After Linking the Villainess and Male Lead (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
Could it be because we’d been together all day?
From behind, I felt that familiar, crisp scent—distinct and even stronger when he’d fastened the hair ornament for me—and his low voice echoed in my ear.
“Where have you been?”
It was Kaern.
“Your Grace.”
I turned around and looked at Kaern.
For some reason I couldn’t fathom, his expression was tightly set.
“Didn’t you say you’d wait right here while I went to see His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Huh? Ah, well…”
“Your health isn’t even good—what would you have done if you collapsed from waiting like that?”
“Well…”
Sweat beads had formed lightly on his forehead—had he been searching everywhere for me after I vanished?
Since I’d disappeared without a word, I was entirely to blame, and I could only shift my eyes helplessly without uttering a reply.
“Hello. Duke of Lavellion.”
Just then, Evelyn, who’d been with me, slipped between us like a savior.
“I’m Evelyn Viatrice of House Viatrice. Adelia and Helena and I all attended the Academy together.”
At the mention of Adelia, I saw Kaern’s gaze shift from me to Evelyn.
Relieved inwardly, I silently watched the two of them.
Had the original plot unfolded as written, this would have been the meeting between the novel’s heroine and the villainous older brother who’d once endangered her.
Truthfully, the two characters had barely any interaction in the original story.
No—more accurately, they’d had none at all.
But the story had changed, and the future was being rewritten anew.
‘If it’s Evelyn…’
Framing Kaern and Evelyn together in my mind, I realized they made quite a well-suited pair.
Exactly.
Standing beside Kaern, Evelyn—the story’s true protagonist—fit far better than someone like me, who’d merely appeared as an extra.
A noble lineage worthy of admiration, beautiful looks, a sharp mind, and upright character—everything befitting a heroine.
Since we’d crossed paths like this, perhaps I could…
‘No, no.’
I hastily slammed the brakes on that rising thought.
Interfering even slightly in someone else’s life had already been done enough through Adelia.
Adelia was unavoidable.
She was my friend, one of the most precious people to me—I simply couldn’t stand by and watch as she walked straight into hell.
But that time was over now.
My goal had already been achieved, and from the start, I’d never possessed the right to dictate anyone else’s fate.
‘If they’re meant to be together, they’ll find their way regardless.’
Even without my interference.
All I needed to do was grant him his freedom.
Though my heart gave a sharp twinge in that moment, I deliberately turned away from that feeling and focused solely on that grand principle.
‘After all… if Evelyn ends up with Kaern, I won’t even get to see Adelia anymore.’
“I’ve heard so much about Your Grace from so many people—I’ve truly wanted to meet you. I was sorry I couldn’t attend the wedding, but I’m glad I’ve run into you here.”
While I’d been lost in thought for a moment, Evelyn kept speaking to Kaern.
Her eyes, fixed on him, sparkled with anticipation.
“Kaern Lavellion.”
That was all.
After introducing himself briefly, Kaern said nothing further to her.
Then, almost immediately, his gaze locked back onto me.
“Helena, let’s step out onto the terrace for a moment. Staying among the crowd might make your recovering health worse again.”
“Huh?”
“Lady Viatrice, the timing isn’t right today. Let’s properly greet each other another time.”
With that, Kaern walked past Evelyn toward the terrace.
“But, Your Grace…”
His actions were clearly ignoring Evelyn, and I stood still, unsure what to do, glancing back and forth between them.
When I didn’t immediately follow him, Kaern stopped and turned around.
His eyes, fixed on me, seemed somehow slightly irritated.
“Why do you keep forgetting that you’re my fiancée?”
“Huh? Ah, well…”
He must have misunderstood—thinking I’d hidden my poor health because I didn’t want to burden him.
Since I had indeed caused him worry, I was the guilty one, and for now, it seemed best to simply obey him.
“Evelyn, I’m sorry. Next time we meet, we’ll talk more.”
“Oh? Sure. Don’t worry—go ahead. I can always see you again later.”
“Yeah. I really am sorry.”
As Evelyn leaned close to whisper her final farewell into my ear, she let slip a meaningful remark.
