A Fallen Holy Knight Is Obsessed With Me (12 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 14
Kasha, led into the second-floor study, quietly looked around the bookshelves.
True to the house of a Grand Duke within the top five of the imperial succession, the collection was impressive.
‘That book isn’t even listed in the Imperial Library’s catalog…’
Kasha itched to open the books and read them.
‘Calm down. This isn’t the time for that.’
To force her gaze away from the books, she stood up and began inspecting the study corner by corner.
‘Ah. This is…’
A portrait of a lovely family of five, posing affectionately together. Her eyes were drawn to the small baby smiling beside Lion.
‘This child… is Eve Aranias.’
The youngest of Lion’s two siblings and the late-born only daughter of the ducal house—she must be about ten years old by now.
Suddenly, she recalled Lion’s murmured words that night at the ruined temple.
‘If only I’d held her once more, looked back once more, met her eyes just once more. I can’t tell you how much I’ve regretted it.’
She remembered the emptiness in his eyes.
His youngest sister—the one most precious to him above all else.
‘And…’
Kasha’s expression darkened as she gazed at little Eve’s innocent face.
‘Another victim of the Soulstone.’
Remembering what Eve would soon endure, the cookies she’d eaten earlier sat uncomfortably in her stomach, as if undigested.
‘For now, I’ll change things one step at a time. First, I must make Lion my ally. There’s still time before Eve is in danger.’
She calmly composed herself.
Judging by the baby’s appearance—around two years old—the portrait must have been painted roughly eight years ago.
Lion, too, looked like a late teenager, radiating a completely different aura from his present self.
One might say he exuded both fresh vitality and purity; despite his youth, he gave such a saintly impression he seemed to have a halo glowing behind his head.
‘There’s no trace now of that dangerous aura he carries today.’
The frail-looking youth standing opposite Lion, with their parents in the center, was likely Anthony, the eldest brother.
‘Anthony really takes after his mother.’
While Lion and Eve inherited Grand Duke Oscillote’s golden hair and violet eyes, Anthony resembled his mother perfectly with silver hair and green eyes.
‘…And this must be Saintess Larisa.’
Larisa, Lion’s mother, was a beauty whose gentleness resembled lily of the valley.
She had been revered as one of the most holy saints in imperial history, famed for her extraordinary spiritual power—though she passed away when Eve was only three.
Lion must have grown up as the heir expected to carry on his late mother’s legacy.
Of course, he became a Holy Knight not only because of his spiritual talent but also due to his excellent physique and swordsmanship.
Seeing the five similar-looking family members smiling warmly in the portrait made her feel a pang of envy.
‘Family.’
Kasha had never truly known one.
Perhaps she was lost too deeply in thought—
She didn’t hear the footsteps approaching behind her.
“It seems you have a habit of snooping around other people’s studies.”
Startled by the sudden voice, Kasha quickly turned her head.
Lion was standing just three steps away, watching her.
Perhaps because his hair and lashes were still damp from a recent wash, his beauty seemed unusually arresting.
But it wasn’t merely beautiful—it carried an almost dangerously seductive intensity.
Wearing only a thin shirt, the contours of his muscular frame were clearly visible.
She found herself thinking again:
He really was the kind of man anyone would desire.
Noticing Kasha’s steady, unblushing gaze fixed on his body, Lion frowned slightly and gestured with his eyes.
“You said you wanted to talk. Sit.”
“Yes.”
When Kasha moved toward the chair beside her, Lion flinched and pointed instead to the seat across the table.
As soon as she sat, Lion began speaking—but for some reason, avoided meeting her eyes.
“You understand, don’t you, that if I wished, I could easily dispose of someone like you.”
A direct threat, out of nowhere. Kasha answered as gently as she could.
“Of course.”
The corner of his mouth lifted.
“Good to hear. In fact, I’m still debating right now—what would be the most effective way to make you tell the truth.”
Leaning back in his chair, he laced his long fingers together and spoke slowly, almost like a warning. His icy eyes made it clear he wasn’t bluffing.
Kasha opened her mouth calmly.
“Let me hear your decision… first.”
Just then, a servant knocked and entered, placing a tea set on the table.
Her throat dry, Kasha reached for the teapot without hesitation.
As she slowly poured the tea, he watched her in silence.
The porcelain pot proved heavier than expected, causing blue veins to stand out on her pale hands.
Drip… drip…
The air in the room seemed to grow heavier as tea filled the cup, but Kasha, focused on pouring, didn’t notice.
Only when she finally looked up did she catch him hastily averting his gaze, as if flustered.
Ahem.
Lion cleared his throat.
“Then, let’s start by hearing about that curse you mentioned.”
Before speaking, Kasha took a sip of tea.
She was deciding how much to reveal to him.
Three Soulstones.
Three transparent stones, each named Onor, Opus, and Kyllum.
Forged through pacts with demons, each stone held a distinct, formidable power.
