Lady Pashad, the Countess, spoke without knowing what was in others’ hearts.
“Sending so many of the flowers that you like, Your Majesty the Empress, and not just any other flowers. This has never happened before……. Could it be a sign that His Majesty the Emperor finally started to love you?”
Rasilia clenched her teeth once before speaking.
“That doesn’t seem right.”
“……Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Using the words ‘finally started to love’ implies that he hasn’t been loving before. Just as memory loss is not a reason to love someone, His Majesty has no newfound reason to love me. The flowers are probably a consolation.”
“That, that is…….”
Lady Pashad, the Countess, stumbled on her words and couldn’t finish.
Seeing this made it feel more real that the emperor and empress were not on good terms.
It wasn’t just that they weren’t good; they openly surveilled each other.
‘There were rumors in Dellarata that the emperor of the empire abused the empress. Even if the rumors were exaggerated, there must have been a problem. The knight said earlier that the empress hadn’t been fulfilling her role, and that might have led to the abuse.’
What was the reason for this? What kind of couple were the emperor and empress?
Her thoughts continued, one after the other.
Meanwhile, the time faithfully flowed toward evening.
[This is the time separator]Count Ferguson, the head of the palace attendants in the imperial palace, was a very competent man.
His presence was faint, overshadowed by two shadow knights, but he certainly fulfilled his role.
He also heard a little later than the knights that the empress would visit the emperor.
He knew, of course, that the emperor had ordered all the gardenias in the garden to be picked and sent to the empress. That’s why he had driven the gardeners mad.
Anyway, he made all the preparations for tonight, when the first conjugal night in four years might occur.
He lit dozens of candles in the emperor’s bedroom and pulled all the curtains down.
He even brought a dining table into the room and prepared food for both to eat, along with the sweetest tasting wine in the palace.
Most importantly, he invested his efforts in the emperor’s attire.
Since Her Majesty the Empress wore the nightgown that she had not worn on the first night, it was only fitting that the emperor should dress similarly.
Regrettably, there was no special nightgown made for the first night. However, there were plenty of new ones, more than enough to step on.
A few dozen sets of pajamas were laid out, and after much consideration, Persson recommended a nightgown instead.
To complement her dazzling golden eyes and golden hair, the gown had to be black.
It had to have embroidery, but using gold thread would be too much, so silver was necessary. The pattern should not be too large, but also not too plain.
Finally settling on a nightgown, Persson sprinkled it with a perfume made from gardenia flowers.
As he told Rascal to put on the gown over her bare body, Rascal looked at him suspiciously.
“Ahem, ahem. You will look very pleasing, Your Majesty.”
Persson was someone who boasted that no one in this palace could match his aesthetic sense.
“With the subtle and sensual atmosphere of the bedroom, Your Majesty the Empress will surely not want to sleep elsewhere tonight.”
“…In that case.”
In the end, Rascal slipped her arms into the gown.
Persson, who tied the gown loosely but never in a way that looked intentional, personally styled Rascal’s hair in lieu of the court ladies.
“It would be best to have your bangs down today, Your Majesty.”
“Just do it.”
With permission granted, Persson’s hands moved swiftly. Almost humming with satisfaction, Persson gritted his teeth and maintained a respectful expression.
“It’s done, Your Majesty.”
Even as he took his hands away, Persson felt boundless pride in his justcompleted work.
“Her Majesty the Empress will surely be captivated.”
He knew the Empress’s temperament was erratic. But no matter how twisted and contorted a woman she might be, she had no choice but to melt at that stunning beauty, and she absolutely had to.
They could not greet the Emperor’s thirtieth birthday as things stood.
The Emperor, knowing that time was running short, was clearly working to recover their neglected marital relationship.
Then it was Persson’s duty to devote himself entirely.
But Rascal’s words that followed froze Persson in place.
“If the Empress doesn’t like it, you take responsibility.”
“Uh, ugh… Your… Your Majesty…”
As Persson turned pale, Rascal indifferently turned her head and looked at the wall clock.
The Empress would be arriving soon.
[This is the time separator]There was no way to avoid it.
She even thought about hiding somewhere. However, the Emperor, with his stubbornness, had already sent people to fill the passage leading from the bedroom without a gap.
“Her Majesty the Empress, it is time.”
“…….”
Rasilia looked at the small man who was the chief of the court servants in the Emperor’s palace.
From the moment she entered the Empress’s palace, she felt the determination in his taut expression, counting the remaining time by seconds, to lead the Empress to the Emperor no matter what.
‘Well, I’ve refused so many times, it’s bound to be like this. …There’s no way to avoid it.’
There was nothing she could do.
If she couldn’t avoid facing the Emperor, she had to find another way.
Rasilia swallowed dryly and nodded.
“Lead the way.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Maids and court servants, and the royal guards surrounded Rasilia on all sides as they headed towards the Emperor’s palace.
The number of people was so large that anyone would have thought they were not going to meet the Emperor, but going to fight a war somewhere.
Thud.
Anyway, they arrived at the Emperor’s palace, exchanged the formalities that had to be exchanged, and after everyone else withdrew, the door closed behind her.
“…….”
Rasilia found the Emperor’s bedroom, somehow more stifling than the prophet’s room, oppressive. The air, several times heavier than elsewhere, seemed to press flat against her body.
In the midst of them, the man with the most profound presence, even in this dark place, brushed back his shining golden hair and opened his lips towards himself.
“So now,”
“…….”
“Tell me what would be good to do.”
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.]
