Kasallin’s biological mother passed away from a chronic illness long ago, when Kasallin was so young her memories of her are faint.
Despite the assurance of wealth and honor, her father, who lived fiercely as a professor at the royal academy, became somewhat indolent after her mother’s death.
Like those commonplace nobles.
“Kasallin, say hello. This is the woman who will become your new mother.”
Her father, who had gone abroad briefly for research, returned with a woman.
To Kasallin, the ‘Marchioness Robepon’ was still only her mother.
Yet, the woman who took the place of the marchioness, pushing out the mother still vividly alive in Kasallin’s heart, was holding a young child.
That child’s name was Rose.
“She was born as a blessing from God while traveling with the marquis. She’s your younger sister now, so take good care of her.”
It would be a lie to say she didn’t resent her father, who seemed desperate to forget her late mother, but she couldn’t fully blame him either.
Having gone from an only daughter to the eldest daughter overnight, Kasallin tried, though clumsily, to be a mature older sister.
The new mother tended to favor Rose, but she didn’t mistreat Kasallin.
They might not grow close, but it seemed they could at least be a decent family.
That is, until her father passed away due to the worsening of injuries sustained during the war.
“Kasallin, you must uphold our family’s honor. You must secure a marriage with His Majesty the King. Only then can our Rose become the mistress of a prestigious family.”
The new mother didn’t act like the villainous stepmothers in third-rate novels, but she burdened Kasallin with a responsibility and duty perhaps even more painful.
A stepping stone and foundation for Rose’s success.
Nothing more, nothing less.
“Congratulations. His Majesty the King has chosen Rose Robepon as the next queen.”
When the court official came to their home and said those words, what thoughts truly crossed Rose’s mind?
She herself had been terribly frightened and scared before her own wedding.
Did Rose truly not know how heavy and precarious the position of a queen of a nation was?
.
.
.
“Ugh…”
Kasallin, who had been slumped over the desk, straightened her stiff back, letting out an involuntary groan.
She grimaced at the morning sunlight pouring through the window onto her head.
As she stretched lightly, something fell from under the chair.
It was a blanket.
‘Did a maid come and cover me with it?’
Whoever it was, she was quite grateful.
Kasallin swept her messy bangs back with one hand and quickly glanced at the papers on the desk.
Seeing the pages filled with dense writing, it seemed she had fortunately finished the script for Rose’s reading event before falling asleep.
She felt grateful to herself for working diligently the previous night.
“Is anyone there?”
“Yes, Miss Kasallin.”
“Could you deliver this to Her Majesty the Queen? Tell her it’s for the reading event, and since preparation time was short, it might be lacking, so please review it.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
The maid, who had taken the papers and was about to leave, turned back with a “Yes?”
“Did you perhaps cover me with a blanket last night?”
“No, it wasn’t me…”
“Hm, alright. Go on then.”
Kasallin tilted her head as she watched the maid’s retreating figure.
If not her, then who could it have been?
[This is the timeline separator]Being sick was generally a difficult thing, but sometimes it was nice too.
Her ankle, which hadn’t been that painful to begin with, had long since healed, but Rose decided to enjoy the sympathetic looks and warm attention a bit longer.
Besides, when she lay there with a pale face, Shallen loved her far more than usual.
‘Being sick is definitely a good thing.’
Crunch.
She was leisurely rolling around on her wide bed, biting into a piece of sweet apple peeled by a maid, when it happened.
“Your Majesty the Queen, Miss Kasallin has sent some documents. She said you’d know it’s for the reading event…”
“It’s done!”
Rose sprang from the bed and snatched the papers from the maid.
The moment she saw the elegant handwriting filling the pages, her face lit up like spring sunshine.
‘Making my sister my maid was indeed a brilliant choice.’
She’d just keep making requests like this.
Humming a tune, Rose began reading Kasallin’s writing.
It was a continuous stream of complex sentences. With foreign words sprinkled in, she couldn’t fully grasp the content, but this was enough.
The maid, watching from the side, relayed Kasallin’s request to review it carefully, but Rose shrugged as if to ask what the problem was.
“My sister never makes mistakes. Especially with tasks like this, she always handles them perfectly. I’m sure this time she’s written something flawless too.”
Rose finished preparing and left the room with light steps.
As she crossed the corridor, thinking it wouldn’t be a bad idea to call a jeweler to get a few more necklaces before the ball, it happened.
“What a coincidence.”
A low voice, like it was scraping the ocean floor, echoed off the marble walls.
The person who appeared from the opposite corridor was none other than Emperor Parnes.
Just standing face-to-face made her feel overwhelmed, her shoulders tensing reflexively, but Rose flashed the most beautiful smile she could muster.
“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor. The weather has gotten quite warm, hasn’t it?”
Surprisingly effective, Parnes raised one eyebrow and gave a languid smile in return.
Caught off guard by his unexpectedly kind response, Rose felt a pleasant sort of embarrassment. Somehow, it felt like she was getting a bit closer to this remarkable man, and her shoulders lifted with pride.
Hadn’t her sister said that being specifically asked to give a reading meant he viewed her favorably?
