The Maid Hates Childcare (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
“I understand.”
Despite my pitiful appearance, the waiter upheld his professionalism and didn’t treat me like a troublemaker.
The waiter, having taken my order, immediately turned toward where Kashar was seated.
“Every popular menu item here.”
“I’ll have them prepared right away. Please wait just a moment!”
At Kashar’s order, the waiter’s expression instantly lit up with determination.
The curtain closed again, leaving only Kashar and me.
‘Please, for the love of all that’s holy, let something arrive soon.’
Just as I was silently praying inwardly,
Kashar rested his chin in his hand and began observing me.
‘This awkwardness is driving me insane.’
Or maybe it was fear that was making me lose my mind? Or perhaps it was because he was just too handsome?
This was the first time I’d ever sat one-on-one with such a stunning man.
‘Anyway, this is seriously uncomfortable!’
I was trying my hardest not to keep stealing glances at him, though whether it was working remained uncertain.
Sensing my gaze, Kashar let out a soft, amused chuckle.
“Don’t worry. I won’t eat you.”
“T-thank you….”
“Not yet, anyway. I already told you—I’m interested.”
His intense gaze enveloped me completely.
Everything felt so unfamiliar that I’d lost all sense of reality. To emphasize his words further, Kashar leaned in slightly.
“What reason would a man have for sending gifts and asking a woman out on a date?”
His expectant look made me hesitate before answering.
“Either he’s running a pyramid scheme or he’s part of a cult?”
At the very least, that was how I interpreted Kashar’s approach toward me.
“…What’s a pyramid scheme? And what’s a cult?”
Kashar frowned in confusion.
Just as the mood turned oddly tense, a shadow flickered beyond the curtain.
“Excuse me. May I open the curtain…?”
“Please, come right in!”
Perfect timing!
I sprang to my feet and pulled back the curtain—there stood the waiter.
Unlike my bright, welcoming smile, Kashar’s face had grown even more sour.
“I-I’ll just leave this here, then.”
Startled by Kashar’s expression, the waiter hurriedly set down the tray.
“Here we have our café’s signature fruit honey preserves, sugar cake, Marong cake, northern berries, Erthin black tea, and Fragrant floral tea. The crystal dish holding the fruit was handcrafted by an artisan from the Ruben region…”
With a flourish of explanation, an array of desserts and drinks was laid before us.
Aside from what I’d made myself, this was the first time I’d seen food native to this world.
‘…Looks delicious.’
No matter what anyone says, food made by others always tastes best.
Especially baked goods!
Given that even members of the imperial family frequented this café, both the tableware and desserts were extravagantly opulent.
As I swallowed hard, the waiter placed one final item before me—a glass of water.
“Lastly, here is the water you ordered. I hope you enjoy your time.”
Even the glass looked luxurious—and the water itself was purely, refreshingly ordinary.
The waiter courteously closed the curtain behind him and descended the stairs.
“The water… looks really refreshing.”
My plain glass of water stood in stark contrast to the lavish desserts before Kashar.
‘There goes a million won, melting away.’
I gulped down the water to soothe my dry throat, but my eyes remained locked on the desserts.
Noticing I couldn’t tear my gaze away, Kashar finally spoke.
“Go ahead, eat.”
“I don’t have money.”
I’ve been saving up carefully to give it to our princes later.
But my firm refusal was swallowed by his quiet laughter.
“How amusing. I’m not asking you to pay—just eat. You’re practically drooling already.”
He propped his chin on his hand and watched me intently.
His gaze grew so heavy that I finally relented, nodding.
“…Then I’ll dig in.”
I wiped my mouth once and picked up my fork.
As I placed the honey-soaked cake into my mouth, a sweet flavor coated my tongue.
“Hmm…?”
I expected the taste to be so exquisite it’d make my eyes flutter shut and my cheeks flush…
‘…But it feels kind of underwhelming.’
It was certainly sweet, and clearly made with expensive ingredients, yet something was missing.
I chewed carefully, rolling it around my tongue, but the texture felt coarser than it appeared, leaving an unpleasant sensation.
I tried another bite—same result.
The only remotely satisfying item was the honey-preserved fruit.
‘…Could it be because sugar itself hasn’t existed long here?’
In this world, sugar had only been around for less than a century, and honey remained extremely rare. Even nobles could enjoy desserts like these perhaps once a week at most.
In other words, the history of desserts here was still quite short.
‘How strange. The café looks exactly like one from the modern era.’
It was disappointing that the taste didn’t match the elegant setting.
Given the price, a bit of disappointment was inevitable.
‘Well, even if it’s not much to my taste, this must be an incredibly rare treat here.’
It wasn’t even as good as Mongshim noodles or Choco Pie.
Having come from a culinary powerhouse, this was the first time I realized such a problem could arise.
‘Alright. Tomorrow, I’ll bring the princes some K-snacks.’
Louis always pestered me for sweet treats, and Evan, though pretending indifference, happily ate them whenever offered.
‘Guess I’ve truly become their guardian if I’m already thinking about those kids.’
For the first time, I felt I understood, just a little, what it meant to be a parent.
Lost in thoughts of the children, I was caught off guard by Kashar.
“Not very good, is it?”
So distracted by the food, I’d nearly forgotten we were alone together.
And not just alone—in a small, curtained-off space.
