The Regressed Empress Tames the Hunting Dog (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
Having finished his conversation with Bellia and left the royal palace, Prince Kalid was quietly approached by his guard, Acid, who had been waiting for him in advance.
“How was it?”
Judging by Kalid’s bright expression, the conversation must have been quite enjoyable.
Acid was extremely curious about what they could have possibly discussed, but His Highness the Prince showed no intention of sharing.
“Hmm. Hard to say.”
“You’re smiling, so I suppose you were quite pleased with her.”
“Well… She was rather bold.”
Even upon reflection, Bellia was far too fearless.
Did she even know who he was…?
‘Well…’
She was to become his lover.
Thinking he should warn her against taking such dangerous actions in the future, Kalid closed his eyes.
“Did you learn the location of the gold mine?”
“No.”
“But wasn’t that precisely why you came here?”
Acid asked, puzzled.
He couldn’t even count how many people had been deployed to find the sender of that letter.
Fearing the First Prince’s side might find out, they had assigned every available operative to retrace the letter’s route backward.
Through the obviously planted sealing wax’s origin, the places the letter had stopped en route, and the combination of letters left on the paper, they finally confirmed the sender was Princess Bellia.
Remembering how Kalid had coldly pressured him until they were certain of the sender, Acid felt oddly downcast.
After all, it was information obtained through such harsh treatment.
“Could it be… the princess lied…?”
“Acid. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
Seeing Acid’s suspicion toward Bellia, Kalid raised his hand to stop him.
“More importantly, prepare yourself—I plan to formally visit the royal palace soon.”
So it had come to this.
Acid nodded, realizing he’d need to drastically revise the scheduled itinerary.
“And I should probably start a rumor.”
If word spread in advance that he and the princess were lovers, Raoul would surely panic and try desperately to persuade her before Kalid’s visit.
Just imagining that self-satisfied man groveling to win someone over actually lifted Kalid’s mood.
Besides, it was bound to fail anyway.
‘This should be entertaining.’
Judging by how things were unfolding…
From now on, it would be impossible for Raoul to tail the princess or assign spies to watch her.
‘He really should’ve done it properly without leaving a trace. What an idiot.’
Living only for his own pride, everything Raoul did was sloppy.
Though he did use his wits somewhat, his underlying mindset was brimming with arrogance, resulting mostly in schemes that never accounted for his own potential failure.
Of course, Raoul’s current position—backed by the Emperor’s full support and protection—was absolute enough to outweigh all those flaws.
“What kind of rumor?”
“That Princess Bellia and I are actually deeply involved. Thus, she couldn’t accept the First Prince’s proposal and is now in great distress.”
Ah, and one more thing.
“It would also be good to add that she’s been waiting faithfully for her true love.”
“…Yes?”
Since they’d already joined hands, he ought to help her properly.
“There’s much to do for my beloved.”
“What… what did you say?”
Just now—love? Beloved?!
Acid blinked, unsure if he’d heard correctly.
“And I think I’ll be getting married. Keep that in mind.”
“…What?!”
Acid cried out, utterly unable to grasp the context.
Marriage?!
“Wait, Your Highness!”
Kalid, completely ignoring Acid’s near-scream, simply smiled and walked away.
[This is the timeline separator]The rumor spread instantly.
Whispers circulated that Ingott Empire’s Second Prince Kalid and Ronica Kingdom’s First Princess Bellia were secretly involved in a clandestine relationship.
Given their exalted statuses, it was far more than mere gossip—everyone everywhere was murmuring about it.
“Sister!”
Eventually, the rumor reached Ronica’s royal palace. Having heard it during a tea party with friends, Clozé rushed breathlessly to Bellia’s room and shouted.
“Did I just hear a ridiculous rumor?”
Bellia, who had been reading a book elegantly, looked up at the sudden sound of the door bursting open.
Confirming it was Clozé, she neatly placed a bookmark to mark her page and closed the book.
“Clozé. Didn’t I tell you not to run like that?”
“Sister! Is this really the time for that?!”
Clozé, panting heavily, refused to stop talking.
“You and the Second Prince…! Gah! Him!”
“…Has a rumor started that we’re in love?”
Bellia spoke up, saving her flustered sister from stumbling over her words.
“Yes! That’s it!”
“What’s ‘that’?”
Clozé thumped her chest in frustration at her sister’s calm inquiry.
“What do you mean ‘what’?! It’s all over noble society! It’s probably spread to the Empire by now!”
“I don’t care.”
Bellia’s attitude was oddly composed.
“Could it be…”
She suddenly recalled how her sister had been busy searching for a way to reject the First Prince’s proposal.
And she remembered her own offhand remark that the Second Prince would be far preferable to the First.
Surely… it couldn’t be…
Clozé grabbed her own hair and cried out.
“You didn’t deliberately start this rumor yourself, did you?!”
Bellia shook her head.
“It wasn’t me.”
Right.
No matter what—
There was no way she’d have started such a rumor herself…
“He must have spread it.”
“Oh…?”
Wait!
What did you just say?!
“You’re saying the Second Prince started this rumor?”
“Yes.”
“Sister!”