The first stone, Onor, granted charm and fame—its bearer would be adored by all.
The second stone, Opus, granted strength—its wielder would gain an unbreakable, invincible body.
The third stone, Kyllum, granted immortality—its master would live forever.
Yet each stone carried a curse as potent as its power—precisely why these stones had lain dormant for so long despite their immense strength.
The curse of the first stone, Onor, was lust.
In exchange for overwhelming charm and fame, its bearer suffered relentless lust—a perfect trap laid by a demon.
“The curse you’re afflicted with… is exactly that.”
Kasha finished her sentence.
Lion listened patiently and without interruption, even as her voice faltered slightly but remained steady.
“The Soulstone Onor.”
Murmuring the words, Lion leaned back in his chair.
His expression was unreadable, betraying nothing of his thoughts.
Kasha hoped he believed her.
Only if he trusted her and joined hands with her could all her plans to save both him and herself proceed smoothly.
“Let me ask you something.”
Lion lifted his head.
His violet eyes burned like fire. Meeting them sent shivers through her entire body.
“How in the world do you know all this?”
“…”
“You may or may not know this, but I’m deputy captain of the Holy Knight Order. My mother was one of the greatest saintesses in continental history. I’ve studied gods and demons since childhood—yet I’ve never heard or seen anything about these Soulstones. So tell me, just who are you to know about them?”
Kasha moistened her lips with her tongue. Everything she’d told him so far had been true.
But from this point on, she’d need to blend truth with lies—to protect herself.
So absorbed was she in her thoughts that she didn’t notice Lion staring intently at her tongue as it passed over her lips.
“I’m… an artificer.”
Surprised by this unexpected confession, Lion raised an eyebrow.
“An artificer?”
“Yes. I’ve been researching… on my own for three years, and achieved results about a year ago.”
“Are you affiliated with the Mage Tower?”
“No. I studied alone. I’m… introverted. Not the type to join groups.”
“…”
Lion stared at Kasha’s face.
Introverted…
Indeed, she carried a different aura from the usual society ladies—her attire wasn’t flamboyant, and though frail to a noticeable degree, her fleeting expressions exuded a mature grace.
Yet considering how she’d approached him at the ball and barged right into the ducal manor, calling her “introverted” seemed a bit of a stretch.
“Fine. Let’s assume that’s true. Then how did you learn about the Soulstones?”
“There was a mage… who gave me advice about the magical artifacts I crafted. He told me… about the three Soulstones.”
She explained that this mage had accidentally discovered a way to separate the stones’ power from their curses.
Later, he’d unfortunately lost the stones to thieves, and during his efforts to track them down, learned that Lion was the first stone’s victim.
Everything was true—except that Kasha herself was the unnamed mage she described.
“What’s that mage’s name?”
“…Wolfbane.”
“Can you contact him now?”
“No. I… don’t know his whereabouts anymore.”
“Wolfbane… It’s a strangely familiar name.”
“…”
Watching Lion’s furrowed brow as he sank into thought, Kasha felt a flicker of anxiety.
Wolfbane. In just one year, that name would be known across the entire continent—
as the leader of the spreading cult and monster factions, like poisonous weeds taking root everywhere.
And Wolfbane was, in truth, the master of Opus, one of the Soulstones.
Could Lion possibly know someone by that name among his acquaintances?
As she wondered, Kasha gathered her hair and swept it behind her shoulder, revealing her collarbone along with the round neckline of her dress.
Lion, glancing up suddenly, found his attention seized by her movement. Losing focus instantly, he snapped irritably,
“Fine. Let’s say I believe your flimsy story—for now. Next question.”
“…”
“So, Kasha Lyuschno—what is it you want from me?”
“I…”
“Spare me the nonsense about wanting me to be happy.”
He continued in a deliberately mocking tone,
though, contrary to his words, he kept his gaze lowered—as if avoiding Kasha’s eyes.
“Lady Kasha Lyuschno. You now hold an immense weakness of mine. With just a word from you, my family and I would be ruined, and I’d be hunted by the Holy Knight Order—a fallen knight tainted by a demon’s curse. Hah.”
He let out a bitter laugh, then suddenly closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair.
Blue veins stood out at his temples.
Was the curse acting up again?
Kasha felt a sharp pang in her chest.
She’d always felt sorrow hearing the anguished cries of victims—those suffering from cursed artifacts and Soulstones—while in prison.
But witnessing Lion’s pain stirred a deeper, more intimate kind of torment.
Was it simple guilt—or was it the tangled fate between her and Lion that caused this complicated ache?
She forced down the urge to approach him—when suddenly, he opened his eyes.
Red veins threaded his eyeballs.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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It’s cute that he is taking care of her, also confused what to do next.
The father is very disappointing. I wondered if he had married his wife out of obligation, as she was a saintess, and now that she is gone, he is going down a spiral.
This chapter was just frustrating, only enemies trying to scheme against our couple