Simply Pink

Good news! How to Divorce the Male Lead - More chapters

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 17:27:29 GMT

Hi everyone, as you know I finished the "free preview" portion of the novel. I feel this is the best way for me to work since this section is free and I'm broke atm.

It looks like someone has continued the project! (The place where it's translated keeps changing so just read the comments here to find the link.)

I'm happy since it seems my efforts and manhwa have given How to Divorce the Male Lead enough of a higher profile that someone has picked up the project.

Thanks for reading and all the comments.

You can leave a comment here if there are any other projects that I could pick up. But the raw has to be free since I don't have money to pay for chapters.

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How to Divorce the Male Lead - Chapter 1.7

Sat, 27 Jun 2020 07:33:58 GMT

“Do you feel sick?”

Juliana, who was looking somewhat haggard, looked up from the soup she was eating. She would have liked to get up a bit later after the events of yesterday but her husband had risen with the dawn, written his report, and trained with his knights. He was clearly a person of great stamina.

Juliana smiled as she touched her pale cheek and tried to answer in the same tone she normally used, “I’m just a little sleepy.”

It was because of someone being in my dream! This damned male lead… She put down the spoon she had been using. She had lost her appetite.

Evan frowned at Juliana. “I guess it doesn't suit your taste. I told my sister to take good care of you while I was away.”

“It’s fine. Today is just different. I normally eat quite well. It’s you who must have suffered at the front lines of the war.”

“Even on the battlefield, I took care to monitor your health.”

“Hrrrk!” Juliana smacked her chest as she tried to swallow the water she had been drinking. “No wonder…”

Thinking of the way that the housekeeper was always hanging around her when she was eating and drinking, Juliana realized that it must have been to record her mealtime actions to send a report to the battlefield.

Juliana was a fire elemental mage but she was very weak. This was partly the reason why she had been very spoiled even for a precious only child of the Auburn family. There was a time when she was too weak to even lift a teacup but she had gotten better as she grew up.

However, if she neglected herself even a little, she would immediately become ill and have to lie in bed for a time. Evan knew about this and was worried about her health even when he was at the frontlines. He was a wonderful husband in every way.

“No need! I’m quite well.”

“Alright.I thought you would be but, you know, I always worry about you.”

“How kind.”

“Isn’t that necessary?”

Juliana smiled awkwardly.

There was actually no need to do that since she meant to ask for a divorce. Perhaps it would have been better to be coldly indifferent like before.

Even smiled as he looked at Juliana's expression when he avoided answering. Juliana was startled to see that he seemed as though he knew something.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I don’t know what you’re up to.”

“You've been saying strange things since yesterday. Ho ho ho!” Juliana laughed in an exaggerated way as though she was an actor. Then, although she had no appetite, picked her spoon up again and started eating. “The chef is giving me life today. This is delicious!”

“I’ve thought about why you’re acting like this.”

“...Huh?” Juliana, who had been lifting her spoon, froze when she saw the letter in his hand.

“****!” In the old days, before she remembered her past life, Juliana would have furious that someone dared to take one of her letters but now Juliana could only shiver like a frightened little sparrow caught in a cold, merciless wind. In her heart, she raged and shouted, “Why do you have that?!” but now she could only say out loud, “Why do you have a letter addressed to me? I’m confused.”

“Isn’t it because there are a few people who dared to put letters in my mailbox to prove their courage because they are blinded by love?”

“What rude people! I don’t know who it is. Please believe me.” This time Juliana spoke in a more rebellious tone.

Maybe because of the rebellious look in her eyes, Evan spoke read the letter out loud in an unemotional tone of voice. “My love, my Juliana, my fated one.”

“Hrrk.” Juliana, who was holding a spoon with an awkward expression while trying to finish her meal, put the spoon down without worrying about the soup spilling down from it.

One could stand out or not. In fact, Juliana had a colorful past, playing around with men to insult Evan Hilchen. Frankly, she didn’t even remember the name of the person who had written this letter.

Inwardly rolling her eyes, Juliana thought, “This is the only way!” and stood up while putting a hand on her forehead in order to buy herself some time. “Ah, Evan, my head hurts. As you thought, I’m feeling unwell. I need to rest.”

“I’m writing to you today to tell you that the rose garden I promised you the other day is now ready.”

“Ahhh!”

That was it!

Juliana, her eyes flashing, jumped up and tried to take the letter from Evan’s hand.

