Some of the Emperor’s state affairs had been transferred to the Empress when he first fell ill, and most of them had been handled by the Crown Prince, Leharht.
And today, as the Emperor passed away, all rights and duties were temporarily given to the Crown Prince.
“I’m back.”
As Etienne got off the carriage and weakly spoke, the steward Letin approached as if he had been waiting, draping a blanket over her shoulders.
“Welcome back. Are you well?”
Feeling the warmth of the blanket covering her shoulders from Etienne’s shoulders, she looked at Steward Letin.
“Why is this all of a sudden?”
“The wind is chilly. Moreover, since you’ve been in the mountains for a long time, I thought you might catch a cold.”
“Sometimes it feels like you know everything about me.”
“While I may not know about others, I know about the young lady quite well.”
The steward replied playfully and embraced Etienne’s shoulders.
“Please come inside. Lord and Lady Houjak have gone to the imperial palace. Since you will be busy starting tomorrow, it’s best to rest well today.”
Holding onto the blanket draped over her shoulders, Etienne walked inside with the steward. Due to the Emperor’s passing, all the nobles were gathering at the imperial palace. So, naturally, her parents would have gone to the imperial palace as well.
And as the steward mentioned, starting tomorrow, she would be busy too. The young nobles from noble families would also have to go to the palace.
Having experienced it once before, Etienne already knew what would happen.
“Oh.”
Etienne realized who would be the busiest person due to the Emperor’s passing.
Back then, Prince Ludvig took charge of everything, but now Leharht had taken on that role.
“Really busy… must be busy.”
As Etienne contemplated this, her steps slowed down. She had just wanted him to wake up quickly today, unable to tell him that his father would die.
“If you had told me how busy and tough it would be, maybe I could endure it a little easier?”
Even if he had told her the truth, he probably would have quickly risen from that spot.
“You should have just told me not to worry about you.”
Due to the guilt of not telling the truth, murmurs kept slipping out.
“Miss.”
When the steward’s voice caught her attention, Etienne found herself inside the mansion. After briefly looking around, she turned her gaze towards the steward.
“Why?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince should be fine.”
It seems the steward heard what I was saying and inferred the situation.
“You can go early tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.”
Etienne nodded. Ideally, she wanted to go right away, but she wanted to hug him after the alcohol had completely worn off.
“But still, I should have just told him.”
However, the regret did not fade away.
“The nobles are arriving one by one now.”
“How is the response from foreign countries?”
“Friendly nations are forming condolence delegations. They’ll arrive soon, so we should prepare to welcome each country’s delegation.”
“What about the Empress and the Crown Consorts?”
“They are… grieving.”
To Alex’s response, Leharht chuckled.
“Grieving? Who?”
“Well, it’s the ladies.”
Alex was helping Leharht put on mourning attire. Leharht raised his arm, temporarily halting Alex.
“Alex, no matter how good you are at flattering, you have to tell the truth. They haven’t taken their eyes off when Father might die, not hoping for him to live, but eagerly waiting to seize power as soon as he dies.”
In response to Leharht’s cynical words, Alex silently fastened his clothes on Leharht’s arm.
“So, watch how they come out. See who they meet and which condolence delegations they befriend from different countries.”
“I understand.”
“And…”
Having just dressed in a black mourning attire, Leharht adjusted his hair reflected in the mirror.
“Alex.”
“Please speak.”
“In your opinion…”
Alex waited for the Crown Prince’s next words amidst the heavy atmosphere. Even if he were to show a sharp side, Alex could understand.
“Did it look like Etienne was drunk?”
“…You were curious about that?”
While other nobles might have expected political questions about how they appear, Alex, wearing a bewildered expression, let out a breath as if he had released tension from his body.
“If the alcohol was very weak, it could be possible, but the prepared alcohol itself…”
“The alcohol had a low alcohol content.”
“That’s correct.”
“Then those murmurs were probably just words?”
When Leharht chuckled and asked again, Alex nodded his head with a puzzled expression.
“But it could have been due to being drunk.”
Just in case, Alex added a possibility.
“Yeah, that’s possible.”
However, Leharht leaned toward thinking otherwise.
“Maybe it’s a plan to send me away.”
“Is that so? Well, if it’s her, she might have known what would happen today.”
“If she knew, she probably knew sporadically, not like me. She just couldn’t say it.”
“Why couldn’t she say it?”
Alex had been watching the two of them closely all along. So, the fact that Etienne didn’t mention that something big was going to happen today, even though she might have been able to, felt strange to him.
“My father probably couldn’t say that he had died. So, she pretended to be drunk.”
If it were him, he would have just said it, but not everyone would be like him. With that thought in mind, Alex made an effort to force himself to understand Etienne.
“That’s true…”
Whether Alex’s efforts paid off or not, Leharht showed a smile that seemed to be there and not there.
‘How cute.’
After a while, Alex stepped back, and Leharht, left alone, looked at the mirror again.
The Emperor’s funeral would be conducted at the level of national affairs. It was regrettable that there wouldn’t be time alone with Etienne during the ceremony.
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.]
