Don't Get Caught By Your Husband! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Tap. Tap.
“…….”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
A rhythmic sound of dripping water came from somewhere.
The sound of droplets falling slowly from the ceiling and striking the floor.
Belladonna, regaining faint awareness, furrowed her brow.
Where am I…?
Slowly lifting her heavy eyelids, she found an entirely unfamiliar space spread before her eyes.
Belladonna looked around with a bewildered expression. This was a place she had never visited, completely unknown to her.
Neither Astanya nor Griblata.
No—this wasn’t even within the Eleanor Empire. Where on earth was this?
{Are you awake?}
A low voice flowed into her mind.
Belladonna jerked in surprise and turned her head.
But all around her was just an empty blue space, silent except for the constant sound of dripping water.
Where in the world am I…?!
Belladonna hunched her shoulders and anxiously scanned her surroundings.
{Right here.}
The same voice from before echoed again inside her head.
Belladonna rose from where she’d been lying and slowly began to walk.
She didn’t know where to go, yet she walked forward.
For some reason, she simply felt she had to.
{Good job. But that’s not the right direction.}
Another voice.
Belladonna jumped in alarm and turned sharply toward the opposite side.
There, sitting quietly in the exact spot where she’d lain moments ago, was a woman.
Her long silver hair flowing down her back felt strangely familiar.
Who is she?
At that instant, the woman turned her head toward Belladonna.
That’s…!
A woman with shimmering silver hair and blue eyes smiled gently at her.
That’s Saintess Belladonna!
Recognizing the figure, Belladonna’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.
{Oh dear, you must be more careful.}
The Saintess spoke kindly toward the fallen Belladonna.
Belladonna continued to stare at her with a blank, dazed expression.
Was this a mirror? Or perhaps…?
Frowning, Belladonna lowered her head to look at herself.
Her palms, scraped raw and blistered, were horribly swollen.
Her skin, once pale, was now darkly sunburnt and unrecognizable. Her legs were painfully thin, covered in countless small wounds.
She jerked back in shock, pushing herself away from the ground.
This… this is me from my past life—as the farmer’s daughter…!
{Exactly. That’s you.}
The Saintess opened her mouth to speak.
Belladonna looked up at her with trembling eyes.
The Saintess gazed back at her with a tender, affectionate smile.
{So, how did it feel—living as me?}
Belladonna slowly shook her head.
W-What is this…? D-Did I die again?
{Don’t worry. You haven’t died. I just called you here briefly because I was curious.}
Curious? Briefly called me here?
Belladonna looked up at the Saintess, still utterly baffled.
{I suppose you still don’t quite understand, do you?}
I don’t understand… anything.
Who you are, who I am, where this place is—nothing makes sense…
Belladonna raised both hands and clutched her hair.
The strands between her fingers weren’t lush silver, but dry, split black hair.
Watching Belladonna’s confusion, the Saintess smiled mysteriously and spoke again.
{So, tell me—which form do you prefer? That one? Or this one?}
O-Of course…!
Belladonna almost answered that she preferred the Saintess’s form—but the words caught in her throat, leaving her hesitating.
…Was Saintess Belladonna’s life truly a good one?
She had possessed stunning beauty, never endured physically exhausting labor, and always lived in a lavish sanctuary, eating fine food.
{Of course it’s me, isn’t it?}
But she…
Belladonna grimaced, recalling the cunning, sinister face of the Pope and the two-faced hypocrisy of those around her.
A chill crept up from deep within, quickly turning into revulsion so strong it made her want to retch.
“Ugh…!”
Belladonna clamped both hands over her mouth as nausea surged unexpectedly.
{Indeed, it’s a difficult question.}
The Saintess stood up from her seat, twirling playfully with a pleased smile.
{But surely you wouldn’t prefer the short, miserable life of that poor farmer’s daughter? I do feel somewhat guilty for giving you only that kind of life.}
The Saintess ceased her spinning and crept slowly toward Belladonna.
Finally, she reached out, lifted Belladonna’s chin, and met her eyes with a slight upward curve of her lips.
{Hmm… It seems I summoned you too hastily. I was just so curious—my patience has always been rather limited, you see.}
Tears had already gathered in Belladonna’s eyes as she looked up at the Saintess.
She felt overwhelmed and afraid.
She understood nothing—not what was happening to her, nor why any of this was occurring.
{Then go on and live a little longer. I’ll call you again later. Don’t cry.}
The moment the Saintess finished speaking, the blue space began to warp from the outer edges inward.
W-What’s happening…?!
Belladonna flinched as the surroundings crumpled around her like a scrap of paper.
The distorting space rapidly closed in toward her and the Saintess—and then swallowed them whole.
No…!!
[This is the timeline separator]“Hah…!”
Belladonna gasped sharply as she jolt awake from her dream.
Where am I?
The ceiling looked both unfamiliar and oddly familiar.
Belladonna opened her eyes wide, blinking rapidly as she tried to calm her racing heart.
