I Pretended To Be Dead And Ran Away (22 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11
Felix’s words sent a chill down my spine.
Though I couldn’t possibly be the Princess of Nuremberg, I apparently resembled her enough that his words sounded as if he meant to kill me in that very way.
“You wouldn’t really want to kill me like that, would you?”
“Why would I?”
He chuckled softly through his breath—though whether it was laughter or a sigh, I couldn’t tell.
“Your head.”
“I’m petting it nicely. It’s just itchy, that’s all.”
His hair kept tickling my chest, making me flinch inward repeatedly.
Felix didn’t seem to mind at all, probably because he still thought of me as Reniel the man, despite my current female appearance.
“But what exactly is that curse?”
“I can’t sleep. That’s why I have to take medicine.”
“Good heavens—is it a curse that keeps you from sleeping?”
“Yes.”
He answered lazily and shifted his ear from resting against my heart.
I’d always been sensitive to tickling, but right now I was several times more sensitive than usual—so when I felt his earlobe sliding against my skin, it created a strange sensation.
I tried gently pulling away, but his arm around my waist tightened firmly, stopping me from moving.
His ear pressed tightly against my skin, and I could strangely sense its exact shape.
I’d never seen or touched his earlobe before, yet it felt as though I were tracing its contours with my fingertips while blindfolded—tingling all over.
“Why were you cursed like that?”
I asked without thinking, and he let out a sigh.
Felix’s body was so unnaturally warm—it felt as though I were holding onto a stove.
Though it was early summer, nights were still cool. Yet here in his arms, I wasn’t cold at all—quite the opposite, in fact.
“Do you think I’ll tell you?”
“Yes.”
I didn’t actually think he would, but I answered that way because it seemed like it would keep the mood between us pleasant.
Yet he laughed—this time genuinely amused—as if he truly liked my answer.
“It’s the price I paid for power.”
“Power…? So you gained power, but in exchange, you got insomnia?”
“Yes.”
“But what does that power have to do with the Princess of Nuremberg?”
“The Princess’s aura calms the magic inside my body.”
“I don’t understand what that means.”
“Those who absorb magic crystals need a purifier. I’m no exception. And to break this curse, I’d have to kill that purifier and absorb their ability.”
I didn’t fully grasp what he meant, but I had seen him drink calming potions before to stabilize his magic.
“So the Princess is like a magical sedative for you?”
“You could put it that way.”
Soon after, he lifted his head again and shifted position.
“Couldn’t you please stay still? Your head’s pressing into my chest—it hurts.”
At that, he raised his head, then deliberately moved it so he was nestled right between my breasts.
This eased the pressure on my chest, but doubled the ticklish sensation.
“Why are you trembling? Didn’t I already reassure you there’s nothing to fear?”
“…When exactly did you reassure me?”
“Didn’t I answer every question you asked?”
His words were so absurd that I couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle.
“For one thing, Master, you’re just way too big.”
“…I see.”
“And you’re far too heavy.”
“I see.”
“And your eyes…”
His gaze turned to me. His crimson eyes, nestled between my breasts, had lost their usual sharpness—and that made them…
“…beautiful.”
I hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Perhaps because he’d openly confided his weakness—his inability to sleep—I’d felt an unexpected pang of sympathy.
But a deer feeling sympathy for a lion would only end up as prey.
“How bold of you.”
He said that but closed his eyes with evident satisfaction. Gradually, his arm around my waist loosened slightly.
Felix’s breathing grew even and steady, as if he were truly falling asleep. I stroked his hair a little more gently.
He stayed like that, clearly enjoying my touch.
I kept alert to any sounds from outside, ready to slip on the ring around my neck at a moment’s notice.
It was truly strange.
Though most of my upper body was exposed to the cool night air, Felix’s body heat was so intense that I felt hot rather than cold.
His weight pressed against me with every breath—uncomfortable, yet…
“Reniel.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Stay here until morning.”
“…Yes.”
His drowsy voice seemed to infect me too, slowly melting away my tension.
Eventually, his breathing changed, becoming deep and even—the sign he’d fully fallen asleep after a long while. But given what happened last time, I couldn’t afford to let him wake up.
So until the distant bell chimed five o’clock,
I kept dozing off and jerking awake in turns.
When five finally struck, I was able to gently push him away.
I quietly adjusted my clothes, put on the ring, left his room, and tidied the hallway.
****
“We’ve been seeing each other quite often lately.”
I was in the middle of cleaning the hallway.
Since Felix’s bedroom door was broken and only propped shut, sounds weren’t fully muffled—and Ianathas’s cheerful voice grated on my nerves.
“Shh.”
Without thinking, I raised my index finger to my lips, gesturing for silence.
Ianathas mimicked me, placing his own finger to his lips and smiling.
“Why’s that? Master must’ve already taken his medicine anyway.”
Even so, Ianathas lowered his voice to a whisper.
“Still… He seems to be sleeping. We should keep quiet for him.”
