“Just the other day, Baron Photon was caught meeting Lady Jane secretly, away from his wife’s eyes. Baroness Photon scratched his neck severely. That’s why he wears a scarf to the gentlemen’s club these days.”
Regina rambled on endlessly, mostly about high society but also included information about the royal family.
“Did you hear? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going hunting with Lord Chase. They’re heading to Count Joshua’s territory.”
‘He’s going to meet Iris.’
The love story between Iris and David was well-known. Iris, strolling in Count Joshua’s domain, accidentally lost her way and ended up in David’s hunting ground.
There, she befriended a bird.
‘Prince David ends up shooting the bird. Iris cries bitterly.’
David feels sorry for Iris and sends her a bird made of jewels when they return to the capital, marking the start of their romance.
‘Iris claimed she lost her way by accident, but it wasn’t. How did she know? It’s difficult to find out where the princes hunt due to security issues.’
The current Warton baronetcy didn’t wield much influence in politics.
That’s why they were relatively oblivious to royal news.
‘Either she was in contact with Chase from the start or…’
A flash of insight struck Elise. She looked at Regina.
Her gaze must have been intense, as Regina, who had been happily talking, suddenly fell silent and looked wary.
“Miss?”
“Regina, where did you hear it?”
“What, what do you mean?”
“The stories you just told.”
“Oh, those? I read them in a gossip magazine that the maids share. We get it every two weeks. It’s cheap and full of interesting news. Some of it even turns out to be true.”
“Can I see it?”
“What? It’s not really suitable for you, miss…”
Regina lost her confidence rapidly.
Elise cocked her head, making Regina wave her hand.
“It’s not weird! It’s just that not all the content is suitable for you.”
This made Elise even more curious.
“Bring it to me. All the ones you have.”
The magazine had accurately pinpointed the prince’s hunting ground. If it were the past, she would have dismissed it as a coincidence, but this time, she wanted to check.
Regina reluctantly brought the gossip magazines. The amount was substantial.
“Wow, that’s a lot.”
“Ah, well, I’ve been collecting them for three years. They started publishing three years ago. Initially, they were only the size of a palm, but gradually they got bigger. Now they’re almost the size of a regular newspaper. The publication frequency has also increased.”
Indeed, as Regina explained, the early issues were on poor-quality paper, likely due to a lack of funds, resulting in some parts being faded or erased.
“I’ll read these and return them.”
“I doubt there’ll be anything you’d like in them…”
Regina trailed off.
The Elise of the past would have agreed.
But the current Elise was different.
If Iris had used these magazines to orchestrate her meeting with David as fate, Elise needed to start with these to alter that fate.
Elise sent Regina away and meticulously went through every issue from three years ago to the most recent publication.
Elise spent days reading the gossip magazines and identifying the publisher.
Finally, she had checked the last issue.
‘It’s all true. Some falsehoods are mixed in, but they’re cleverly intertwined. If you look closely, they’re all real events. Written from what people have seen, experienced, and heard…’
She needed someone who could be the eyes, ears, and mouth in the social and political circles.
Elise’s eyes sparkled as she spread out the gossip magazine again.
‘Regina said they don’t know who it is, but they’ve left traces everywhere.’
Analyzing the content of the regularly published gossip magazine, Elise could infer the areas of activity.
Special parties, specific events.
She listed these events and their dates and compiled a list of people who were invited to them.
The last thing to check was the handwriting. Elise rummaged through her desk drawer and pulled out some stationery.
She sent out tea invitations to those she suspected of publishing the gossip magazine.
“Let’s wait for the replies.”
Elise got into bed. It was early for sleep, but she had an important plan for the evening and needed to rest now.
It was a plan to completely turn Chase away, who was stubbornly refusing to break up.
‘He has to help me for it to work. He will, won’t he?’
Elise felt an inexplicable confidence.
That evening, her heart beat low but fast at the thought of meeting that man.
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.]
