Kasha was too shocked to fully grasp what happened next.
She only remembered seeing the flash of Leon’s sword swinging in the darkness a few times and hearing the groans of someone’s life fading away.
When she came to her senses, she was held in Leon’s arms.
“Kasha. Are you alright? Look at me. You can rest assured now.”
The hand that had mercilessly wielded the sword against the enemy now caressed her with the blind and obedient touch of an innocent boy.
His sincere concern for her allowed her to quickly recover from the shock.
Instinctively burrowing into his familiar and warm embrace, she muttered incoherent words.
“Leon. I… Gillenois… Alyosha.”
Alyosha.
The moment that name left her lips, she came to her senses.
“Leon. Alyosha. She was stabbed. We must save her.”
When she cried out, getting up with a start, the opposite end of the corridor became chaotic with bright lights wavering. At the same time, Count Lyuschino’s loud shout was heard.
“Kasha! Where are you!”
“My lord! Over here!”
Hearing Leon shout back, Kasha clutched his shirt and pleaded.
“Leon. Please. Check if Alyosha is alright.”
“Kasha, what on earth…”
Unable to continue, Leon first confirmed that Kasha was not seriously injured and stood up without a word. Entrusting her support to the rushing Count Lyuschino, Leon stroked her disheveled hair and reassured her.
“I will find Alyosha, so don’t worry, Kasha.”
The corridor soon brightened with the lamps brought by the servants.
People screamed upon seeing the corpses scattered about, but Leon began to lift and examine the fallen bodies as if it were nothing. Before long, he seemed to have found Alyosha, and his voice was heard.
“Don’t get up. Stay still. I will heal you with holy power.”
“Pri-Princess… Please, our Princess Kasha.”
“…Princess?”
Leon asked back in wonder at Alyosha’s faint voice. Kasha, held in Count Lyuschino’s large arms, noticed his body stiffen at hearing their conversation.
Pushing away Malik’s arms that seemed to wrap around her as if to protect her from something, Kasha staggered towards them.
“Alyosha. Are you okay?”
“Prin-Princess… I was so foolish… Oh, what shall we do…”
Alyosha’s hand was icy cold as she lay half collapsed against the wall. Judging by her completely soaked dress and the marble floor she had fallen on, it seemed she had been critically wounded by the masked figures and lost a tremendous amount of blood.
Her face, illuminated by the lamplight, had already lost its vitality and turned pale blue.
“Alyosha. Stay with me. You can’t die like this. You have to get revenge. You must get revenge on those bastards before you die—!”
Kasha’s desperate cry froze the people gathered around. None of them could open their mouths first.
“Princess… Do not forgive me… This foolish old woman.”
“Don’t die, Alyosha. Have you forgotten how you survived until now?”
“Princess… Princess Kasha.”
Alyosha’s cold hand suddenly touched Kasha’s tear-stained cheek.
“I’m so fortunate to be able to close my eyes after seeing you grown up so well… You really… look just like our Princess.”
“Alyosha!”
Alyosha’s hazy eyes groped the air. She was no longer looking at Kasha.
“Princess… Princess Camilla. Still, I… did my best. So… please don’t rebuke me too harshly…”
Thud.
Alyosha’s hand fell to the floor with a thud. The light completely faded from her pupils.
“No… This can’t be.”
Leon’s hand gripped the shoulder of Kasha, who was sobbing with bated breath. As she heard him offer a quiet prayer for Alyosha’s soul, Kasha closed her eyes with trembling hands.
The sound of rain could be heard from afar.
The portraits of the Gillenois kings, who no longer existed in this world, silently looked down upon the end of an old woman who had dedicated her life to them.
[This is the timeline separator]“Would you like a drink?”
Kasha glanced at the glass held out to her.
A pungent aroma wafted up from the dark amber liquid, stinging her nose.
“It’s whiskey. I thought you might need it.”
Malik added bluntly.
Leon glanced at the father offering his daughter a strong drink but did not stop him. As if to let her do as she wished.
Leon and Kasha had returned to her bedroom and were sitting side by side on the sofa.
Leon continued to comfort her, but Kasha’s tears did not easily cease. She didn’t even know why she was so sad.
Kasha silently took the glass and downed it in one gulp.
It felt like her throat was burning from drinking the unfamiliar liquor for the first time, but it was nothing compared to the confusion she was feeling now.
Malik, who had been silently watching her, sat on the chair in front of her.
“I have something to tell you. I was going to tell you tonight originally, but… Alyosha beat me to it.”
Malik looked tired and depressed as always. He asked Leon.
“I’d like to be alone with Kasha.”
“I have no intention of leaving Kasha alone right now.”
At Leon’s resolute answer, Malik raised an eyebrow.
“You think I would harm this child?”