“It’s fine, Helena. After all, I got to witness a rare side of Duke Kaern Lavellion, who’s famed for his icy composure. I should be the one thanking you.”
Then, with that, she gave a faint, knowing smile and disappeared into the crowd.
Though I couldn’t quite grasp the full meaning of Evelyn’s last words, my ears grew inexplicably warm.
Tilting my head in confusion, I turned back to look at Kaern.
Indeed, his usual calm and composed demeanor seemed just slightly different.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
As I moved, Kaern immediately led the way onto the terrace, and I followed him inside.
The moment I stepped onto the terrace, Kaern swiftly drew the curtains, cutting us off completely from the banquet hall.
Now, in this narrow space, only Kaern and I remained.
Kaern stared at me in silence.
Gauging his mood, I spoke first with an apology.
“I said I’d wait… I’m sorry. Were you looking for me the whole time?”
I offered a faint smile, trying to ease the icy atmosphere.
“It’s cold outside—you went somewhere without even a coat?”
“Oh, while Your Grace went to see His Majesty the Emperor, I met a friend. I thought I’d be back quickly, so I left lightly dressed, but it ended up taking longer than expected.”
“A friend? Do you mean that young lady just now?”
“Oh, no. A different friend—someone I also studied with at the Academy.”
I deliberately avoided mentioning that friend was Lucas Aiker.
It wasn’t just anyone—Lucas, who’d once liked Adelia, surely wouldn’t sit well with Kaern.
Last time, when I’d unintentionally mentioned Lucas, Kaern had looked visibly displeased.
“A friend… So, was she the one from the Academy who spent time with Adelia, like the young lady I just saw?”
“Huh? No, that’s not it…”
I hesitated briefly, then decided to be honest with him.
Since I’d done nothing wrong, it was better to tell things as they happened than hide them and create misunderstandings.
With that judgment, I carefully began to speak.
“Lucas Aiker.”
“Lucas Aiker?”
“Yes. He said he’d just returned to the capital after being away for a while and came to greet me. It’d been so long since I’d seen him, so we ended up chatting a bit.”
“Lucas Aiker—wasn’t he the one who confessed to Adelia back then?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. He claimed he’d completely forgotten about Adelia now. Though he did say something rather odd…”
Though now his next target had become me.
While that had put me in an awkward position, from Kaern’s perspective, hearing that his sister had been forgotten likely brought some relief.
So I thought his mood might lighten—but for some reason, his expression only grew grimmer.
“Something odd? Don’t tell me—after saying he’d forgotten Adelia, he confessed to you instead?”
“…Yes?”
What? How did he know?
Caught completely off guard, I stared at him with my mouth agape.
Then, realizing my mistake, I quickly spoke up.
“N-no, that’s not it! Why would Lucas possibly like me?”
Unless Lucas went around blabbing about it, Kaern would never find out.
Yet Kaern stared at me as if he could read my innermost thoughts.
I tried my best to appear nonchalant and avoid giving anything away.
But I had no idea what expression I was wearing right then.
“That’s how it should be.”
After a long silence, Kaern finally spoke—his voice notably lower than usual.
“There must never be anyone daring enough to harbor feelings for my fiancée.”
Fiancée…
Hearing that word slip from Kaern sent a jolt through my heart.
Because I realized soon I wouldn’t hear that word again.
At the same time, a surge of emotion rose within me—moved by his concern for me.
Just as he’d claimed to be my fiancé solely to protect me despite having no feelings for me, now too, he was clearly worried someone might look at me too easily.
Especially now that Adelia, who’d always been by my side, was gone, he must have felt it even more keenly.
Truly, I was so grateful for his care that my heart still ached faintly—and tingled at the same time.
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.
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If there is a person checking these comments. Can you please add a word/letter count to the bottom. Also sometimes the comments don’t stay within the chapter you read but throughout the whole book, please fix that glitch. Another, per book- hour limited to how many comments can earn cookies – it’s better you write that somewhere or give a notification to the commenter about that. The notification about the 3/3 free reads glitch too, sometimes it says 3/1,1/3,1/1 or not work. The cookies glitch sometimes too, id have 10 but when I try to unlock chapter it keeps saying I have none. Love yalls work!
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