Even seemed to have anticipated her move and held it up too high for her to reach. Then he looked down at her with his blue eyes as though he couldn’t understand what she was saying. “Have you already recovered?”

“...Evan.”

Juliana took the letter he finally allowed her to remove from his hand.

*** End of free preview***

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Translation Notes:

This is the end of the free preview of the novel. I can't continue the English version unless someone provides me with the rest of the raw text. I'm unable to buy it because I'm broke. Sorry.
Someone else can take over this project but please do let me know if you do since I don't want to duplicate efforts or drama.
Thanks for reading!

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Waiting for HSF for desktop

Wed, 27 May 2020 18:42:45 GMT

The technicians all ghosted me! I called 3 different ones and none of them could make it. I ended up doing some basic repairs myself with help from a kind person via video call. It turns out that my heat sink fan needs to be replaced. I ordered it tonight. Sorry for the delay!

I feel a little proud of myself that I was actually able to do the basic troubleshooting but, in the end, nothing can be done for now since I don't have the part that I need. Delivery times are slow right now because of the COVID lockdown but I'll get it eventually.

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I'll update soon

Sun, 24 May 2020 17:22:50 GMT

My desktop has a problem but someone will be coming tomorrow to fix it. I can't really do the work on How to Divorce the Male Lead on a phone which means the next update is a little delayed.

I just hope the repair won't cost much since I'm pretty much broke.

Update: Argh! The repairman ghosted me! He said he was coming today but he never came even though I waited all day and he didn't message me either. I have to find someone else now.

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How to Divorce the Male Lead - Chapter 1.6

Sun, 17 May 2020 12:34:48 GMT

“Hmm. Have you fallen asleep?”

Juliana felt as though she had just awakened from a night of fitful sleep and realized that she was sitting at the parlor in a daze. She was back to that time when she was having tea with her husband before she skipped the evening meal to go to her room alone to ponder on her predicament.

Was it morning already?

Everything seemed dreamlike so Juliana looked around. Had she traveled back into the past?

The parlor looked exactly the same as yesterday, including her husband who was calmly drinking his tea.

“...Ah, this is a nightmare.”

The teatime encounter at the parlor with Evan was a nightmare for Juliana Auburn.

If it goes on like this, she will be misunderstood as talking about poisoning her husband with one of her stupid lovers, and Evan will have Villain Number One executed out of self-defense. Just thinking about this kind of future made Juliana think that this was some kind of nightmare.

“Oh, no I’m not.”

“Juliana.”

“...y- yes?”

She had just taken a sip of the tea and then choked a little on it because she hadn't expected Evan to talk just then. This was truly a great nightmare.

“Is this what you like?”

“What?”

Juliana shook her head. In the midst of this nightmare, she trembled at the memory of what had happened earlier. There's no need for me to see such a mistake again in my dreams!

“Um. The servants made a mistake. Evan, I’m sure you don’t like these teacups so I told to take it away. I really did!”

The teacups prepared by the servants were a set of teacups presented by one of Julianna Auburn's various lovers who had childishly engraved his and Juliana’s initials on them.

In the past, Juliana Auburn didn’t act like a married woman. As a woman and a villainess who considered herself a victim of a political marriage, she has received a barrage of gifts from the lovers who dedicate themselves to her. She even had a room that she used to openly display all of her lovers’ gifts.

This sort of behavior gave rise to lots of rumors outside the mansion but Juliana paid no attention to that type of thing.

But now, having been trapped by her own past actions, Juliana sweated buckets nervously as her husband gazed at her.

“I’ll throw it all away right now.”

“You don’t have to.”

Is it because this is a dream? Unlike yesterday, it seemed as though there was an expression of sadness on his face.

Juliana hurriedly explained herself, “After all, I’m a married woman. We've been married for two years now.”

“If you mess with me even more, I’m not sure I will have the strength to endure.”

“What are you saying?”

Juliana stared at him. Evan, who had been speaking with an expressionless face, closed his mouth as though he had nothing more to say.

Ting - the teacup was softly put down and he said softly, “Juliana.”

“Yes?!” Like a well-disciplined soldier coming to attention, Juliana straightened her back. Even in her dream, as she stared at her husband’s deep blue eyes, she saw a hint of sadness in them.

“It’s a little hard to bear. I didn’t want you to be ashamed of me so I went to battle the barbarians. Didn’t you say that someone from a humble background must work hard to achieve fame? The only way to do that is to kill people for the Empire. You said, ‘It would be glorious if I could become the widow of a war hero.’”