“It’s a clear fact that Kasha was about to be kidnapped in this castle just now.”
Malik and Leon’s gazes clashed sharply in the air.
“You… are not a suitable match for Kasha, Sir Leon.”
Leon’s brow hardened at Malik’s rather firm words that suddenly came out of his mouth.
“You seem to know nothing about me to make such a judgment.”
“Blood ties… are surprisingly strong.”
“…?”
“Just as this child takes after my mother, Camilla Yefrin.”
“Camilla Yefrin… You mean the portrait hanging on the wall earlier?”
Malik stared gloomily at the floor without answering, but Leon continued his questions without minding.
“That portrait was labeled ‘Princess Camilla.’ And Alyosha called Kasha ‘Princess’ before she died. What on earth is going on? Why were those men trying to kidnap Kasha earlier—”
A dark abhorrence flashed in Malik’s eyes as he suddenly raised his head.
“Don’t casually call this child by her name. The same goes for the Princess’s name.”
It was Kasha who was surprised by his fierce reaction. She firmly blocked his accusation towards Leon.
“Sir Leon is… my lover and the person I trust the most. If you have something to say, just say it.”
Malik’s gaze seemed to grow even darker upon hearing her words. He let out a sigh as if the earth was caving in.
“Why of all people…”
The sound of the downpour hitting the glass windows was tremendous. The sound of rain filled the silence that fell between the three people for a moment.
“I never thought Alyosha would plot such a thing…”
Malik’s voice was clearly tired as he opened his mouth again.
“She was in charge of the housekeeping of this castle for over 10 years. It took a long time and effort to restore the completely destroyed walls and return the castle to its original form.”
“Completely destroyed, you say?”
“Yes. The Gillenois Kingdom that perished 16 years ago. This is the royal castle that collapsed at that time.”
“…”
“Half of the walls and the inner castle were almost completely burned down. The current appearance is as good as half new.”
“Excuse me, my lord.”
Kasha interrupted him again. Malik’s eyes met hers as if telling her to speak, shadowed by old fatigue and darkness.
“Did you… know who I was from the beginning?”
“That you are the daughter of Camilla, the last princess of the Gillenois Kingdom? Of course.”
His answer was very firm.
“But then… why did you take me in as your adopted daughter? From what Alyosha said, it seems my father was someone else.”
Something akin to an expression finally appeared on Malik’s face, which had been as sturdy as an old tree. Bitter reminiscence and longing mingled with long-fermented emotions. He opened his mouth with a pained expression.
“Matthias Albenry. That is the name of your biological father.”
Rolling the unfamiliar name of Matthias in her mouth, Kasha listened to Malik’s continuing story.
“I was originally a second son, so I was not in a position to inherit the count title. That’s why I entered the Imperial Knights at an early age. Sir Matthias was my direct superior there. Despite being from a fallen noble family, he was outstanding in both ability and character, becoming a role model for everyone. I first set foot in the North, following him as he escorted the delegation sent to the Gillenois Kingdom.”
At that time, the Empire sent a delegation led by Grand Duke Osilote to negotiate the mining rights for the rare mineral Aton, which was only mined in the territory of the Gillenois Kingdom.
“Yes. None other than that man, your father, Grand Duke Osilote.”
Leon’s violet eyes wavered. Malik glared at him straight and continued as if gnashing his teeth.
The negotiations were not smooth, and the delegation’s stay at the royal castle was much longer than planned, reaching three months.
It was enough time for a beautiful and confident princess to fall in love with a sturdy knight from a foreign country.
“By imperial common sense, it was unthinkable for a princess to take a mere knight as her husband. I heard that Sir Matthias made the Princess quite anxious for a long time because of that. He didn’t want to become a perfect blemish on the Princess.”
Camilla Yefrin Gillenois, the legitimate heir of the Gillenois Dynasty, the ruler of the Gillenois Kingdom. The Gillenois was a dynasty known for its outstanding magical lineage, even older than the history of the Empire.
There were rumors that their magic originated from demons, that’s how excellent their magic was.
It was a level rarely found on the continent where ancient magic had been lost.
That’s why the surrounding countries could not easily look down on the small country of Gillenois.
Their small but substantial kingdom began to be threatened when the Aranias Empire started to aggressively expand its territory.
Camilla was the shaken hope of the small country. Blessed with beautiful appearance, intelligence, and outstanding magical skills.
Perhaps that excellence blurred even the wariness.
The Princess fearlessly fell in love with a knight from an enemy country. Matthias, who had been pushing her away, finally opened his heart to the repeated courtship of the beautiful and confident Princess.
A beautiful wedding was held, and a lovely daughter was even born to them.
However, that happiness was completely shattered one day by the sound of the alarm horn ringing from the walls.
“It’s the Imperial Army! The Imperial Army is advancing endlessly!”
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
