Had she been more stirring and assertive, perhaps there would have been snide remarks about the boldness of a lowly red-haired woman in the Castle of Loen.
However, her indifferent attitude, barely uttering yes or no, left no room for criticism or rebuke. The stories about her fiercely spirited maid were more the talk of the castle.
Initially, her quiet demeanor seemed favorable, but on the other hand, it was also irritating.
‘Irritating?’
Kyan questioned his sudden thought.
There were no set rules about what time a lady should go to bed or wait for her husband.
So, if a woman who had traveled a long way in the rain and practically stayed up all night for their first night fell asleep early, it shouldn’t be a matter of concern, especially not for him over a woman from Bermont!
Determined to wake and trouble the sleeping woman with all kinds of pettish thoughts, Kyan, upon opening the bedroom door, locked eyes with Clodel standing close by.
Her golden eyes, in the dimming surroundings, shone brighter, almost as if the moon had risen in the black night sky. Her pale skin gleamed softly in the moonlight filtering into the room.
He was pleased to see the woman, in her nightgown and barefoot, welcoming him.
The woman, who suffered through the rain yesterday, seemed more beautiful today, having rested the entire day. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly where, but if Kyan felt it, it must be so.
Approaching their second night, he felt he understood why such asceticism had been imposed on his predecessors.
In the battlefield, amidst clashing shields and spears, feeling the triumph and catharsis when piercing the enemy leader’s heart, he experienced a similar exhilaration several times on top of Clodel.
Those moments when he felt electrified from head to toe, almost detached from the world.
Clodel, overwhelmed with heat, did not cool down easily, so Kyan contentedly held her in his arms and breathed heavily.
As their heavy breathing subsided, silence ensued.
Yesterday, Clodel had fallen asleep immediately, so such a moment had not occurred.
Apparently accustomed to receiving him and aligning their bodies in just one day, she appeared wide awake, not sleepy at all.
Perhaps finding the awkwardness unbearable, Clodel quietly got up from the bed.
Picking up her thin undergarments, Clodel then tidied up Kyan’s ceremonial attire, which was haphazardly discarded.
In the dark bedroom, Kyan thought Clodel, wearing a white undergarment exposing her shoulders and walking softly, looked like a fairy. He lazily watched her activities.
Ting, ting, clang.
A small metallic sound echoed as something rolled on the floor, and Clodel looked at him with a startled face.
She hastily picked something up and, like a child who had committed a big mistake, showed it to Kyan on her open palm.
“It fell from the clothes.”
It was the bezel that encircled a gold button used for decorating the ceremonial attire. Kyan, feeling as content as a well-fed lion, casually replied,
“It’s just a part of the decoration that fell off. It’s happened a few times. The tailor will fix it, don’t worry about it.”
But Clodel was closely examining it.
“Why?”
She seemed lost in thought, just as she was when she saw the gravesite in the underground cemetery.
Wondering why she was so longing over a mere fragment of gold.
Suddenly, Clodel slid her finger into the ring-shaped bezel.
“Can I keep this?”
“What?”
“It fits perfectly.”
Surprisingly, the bezel fit snugly on the fourth finger of her left hand, just like a ring made for her.
It was inconspicuous enough to be mistaken for a simple wire ring, even though it had just fallen off his clothes.
‘Why would she want something like that?’
Kyan, comfortably lying down, responded,
“Go ahead.”
Clodel’s face lit up at his approval.
‘Doesn’t Bermont know about Loen’s wealth?’
Bermont had suffered a drought for ten years.
The desertion of the local people began about five years ago, enduring as long as they could.
During that time, Kyan blocked the export of food to the north, making Bermont’s diamonds as worthless as a sack of beans.
Yet, once those diamonds left Oberon Kingdom, they could fetch the price of a ship full of beans in foreign lands. So, in reality, Bermont’s assets had long been surpassed by Temnes.
He planned to use that wealth to annihilate Bermont.
Kyan had enough funds to wage a regional war, an amount equivalent to several years of the royal budget of Oberon Kingdom. No expense was spared in avenging his family.
Just imagining the epitaph that would mark him as the lord who ended Bermont made his blood boil.
But Clodel, who didn’t wear the blue diamond he gave her, was fascinated by a thin piece of gold fallen from his clothes. A truly peculiar woman.
Then Kyan realized something.
‘It didn’t suit me.’
With red hair and yellow eyes, wearing a large blue diamond might have looked too garish.
Even to him, unfamiliar with noble adornments, combining such strong primary colors seemed odd.
‘And she’s happy with that?’
Originally, Bermont was a major source of precious metals and gems. Like Loen controlling the output of food, Bermont regulated the value of items from its mines.
Having grown up in the Duke of Bermont’s house, her standards must have been quite high.
‘Maybe she feels a sense of achievement in obtaining something from Temnes.’
Satisfied with his conclusion, Kyan closed his eyes.
Little did he know then,
“Oh my, did the Duke really give you this?”
“Yes. Pretty, isn’t it?”
The next morning, Clodel would joyfully brag about such a trivial thing to her maid.
And that it would spread as a rumor in the castle that the despised Bermont woman had stealthily stolen the decoration from the Duke’s clothes and lied about receiving it.
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.]