“Did I say that? I mean, I’m really-”

Although she denied it, Juliana did remember saying that. She clearly remembered all the cruel words she had said to him.

“Ugh.” Juliana covered her mouth with her hands nervously.

Evan leaned back on the sofa with a relaxed look, making Juliana unable to figure out what he was really feeling. With one hand he brushed the surface of the teacup. His movement was as gentle as though he was caressing Juliana’s cheek.

“But…”

“...” Juliana bit her lip anxiously.

For the first time, Evan smiled brightly as he stared at Juliana biting her lower lip. “How could I widow a lovely wife like you.”

Juliana silently raised the white flag at once, frightened by the implied threat. “I’ll throw them all away right now.”

“What?” He glanced up as though he didn’t know what she was talking about. Nonetheless, he drew his nails across the surface of the teacup that was a gift from a stranger to his wife, leaving a scratch like a wound.

“...You know what.” Juliana tried hard to keep her voice even. Even though she now remembered her past life, it was still difficult for her to forget the time when she had lived as a vicious woman. Juliana, who was about to die of suppressing her temper, tried not to confront Evan.

Evan looked at Juliana’s twitching lips. “You’re acting strangely.”

“Huh?” Juliana pretended not to know what he was talking about and hurriedly drank the black tea. It tasted quite bitter to her.

Evan looked at her cautiously and muttered, “I can’t even imagine what kind of cruel thoughts are in your mind right now.”

“I just don’t want to upset you,” Juliana grumbled.

Evan replied with a strange smile on his face, “However, it doesn't matter how cruel you are. Juliana, whatever you do, I can bear it.”

“You’re saying that again,” said Juliana lightly, as though she was joking. Then she drank all of the tea that she couldn’t discard.

Evan said, holding the teacup that was a gift from her lover, “Juliana, you already know that I can do that.”

Oh my gosh.

Juliana felt discouraged.

Even in a dream flashback, he was still so honest about being crazy about her, saying stuff like “I will love you no matter how you insult me.” In some ways, it could be considered a pure love but it could also be viewed as an obsession.

Because of this dream, when Juliana rose from her bed the next morning, it was as though she hadn’t slept at all.

***

(to be continued) (The novel has a break in the text here so I'm also stopping here for today.)

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Translation Notes:

At first I was confused about what was happening. It seems the whole thing was a dream/nightmare but it did actually happen.
In this part, she is dreaming of what happened earlier.
LOL at the servants using the teacups that have her and her lover's initials on it. Poor Evan.

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I'm working on it

Sat, 09 May 2020 07:50:46 GMT

It's only been a few days! I haven't dropped How to Divorce the Male Lead.

Okay? Relax!

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How to Divorce the Male Lead - Chapter 1.5

Sat, 02 May 2020 01:24:13 GMT

“...I’m screwed,” Juliana muttered to herself that night as she stared at the window sill that was now empty of sparrows

She hugged her shivering shoulders and paced around the room, her lips set in a straight line. Then she dived onto her bed and let out a strangled scream, flailing her limbs up in the air.

“Argh!”

It was the middle of the night. Juliana didn’t want other people to hear and tell tales of the crazy Duchess so she stifled her own screams. However, even if she did this, she still didn’t feel relieved as she buried her face on her pillow.

“I knew he liked me but I never thought he would love me this much…”

Today she had tried to steer their relationship in the right direction by welcoming him home earlier but, come to think of it, from the very beginning, it had always been Evan who had desired Juliana.

“If I ask for a divorce, he will never agree…?” mumbled Juliana gloomily.

“Love at first sight” is what the novel said. When Juliana was younger, she frequently visited Duke Hilchen. That must have been when the male lead, Evan Hilchen, saw her.

“What on earth did I do that he fell in love at first sight?”

Juliana lazily sat up and stared at her reflection in the mirror opposite her.

“... really pretty.”

As a child, Evan Hilchen had been an illegitimate offspring who was hidden away and had no meaningful contact with others. In short, at one glance, he had become enamored of Juliana.

Juliana Auburn was beautiful enough that anyone with eyes, not just Evan Hilchen, could easily fall in love with her at first sight. Dark red hair flowed down to her waist in waves. She had a delicate face and a swan-like neck. In addition, her remarkable bronze eyes shimmed brightly.