At Clozé’s sudden shout, Bellia frowned and covered her ears.
“My ears hurt. Why are you yelling?”
“No, wait. Just—hold on a moment!”
Seeing her younger sister flustered and at a loss, Bellia spoke calmly.
“There’s no need to panic. It’s a story already agreed upon with the Second Prince.”
“You’re not seriously saying you’re actually involved with him, are you?”
“That’s correct.”
Bellia, correcting the fact as if it were nothing, rose from her seat and walked toward the terrace.
It was still daytime.
The sparkling sunlight somehow made her feel refreshed.
‘He’s fulfilling our contract.’
It would be perfectly clean and ideal if Raoul now withdrew his proposal, claiming he couldn’t marry someone embroiled in scandal.
‘But that won’t happen.’
After all, he was still visiting her daily, to the point of annoyance.
In that case, though she felt sorry for Prince Kalid, it would be better to quickly reveal their relationship as lovers.
‘How should I announce it…?’
Truthfully, it troubled her to think so calculatingly about a relationship—it felt no different from what Raoul had done to her.
But this relationship had never been about love from the start.
It was merely an alliance formed because their interests aligned.
Thus, it was different from before.
If Kalid, like Raoul in her past life, ever came to tell Bellia he’d fallen for someone else…
‘Then I’ll step aside cleanly.’
Since imperial law forbade divorce among royalty, she could always retreat to a countryside villa and live as though dead, out of their sight.
If only she could utterly destroy Raoul…
If she could make him suffer the same hellish torment she’d endured, she could easily endure that much.
“Sister! Until recently, you didn’t even know the Second Prince! Even if you hate marrying the First Prince, suddenly claiming to be lovers…! This will be impossible to manage!”
Clozé, having chased Bellia all the way to the terrace, poured out her disbelief in a flood of words.
What on earth could have happened in such a short time?! And how did she even meet the Second Prince?
“Don’t worry.”
Contrary to Clozé’s shocked expression, Bellia’s face remained serene.
She gave her sister a faint smile.
This time, no one would die.
She wouldn’t allow that dreadful ending to happen again.
May her precious family all live happy lives.
“I’ve thought everything through.”
In this new life granted to her, she had no intention of repeating that tragedy.
‘This is my atonement to everyone.’
She would undo the unhappiness caused by her own choices.
So there was no problem.
Even if it meant sacrificing Bellia’s own life.
[This is the timeline separator]The rumors about Bellia and Kalid continued to grow beyond control.
Yet Raoul still visited Bellia relentlessly. He kept trying to win her back by listing all he could offer her instead of Kalid, all while subtly slipping in slander about Kalid.
“Sigh…”
Since he never said it outright, to outsiders unaware of the truth, he probably just looked like an elder brother worried for his younger sibling—but Bellia knew better.
This was Raoul’s typical method: subtly cutting others down.
“So please reconsider my proposal.”
“Your Highness. I’ve told you many times already…”
Bellia began to refuse wearily, but Raoul cut her off with a smile.
“Princess Bellia, I am a very patient man. I can endure waiting as long as it takes to win you. So why not think more deeply about it?”
“I…”
“You said you’ve taken Kalid into your heart, didn’t you?”
Raoul kept interrupting Bellia, as if determined to prevent her from saying anything he didn’t want to hear.
“That’s only because you don’t truly know him.”
A few days ago, Bellia had told Raoul she already held someone in her heart—that his actions toward her were therefore meaningless.
Her tone had been too firm to be mere words; it was practically a formal rejection of his proposal. Yet Raoul hadn’t stopped.
“I know him well.”
“No. That’s a misconception on your part. You’ve only met once, haven’t you?”
Bellia let out an exasperated chuckle at his absolute certainty, as if he alone knew the full truth.
“Your Highness Raoul. He’s currently staying in the kingdom’s capital. Do you really think I’ve met him only once under those circumstances?”
Raoul’s expression hardened at Bellia’s words.
But he quickly forced a bright smile and tried again to persuade her.
“You’ve only known Kalid for barely a month. How can you be so certain about the depth of your feelings?”
It was ironic—Raoul himself had known Bellia for less than two months, yet spoke as if he were the exception.
“Your Highness, that sounds rather strange. After all, you haven’t known me for very long either.”
Even after being pushed away so firmly, his expression showed no sign of being affected. Raoul merely tugged at the corners of his mouth and spoke gently as ever.
“I truly love you, and that love grows stronger each day. I’m the one who will make you happy.”
Lies…!
The Bellia of the past had failed completely to notice he was lying.
The thought filled her with anger and resentment.
How ridiculous she must have looked to him!
Bellia carefully contained the deep fury threatening to burst out. Now wasn’t the time.
Though Raoul continued persuading her earnestly, Bellia remained resolute.
Rising from her seat, she firmly conveyed her decision to the utterly oblivious Raoul, declaring she would end their tea time right there.
“No matter what you say, I doubt my mind will change.”
No matter how sweetly he flattered her—
She would never choose him.
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.]
Why the chapter stop here i want mooooore😭
Poor clozé her sister will go on another country to mary she will be allone
I wante to see the face of the first crown when he knows