hanagaki_ryuka

Synopsis:
In my first life, I was a broke background character who died after slipping on a banana peel (tragic).

In my second life, I reincarnated into a fantasy novel… as the villain’s wife?! The cold, cruel villain everyone fears — Theodore Hellgrave aka “The Blood Tyrant.”

But plot twist: the villain isn’t just obsessed with world domination.
He’s obsessed with me.

All I want is a peaceful life, maybe open a bakery or something, but this psycho villain keeps spoiling me to death — buying me castles, putting flowers in my hair, threatening anyone who looks at me (even the dog).

Every time I try to divorce him, the entire empire trembles. And the worst part?

… I think I’m falling for him...

Villain husband, please sign the divorce papers

After two weeks of living under the same roof as the terrifying Theodore Hellgrave, Verbena was running out of divorce strategies.

Poisoning his soup failed (he has a poison tolerance, of course).

Faking a love affair with the crown prince backfired (Lance was too busy admiring his own reflection to play along).

Even pretending to see ghosts didn't scare Theodore—he simply offered to summon a priest to exorcise her stupidity.

That's when Verbena decided it was time to dig into the original Verbena Phinx's life. If she could find some dirt—a scandalous secret, a forbidden lover, maybe even proof that Theodore cheated first—she could demand a divorce with dignity.

So, naturally, she began rummaging through his study like a raccoon.

"This mansion is too clean," she muttered, yanking books off the shelf. "Where's the messy drawer full of secret letters? Where's the tragic breakup note? Where's—"

Her hands landed on a small, leather-bound diary.

The first few pages were so dramatic, it could only belong to someone in love with a villain.

"Every time he looks at me, I forget how to breathe. His eyes are cold, his words cruel, and yet my heart aches for him. Why am I like this?"

Verbena's jaw dropped. "The original Verbena was a complete masochist?!"

She kept reading, each entry making her cringe harder.

"He caught me sneaking out today. I thought he'd punish me, but instead, he tied my wrists and whispered in my ear—"

Verbena slammed the diary shut. "NOPE. NOPE. TOO MUCH INFORMATION."

"Wait… if the original Verbena was madly in love with him, and I suddenly demand a divorce after losing my memories… doesn't that make me look super suspicious?"

That's when the door creaked open, and Theodore stepped in.

"Are you snooping through my things again?"

Verbena hid the diary behind her back, sweating bullets. "Me? No! I was just, uh… admiring the fine craftsmanship of this bookshelf! So sturdy!"

She bolted—leaping over the sofa, skidding across the polished floor, and nearly colliding with a suit of armor.

As they chased each other around the study like children fighting over candy, Verbena realized something critical:

Her fake amnesia was spiraling into absolute nonsense—and she was loving every second of it.

The end of chapter 8

Chapter 8: Diary of a forgotten wife