The important thing was that Juliana Auburn had the face of an angel but the heart of a devil. A person like her who had been selfish since childhood would have had no reason to be kind to Evan. Then why did he like Juliana?

Juliana tried to think of herself objectively but no matter how she looked at it, the only thing good about herself was her looks. Is this what they mean by “farfetched plot device?”

“...Ah, I just don’t know.”

The evil deeds have already been done and the death flags have been planted. It was no use regretting it now. Juliana closed her eyes and tried to think.

“The most important thing is that the male lead is crazy about me. I didn’t know how deep his feelings were so I tried to test it today...he’s more openly affectionate than I thought he would be. Oh, right. In order to get his wife’s approval, he went off to war for a year… I can’t figure out why. Is it really because he fell in love with my appearance at first sight?”

Juliana got up and sat in a lotus position like a meditating monk but, because her knowledge of the future was sparse, she was really more like a fraud.

“His beloved tried to poison him. This is the male lead’s number 1 heartbreaking past background event.”

That was one of the evil deeds that led to Juliana Auburn’s execution.

“That's unfair. There's no way I'm going to kill you!” said Juliana bitterly as she covered her face with her hands.

Never. There’s no way she would follow the novel’s plot in the future. I don’t want to be executed after being put on trial for the attempted murder of Duke Hilchen. At the same time, she didn’t want to be the male lead’s past heartache number 1.

“I’m glad that I remembered I was reborn before the novel’s story started…”

Juliana was determined to think of a plan even if she had to stay up all night long. Then after thinking about it for a long time, she looked up at the morning star that had risen. Her eyelids were feeling quite heavy so she closed them. She only wanted to rest for a little while but she couldn’t help but fall asleep.

***

(to be continued) (The novel has a break in the text here so I'm also stopping here for today.)

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Translation Notes:

Is this what they mean by “farfetched plot device?” The word 개연성 just means “probability” but. In context, I think she’s saying that it’s unbelievable.

That was one of the evil deeds that led to Juliana Auburn’s execution. - Uh, I had a horrible time parsing this sentence. I thought of adding “perhaps out of Evan Hilchen’s need for self-defense” at the end but it sounded too weird. Basically, it’s saying that she was executed out of “self-defense” or something since she was allegedly trying to murder Evan but I don’t think it was Evan himself who wanted to execute her.

Whoa, I wonder what exactly happened at her trial and execution in the novel.

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How to Divorce the Male Lead - Chapter 1.4

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 06:14:02 GMT

Juliana stood there in a daze for a while before following the swiftly-moving storm that was Evan Hilchen into the mansion. When she arrived at the door of the drawing-room, she pressed a hand on her chest to calm her racing heartbeat, then stuck her head through a gap in the doorway.

That was strange. The maids said he was here but the room seemed exactly the same as it was when Juliana had left it earlier.

“...Where did he go?”

“Here I am!”

“...!”

Juliana jumped up in surprise at the unexpected answer. Evan hadn’t entered the room. He was standing right behind her. He had probably been waiting in the small room beside the drawing-room because Juliana could feel the warmth of a fire from the nearness of his body.

“Um, why were you there?”

“I wanted to go in with you,” responded Evan with a smile as Juliana tried to soften her voice.

“You didn’t have to…”

“I was afraid that I would wake up from this dream.” Those wistful words sounded odd coming from a fearsome-looking 190 cm tall man with a warrior’s refined build.

Juliana closed her eyes and thought, I wish this was a dream!

“...This isn’t a dream,” Juliana finally replied in a whisper.

“Juliana, why are you acting so nice? What happened during the year I was gone?”

“Oh my! It’s nothing. The Duke’s mansion has been quiet and peaceful, thanks to Evan’s hard work in the frontlines-”

“Are you feeling guilty because your lovers have been in and out of the mansion?”

“...” Juliana froze. How could she forget? Until today she hadn’t known that she was in the world of a fantasy romance novel. Not to mention, the Juliana Auburn of the novel was merely villain number 1, a minor character who was only there to add flavor to the story.

However, that old, high-spirited Juliana Auburn, had now disappeared. The Juliana of the present time who had discovered fate’s little joke replied, shoulders drooping, “Ah, you know? Yes, that’s right. I’m sorry about that.”

“Why are you lying to me?” said Evan in a baffled tone of voice that sounded almost kind. When he finished speaking, he reached out and lifted her chin with his hand.

