To Those For Whom Even Regret Is A Luxury (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8
“If you do that for me, I would like to become the exclusive composer of Paradise, Your Grace.”
Dante silently looked at me for a moment without saying anything.
I secretly regulated my breathing.
He was a man who knew how to make people nervous with just his gaze.
Just the way his piercing eyes slowly scanned my face made me feel as if all my stories and secrets were being stripped bare.
After a pause, he slowly twisted the corners of his mouth.
“That’s amusing, Lady.”
A cool light flashed in Dante’s eyes.
“But the position of my wife is worth far more than five hundred million.”
“…….”
“If you thought you could buy it with just a few songs, you were sorely mistaken.”
“Of course. You are absolutely right.”
When I readily agreed, the man raised an eyebrow.
“The music I offer is merely incidental income that Your Grace will gain from joining hands with me.”
I spoke while hiding my tension behind a clear expression.
“I dare to promise you. I am the most suitable choice to resolve Your Grace’s troubles.”
“My troubles?”
Dante slightly narrowed his brows. His head tilted obliquely toward me.
“I guarantee it, Lady.”
“…….”
“No one who pretends to know me inside out has ever ended well.”
It was a clear warning.
A warning that if I crossed the line, that was as far as I would go.
The air tightening around my skin made it hard to breathe, but if I were going to be scared by this much, I wouldn’t have come here at all.
Taking a shallow breath, I immediately got to the point.
“You are looking for an excuse to reject Princess’s courtship.”
A distinct light flashed in Dante’s eyes.
It was public gossip that Princess was pouring blind affection onto Dante.
With that courtship alone, the empire’s political situation was placed on a steep cliff.
The war hero duke whose influence had already grown enormous from consecutive victories.
If that Dante were to marry Princess, he would threaten Crown Prince’s claim to the throne.
I didn’t know Dante’s innermost thoughts in detail, but I was certain he did not desire the imperial throne.
‘If this man had wanted it, a bloody storm would have swept through the future empire.’
A very cruel and merciless bloody storm.
“Use me as your wife for appearances.”
“…….”
“I can become a simple and perfect excuse for you to reject Princess.”
Dante said nothing.
He merely stared at me with unreadable eyes.
…Had I been too bold? While I was worrying, Dante suddenly reached out his hand toward me.
“!”
The moment I involuntarily flinched, he firmly grasped my chin.
“Lady.”
With my head fixed in place, I looked at Dante with wide eyes.
Up close, his captivatingly beautiful red eyes held me completely.
“Your name?”
“…….”
Feeling a sense of dissonance, I slightly parted my lips.
Before I died, Dante was the only one who called me by my name from before marriage.
“Ariana Lopez. Do you happen to enjoy being exploited and worked to the bone?”
“If that’s your preference, I can accommodate it.”
Shaking off the voice echoing in my mind, I spoke.
“……Ariana Lopez.”
“Good. Ariana Lopez.”
The hand holding my chin tightened a little more.
Scanning me with appraising eyes, he whispered.
“A wife for appearances. That’s an interesting way to put it.”
“…….”
“But why must it be you? If I need a woman, I could just bring in a street prostitute.”
He deliberately used vulgar words to provoke me. Without taking the bait, I calmly replied.
“A woman of too low status would damage Your Grace’s dignity. On the other hand, a woman of excessively high status would want to bear an heir.”
Reciting the line I had prepared, I looked straight at Dante.
“But I will demand nothing from Your Grace. You need not fulfill any marital duties with me.”
In other words, I would simply occupy the seat beside you and disappear once you escaped Princess’s advances.
Since he was a man who disliked all forms of restraint to the point of having no interest even in the emperor’s seat, my proposal would surely feel attractive.
After a moment of silence, Dante finally spoke. In a slow voice, as if advising a child.
“When making a deal with me, never hold back your cards.”
“……Pardon?”
“What you gain from this deal. You haven’t laid all your cards on the table yet.”
He slowly leaned his upper body toward me.
The moment his massive frame suddenly drew near, I felt as though I were being swallowed by a beast.
“Providing legal protection so that your brother cannot take your music away from you. Is that all?”
“……And, if possible, me as well.”
After biting my lip once, I conveyed my intention slowly but firmly.
“Please pretend to truly love me.”
The play we were putting on would be better the more perfect it was.
At the words I uttered, the man’s expression strangely hardened.
A moment later, Dante’s lips slowly parted.
“……Haha.”
The next instant, a low laugh burst from his mouth.
“Hahaha!”
A real laugh, neither mockery nor sarcasm.
I blankly stared at him for a moment. The beautifully curved corners of his eyes were picturesque.
“Good. I like your guts. Ariana Lopez.”
The man who had laughed heartily looked straight at me with amused eyes.
“However, that last condition is no good.”
“Pardon?”
The last condition……
Recalling my own words, I momentarily froze. Surely he didn’t mean marital duties?
‘But this man……’
While I was lost in thought, a deep smile hung on Dante’s lips.
“I don’t do ‘pretend.’”
His voice, seemingly an octave lower than mine, tickled my ears.
“A clumsy fake is worse than nothing at all.”
“…….”