“But there’s no way he’s actually asleep. He’s probably just lying still.”
Ianathas moved as though he didn’t believe a word I said. By then, I’d nearly finished cleaning most of the hallway.
The real problem was the Duke’s bedroom.
Just as I was about to mention the door issue, Ianathas pushed it open first and said,
“Did Master break the door again?”
He swung it open cheerfully—
then froze like someone who’d just seen a ghost.
Worried, I stepped closer to Ianathas and saw Felix sleeping exactly as I’d left him.
He was tucked under the sheets up to his neck, his steady breathing the only sound in the quiet room.
“No way.”
Ianathas turned to me, utterly flabbergasted.
“How on earth did you manage that?”
I gestured again for silence, and he noiselessly pushed the door back into its propped position—
making it look as though it had never been opened.
After temporarily closing the door, Ianathas turned to me and asked again,
“How did you do it?”
“I just… helped him fall asleep by staying beside him.”
“But how, exactly?”
“I held his hand a little, just… beside him.”
“Did Master put his hand on you?”
His gaze swept over my cheeks, neck, and limbs.
“Are you asking if I got hurt?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible.”
His expression twisted subtly, then shifted back into that fox-like smile.
His brown hair seemed unusually dark today.
“I see. That sort of thing simply wouldn’t happen with you. I’ll take your word for it.”
He smiled again, his expression oddly unreadable.
“Now, tell me precisely how you got him to sleep.”
“In return, could you help me get a new door?”
“There should be a spare in the annex. He breaks them so often.”
“He breaks them often? I’ve never seen it before…”
I couldn’t help blurting out in surprise, and Ianathas laughed.
“I’ll bring the door. You, Chief Steward, handle the rest. But I’ll ask you again later exactly how you put Master to sleep.”
“Oh! Thank you!”
I beamed before I could stop myself—
relieved, because I’d been dreading having to carry that heavy door myself.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
“Yes!”
With that, Ianathas headed toward the annex, and I had to quickly repair the rest of the third floor and make it look as though yesterday’s incident had never happened.
****
Jingle-jingle!
“Oh dear.”
I’d just stepped into the guard room for a short break when the bell rang frantically—it was a summons to the Duke’s bedroom immediately.
Jingle-jingle-jingle-jingle-jingle-jingle! Jingle! Jin! Gle!
“Why is he like this all of a sudden?”
The bell kept ringing loudly and incessantly—unlike usual, when he’d ring it exactly twice and stop.
Jingle-jingle-jingle-jingle!
“It’s like a morning alarm…”
My head throbbed, and I shook it slightly, trying to ease the headache.
Pushing memories of my past life to the back of my mind, I hurried back downstairs.
When I reached the bedroom, the door had already been replaced with a brand-new one!
“Good morning, Master!”
Relieved, I couldn’t help but smile brightly as I stepped inside.
Felix was still holding the bell-pull cord, and at the sight of me, he scowled and said,
“Why are you so late?”
“Huh? It only took me a minute to get here from the guard room…”
I’d sprinted here exactly as trained, so my timing was precise.
“Did I really fall asleep last night?”
Ignoring my reply, he cut straight to the point.
“Yes, of course.”
He looked skeptical, unfolding his cigar cutter and snipping the corner off a cigar.
He placed it between his lips, smoothly flicked the lighter’s wheel, and lit it.
Then he glared at me, his brow deeply furrowed.
“Tell me the truth—how did you put me to sleep?”
Smoke drifted toward me along with his voice. Caught off guard, I inhaled—and couldn’t suppress a cough.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Is it unpleasant?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not used to the smell of cigars.”
I quickly offered that excuse.
He studied me with a peculiar expression.
His gaze swept over my hair as if measuring its length—even though I now wore a man’s short style, his eyes traced where long strands would have fallen over my chest.
Then he crushed the cigar into the newly replaced crystal glass and said,
“Then stop.”
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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Chapter Comments (22)
Inline Comments (54)
‘The missing Princess of Nuremberg is a mana purifier—one born only once per cen
Could it be her? Is it possible that she’s living in a state of shock and no one knows her identity?
Reniel trailed off uncertainly, unsure whether this warranted gratitude.
Could it be her? Is it possible that she’s living in a state of shock and no one knows her identit
“Th-thank you…?”
Could it be her? Is it possible that she’s living in a state of shock and no one knows her identit
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Wait, what? For real? How come the Nuremberg Princess is hiding her gender and work at the mansion of the Duke who technically her archenemy? And Renal is Tanasis’ fiancee? Wow, never expected it to be revealed this early.
Very good story and i do prefer it if any person will give it a try worthy of your time
So apparently Renal is regarded as a threat for imperial family for her purifying ability and decided to make her Tanasias’ fiancee for close monitoring and helped him control his artificial ability. But Renal must’ve sensed or found out something that can put her life in danger. Thus she went into the hiding in the enemy’s nest and disguised as a man with the ring’s help. I wonder what kind of finding Reniel got to the point it threatened her life.