Though his touch was gentle, it still made Juliana shiver because she didn’t know what emotion lay behind his words and actions.

“I’m not lying. You must have worked hard on the battlefield.”

“I don’t want to listen to that lie. I just want to know why you’re being so kind to me. Are you thinking of running away in the middle of the night? Are you leaving with those fools and saying goodbye to me forever?”

“What?! Who am I going to run away with?!” Juliana burst out when she couldn’t stand it anymore.

Those memories of playing around with an indeterminate number of people would have to be buried deep in her mind now. Sooner or later, when the real heroine of this novel arrives, there will be a huge commotion. Although she was stuck beside Evan Hilchen as villain number 1, that didn’t mean that she was going to run away in the middle of the night!

“Can’t you just accept that I can be kind to my husband on the first day of his return?”

“That’s deeply touching.” Evan smiled and glanced down at Juliana before removing his hand from under her chin.

Then he added, in a self-deprecating tone, “You know, I’m just another of Juliana’s fools.”

And so, after standing frozen in shock for a while, Juliana entered the drawing-room.

***

(to be continued) (The novel has a break in the text here so I'm also stopping here for today.)

Previous Chapter < Table of Contents > Next Chapter

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Table of Contents - How to Divorce the Male Lead

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 04:38:00 GMT

Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.3

Chapter 1.4

Chapter 1.5

Chapter 1.6

Chapter 1.7

Note: This is the only authorized website that hosts my translation. If you see this work in another place, that is plagiarism. I do not give permission for others to copy and publish my translation.

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How to Divorce the Male Lead - Chapter 1.3

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 04:35:24 GMT

(Translation is in progress)

Chapter 1 (part 3)

Meanwhile, Juliana Auburn was sitting in the drawing room. This was the first time in her life that her heart pounded so fast and loud. Taking the tea that the maids had respectfully handed to her, she nervously stirred her tea with a spoon then sent them all out.

After confirming that the door was closed and no one was around, Juliana pinched her cheeks.

“Oof!”

Her cheeks glowed red after she pinched it too hard. Then Juliana started slapping herself in the face.

“If only this was just a dream!”

But it was no dream. It was real and she had felt everything quite vividly.

Juliana cried out in her heart: If you’re going to remember your past life, do it from the start! What’s the point of remembering when you’re already about to be killed as the villainess character?!

“This is stupid!” Julina inwardly screamed as she gazed at her black tea.

Just a few days ago she had entertained her lovers in this very house, eating and drinking merrily as they all mocked the husband who hadn’t been home for a year.

At that time, I really had no idea that I was living in the world of a romantic fantasy novel with a rating of 4.4! The truth was that she was Juliana Auburn, the number 1 villainess of the novel who could only see her illegitimate husband’s flaws and was blind to his good qualities.

But last night’s dream changed everything. Now Juliana knew that she was nothing but a minor villainess character who would soon be killed.

“I’m nothing but a bit player… like parsley beside a steak…”

Juliana couldn’t control her feelings of frustration and hid her face in her hands. She was so overcome with her emotions that her shoulders shook. Soon she heard the sound of a group of people approaching on horseback.

“He’s here.”

Juliana rose abruptly and opened the window.

Indeed, it was her husband arriving with a group of his men. The parade of elite soldiers looked very grand as they rode up the main road to the mansion. Outside the mansion’s closed gate, the loud cheering of the welcoming crowd could be heard.

Juliana hurriedly closed the window and took a deep breath to calm herself.

Her husband was here.

The husband who, sooner or later, would kill her.

***

Juliana impatiently led the servants to the mansion’s entrance. The staff stood there to wait with the butler in the forefront as she walked to the gate. All of the soldiers on their horses looked large and intimidating, which made Juliana tremble in fear as she clasped her hands in front of her body.

“...What did Juliana originally do in the novel? No, no! If you were planning to do the same thing as her, why would you go outside like this? I’m trying to do something different to avoid death!”

Juliana had no intention of repeating Juliana’s foolish actions in the novel. Now that she had ’ve made up her mind, it was time for her to put her ideas into action.

The knight slowed down as he approached. Seeing Juliana standing on this unpaved dirt road was unprecedented.

“Whoa-!”

Even Hilchen, clad in a black helmet and armor, stopped his black horse. If an enemy were to encounter this knight in the battlefield, they would be overawed by his menacing air.

Juliana’s eyes went wide with fright but she forced out a smile.

“Um, Evan, welcome home.”

