It was the same now, and it had been the same in the past.
“If you’re talking about when we played chess earlier, I wasn’t angry at you. I was angry at myself.”
“…….”
“I was thinking whether my skill has declined to the point where I could be looked down upon by a young girl.”
The Duke gave an awkward smile and put down his fork.
“Hmm, anyway, don’t apologize. If anything, I should be the one to apologize. I was a little uncomfortable with you, Lise, just because you’re a Marsen’s child. So I just got scolded by my wife.”
At the Duke’s honest words, Lady Fenton gave a small cough. It seemed that while Yurik and I went to the room, there had been a conversation between the two. Thankfully, the Duke seemed to have calmed down.
I relaxed my lips again.
“……I don’t know if I have talent or not. I’m worried that I might just waste the participation fee.”
“You have talent, Lise. Today’s anger towards you is proof, isn’t it?”
Should I take that as a compliment? As I tilted my head, the Duke thought for a moment, then picked up a loaf of bread from the dining table.
“You haven’t played against many opponents yet, so you seem unable to gauge how good you are. Well, let’s say this loaf of bread represents the current chess champion, Munt’s skill. As you know, Munt is the strongest person who has held the championship for 20 years.”
Duke Fenton cut off a fingernailsized piece from the loaf of bread.
“And this is Kito’s skill.”
“……The difference is almost negligible, right?”
“Right, it’s just a whisker difference now. That’s why many people say Kito will be the champion this time.”
The Duke then cut off a fistsized piece from the bread loaf.
“Now, this is my skill.”
“It doesn’t seem to make much difference either.”
“Where did I first meet Kito? It was at the World Chess Championship. There was just one empty spot left for the finals. Kito and I played a game against each other to get to that spot. It was both of our first times competing, and we were trying to defeat Munte, who had recently become a champion. In the end, I lost.”
The duke reminisced about the past with a smile. They had played a game for a spot in the finals of the World Chess Championship….
In other words, the Duke of Fenton in front of me was a player of immense skill. And I had tried to beat him without even knowing that.
The Duke of Fenton, surprised by my challenge, cut off another fistfulsized piece of bread, twice.
“It seems like you now.”
Already, half of the bread had been reduced. Looking at the bread that had become smaller than before, I couldn’t hide my disappointment. At the same time, I wanted to smack my own head for underestimating the Duke of Fenton earlier.
What kind of confidence did I have to look down on the duke’s abilities?
“But Lise. Just remember one thing. Right now, you haven’t really studied chess in earnest, have you? But already at this level, you surely have talent.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. To be honest, I doubted it when I first heard about you from Kito. You are young, and also a child of the Marsen family…”
“Father.”
Yurik, who had been listening, spoke up. The Lady Fenton, who had been beside him, quickly tapped the duke’s side.
“Ahem, but you understand that doesn’t mean you should be complacent, right? You’re young, but it’s a bit late to start chess. Usually, chess champions start younger than you. The youngest chess champion in history is only about five years older than you. Of course, back then chess wasn’t as popular, so the competition was a bit weaker.”
“Why do you still want to send me to the tournament?”
“Even if you started chess late, I don’t think you’ll be slow to develop skill. Let’s say other people take years to acquire a certain sense. Lise, I think you could acquire it in a month. If this pace keeps accelerating, surely you can win. Most of all, Kito and I have acknowledged you.”
“…Yes.”
“But Lise. If you want to win, there’s something you have to be careful of.”
I leaned in to listen.
“It’s about the use of the pawn.”
“The pawn?”
“You often isolate your pawns.”
“That’s right. It’s like my bad habit.”
It was something I had felt often when I lost to the Duke of Fenton. Every time, I focused on the pawns more than other pieces, but always a pawn would fall behind and put me in a difficult position.
“But that’s not entirely a bad thing, Lise. Of course, an isolated pawn can be a weakness. Like today. It can also be your stumbling block. The opponent will relentlessly target your isolated pawn.”
“……”
“But, sometimes, it can be a strength. This is quite difficult.”
“How?”
“It depends on how you’ve isolated that pawn, Lise. Try turning your bad habit into a good one. Use the isolated pawn as a strength, not a weakness. Even if the opponent ignores it, use that pawn to suppress the king’s momentum.”
“…I don’t know if I can do that.”
“In my estimation, you’ll do quite well. And if that really happens….”
The duke bundled the pieces of bread he had torn so far. Not enough, he took another bread and placed it on top.
“You can become the biggest bread.”
It’s you, Lise.
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.]
