members murmured worriedly among themselves, “Oh no… that stuff’s strong….”
Soon, Geb poured the concoction into wide wooden cups and handed one to her.
“If you can stomach this and still stand your ground, I’ll acknowledge your mental fortitude. And I’ll forget all about you fainting pathetically in the snow.”
Though it was a jab at her pride, Asha stared straight into his eyes and replied,
“Fine.”
The two locked gazes intensely and downed their drinks simultaneously.
For a split second, her throat burned with an awful, searing sensation—but Asha showed no hint of it on her face.
This liquor was far more potent than anything she’d ever tasted in the Imperial Palace.
The sharp sting in her nose and throat nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she squeezed them shut and downed the shot with as relaxed an expression as she could muster.
After all, thanks to Emperor Karaf’s fondness for alcohol, she’d been forced to drink many times before.
This much, she could truly endure with nothing but sheer willpower.
The gang members watched her in awe, whispering among themselves.
That bomb drink was so strong that even men who enjoyed liquor often lost their senses after just a sip.
Geb stole a glance at Asha over his cup and said,
“Not bad at all, miss.”
Somewhere along the way, his address had shifted from “Your Highness” to “miss.”
Though he tried to appear composed, his flushed face betrayed that he’d taken a hit too.
Just then, Jackal returned to the hideout with Sosa.
The gang members jumped in alarm at their arrival, anxiously stealing glances at each other, unsure how to react.
They were speechless as they saw Asha and Geb at the center of the commotion.
Jackal stomped over to the table and glanced down at the bowl of liquor.
Just from the sharp, pungent aroma alone, he could identify the drink without even tasting it.
“…Geb, tell me you didn’t actually make this woman drink bomb liquor.”
His voice was calm, but fury swirled beneath the surface like a violent storm.
Yet Geb, looking half out of his mind, grinned and replied,
“Yes, boss. This woman kept forgetting her place and climbing above herself, so I thought I’d teach her a lesson…”
“…Climbing above herself?”
Before Jackal could finish, he grabbed Geb by the collar, prompting Sosa and the others nearby to rush over and pull him back.
Jackal glared at him with eyes blazing like blue flames and snapped,
“Say that again. What did you just say?”
Geb’s face flushed deeper as he hardened his expression and blurted out carelessly,
“Why are you suddenly so furious? Are you really that sensitive about her that you can’t even tolerate a little gossip? Did you two form some secret bond we don’t know about in that short time?”
“…Watch your mouth. That’s your final warning.”
The atmosphere turned dangerously hostile.
But Geb refused to back down and shouted,
“If you truly care about this organization, boss, then either take her as your partner or kick her out—choose one of those two!”
At those words, Jackal froze for a moment, his grip loosening slightly.
Sosa quickly stepped between them and urged him,
“Boss, everyone seems overly worked up today—none of us are thinking straight. It’d be better to talk when we’re in our right minds.”
Jackal glanced back at his worried subordinates and reluctantly called off the fight.
He turned to Asha and said,
“You’re drunk. Go home now.”
“Fine.”
Asha, slightly tipsy yet composed, started to follow him out—but then turned back to look at Geb.
The next moment, the gang members gaped in shock.
Asha strode toward him and, mimicking exactly how he’d pointed at her earlier, jabbed her finger right in his face and declared,
“Just you wait and see. I’m not as weak as you think—I’m far more useful than you imagine!”
With that, Asha spun on her heel and marched out of the hideout ahead of Jackal.
The gang members watched her retreating figure with dazed expressions—it was the first time they’d seen her angry.
Jackal left Geb and Sosa behind and immediately followed after her.
The moment the door shut, Asha staggered and collapsed into the snow.
Before her knees even touched the ground, Jackal swiftly reached out an arm and caught her.
Clicking his tongue in exasperation, he asked,
“Are you even in your right mind? Do you even know what that drink was?”
Asha, her nose flushed from the alcohol, replied,
“…It was a celebratory drink.”
“A celebratory drink? You actually believed that?”
“Mr. Geb said so. So I’ll just believe it’s true.”
Her voice sounded a little dejected.
Jackal fell silent for a moment, then asked gravely,
“While I was gone, did that bastard say or do anything to provoke you?”
Asha stayed quiet for a while before answering calmly,
“No. Nothing happened.”
“…”
Jackal noticed she was trying to cover for Geb and held his tongue.
She probably didn’t want discord among the gang members because of her.
Though Asha walked as if nothing were wrong, she kept stumbling forward with every step.
