This Life, I Will Save The Duke (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 8
“The Firefly Festival of Retiana is truly worth seeing—even people from other countries come in large numbers just to watch it.”
Ariel added a bit more explanation while staring intently at him, who rarely replied.
“I apologize. It seems I won’t be able to make time for it.”
Kaius pondered for a moment but decided against it. Right now, unable to make a clear decision about their marriage, such things were nothing but a waste of time for him.
“Ariel? It seems the Duke of the Empire isn’t interested. Come with me instead.”
“Ludvian, I’m sorry, but…”
Before Ariel could finish her refusal, Ludvian stepped abruptly forward, completely blocking her from Kaius’s view.
“Ariel, I strongly advise you to think this over carefully once more before answering.”
Ariel, about to refuse again, broke into goosebumps at the sight of his smiling red eyes. It was a threat—refuse, and something unpleasant would surely happen again. A faint sigh escaped from Ariel’s lips as she glared at Ludvian.
“Fine. Let’s go… but not today.”
Frowning at Ludvian’s visibly satisfied expression, Ariel took out her pocket watch to check the time. It was already time to leave in order to attend the delegation’s audience ceremony.
“Please step aside.”
As she passed the obediently yielding Ludvian and approached Kaius, Ariel’s body stiffened. His expression, devoid of any emotion, was so unnervingly still it stole her breath. She bit her lip to ease her tension.
“I’m afraid I don’t have time to talk right now.”
Having asked for his understanding, Ariel began walking down the corridor toward her chambers.
Returning through reincarnation hadn’t changed her feelings toward Kaius. He remained a thorn deeply embedded in Ariel’s heart, and saving him was both her duty and obligation.
Yet…
His cold indifference stung her just a little.
As Kaius turned away after silently watching Ariel’s retreating back, Marquis Beloas stood before him, wearing a relaxed smile. Finding the man’s behavior utterly ridiculous, Kaius let out a quiet chuckle and leisurely exited the North Palace.
***
“Ariel, think it over once more. He’s the man who’s to become your husband—you should show him your true self.”
“Father, Mother, please trust me. I’ll go out like this.”
After a long argument, Ariel finally managed to persuade her parents and took her assigned seat in the audience chamber of the main palace. In her past life, he had particularly disliked her silver hair and golden eyes. She had wracked her brain since reincarnating, yet couldn’t fathom the reason.
[Wife, I told you the time I’d be coming out, didn’t I? I specifically warned you to avoid that time.] [I had a brief errand to run.] [Can’t you do something about that hair? At least throw on a cloak. You know I hate it.]Thus, in preparation for today, she had worn an artifact for the past year that gradually altered her appearance—changing all at once would raise suspicion, so she adjusted it bit by bit, month by month.
Her once brilliantly silver hair had slowly darkened to deep gray, and her eyes had turned gradually brown.
Only her parents, her maid Anna, and Court Magician Edward—who crafted the artifact monthly—knew that Ariel had changed her appearance using magic.
Beside Ariel, who kept her eyes half-lowered, sat the King and Queen of Retiana on ornate, high-backed thrones. Along the sides of the audience chamber, guest chairs were arranged at intervals, each accompanied by a small table for refreshments.
At the head of the delegation stood Kaius. Dressed formally in his imperial uniform, his appearance was so magnificent it drew involuntary gasps. Though surrounded by a spectrum of colorful hair, his deep darkness stood alone—and yet seemed to radiate light.
“I pay my respects to His Majesty, the King of Retiana, and Her Majesty, the Queen.”
Kaius bowed respectfully in turn, then approached Ariel. His raven-black hair and deep black eyes, resembling the night itself, fixed upon her.
She placed her lace-gloved hand upon his outstretched one. Throughout the moment he kissed her knuckles, his gaze relentlessly held hers.
“It is an honor to meet you, Princess Ariel.”
His low, resonant voice brought her back to reality. The sight of his dry, faintly upturned lips sent a slight shiver through her body. She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but he gently tightened his grip.
Staring straight at him, she watched as Kaius released her hand with a soundless smile.
“I welcome you, Duke Elbaltan—the rising star of the Empire.”
She gave him a slight curtsy, offering a polite but dignified greeting. She hoped he would accept her proposal, but there was no need to grovel.
“Please take your seat.”
A servant intervened at just the right moment. Only then did Ariel breathe freely and glance around. To the King’s left were always seats reserved for Retianan nobles. In a passing glance, she spotted Ludvian. It almost made her laugh—she’d never seen him at such a formal gathering before. How absurd it was to see Ludvian so clearly preoccupied with Kaius.
Ludvian lifted his hand slightly in acknowledgment. Ariel suppressed the urge to sharply turn her head away and managed, with difficulty, a formal smile.
“You must have had an uncomfortable journey. I hope your accommodations last night were satisfactory.”
