“The maid named Elly committed suicide yesterday at dawn by swallowing poison.”
At the knight’s words, the imperial palace maids collectively held their breath.
“What? She died?”
“Yes.”
Though the palace maids asked various questions, the knight seemed to have no intention of saying more and firmly sealed his lips shut.
With no other choice, the palace maids returned to their quarters.
These palace maids had originally been close attendants to Empress Erpia.
However, after Erpia’s death, having nowhere else to go, they had been allowed by Ileon to stay within the palace.
Since Erpia belonged to Ileon’s family, the palace maids assumed that after Ileon ascended the throne, they too would be selected as his personal attendants.
Yet, Ileon never appointed them as his imperial maids.
“The Emperor lies on his sickbed, and now the blind imperial maid who was supposed to serve him has voluntarily taken her life. Doesn’t that seem rather suspicious?”
No matter how they thought about it, something about the situation felt deeply unsettling.
“Could it be that Duke Calypso is plotting rebellion? Perhaps still resentful over losing his dukedom, he’s spreading rumors that the Emperor is ill…”
One of the palace maids quietly raised a finger to her lips, signaling silence.
“Shh. Be quiet. What if someone overhears?”
“But there’s no one else here.”
“Isn’t this all because of that witch they call the Brillion Angel? Ever since that woman arrived, misfortunes have followed one after another for the Emperor, the Empress passed away, and the Crown Prince’s face became horribly disfigured…”
Celia Brillion had become completely branded as a witch among the palace maids.
The maids concluded that affairs beyond the palace walls were no different.
“Should we go see Duke Calypso?”
One of the maids suggested.
“Duke Calypso would never agree to meet with us…”
“We should at least try. If we speak well enough, he might accept us as his maids. If we offer the information we possess, perhaps something could be arranged.”
Ileon had remained completely silent until now.
Becoming a palace maid was no easy feat, and they couldn’t return to their estates empty-handed.
“Besides, it would be even better if we could separate that witch from Duke Calypso.”
The palace maids’ eyes gleamed with sinister intent.
Previously, they had never dared to dream of such a thing because Empress Erpia had desired Dietrich herself. But now, seeing that a man who had never shown interest in any woman had fallen deeply for Celia Brillion, they believed they too might stand a chance.
The palace maids resolved to switch their allegiance to Dietrich.
[This is the timeline separator]After intensely entwining their bodies, Celia Brillion fell unconscious into deep sleep.
Dietrich gently kissed the sleeping Celia’s forehead.
Celia’s body was covered with vivid, colorful marks left by Dietrich.
Dietrich cradled Celia’s arm and carefully brushed away the strands of hair clinging to her cheek.
Celia looked so utterly adorable that he felt as if he might go mad with love.
He didn’t know when exactly this had begun.
The Celia who, covered in blood inside the Emperor’s chamber, had burst into a serene smile.
The Celia who, knowing she was terminally ill, had entered the chamber and finished her task, smiling radiantly.
The Celia who had collapsed into his arms, vomiting blood uncontrollably.
Dietrich, who suffered from severe obsessive-compulsive disorder and detested anyone touching his body, had felt no resistance whatsoever from the moment he first saw Celia.
And that disturbed him.
That he felt no aversion toward the woman who had completely ruined his plans to further manipulate the Emperor.
Was it fate that things would end like this?
Dietrich pulled Celia closer into his embrace.
The destruction of Abelon.
He had lived solely for that one goal.
He never imagined there would be someone else who shared the same dream.
And he certainly never expected to fall in love with that person.
Dietrich wished to destroy this Abelon and endlessly call out Celia’s true name.
If Celia desired it, he would willingly give his own life.
Dietrich narrowed his eyes.
Even if Ileon escaped from prison, nothing would change.
Dietrich had anticipated that Ileon would find a way to escape, one way or another, if left alive.
The lecherous desire Ileon had directed toward Celia—Dietrich had seen it clearly on his face.
A flash of murderous intent flickered in Dietrich’s eyes.