‘What was that? I feel like I had a dream…’
But she couldn’t remember anything at all.
And why were her eyes damp…? Had she unknowingly had a frightening dream?
After a few minutes, as her heartbeat gradually returned to normal, Belladonna slowly turned her head.
Plop.
She heard the sound of a damp cloth falling from her forehead onto the bed.
Her gaze followed the spot where the cloth had landed, trailing along the bed.
At the edge of her vision, she saw a man sitting quietly in a chair beside the bed, watching her.
His cold golden eyes looked down at her with a quietly intense gaze.
[This is the timeline separator]
Urgent footsteps echoed down the corridor.
The person chasing after the man ahead finally managed to catch up enough to speak.
“My lord! P-Please, calm down!”
Escalion strode forward without slowing his pace.
Damn it…
His perfectly chiseled jaw tightened angrily.
He kept muttering vulgar curses under his breath as he quickened his steps.
Bang!
“My—my lord!”
As he burst into the room, the tear-streaked maid jumped up from her seat.
Behind her lay a small figure resting on the bed.
“Since when?”
“J-Just earlier this afternoon… After the jeweler and the tailor couple left, she took a short stroll in the garden, and then suddenly…”
The maid hiccuped through her tears as she answered.
Escalion brushed past her without a word and stood over Belladonna’s bed.
Wolf, who had entered the room a step later, gently patted Cindy’s shoulder to comfort her.
“Cindy, you must have been very frightened. You’ve done well.”
“N-No, butler… Hic…”
“What did the physician say?”
Escalion asked in a low voice, his fists clenched tightly.
She collapsed during the day. While she lay unconscious, and the physician came and went, he—the useless fool—had been wasting time outside the manor.
“He said it was influenza… Probably from overexertion recently or prolonged exposure to cold wind.”
“And?”
“He said, fortunately, there’s no danger to her life. However, she’s extremely weakened… He advised we monitor her closely until she shows clear signs of recovery…”
Only after hearing that her life wasn’t in danger did he feel the suffocating pressure around his throat finally ease.
Though even then, the relief felt incomplete.
“Did she take medicine?”
“I already gave her the medicine. Her fever has gone down quite a bit since earlier, though she still has a slight one…”
“She’s a Saintess, isn’t she? Can’t she use her divine power to heal herself?”
“Divine power always places a hidden burden on its user… Especially the Saintess’s healing ability—it consumes a fixed amount of her own life force each time it’s used. Healing herself would place tremendous strain on her body, so it’s unlikely she could manage it right now.”
“…I see.”
Escalion muttered, his brow furrowed.
“You may leave now.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“…”
“Come on, come on. We should go now.”
Seeing Escalion’s silence, Wolf gently pulled Cindy away by the shoulder.
Cindy looked back at Escalion’s back, utterly confused.
“B-But…”
“My lord, then we shall return to see you again tomorrow morning.”
The quick-witted Wolf dragged Cindy out into the corridor and closed the door behind them.
Cindy immediately tried to turn back toward the room.
“Butler! Her ladyship still…!”
“Shh! Stay quiet. His lordship clearly wishes to stay.”
“But I should be by her side…!”
“Let’s go now. His lordship can surely handle everything Her Ladyship might need.”
Cindy looked at Wolf with a frustrated expression.
“It’s absolutely not because you’re lacking in any way.”
“Then why…?”
“…It’s because His Lordship is overflowing—with care.”
Though still perplexed, Cindy had no choice but to turn away after repeated urging.
Down the corridor, the sound of their footsteps gradually faded until silence returned.
“…”
Escalion pulled out the chair the maid had just vacated and sat down, silently gazing at Belladonna on the bed.
“Hrrk… Hah…”
She seemed to be in great distress, breathing heavily with a pained expression.
Still clenching his jaw, Escalion reached toward her forehead.
The cloth there had already turned lukewarm in his hand.
Splash, splash.
He repeatedly rinsed the cloth in the basin of cold water beside the bed.
After thoroughly wringing it out with his large hands, he gently placed it back on her forehead.
“Haa…”
Her expression looked slightly more at ease than before, but her breathing remained labored.
Escalion tightly clenched the fists resting on his knees.
Why was he so furious?
Was it because the woman he’d brought home with a fortune in dowry was so frail?
Because she’d followed him silently without protest, then caught influenza from the chilly seaside wind?
Or perhaps…
Was he enraged at himself for his own carelessness—allowing such a thing to happen to his wife while he was away?
There might have been other reasons too—or maybe all of them together were the cause.
“Urgh…”
At that moment, a tiny whimper escaped from her slightly parted lips.
Escalion’s face hardened as he stared down at Belladonna.
“Uuh… Hrrk…”
Belladonna let out a soft moan.
Escalion’s golden eyes widened slightly.
Unable to look away, he unconsciously held his breath.
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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Chapter Comments (1)
Without Belladonna realizing it, she’s slowly forming fond memories with Escalion, but doubt lingers. The painting of the two of them is leaving a lasting impression on her.
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