“A-ah, no! It’s delicious!”
I nodded vigorously.
At this point, even if he’d handed me stinky tofu, I’d have had to say it was tasty—but instead, I’d gone and thought such things!
Worried the mood was about to turn awkward, I quickly stabbed a piece of cake with my fork and held it toward his lips.
“Your Grace, please try some too!”
It wasn’t great, but it certainly wasn’t inedible.
Kashar looked at the cake on my fork, blinked slowly, then opened his mouth.
“Delicious, right?! They say expensive things are worth their price for a reason!”
Overacting wildly, I watched as his lips moved, savoring the cake.
After a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and then Kashar smiled.
He had a face that could bewitch anyone.
“Do people always make you want to feed them like this the moment you meet them?”
“Eh? Did I just do that? It must be because I’ve been serving the princes—they absolutely adore it when I feed them. And besides, sharing delicious food makes it taste even better…”
Nervousness had my mouth running off uncontrollably.
I had a personal weakness: I couldn’t look at someone too cute or too handsome for long.
Afraid he might notice my blushing, I averted my eyes as I set down my fork.
‘Why is he suddenly being so nice to me?’
Though my mouth felt sweet, my mind overflowed with questions.
Suddenly, I recalled Kashar’s earlier words—he’d said he wanted to make my nonsense come true.
‘This is still before the original plot kicks in… Maybe he’s the type who’s extra kind precisely to someone he strongly dislikes?’
A strong premonition told me I had to ask—right now.
The only problem? I was far too nervous.
“Your Grace… you don’t like me, do you?”
Instead of asking why he’d invited me on a date, the words that tumbled out were completely wrong.
I was shocked. Kashar was shocked.
Of all the blunders to make—this was the worst possible one.
I almost wanted to clap instead of paying for my passage to the afterlife.
‘So this is how I lose my head.’
As I braced for death, Kashar simply leaned forward, laughing quietly.
“…Hello? Are you there?”
I called out cautiously, but Kashar was too busy laughing to respond.
After a long moment, he straightened his posture, looking thoroughly relieved.
“You’re not fooled by a little kindness. That’s exactly why I like you.”
He’d just openly confessed that all his previous gentleness had been a performance.
I was speechless—but facing someone smiling like that, I couldn’t even think of spitting in his face.
‘If I were just an ordinary girl, maybe I’d feel differently.’
To others, he was cold—but to me, an obsessively warm duke.
And besides, who could possibly refuse such a handsome man?
But knowing the original plot as I did, there was no way I’d fall for it.
“What if my acting just wasn’t convincing enough? I tried putting in more effort, but I suppose it didn’t work.”
Kashar rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
At that moment, I realized two things.
First—that he was perfectly sane.
Second—that he had no intention of killing me.
The instant I understood my head wasn’t about to roll, my courage swelled.
I stood up abruptly.
“Let’s be honest with each other.”
I met Kashar’s gaze head-on.
I didn’t know what exactly he wanted from me, but he clearly wanted something.
‘I don’t need a guy destined to fall for the female lead anyway.’
Since I’d always wanted to meet this character once, I might as well consider that wish fulfilled and get straight to the point.
Because—
‘I need to get home quickly to feed the kids!’
After all, in the neglected palace, there are two little princes who depend solely on me.
I have to hurry back to feed them, put them to bed, and dress them properly so you won’t get stabbed in the stomach later like in the original plot, you understand?
I didn’t bother mentioning that advice would likely fall on deaf ears.
“Fine. No need to drag this out any longer.”
At last, Kashar cut straight to the matter.
“I need a lover. The Empress is forcing me into an arranged match—she’s utterly determined to pair me with a woman who suits her taste.”
If he meant the Empress, it had to be Empress Wayeno.
There was no way I didn’t know who she was.
After all, she was the one who cursed Kashar with the Curse of Madness and ultimately orchestrated his removal as Crown Prince.
‘The final villain of this novel.’
Wayeno, originally a concubine, eventually became Empress and successfully installed her own son as Crown Prince.
She’d tried to have the deposed Kashar killed by sending him to war—but he returned victorious, now as a duke.
‘So it makes sense he’d need a stand-in lover.’
Marrying a woman aligned with the Empress’s faction would be no different than placing a formal spy right beside him.
Now the whole situation finally made sense. But still—
“Why look for her here?”
“You claimed I was your lover, didn’t you? And that we’d known each other for a long time.”
“…You know I was just talking nonsense.”
“I do. But I want to make that nonsense a reality.”
His outstretched hand gently overlapped mine, finger by finger.
“Eep—!”
I had zero resistance to this kind of physical contact.
Especially not in front of a dangerously handsome man—I felt like a mouse before a predator.
“S-surely there are plenty of other ladies you could choose from?”
No matter how much I appreciated handsome men, this felt too risky.
‘If I’m not careful, I’ll end up catching the Empress’s attention.’
And if that happened, my twin princes would be in danger. Yet Kashar acted as if none of that mattered.
“I liked your cooking.”
His outstretched hand brushed the corner of my mouth.
“And it goes without saying—I find you amusing.”
With those words, Kashar brought the cream now on his thumb to his lips.
“Tastes awful. Your food is far better.”
He frowned slightly.
All I could do was stare blankly as the cream disappeared.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
_____
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