Then—
Knock, knock.
A knocking sound came at the door.
“My lord.”
It was Sir Anderson’s voice.
Dietrich pulled the blanket over Celia to hide her, then rose to his feet.
He put on the tunic and black armor discarded on the floor, fastened his sword, and only then spoke.
“What is it?”
“The imperial palace maids have arrived. They say they have something important to tell you.”
The palace maids had come to see Dietrich several times before.
But when he actually listened, all they ever wanted was to be accepted as his personal attendants.
“Send them away.”
Dietrich intended to dismiss them without even hearing what they had to say.
“Are you sure? They are the former attendants of the late Empress.”
Dietrich narrowed his eyebrows.
There was no reason why Erpia’s maids should come to see him now.
Just as Dietrich was about to repeat his order to send them away, he changed his mind and opened the door.
Standing before the door was Sir Anderson.
Dietrich quickly closed the door behind him, making sure Anderson couldn’t see Celia in the bed, and stepped into the corridor.
“It’s strange they’ve come at this moment. They seem to know something.”
“…Do they have anything useful?”
“They refused to speak until they met you, so I told them to wait in the reception hall.”
Dietrich frowned in displeasure.
“I’ll go to the reception hall. You stay here and guard Celia.”
“Understood.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Do you really think Duke Calypso will come?”
“Well, he’s already come this far to the reception hall. He must come.”
The palace maids sat in the spacious reception room, excitedly chatting with one another.
“But didn didn’t Duke Calypso say he wouldn’t keep any maids in his residence for the past few months?”
“Then we’ll just be the first, won’t we?”
At that very moment, the door to the reception room suddenly swung open without a knock.
The eyes of the three palace maids turned toward the man who had flung the door open.
Their mouths fell open in unison.
Black hair and a broad, smooth forehead.
Neat eyebrows framing piercing red eyes.
A sharp nose, a defined jawline, and clean, decisive lips—his striking features resembled a sculpture meticulously crafted by a god.
Even beneath the black armor, his broad shoulders and muscular frame were unmistakable. The maids simultaneously swallowed hard.
It was Dietrich.
Dietrich did not offer the palace maids any tea.
Instead, he casually perched himself on the sofa opposite them and immediately got to the point.
“Why have former attendants of the Empress come to see me?”
His deep voice suited his impressive appearance perfectly.
The palace maids’ faces flushed red.
“I just… well…”
One maid stammered, and Dietrich frowned.
Another quickly answered.
“We have urgent matters we wish to discuss with Duke Calypso.”
Though Dietrich was no longer technically a duke, so many people still addressed him as such that he had grown tired of correcting them.
“We took the liberty of coming because we’re concerned whether it’s truly true that the Emperor lies ill on his sickbed. The guards at the Emperor’s palace won’t even let us enter…”
Dietrich instantly recognized their hidden intent.
They were suspicious of him.
They suspected he might have harmed the Emperor and was plotting treason.
“We’re not here to accuse Duke Calypso. We came because we thought we might be able to help.”
The palace maid ended her sentence with a sugary smile.
Dietrich’s expression, however, remained utterly dry.
One of the maids, anxious about being dismissed, quickly spoke up.
“Since we once served the Empress, we’ve overheard many things. For instance, the Empress once offered a tea cup laced with poison in an attempt to harm Duke Calypso’s lover.”
Dietrich’s eyes darkened at this new information.
Celia had not told him after meeting the Empress privately that she had nearly drunk from a poisoned cup.
“What else?”
“What?”
“What else did she do to harm Celia?”
Seeing that Dietrich cared about Celia far more than expected, the palace maids inwardly seethed with frustration.
That woman was undoubtedly a witch—only a witch could have seduced someone as unyielding as Dietrich.
Each of the maids secretly harbored the desire to drive a wedge between Dietrich and Celia so they could take her place as his lover.
Hiding their base intentions, they smiled sweetly.
“Please take us on as maids to Duke Calypso. Then, we will tell you everything.”
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.]
