To My Beloved, I Present My Exquisite Nightmare (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
They couldn’t secure a room at the first two inns they visited.
Laila, who had never stayed anywhere outside her home before, couldn’t grasp what was odd about the situation, but Eustar tilted his head with a puzzled expression at the claim that not a single room was available.
“How strange. There’s no way every room would be taken at this time of year.”
He was about to lead the bewildered Laila into a third inn, but before he could even push the door open, the owner rushed out and waved his hands dismissively.
“Oh dear, guests! Looking for a room? There’s none, none at all. Every single one’s full!”
Eustar replied with a tone of disbelief.
“I just heard the exact same thing at two other inns. What on earth is going on? Is there some festival happening?”
The innkeeper stared at him as if surprised he’d come to town without knowing about it.
“The fishing festival, of course! Tomorrow the streets will be so packed you won’t find space to set your foot down. At this time of year, trout swarm down from the upper Odus River—half water, half fish! There’ll be plenty of other fish too, so anglers come from far and wide. Every room’s booked solid.”
Eustar frowned deeply, his expression turning serious. Indeed, if that were the case, it would be a real problem—not that he couldn’t manage on his own, but with Laila along, he couldn’t very well ask to sleep in some random stable.
“This is troublesome. Is there nowhere else we might stay? Even the tiniest room would do.”
“Well, you won’t find anything nearby, that’s for sure. Every household’s barns are packed too. It’s not every day this village sees money like this.”
The innkeeper had been speaking indifferently, as if it were none of his concern, but suddenly his face twisted into a mocking, almost grotesque smile.
“If you go around the back, there’s Madam Nollen’s inn. Try asking there. There’s sure to be one room free—if you can manage to sleep there, that is.”
Though Eustar disliked the sneering glint spreading across the man’s lips, he simply nodded calmly.
“Better than sleeping outdoors. Thank you.”
The moment the two turned their backs, the innkeeper called out.
“That’s hard to say, guests! Sleeping outside might be far better!”
[This is the timeline separator]Though slightly off the main road, even the narrow alley behind was lined tightly with inns. Eustar and Laila walked carefully, inspecting each closed door just in case, but every one bore a sign reading “No Rooms Available.”
Finding Madam Nollen’s inn wasn’t difficult—it was one of the few still displaying a sign, albeit worn and nearly stripped of decoration.
When the two pushed open the low wooden door, a middle-aged woman wiping a table in the cramped hall glanced up at them with evident disinterest.
“No rooms, guests.”
Eustar spoke.
“Are you Madam Nollen?”
“That’s right.”
“We were told at the roadside inn that you might have one room free.”
Madam Nollen let out a sharp snort, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“That must’ve been Glen Widechattering again. Well, yes—one room is empty. But you can’t sleep there.”
Laila countered.
“Why not?”
A sharp thud echoed through the room. Madam Nollen had hurled the rag she’d been using onto the floor.
Hands planted firmly on her broad hips, she glared at them, her eyes brimming with an odd mix of malice and anger—and, if one looked closely, a flicker of fear.
“If I say you can’t sleep, then you can’t! I’m sick to death of clearing corpses out of my house.”
She snatched up the rag again, but before she could resume wiping, Eustar asked once more.
“What do you mean by that, madam?”
Madam Nollen fell silent. Her hand gripping the rag trembled—and then began moving violently back and forth.
It wasn’t wiping anymore; it was as if she were planing the wood. Scrubbing again and again over a spot already polished spotless, she gritted her teeth and finally spoke.
“That room is haunted by something strange.”
“Strange how?”
As if she hadn’t even heard Eustar, she continued in her own words.
“You’ll think I’m mad, but it’s true. There’s something… truly wicked there. It’s definitely there. Otherwise, why wouldn’t I take guests? Do you have any idea how much I could charge for a single room during such a busy season? I swear by Kiron himself—I wouldn’t be acting like this if it were anything trivial.”
Kiron was one of the six gods worshipped by the Searrow people—the patron of thieves, merchants, traders, and shadows—so it made perfect sense that Madam Nollen, who ran an inn, would hold him in highest regard.
Eustar and Laila’s eyes met midair. Madam Nollen, assuming they’d already left, didn’t even look back as she bent beneath the table to scrub its supports.
Something strange and wicked…
Eustar spoke.