With her already poor physical state and now the bomb liquor in her system, it was no wonder she wasn’t steady on her feet.
Unable to stand it any longer, Jackal abruptly scooped her up like a princess and carried her off.
Pressed against his chest, Asha’s eyes widened in embarrassment as she protested,
“P-put me down! I’m perfectly fine!”
“Fine, my foot. As soon as we get home, wash your feet and go straight to sleep.”
Asha fell silent after that.
Jackal walked straight ahead with his usual gruffness, but inwardly, he felt a pang of sympathy.
Even as she pretended to be fine, inside, she must be burning up.
He spoke quietly,
“You never expected to be welcomed by every gang member from the start, right? It’s only natural—don’t be disappointed.”
“Yes, I know….”
Though his words sounded cold, Asha understood they were meant to comfort her.
Only when they reached the cabin did Jackal set her down.
But the moment Asha stepped away from him, she suddenly looked resolute and strode purposefully inside.
Wondering what she was up to, he followed in with little interest—only to be stunned a moment later.
The instant the door closed, Asha abruptly yanked off her outer coat.
Jackal spun around and stammered,
“What… what are you doing… right now…?”
He was so flustered that he even stumbled over his words.
“…Don’t tell me… the ‘show’ you promised me earlier… was this…?”
He asked in a low voice, his face flushed with embarrassment.
Unaware of his inner turmoil, Asha—now wearing only a sleeveless undershirt—spoke earnestly,
“Yes. Please look at me.”
His heart began pounding wildly.
He’d never met a woman so boldly forward—so much so that he didn’t know how to react.
Ordinary women, upon first seeing him, would be overwhelmed by his inexplicable aura, too frightened even to approach, let alone speak to him.
Instinctively wary of the wild stallion energy he emitted, they subconsciously kept their distance.
Humans naturally shunned what was different from themselves.
But Asha had never avoided him—not even from their first meeting. She’d always met his gaze head-on.
And the moment she boldly confessed she’d fallen for him at first sight, he’d felt she was the only woman in the world who didn’t shy away from him.
He’d never shown interest in women before—after all, who’d ever fancy a man who could transform into a beast?
But Asha was the first woman to break through the walls of his life.
He might never get another chance like this.
That thought alone made his face burn hot.
His heart screamed not to let her go, while his mind insisted he put the organization first—they clashed violently inside him, leaving him utterly confused.
Jackal rubbed his face briskly as if washing it, then finally regained his composure and muttered,
“…If you’re trying to seduce me, stop. Beauty traps don’t work on me.”
“A beauty trap…?”
Asha blinked at him in surprise.
His broad back looked as if it were suffering intense inner conflict.
“Heh.”
At the sound of her soft laughter, he flinched.
“…Is this really a situation to laugh about?”
“You seem to have misunderstood something big. What I wanted to show you wasn’t that.”
“If it wasn’t that, then what was it? What else is worth stripping off your clothes to show?”
“I just wanted to prove that accepting me into the organization would be to your benefit.”
“…Benefit? Benefit, you say?”
He clicked his tongue.
“So if that ‘benefit’ is your body, then it won’t work on me…”
“Sigh…”
Convinced the conversation was going nowhere, Asha sighed.
Realizing he was unexpectedly shy and easily embarrassed in front of women, she actually found it rather refreshing.
Earlier, when he’d climbed on top of her so boldly, he must have been putting on an act—deliberately trying to warn her.
He’d chosen that extreme method to make clear that he was dangerous and this place no fit for a woman.
Perhaps, deep down, he was actually the type of man who found dealing with women more difficult than anything else.
Asha walked up behind him with a playful glint in her eye, tapped his back lightly, and said,
“Please look at my chest.”
At the word “chest,” his body visibly jerked.
“…Just how careless are you, casually saying something like that to a strange man…!”
He spun around, slightly angry—but his eyes widened, and he couldn’t finish his sentence.
He quickly turned his head away again, but not before catching sight of the mark tattooed near Asha’s heart.
It was unmistakably a golden butterfly emblem.
As he stood frozen, staring back at her with widened eyes, Asha calmly spoke,
“Do you understand now? I am… the Empire’s butterfly.”
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.]
No way…did Karaf set up this situation with the assassin or kidnapping attempt to earn points?
Not practically, it is a form of torture. Jackel didn’t jump into the water on his own while tied to the boulder.
It seems backward that the Empress is invited to a Duchess’ tea party.