When Petria opened the window, the wind blew in. The wind of Torkan had a salty smell mixed with a slight fishy scent.
Roxiana still found this air, so different from the Canta Kingdom, unfamiliar.
The Canta Kingdom was far from the sea, located in the center of the continent. A wide river called the Bebe flowed through Tepus, the capital of Canta. Along the Bebe riverbank, street vendors lined up, and when the sun set, the lights from the stalls twinkled, beautiful as if holding starlight.
Roxiana truly loved that sight.
There was also a scent of water near the Bebe River, but it was completely different from the smell here. Petria said this fishy and salty smell came from the sea.
‘The sea…’
Roxiana had never seen the sea. Before being sold as a slave, she had been put on a merchant ship, but because she was in a box, she couldn’t see what the outside looked like.
“The sea is really beautiful. When you stand on the shore, it looks like the sea and sky are touching. Looking at that makes you feel refreshed. Someday, Lady Roxiana, you should go see it too. It will make you feel much better.”
What would it be like for the sea and sky to touch?
The curiosity that suddenly bloomed quickly scattered.
‘What’s the point of knowing? What’s the point of seeing? Even if I know, even if I see, there’s no one to share it with. What would I do with all that captured in my eyes alone?’
Roxiana withdrew her gaze from the window and closed her eyes.
She hadn’t eaten anything for days. Trying to eat somehow so Petria wouldn’t be troubled, but even swallowing a sip of water was difficult. Even if she managed to put a spoon of soup in her mouth, she felt nauseous and ended up vomiting it out.
While her family was wandering in a dark well without finding rest, how could she put food in her mouth just to live alone? Every time she put something in her mouth, the image of parts of her parents in the box came to mind, turning her stomach.
That vivid, horrific scene. Elise’s voice lashing out sharply.
“I threw them into the well and sealed the entrance, so your family won’t smell Adelia’s fragrance even when spring comes!”
Each one became a clear, sharp blade stabbing Roxiana’s lungs. With prolonged hunger adding to the pain and heartbreak piling up, Roxiana’s health deteriorated rapidly.
Every time she closed her eyes in bed, she felt her whole body being swallowed by the soft bed and sinking into darkness. At those times, voices invariably came to her.
Voices that seemed to be many yet one, voices she often heard in her childhood, kept coming annoyingly.
‘Roti, I understand how you feel, but try to drink at least a sip of water. Humans can’t live without water, you know.’
‘Soon you won’t be able to drink the water in this area. Drink a lot of water before then.’
‘Or come out to the garden, Roti. We’ll hug you.’
‘Roti, don’t die. You’re the only human who can talk to us now.’
Roxiana wanted to scream at them to please stop calling her Roti. She wanted to shout not to call her by that lovely nickname her family used to call her, not to remind her of the scenery that was now gone.
But lacking even the strength for that, she accepted the nostalgic, sad, and annoying noise.
As she lay there with her eyes closed, a savory and sweet smell filled the room. It must be mealtime again.
A time that might be eagerly awaited by someone felt like a punishment to Roxiana. Petria’s hopeful gaze wanting her to eat, the chefs’ dedication in the dishes, the effort of farmers or fishermen who raised the ingredients – all these things weighed heavily on Roxiana, who was already overwhelmed.
“Lady Roxiana, it seems the chefs have really outdone themselves today.”
Petria remained consistently cheerful even without Roxiana’s response.
“Look at this. It looks really delicious.”
Feeling sorry to ignore even that, Roxiana turned her head with difficulty. Various foods were placed on several tiers of trolleys pushed into the bedroom.
Crispy-skinned roasted quail and shellfish, rich soup made with grilled fish, fresh salad drizzled with tangy fruit dressing and soft bread baked with plenty of butter, cheese, milk, jam, fruit…
A luxury that ordinary people could only dream of was spread out on the table.
“I’m sorry, Petria. I…”
Bile rose up. Roxiana covered her mouth with one hand. Seeing her trying to suppress the nausea, Petria’s eyebrows drooped.
She was thin when I first saw her a few days ago, but now she’s even thinner. Her bony forearms and the back of her hands were pitiful.
It would be good if she could swallow even a few spoonfuls of soup, but Roxiana couldn’t even properly swallow a sip of water. It wasn’t that she was forcibly refusing, but Roxiana’s body was automatically rejecting everything, so she couldn’t be blamed.