The people watching all gasped loudly in shock with a sound like deflating balloons.

“The Duchess said ‘welcome home’!”

“To the Duke!”

Before the noise could become any louder, Juliana raised her voice to say, “I’ve been waiting.”

“...”

This time Juliana could hear the sound of Evan swallowing once then breathing heavily underneath his helmet.

Evan then got off his horse. He stopped in front of Juliana and took his helmet off, handing it to a waiting maid who had stepped forward from the line of servants behind them.

When he took the helmet, Juliana could smell sunshine and the fresh scent of rose-scented soap. It was the fragrance of a person who had just washed himself at an inn. Juliana stood frozen under the shadow of his large body.

Evan narrowed the distance between them. Then, despite Juliana’s vigilance, he quickly grasped her by the waist.

“Ack!” Juliana suddenly came face-to-face with Evan.

For one long moment, Juliana was trapped against his body that was still clad in heavy armor. Juliana couldn’t take her eyes off the blue eyes that were staring into hers.

Even’s eyes were sharp and cold, like those of a black hawk. The pupils of his deep blue eyes were as black as the abyss. Evan’s glance flickered over her face, his eyes blue as the sea.

“My wife…”

“...”

“... still hates me,” he scoffed softly.

“Oh, no!” said Juliana, shaking her head.

Evan frowned. It seemed that he was on the alert because he thought this might be her new way of insulting him.

Juliana found it hard to find the words to reassure him. “I, I said I was waiting for you.”

“...I see. You’re angry because I kept you waiting?” Evan nodded his understanding in response to her words. “This dirt road will have to be paved at once since it’s dirtying the hem of your dress.”

“... wha- what?”

He said that he would have the road fixed just because he hated that it dirtied his wife’s dress. This man… was he crazy?

“You don't have to…”

“I'm glad you came to greet me,” he said softly, avoiding her eyes.

Ah, he’s shy! thought Juliana. She was astonished at his reaction.

This… what kind of novel is this?

She had dropped the novel because she was mad that she was spoiled by the comments. As the saying goes, unlucky people will break their noses even when they fall backwards. How unfortunate!

Juliana suppressed her turbulent emotions and forced herself to smile again. Her lips curved upwards in a strangely wide grin, like a smiling angel.

“You’ve suffered.”

Her husband smiled happily like a demon who had grabbed the enemy by the neck and cut off the barbarian’s legs to keep him from running away. He lightly kissed Juliana's cheek with a shy smile like a boy in love.

“What a welcome! With this, I wouldn’t mind going off to fight barbarians for a few years.”

“Ah, what a terrible thing to say…” said Juliana. “Ha ha ha.”

She quickly retreated.

Evan, who was still standing beside his black horse, stood unmoving as he stared at her. Juliana coughed a little as though suffering from the cold then waved Evan forward.

“Evan, I’ll serve tea, so come inside and rest.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Evan moved quickly, as though he had never been frozen in place earlier. Despite wearing heavy armor, he swiftly entered the mansion.

***

(to be continued) (The novel has a break in the text here so I'm also stopping here for today.)

Previous Chapter < Table of Contents > Next Chapter

Translation Notes:

I thought doing parenthetical notes would be intrusive so I’m putting the translation notes at the end. These are nothing too important though. You can skip reading these if you like.
“Juliana’s eyes went wide with fright” - It’s actually “her eyes were spinning” but that is a bit weird in English. I went with a more natural-sounding idiom.
“...a sound like deflating balloons.” I just non-literally translated 충격에 헛바람을 집어삼키는 소리를 냈다. It should be fine, lol.
I've added a Table of Contents and Previous/Next chapter links for easier navigation.
Thanks for all the comments!

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How to Divorce the Male Lead - Chapter 1.2

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 01:57:49 GMT

(Translation is in progress)

Chapter 1 (part 2)

The Duke’s staff were busy cleaning and spiffing up the mansion to prepare for the Duke’s triumphant return.

Normally, the Duchess should be supervising them but this generation’s Duchess was unusual. The butler, therefore, took charge, basing the return ceremony on his memories of a previous occasion.

As time went by, the Duchess still failed to make an appearance. The servants were all clicking their tongues, “Tch,” under their breaths. The Duchess’ lazy attitude was well-known to all of them so they didn’t bother to complain at her routine negligence.

