Helena of Pretterita.
The rose blooming between walls.
Though she left just before full bloom, she remained a brilliantly etched flower.
Twelve-year-old Paul, who lived behind her house, remembered her.
His brother Theo, who had spent much longer with her, would have remembered even more. It was a poignant moment, realizing his brother had passed away first.
Still, Paul answered as best he could, sincerely, to the large, kind-eyed man standing like a sturdy tree at the edge of the village.
He said he came looking for Helena.
Learning that she wasn’t in Pretterita but had moved to Hyer with the Owen family, the man’s expression visibly relaxed.
“Thanks for telling me. Take care of my brother’s funeral with this.”
And then, like a bolt of lightning, luck struck.
The large man left as suddenly as he had come. Paul slowly opened his palm. Five gold coins sparkled, out of place against his weathered skin.
“Whoa.”
There were times when gentlemen passing through the village would toss coins for errands. But none of those coins were as heavy and yellow as these.
Paul, unsure of what to do, paced back and forth. Then he handed the gold coin to his grandfather and quickly chased after Ian.
“Excuse me! Just a moment!”
Ian and Dion halted. Paul, catching his breath and kneeling, thrust out his fist.
“Here, take this.”
It was the bouquet of flowers he had just placed on his brother’s grave. Clutched too tightly, the stems were bent and wilted.
Paul’s face flushed with embarrassment.
“I’m sorry this is all I have. But it’s the prettiest thing I own…”
His voice trailed off, his filthy fist trembling with shame.
Could such a trivial bunch of flowers mean anything to someone who casually carries gold coins? Paul berated himself for his impulsive gesture.
Meanwhile, Ian carefully took the bouquet from Paul’s brave offering. Sniffing the flowers lightly, he smiled pleasantly.
“Marigolds.”
“Um…?”
“That’s the name of these flowers. Like you and I have names, these wildflowers also yearn to be recognized by someone.”
Ian looked down at the boy gently and asked,
“What’s your name?”
“Pa-Paul. My grandfather picked me up from the streets, but it was my brother Theo who named me.”
“Theo…?”
Ian’s lips tightened slightly, his gaze becoming distant, as if revisiting a fragment of his past.
After a brief silence, Ian looked at Paul with deeper eyes.
“I see. Thank you, Paul, for the beautiful flowers. Your grandfather made a good brother for Theo.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Theo must have been happy to have you. Even someone meeting you for the first time, like me, can tell.”
Ian gently patted Paul’s small head. Paul nodded and returned to his grandfather.
Watching from a few steps away, Dion approached Ian and grumbled softly,
“You’re incredibly, very, extremely kind, aren’t you? Couldn’t you be like that with me?”
“I’m not so benevolent to tolerate a complaining subject.”
Ian turned away sharply, his face no longer gentle as when facing the child. Dion, accustomed to such treatment, bowed his head lightly and followed.
“Yes, of course. Silence is golden. Since I have neither gold nor anything else, I’ll stay quiet.”
Ian, with the crumpled flowers still in hand, led the way through the carrot fields. Dion tilted his head in curiosity.
‘Why is he keeping that?’
Curiosity was a primal whisper that enticed Dion, often leading him into danger. Unable to resist, he ventured one last question.
“May I ask just one more thing?”
“Prepare to be planted upside down next to those carrots if it’s pointless.”
Undeterred, Dion pointed at the flowers.
“Are you really not going to throw that away? It’s just a common flower from the roadside… Oh. Wait, could it be…?”
Realizing something, Dion covered his mouth in astonishment. Instead of scolding him, Ian smirked.
“You really do belong next to those carrots. You even look like them. That carrot might have been a person like you, cursed to become what it is now.”
Hmm. The use of “you” in such a formal tone is a clear alarm.
“I apologize.”
“Ah, aren’t you the uncle who fled with all his wealth when he was supposed to enter the Academy? Why don’t you go and talk to the carrots? Maybe they’ll burst out of the soil and ask why you came so late.”
“I am extremely sorry.”
“You might still have the stolen wealth, so dig around. It could be useful for security expenses.”
“I must have been momentarily insane.”
“Understood. Now, go do your duty.”
“Yes, Your Majesty’s faithful servant, Dion Sedric, at your service. I shall now prepare for your safe journey to the destination.”
The rash servant hastily sprinted away, disappearing faster than ever before.
Left alone, Ian stared blankly at the sky. Grey clouds gathered, hinting at an imminent downpour.
As he slowly opened his hand holding the flower, a subtle scent of the bloom emanated from his palm, mingling with old memories.
“Theo’s grandfather used to say that it’s not a sin to desire. Wanting something you don’t have, longing for something, wishing for something – that’s all natural.”
The girl had appeared like a beacon of light in a dark night. Her voice, those nights – he had never forgotten them.
“Trample over those who put you in this position, seize what you desire. Ascend to the highest place and make it known. Make it so that everyone has no choice but to see you.”
Ian remembered the girl’s skin that had touched the tip of his fingers. It wasn’t a gentle pulse that could be easily brushed away.
“Show them that I, whom you discarded, am breathing, living, existing.”
It was a relentless, deeply embedded heartbeat.
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.]