“So even if it’s just a temporary rental, as long as you occupy the seat of my wife, you’ll have to play the real part during that time.”
Whispering lowly, he lowered his head toward me.
The moment he came so close that we might touch—such a thought instinctively crept in.
“Can you handle it?”
His soft breath tickled my lips.
Thump, thump, thump.
The beating of my heart began to ring in my ears.
“If you don’t want it, run away. Right now.”
This was the final hurdle. Instinctively sensing it, I forcibly held back my body that wanted to shrink away.
“……I don’t dislike it. I can handle it.”
Dante let out a soft chuckle and drew even closer.
At the same time, whoosh—an unfamiliar scent rushed in.
A cool, refreshing yet simultaneously heavy fragrance, like wood soaked in rain.
Perhaps because it was a scent I was smelling for the first time. Suddenly my heart began beating fast, out of control.
“…….”
Unable to meet his gaze, I involuntarily looked down.
It was around the time my eyelashes trembled a couple of times.
“You need to relax, Lopez.”
The whisper tickled my lips, and my fingertips curled.
“Acting like prey about to be devoured isn’t attractive.”
At those words, I stiffened.
The voice that casually treated a person like prey was relaxed and chilling.
As if he could swallow me whole, bones and all, without blinking.
But I swallowed all my agitation and raised my head.
‘This man is only trying to scare me.’
Opening my eyes wide, I met his gaze without wavering.
“……I’m not nervous.”
Our eyes locked at point-blank range.
The moment I thought I saw a strange light flashing in those red eyes.
“Hmm.”
The man who let out a short sound lightly crushed my lips with his thumb.
The tension that had been gripping the back of my neck until just now scattered lightly with that gesture.
Dante, who had easily pulled away, looked down at me with a crooked smile.
“Good. Your courage passes.”
Passes?
I blankly looked up at him. What did that mean… Did that mean I succeeded?
“Come again tomorrow. We’ll talk details then.”
The moment my eyes widened, Dante added.
“And bring that ‘incidental income’ you boasted about.”
* * *
“Good heavens. This is the first time I’ve seen such a bold lady!”
Rio exclaimed in admiration, staring blankly in the direction where Ariana had disappeared.
She looked impeccably quiet and elegant, yet from the moment she appeared to the moment she left, she was like a small storm.
Blinking in admiration, Rio stealthily glanced at Dante.
“Um, Master. Why did you pretend not to know her name?”
“What are you talking about.”
Leaning back in his chair, Dante frowned.
His already cold features became even more menacing, but Rio flinched slightly and continued anyway.
“When I reported that the lady from the Lopez family had come, you clearly……”
“Ariana Lopez?”
He had been the one to say the name first while narrowing his brows.
Rio cautiously spoke once more to the silent Dante.
“You have no interest in opera either. Yet you watched from the very front row……”
“Be quiet.”
Dante clicked his tongue briefly.
“I just happened to have time.”
A two-hour performance?
A huge question mark appeared in Rio’s mind.
However, seeing that Dante’s expression while biting the cigar was more irritated than usual, Rio decided to back down there.
Grinding the end of the cigar, Dante fell into reminiscence.
“It is my first time meeting you, Your Grace.”
In those eyes that casually said “first time,” there wasn’t even a momentary hesitation.
Either she wanted to pretend not to know, or she had truly forgotten.
‘……Good grief.’
His handsome mouth twisted upward.
He couldn’t tell.
Which of the two was more infuriating.
* * *
Pulling my hood deeply over my head, I boarded a hired carriage.
Only after the carriage door closed did I finally feel like I could breathe a little.
“……Phew.”
Looking at the scenery flowing dizzily outside the window, I let out a deep breath.
My heart still hadn’t returned to its normal pace.
I gently touched my lips.
The moment my fingers brushed my lower lip, the sensation of those firm and warm fingers still seemed to linger there.
Leaning deeply into the backrest, I let out a light sigh.
He was a person who could drain all the energy from one’s body with just a single meeting.
For the next year, I would be renting the position of that man’s wife.
‘I’ve crossed one huge mountain, at least.’
If I had simply needed someone to become my husband, I would have gone to an information guild and contracted with a man who met the conditions.
But I deliberately sought out a man I barely knew, a man everyone whispered was dangerous.
The reason was simple. That man was the person Lucas envied the most and simultaneously the person Elena desired the most.
‘He certainly had an overwhelming presence.’
Especially at the end… I really had been nervous.
If I hadn’t known ‘that fact,’ I would have been even more frightened.
I recalled the face of the man who had suddenly approached me.
Even looking up at an angle, his beauty was flawless enough to leave one speechless. A body that exuded solid presence that even clothing couldn’t hide.
Lightly exhaling the breath that had risen, I shook my head.
‘God is truly fair. To have that face and that body……’
And yet be completely unable to embrace a woman.
Recalling the rumor that would become completely public five years from now, I rubbed my forehead.
As soon as I entered the mansion, the butler Wilhelm approached me.
“You have returned, my lady. Marquis Pedegrin has just visited.”
“Really? Since when?”
“About two hours ago.”
What could he have been doing for two hours in a house with no fiancée?
I let out a low, hollow laugh and first climbed the stairs to the second floor where my room was.
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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