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

Breakfast at Hellgrave Mansion was always eaten together, but not because they were a loving couple. No, it was more like two coworkers forced to share a table because the office kitchen only had one seat left.

Theodore sat at the head, eyes glued to his mountain of documents — signing off on things like trade agreements, execution orders, and what to do if the crown prince accidentally set fire to another diplomatic letter.

Verbena sat at the opposite end, aggressively stabbing her food like it was responsible for her two lives' worth of misfortune. Conversations were limited to:

But today… today was weird.

The maid knocked with an unusually bright smile. "Milady, Lord Hellgrave requests your presence for breakfast."

Verbena paused mid-yawn. "He requests? Since when does he request anything?"

The maid just giggled and ran off, leaving Verbena in a state of confused dread.

Still dressed half-decently, she stumbled into the dining room, ready for another silent meal in marital purgatory — but the long table was missing.

Instead, a small table for two sat by the sunniest window, covered in a feast straight out of a romance novel. Heart-shaped toast, honey drizzled in fancy patterns, fruit carved into roses, and an omelette with 'V ♥ T' written in ketchup.

Verbena stood in the doorway like she'd walked into the wrong house.

Theodore, sleeves rolled up and hair slightly tousled (annoyingly attractive, if she were honest), motioned for her to sit beside him. Not across — him.

What fresh nonsense is this?

Verbena cautiously sat, back stiff, like she was being lured into a trap. "What's with the setup? We've never done this."

Theodore calmly spread butter on her toast. "I thought we could try something new."

"New? New?! You're a villain! Your version of 'new' is usually poison or paperwork!"

He smirked. "Maybe I'm trying to be a romantic villain today."

Verbena squinted. "Did you lose a bet?"

Theodore laughed — a real laugh — and Verbena instantly regretted how nice it sounded. Evil people should not have nice laughs. It confused the heart.

"What's wrong with wanting to have breakfast with my wife?" he asked.

But instead of saying that, Verbena grabbed the nearest heart-shaped toast and chomped into it angrily. Unfortunately, it tasted amazing, which made her even madder.

"This doesn't mean I'm falling for you," she mumbled through a mouthful.

Theodore leaned in slightly, his voice low. "Of course not. You're far too stubborn for that."

And her traitorous heart skipped a beat.

Her brain screamed, DIVORCE! DIVORCE! GET OUT!

But her heart whispered, maybe just one more breakfast.

For the first time, Verbena paused her divorce plan—not because she forgot, but because she didn't know what she wanted anymore.

And that was far more terrifying than any villain.

End of Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Breakfast Ambush(and the curse of Overthinking)