Her father and Count Hammond—the delegation’s representative—began exchanging ceremonial pleasantries. The purpose of this visit was none other than their betrothal. In the past, however, he had requested its annulment. Only because the Emperor’s will couldn’t be defied had they skipped engagement altogether and proceeded straight to marriage six months later.
As Kaius began sipping the tea served by the attendant, the letter’s contents resurfaced in his mind. Princess Ariel, who had proposed marriage and offered to heal him. Now that he was in Retiana, he had to make a decision: engagement, annulment, or immediate marriage as she had suggested.
[I propose the following:Since this marriage is unwanted by both parties, let us skip engagement and proceed directly to marriage.
However, let it be a one-year contractual marriage, after which we will divorce cleanly.
If you accept this proposal, we can meet separately to discuss further details.
By the way—do you get injured that often?]
He set down his teacup and turned his gaze toward Ariel—but her eyes were fixed elsewhere. Following her line of sight, he saw the red-haired man, Ludvian Beloas. That man, again. A faint scoff escaped Kaius’s lips.
If she favored another man yet couldn’t refuse the marriage proposal from a great power, then her offer suddenly made sense. She probably never expected him to request annulment himself.
It was, from her perspective, the best possible choice.
As he gazed blankly at Ariel, he noticed her stiffen the moment their eyes met—she had been looking at Ludvian just before. But only briefly; soon, she stared back at him with bold directness.
Kaius scoffed again, lifted his teacup once more, and savored its fragrance. Now that he thought about it, this was a tea known to aid insomnia. Without realizing it, his eyes drifted back to Ariel—with the thought that she must have prepared it.
His suspicion hardened into certainty.
She pointed discreetly at his teacup with her finger, then took a small sip herself—an unmistakable signal for him to drink. Keeping his eyes locked on Ariel, Kaius slowly took a sip.
Though last night’s encounter had been accidental, the herbal tea for insomnia was clearly prepared through deliberate investigation. A sigh escaped him as he watched her smiling at him.
Perhaps…
He might actually be able to spend the next year well with her.
***
“Anna, this isn’t right. It’s a mistake.”
The formal greetings in the audience chamber had just concluded, and she was returning to her bedroom to change into her banquet gown.
The dress Anna had picked exposed her shoulders as a matter of course; its neckline was wide and deep, revealing a daring glimpse of bare skin. Retianan gowns were generally light due to the hot weather, with arms and legs routinely exposed—but this one went further.
In short, by Ariel’s standards, it felt practically indecent.
“Haaah…”
A deep sigh rose from within her.
“No matter what you say, we can’t change now. There’s no time. Every young lady attending the banquet will be dressed even more provocatively—this is actually quite modest.”
“We’ll be late anyway. Let’s change, okay?”
“If I do that, Her Majesty will scold me. Just this once, please? Huh?”
She wasn’t about to physically cling to Kaius, and as she crossed her arms stubbornly, dissatisfied, a knock sounded at the door.
“Ariel, let’s go already.”
Ludvian? I never asked him to escort me.
“Her Majesty must have sent him. We’re late. Hurry out.”
Anna pushed her out the door.
“I arranged to go with Edward, so you go ahead.”
As proper etiquette required a lady to be escorted by a gentleman, she’d already asked Edward.
“I sent Edward away.”
Staring at Ludvian with a look of disbelief, she noticed his gaze slowly traveling downward from her face.
“Don’t stare.”
“You’re dressed so beautifully and tell me not to stare? That’s an impossible request.”
Ludvian smiled and offered his arm. Knowing full well that any resistance would end exactly as he wished, Ariel sighed softly and linked her arm with his.
“Let’s go, then.”
“Just a moment. Like this, it’s a bit… inappropriate.”
Ludvian removed his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. How gentlemanly he pretended to be—what a hypocrite. Convinced the day would soon come when she could repay that smug smile with humiliation, she thanked him with even greater hypocrisy.
As they began walking side by side, Ariel’s eyes grew coldly still.
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.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (7)
Oh, I love Kaius. For a moment, thinking Ludvian was going to get his way, I thought Ariel was going to accept dancing with him, but she told him to get lost with style! Kaius is such a sunshine, I love this man. He’s already a goner for her, you can totally tell he is head over heels in love hahahaha
Finally they’re alone! I’d love for Ariel to be more honest with Kaius, but well, that would make the plot too easy. Even so, I do hope that at some point she tells him she’s being coerced by Ludvian.
Yes! Ariel actually told Kaius, I thought she would keep that to herself and keep suffering on her own, but Kaius is still being so stubborn about not giving in. Ugh, this man is seriously getting on my nerves!
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Rahzel Everlasting
Finally! So, she changed her appearance because in her past life, Kaius found her looks annoying, but now, he saw her and thought she was beautiful. I feel like he didn’t actually dislike her back then, he was just jealous of other men looking at her.
It also breaks my heart that he rejected her. I wanted them to go to the festival together! And now only that jerk Ludvian is left TwT