Good. Location confirmed.
“Do you see any emblems or something on each estate? It’s hard to tell which family it is just by location.”
Answering my deceitful question, Ruth said sincerely,
“The first estate has a lily, the second has cotton flowers, and the third one has hydrangeas.”
“Ah, I know which families they are now.”
“Where do you intend to go?”
Michael, who was holding onto the arm opposite Ruth, asked me.
There were three choices.
Either go to the closest Duke Damon’s estate from here.
Or go to Count Celeste’s estate located in Duo-2 District.
Or head to Earl Lutri’s estate, who had audaciously imprisoned Benedict Fairman in the basement.
Without hesitation, I answered immediately.
“If it’s the noble estate located in the southeast of Duo-2 District, then it’s Earl Lutri’s estate. Let’s go there first.”
‘First, I need to rescue Benedict, who can be a part of our force.’
I decided this because it might be difficult to save Benedict later due to the number of people we rescue.
The reward for successfully recruiting him as a party member was also tempting.
‘Nadia Lutri…’
I didn’t know what rash act that brat, the villain, would take.
Zero chattered on my shoulder.
“According to the search, it was Nadia Lutri who imprisoned Benedict Fairman in the basement.”
‘Yeah, I expected as much…’
Nadia had a hobby of collecting pretty things.
I was very well aware of the numerous descriptions in the original work that depicted Benedict as lovely as a doll.
“Be careful, host. She has enormous grudges against ‘Elizabeth.'”
Feeling tense, I gritted my teeth.
‘Damn it… Why do I have to clean up the mess that the real Elizabeth made?’
“It’s the fate you face as a host. Accept it.”
‘Damn.’
The sub-quest Zero offered also included punishing Nadia Lutri.
Even if I wanted to avoid her, I had to meet her if I wanted the reward.
‘I hope she doesn’t do anything psycho.’
Please, don’t harm Benedict!
“But considering she boldly kidnapped Benedict Fairman in broad daylight to take revenge on Siena, I think your hopes might already be misplaced.”
“Stop flooding me with grim reality awareness…”
A deep sigh escaped me.
Rus, who had been intently watching my downcast demeanor, asked,
“Do you have some sort of grudge with the House of Rutley?”
I do. With you as well.
“Yes… Nadia Rutley, their only daughter, is my peer. She tried to harm Siena before but got exposed and now she can’t enter the social circle.”
“Why… Ah.”
Rus’s expression turned grim.
Mihail was similar.
“Listening to you, it faintly comes back to me. The young lady with red hair, right? The audacious one who got caught trying to poison Siena with tainted tea?”
“…It was blue hair, Rus.”
Mistakenly remembering the hair color of a minor villain…
If Nadia heard this, she would be furious. It was extremely fortunate she wasn’t present.
“And the one pulling the strings behind that young lady was… you, Duke.”
The atmosphere turned cold upon Mihail’s words.
Chilling. It feels as if a hole was blasted into my chest.
“Y-yes…”
Mihail and Rus also sighed deeply, as if my admission infected them.
“So you’re going to meet not survivors, but enemies?”
“That young lady will probably try to kill the Duke. Regardless of the situation.”
“I know that too… Yes…”
Nadia Rutley, the unruly and reckless daughter of the House of Rutley, who grew up spoiled and uncontrollable.
She was a person with a fearsome character who forgets favors but pays back grudges tenfold.
“But there’s a reason I must go there.”
“What is it?”
I can’t tell them that Zero found it through the system window, so I had to make up a lie.
“It seems that Benedict Fairman, who is a half-elf, is imprisoned there.”
“What?”
“What did you say?”
Both Rus and Mihail were visibly surprised upon hearing the name Benedict, who was once a comrade in unrequited love and a rival.
“Didn’t Benedict return to his homeland?”
“What makes you think that Benedict is confined in House Rutley?”
I had to answer the two anxious men like this.
“Though I dislike Nadia, Her Highness the Crown Princess also despises her quite a bit.”
“Okay, so?”
“Given Nadia Rutley’s brazen personality, she would have certainly caused a commotion by throwing flour or eggs upon hearing the news of the Crown Princess’s wedding. But as far as I remember, she definitely did not appear at the wedding venue.”
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.]