Under the butler’s guidance, the mansion was polished to perfection such that the doorknobs all shone brightly. It was then that the Duchess went downstairs, shocking the servants who all stared at her as though they had seen a ghost.

“Du- Duchess?”

“Isn’t this the day the Duke will arrive? Please prepare tea. I must celebrate his return.”

The Duchess didn’t look as splendid as she usually did. She seemed a little wan even with her dark red hair and bronze-colored eyes that change color depending on the light. Her face was pale and her eyes were slightly swollen.

There might be a story in there somewhere, the servants gossiped as they quickly prepared the tea.

“...Tea? Has the Duchess ever volunteered to prepare anything for the Duke herself?”

After the Duchess left, some of the servants went to the kitchen to make the tea. They looked at each other and gossiped as they prepared the tea and hot water.

“Maybe she’s sorry about the fact that her lovers have been in and out of the mansion all this time?”

“No, not the Duchess. Even if everyone is talking about it, she wouldn’t even blink.”

“Ah, that’s too much. The Duke has been risking his life to fight the barbarians for a year, all to bring glory and wealth to the dukedom.”

“That means nothing to the Duchess who didn’t want to marry the Duke of Hilchen. There was a lot of gossip about it when I was hired. It’s a famous story. When she found out that the duke was an illegitimate child, the great duchess slapped his face…”

One of them, who was also quietly sniggering, glanced at a clock and said, “The Duchess is waiting. Go and bring it to her quickly.”

Afraid that the Duchess would be angry enough to stab her with a sword if she was late, the maid took the tea set to the drawing-room.

***

(to be continued) (The novel has a break in the text here so I'm also stopping here.)

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Notes:

This is the free preview of the novel "How to Divorce the Male Lead" (남자 주인공과 이혼하는 법). I fan translated it into English for people to read and enjoy... maybe even buy the novel
The free preview is at https://preview.ridibooks.com/books/3822000895
Ahem *cough* *hack* my Korean is pretty much non-existent so be warned that this basically edited MTL. I make no guarantees as to the accuracy of the translation. It's just for fun, everyone!
I thought twice before posting this part since it's pretty short but I think I'll post a little bit every day instead of one long post after I've finished everything. A relaxed schedule of posting just helps me stay motivated and stress-free.
I'll post the next little bit tomorrow. If you don't like the little bits, wait until the end of the month. I should have a translated more by then.

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How to Divorce the Male Lead - Chapter 1.1

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 06:16:58 GMT

(Translation is in progress)
Chapter 1 (part 1)

Chapter 1

“I'm screwed.” Juliana Auburn, who remembered her past life in a dream last night, muttered as she gazed blankly at a sparrow sitting on the window sill, preening its feathers.

“What can I do?’

I’m Juliana Auburn.

No, the one who remembered her past life is “Lee Sian.”

The sparrow seemed to be listening and cried “tweet tweet” as though it was laughing at Juliana and asking “What do you mean you’re screwed?”

“Yes, I think I’m definitely screwed,” muttered Juliana, shaking her head as though in answer to the sparrow who obviously wasn’t really paying attention to her at all.

It was just yesterday that Juliana heard the news that her husband, who had been fighting barbarians at the border, was returning. She hadn’t been particularly interested in this since, in the past year, Juliana had almost forgotten about her husband’s existence.

Yesterday, Juliana was in a petulant mood, complaining that the sun was too bright and dazzled her eyes. Finally, she drove away the servant who had delivered the news, then rested alone, ate delicious food, and fell asleep early.

If you sleep deeply, do you dream of your past life? But, unfortunately, Juliana Auburn slept fitfully and had a very vivid dream.

A dream of her past life.

It was a past that Juliana Auburn could never have imagined.

Lee Sian was an orphan who, after leaving the orphanage as an adult, had a hard life. She lived on mere hopes and dreams until, in the end, she…

“I was hit by a car and my body was all smashed up.”

Juliana/Lee Sian’s body was still wracked by that terrible pain.

She could still feel it vividly.

In the morning when she had just finished her shift at a convenience store and everyone else was going to their workplace, she had been hit by a car as she was crossing a street on her way home. Although she died on the spot, it was inevitable that she felt a great deal of pain.

She remembered that the pedestrian crossing light was properly lit up. She was not at fault. Remembering the crooked way that the car was moving, it was clear that the driver must have been drunk.

“You son of a bitch, why were you drinking so early in the morning?!”

She rubbed her swollen eyes and cried again. When she thought of her miserable past life, goosebumps grew all over her body.