Petria was about to push the trolley back out when she noticed Floyd standing in the reception room in front of the bedroom.
“I greet Your Highness.”
Petria quickly bowed her head and slightly bent her knees in greeting. Floyd barely acknowledged her greeting as he looked down at the food left intact on the trolley.
“The princess didn’t eat anything?”
“No, Your Highness. It seems her distress is too great…”
“How many days has it been since she ate?”
Petria felt suddenly afraid. She thought she might receive a stern rebuke if she said the princess hadn’t eaten anything since the first day, but she spoke honestly.
“She hasn’t been able to eat anything since the first day. Even if she manages to take a spoonful of soup, she throws it all up, so she hasn’t even been able to drink a sip of water.”
“She hasn’t had any water all this time?”
“No.”
Floyd closed his eyes as if trying to suppress his mood. A hot wave swept over Petria. Fortunately, it wasn’t hot enough to cause burns, but Petria stepped back in surprise.
Floyd picked up a tray of fruit from the trolley and entered the bedroom.
Roxiana was lying in bed with her eyes closed, but her sunken cheeks and pale lips made her look almost like a dead person.
Floyd set the tray down on the bedside table and spoke.
“Princess.”
At Floyd’s call, Roxiana opened her eyes. Her gaze, wandering aimlessly in the air, turned towards Floyd.
She stared blankly at him for a moment as if she couldn’t recognize who Floyd was, then painfully raised herself and got out of bed.
Her body, which had been hidden by the blanket, was revealed. Even though she was wearing a dress, it was clear how thin she had become.
Shocked by her emaciated body that looked like it might break at any moment, he didn’t even realize what she was doing. Floyd came to his senses only after she had knelt down and pressed her forehead to the ground.
“This slave awaits the master’s command.”
Her voice was so thin it seemed it might scatter before reaching the ear.
Floyd was dumbfounded. Despite trembling so much that even prostrating herself was difficult, she was doing this. No one had expected anything like this.
“Are you mocking me? Or are you deliberately doing this to provoke my anger?”
Roxiana didn’t answer. Her platinum blonde hair spread carelessly on the carpet irritated Floyd’s nerves.
Floyd roughly grabbed Roxiana’s arm and sat her up on the bed.
“If you do this one more time, I think I’ll really get angry, Princess.”
Though he spoke as if threatening, her eyes looking up at Floyd showed no wavering.
“I heard you are not eating. It seems you intend to starve yourself to death?”
Again, Roxiana did not answer.
Such a stubborn one.
“Well, if you starve to death here, do you think I will angrily throw the Princess’s corpse just anywhere? Or have you bribed someone? Has someone promised to throw you into the sea the moment you die? If so, why not bite your tongue instead of enduring like this? It would be less painful than starving!”
As Floyd’s voice grew louder, Roxiana’s face remained expressionless like a doll. Neither frightened nor saddened, that face threw Floyd’s mind into utter chaos.
She was just sitting there quietly, so why was she raging so much inside his head?
She should be the one angry at losing her country and family, so why was he alone furious and raving?
Floyd, overcome with emotion, picked up a fruit from the tray at random. As he applied pressure, the ripe orange was crushed, and juice flowed down his bronze hand.
He grabbed Roxiana’s small chin and rubbed his fingers against her lips. The dripping juice ran down his fingers, moistening her dry lips.
Roxiana tensed her mouth to avoid eating, but the sweet and sour juice flowed through the small gap between her lips, stimulating the tip of her tongue. Her body, which had not accepted even a sip of water, was stimulated by the tangy fruit and moved on its own.
His finger, covered in orange pulp, entered between her involuntarily parted lips. As he rubbed the orange pulp on his finger into her mouth, he said,
“It seems the maid has not been attending to the Princess properly. Having to open your mouth and feed you directly like this.”
At his seemingly mocking words, Roxiana unconsciously clenched her mouth shut. Her front teeth bit down hard on his finger inside her mouth, but he didn’t even flinch.
“That’s right, Princess. Chew on my finger if you must. You need to eat and swallow something to stand up to my wretched mockery. Drive your nails into my face if you can.”
Only then did Roxiana realize that he was trying to anger her to awaken her will to live. For feeling humiliated by mockery is only possible if one has the will to live.
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.]