“Is it a ghost appearing in that room? Or a monster? Either way—if we offer to deal with it, will you let us take the room?”
Madam Nollen’s eyes widened like a rabbit spotting a wolf. She rose so hastily that she nearly cracked her head against the table’s edge.
Her hand clutching the rag shook violently. Switching it to her other hand, she frantically brushed back her tangled, unruly hair.
“H-how could you possibly handle it?”
Eustar reached into one of the many pockets of his intricately tailored jacket and pulled out a small badge.
A hand with six fingers, and a single eye at its center… Though the emblem was eerie and unsettling, its flawless golden gleam seized the innkeeper’s attention completely.
“Have you heard of the Knightly Order of Tentenella?”
Seeing Madam Nollen’s eyes bulge nearly out of her sockets, Eustar smiled, sensing things were going well. Of course—who hadn’t heard of the Order of Tentenella? Except perhaps in Laila’s remote village of Rigicus.
“A-are you truly… truly a knight of Tentenella? Can you really get rid of that wicked thing?”
Eustar glanced briefly at Laila.
“The young lady beside me is also a member of the Order. So, what do you say? Give us that room, and we’ll resolve your problem. You’ll be able to earn even more next year’s festival—and we’ll avoid sleeping outside tonight.”
It was an offer requiring no deliberation. Though still uneasy, Madam Nollen immediately produced a key and started up the stairs, with Eustar and Laila following closely behind.
The inn’s staircase was so old that each creaking step groaned like a mournful cry.
The carpet was flattened nearly into the floor itself, and even the crude paintings hung on the walls had faded so badly they amplified the unsettling atmosphere.
Breathing heavily as she climbed ahead on the narrow stairs, Madam Nollen said,
“You might not want to hear this, but since you’re knights of Tentenella, it’s probably fine. Three people have already died in that room. The last one was especially horrific. I nearly closed the inn entirely because of it, but I’ve lived here since I was born. With no other way to make a living, I had no choice but to keep the doors open… though I never go near that room. It’s locked tight. You understand what I’m saying?”
Eustar replied calmly.
“Locking the door won’t solve the problem. It’s fine—please just show us the way. If it proves impossible, we can always request help from our chapter.”
In that instant, Laila realized he was lying. She couldn’t explain how she knew, yet it felt utterly certain…
Again, she was overcome by that strange feeling—so strong now that she felt she understood Eustar completely, unable as she was to refuse his words or reject his proposal.
‘Maybe I’m going mad. Mother once said many witches eventually lost their minds. Could that be happening to me?’
Laila thought.
Ironically, the troublesome room was right at the very top.
Just as Madam Nollen had described, a large padlock hung from the doorknob—so massive no bare-handed person could possibly break it open. You’d need at least a hatchet to even scratch it.
The innkeeper paused, key halfway into the lock, and turned to look at them once more.
“You’re really going to use this room?”
Eustar nodded immediately.
“Yes, please unlock it.”
For a moment, Madam Nollen’s broad shoulders hunched inward. She inserted the key and turned it; with a heavy metallic click, the lock released. She shoved the door open forcefully, then turned away as if unwilling even to glance inside.
Eustar peered into the room first. Dust swirled in the sudden draft like startled dancers, but his eyes saw nothing else.
“Laila, what do you think?”
At his words, Laila carefully peeked inside, her hood lowered—but she saw nothing either…
Nothing but dust. Unless, of course, the plump black spider dangling from the ceiling was the “strange and wicked thing” Madam Nollen had mentioned.
Laila shook her head silently. She’d expected him to urge her to look more closely, but surprisingly, Eustar simply shrugged as if he’d anticipated this.
“Alright then. We’ll stay here tonight. But first, we’ll need to get something to eat… Madam, sorry to trouble you, but could you please dust the room? And I’d also appreciate it if you’d evict that unauthorized tenant dangling from the ceiling up there.”
He pulled a gray banknote from his pocket and pressed it into Madam Nollen’s hand. At the sight of a one-ver note, the innkeeper was so shocked she couldn’t even speak.
That amount could easily rent two of the cleanest, finest rooms in any inn in town. Even in the countryside, lodging prices soared during peak seasons like this…
Madam Nollen cast a wary glance into the room. After a brief hesitation, she stuffed the note into her stained pocket and said,
“Fine. I’ll clean it thoroughly and bring fresh bedding.”
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.]
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