It seemed like this spring, she might build a decent rapport with the emperor.
“Are you well-prepared for the reading event? Time must have been tight.”
“Not at all. I stayed up all night writing, and it was so engaging and fun that I lost track of time.”
“The Queen of Kan is both diligent and cultured.”
Rose covered her mouth and gave a shy smile.
“Thank you for giving me this glorious opportunity. It’s to encourage me, a newly crowned queen, isn’t it?”
“Well, encouragement might not be the word.”
Parnes glanced at the distant mountains faintly visible outside the window, pausing before continuing.
“I wanted to know more about you.”
“What?”
Rose’s clear face flushed with embarrassment.
Unconsciously, she glanced around, her confused eyes darting as she tried to understand what he meant.
He wanted to know her.
Could this mean… he has feelings for me in that way?
Rose could barely breathe.
She had promised to devote her life to Shallen, but now even the emperor of a great nation was openly showing interest, and she didn’t know how to handle it.
Could it be that his earlier kindness to Kasallin was because he didn’t know how to approach her?
If he made a good impression on her maid first, he could naturally close the distance with her, the mistress.
“I was curious. I thought I should learn a bit about what kind of nature you possess.”
“Nature…?”
To Rose’s puzzled question, Parnes responded with an enigmatic gentle smile and passed by her.
“Then, I look forward to an excellent reading.”
[This is the timeline separator]Distinguished guests from various countries, high-ranking nobles of the capital, and court officials gathered in one place.
Entering the hall where the reading event was held, Kasallin followed the knights’ guidance to her assigned seat and glanced around.
Rose stood in the center of the hall, preparing for her reading.
And Shallen sat in the front row, smiling proudly as if he was very pleased with her.
“His Majesty the Emperor arrives.”
At Ludwig’s announcement, the nobles in the hall rose to pay their respects.
“Thank you all for attending. I am overjoyed to have arranged this fine gathering to celebrate this grand occasion.”
“We share the same sentiment, Your Majesty.”
As Parnes took his seat at the head, he scanned the crowd for someone.
Kasallin, watching him comfortably from a distance, locked eyes with him directly.
“Then, let’s begin without delay. Queen Riche, are you ready?”
“Yes, I’m ready.”
As Rose ascended the platform with light steps, Parnes subtly raised the corners of his mouth toward her.
One thing was certain: it could hardly be called a smile. If anything, it was closer to a wicked smirk.
“Then, I will begin the reading.”
Rose’s voice, slightly youthful for a queen of a nation, resonated loudly through the hall.
She read the text clearly and confidently for quite some time.
About halfway through, Parnes suddenly tapped the table to stop her.
Rose, who had been so focused on reading the script clearly that she hadn’t noticed the audience’s reactions, only then realized the nobles were murmuring strangely.
“Is something wrong…?”
“Hearing claims about history repeating itself piqued my curiosity. Queen, may I ask a few questions?”
Rose’s eyes wavered greatly.
Parnes continued without giving her a chance to respond.
“I’ve heard that recently, the Kingdom of Kan has been struggling with food supply due to strange birds invading farms. I understand there was a precedent for this about fifty years ago. What are your thoughts?”
Caught off guard by the emperor’s question, Rose floundered visibly, sending a pleading look to Shallen seated across from her.
Realizing something was wrong with Rose’s text, Shallen quickly spoke up on his wife’s behalf before the nobles could grow more suspicious.
“It seems the situation has been exaggerated abroad. Compared to fifty years ago, the actual damage is…”
“I’m terribly sorry, but I’d like to hear the Queen of Kan’s response. She is the star of today’s event, after all.”
Shallen opened his mouth but ultimately closed it.
Indeed, the emperor had specifically directed his question at Rose, and Shallen answering on her behalf was clearly a breach of etiquette.
In the silent atmosphere, the guests held their breath, waiting only for the queen’s response. Rose, trembling as if she might burst into tears, clenched her fists and quivered her lips anxiously.
Her desperate gaze finally landed on Kasallin.
‘Sister, what’s going on? Help me.’
It was as if she were saying that, but regrettably, there was no way to help.
The emperor had just firmly stated he wanted to hear the queen’s response, not anyone else’s.
And truthfully, it wasn’t a situation that warranted such distress. The text she had been reading thoughtlessly could be smoothly handled with some elaboration to clear up misunderstandings.
She had clearly been warned. Kasallin had said she couldn’t guarantee a perfect text and urged her to review it carefully.
But it seemed Rose hadn’t even done that.
Judging by her expression, she hadn’t even thought about the content while reading.
Ignoring Rose’s desperate gaze coldly, Kasallin listened to the conversations of the nobles seated around her.
“It’s not even a difficult question. Why can’t she answer?”
“Exactly. And isn’t there something odd about the text? It’s logically sound, but it feels like it lacks evidence…”
As Rose’s silence stretched on unusually long, the guests began to murmur more audibly.
Shallen closed his eyes in frustration.
Parnes, who had been leisurely observing as if to see how long she’d stay silent, finally spoke when Rose’s face flushed red with shame.
“Dear Queen of Kan, just to be sure, did you truly write that text yourself?”
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.]