Fortunately, she had been reborn. Not only that, she was reborn as a noble lady whose lifestyle couldn’t be compared with her past life.

“...Alright. I’m Juliana Auburn, the only daughter of the Marquis of Auburn. Although my body is frail, I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth.”

She glanced at the sparrow that was still perched on the windowsill. The fat little sparrow was drinking the rain from the window frame. Seeing its leisurely manner made her feel disgusted and Juliana covered her mouth with her hand.

Why was I reincarnated in a romantic fantasy novel?

“And… that! What’s with that spoiler?” she cried as though seeking advice from the sparrow.

The sparrow stretched its neck up and seemed to chortle “That’s your destiny.”

“Argh!”

Juliana had just woken up and her eyes were still bleary. Rubbing her face on her pillow, a thought inexplicably crossed her mind and made her feel dejected, “I didn’t eat dessert yesterday.”

When she used to work part-time, she would read romance novels. It seemed as though it was just yesterday that she read some spoilers about the novel “String of Fate.”

Juliana Auburn was a selfish villainess in the novel. She thought only of herself and was a cruel woman who, in her boredom, would trample on her despised husband’s self-esteem. Her usual routine was to criticize her husband and the people around him and to curse her father who had married her to an illegitimate son of a ducal house.

To be fair, from Juliana’s point of view, she had a lot to complain about. Originally, she was betrothed to Duke Hilchen’s eldest son, Kelton.

Juliana wasn’t quite convinced that Kelton was good enough but her father was convinced that the Hichen family who had served the empire since its founding, was a good match. Thus, from the time she was 10 years old, Juliana, who was always a proud young girl, would visit the Hilchen family.

She had never known that the Duke of Hichen had a second son, an illegitimate child who was considered quite inferior in the eyes of the nobility of the Ariakne Empire.

When Kelton died in the war with the barbarians, Juliana and her father felt it was quite unfortunate but they were preparing to find a new political and marriage partner for Juliana.

However, the Duke of Hilchen announced that he had a younger son and begged Julian’s father to marry him to her. When the Marquis of Auburn found out about the existence of a hidden child, he agreed to engage him to Juliana, thinking that it would be wasteful to end his relationship with the Duke of Hilchen. Juliana didn’t think it was suspicious that the duke had a son who had a very weak body and was thus hidden away for his own protection, but…

“He’s illegitimate!”

The mere memory of that discovery made Juliana scream into her pillow. That wasn’t enough to vent her anger so she also punched it then lifted her face and glared at the ceiling.

“If only I hadn’t been tricked! That’s why all these bad things happened…”

As had been said a moment ago, Juliana Auburn has been prideful since childhood.

If one were to put it in a positive light, she was a very self-confident person. If one were to put it in a negative light, she was a narcissist. However, she had enough common sense as a noble to accept the marriage negotiations between their two houses.

However, it was unacceptable to her to conceal the fact that “Evan Hilchen” wasn’t a sickly young man who had been hidden away by his family but was, instead, an illegitimate child from who-knows-where.

In addition, her father was bewildered by the Duke of Hilchen’s cunning arguments and said to Juliana, “Nowadays, it’s common for illegitimate children to be accepted into their family and the Duke of Hilchen is a very distinguished noble.” And other such bullshit words were spouted.

Juliana, who had hitherto lived a flawless life, felt that her pride was smashed but the marriage negotiations were simply too far along to be stopped.

Thus, the unyielding Juliana who wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything, slapped her bridegroom’s face on their wedding day…

“Argh!” Juliana Auburn/ Lee Sian screamed in agony as she recalled the memories from her past life. Why? Why now? Why after I’ve already done all of those things to the male lead...?

“Oh no…”

On the other side of the door, the maids who didn’t know what language the duchess was speaking, could only listen to her howling.

Time flowed on, uncaring.

Today was the day that Juliana Auburn/ Lee Sian remembered her past life. Today was also the day when her husband was returning from the battlefield after a year of absence.

(to be continued) (There is a break in the text here so it's a good place to stop translating. See you tomorrow for the next part.)

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First post

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 04:37:26 GMT

Hi, I'm here as a Tumblr refugee. It's late but I decided to leave Tumblr because of all the changes and uncertainty about what will be allowed or not.

I'm currently looking around and checking out whatever is available here. Looks like LiveJournal, which takes me back!

I hope I've found my home for creative work now.

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