Marriage with the Younger Brother of the Man Who Betrayed Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
At Ernant’s words that he’d come because he was worried about me, I felt disillusioned and asked back.
“Were you really that worried about me going into the rift alone with the Captain? Did you truly believe the Captain would forcibly embrace me… or something like that?”
“There’s no law saying such a thing couldn’t happen.”
“……”
The Captain was the kind of man who would blush and fumble helplessly even at the mere sight of my undergarments.
A man who had survived the rift by swinging nothing but his weapon, knowing absolutely nothing about women.
Thus, Ernant’s notion that the Captain might forcibly embrace me was nothing but a delusion.
Yet Ernant seemed utterly convinced of his own delusion.
He had drawn close without my noticing and, brushing my stray hairs behind my ear, whispered,
“You don’t understand men well, Yulia. So be careful. Avoid being alone with Martin as much as possible.”
“I may not understand men well, but I know exactly what kind of person the Captain is. He’s a knight more noble than anyone I’ve ever known.”
“……”
“And… your worrying about me like this—it makes me a little uncomfortable. From now on, please refrain from tarnishing the Captain’s honor in front of me.”
Ernant’s hand, which had been tucking my hair behind my ear, suddenly stilled.
That hand, which had tickled my ear, hovered in the air for a long moment before slowly pulling away from me.
After withdrawing his hand, Ernant stared at me for a long while.
“Hah.”
A twisted laugh slipped from between Ernant’s lips.
The gentle, affectionate smile he’d shown me earlier had already vanished.
He spoke with clear disbelief.
“I’m curious now—just how did Martin manage to win you over so thoroughly that your attitude changed so suddenly?”
Win me over…?
If the Captain had been cunning enough to do that, it might have been better.
If he’d tricked me into becoming his, I never would’ve been betrayed by Ernant.
So I let out a laugh filled with incredulity.
“It wasn’t the Captain who changed me.”
“……Then who?”
“Are you curious?”
I stepped closer to Ernant, who looked bewildered at my question.
When our bodies were nearly touching, I leaned in and whispered into his ear,
“Your Majesty… it’s because of you. You’re the one who changed me.”
I slowly stepped back from Ernant again.
Ernant raised his arm as if to grab me as I moved away, but my steps were quicker than his.
Thanks to that, I managed to put full distance between us before his fingertips could reach me.
Once we’d drifted apart again as if nothing had happened, Ernant asked,
“Did I do something wrong to you? If so, tell me now.”
“……Even if I told you, you probably wouldn’t understand.”
How could I possibly explain that you killed me, and because of that, I returned five years into the past?
He’d only think I’d gone mad.
Thus, my disappointment and anger toward Ernant had to be swallowed alone.
Seeing me fall silent, Ernant let out a deep sigh.
“I don’t know why you’re upset, but get over it. I’ll choose you as my partner for the upcoming Foundation Day celebration.”
Now that he mentioned it, Foundation Day was indeed approaching soon.
The Empire’s most important event, commemorating its founding.
By custom, young nobles attending the event each selected one partner to accompany them—and Ernant was saying he’d choose me as his.
The me from the past would’ve taken his choice as an honor, but not the me of now.
“I’ve already promised to attend the Foundation Day celebration with another man. I can’t possibly be Your Majesty’s partner.”
“What? Who’s that? You… surely it’s not Martin?”
“……”
If I said I was going with the Captain, Ernant would likely give up on me—but I couldn’t tell such a lie just to escape an awkward moment.
The Captain didn’t particularly like me right now anyway.
If he found out I’d fabricated a promise that we’d be partners, he’d surely think it absurd.
For that reason, I decided to borrow the name of someone slightly more familiar than the Captain.
“I’ve already arranged to go with one of my subordinates—a man named Karl.”
“Karl…? Ah… that fellow?”
“Do you know Karl? I thought you’d never met him.”
“……Never mind that. Anyway, you’re really going with someone like him? I wonder if he even owns a carriage to bring you to the ball. Will he have to carry you on his back?”
All I’d intended was to refuse Ernant’s offer by borrowing a name, yet Karl was now being mocked because of it.
For Karl’s sake, I couldn’t let this go on any longer. I fixed Ernant with a sharp glare and warned him,
“Karl is a valued subordinate of mine. He’s not so poor as to lack a carriage—so please don’t speak of him that way.”
“Fine. If you’re rejecting my offer because of some nobody like that, I’ll pretend I never heard that joke.”
“Your Majesty! I’m not joking at all—!”
“Enough!!”
Just as my anger was about to erupt, Ernant raised his voice first.
He strode right up to me, his face colder than I’d ever seen before, and warned,
“I don’t know why you’re angry with me. Maybe I made some small mistake—something so trivial you wouldn’t even recognize it as a mistake. But even so, you must attend the Foundation Day celebration with me.”
“……”
“This isn’t a request—it’s an imperial command. Understand that you have no other choice.”
No matter how informally he acted, Ernant was still the Emperor.
Though the Captain’s orders took absolute priority regarding rift-related matters, Ernant’s word was final in everything else.
Now that he’d declared this an imperial decree, I had no way to refuse.
“……”
Seeing me press my lips shut, Ernant finally offered a satisfied smile.
“I’ll send you a dress soon—wear that for the event. Your taste in dresses… honestly, isn’t exactly outstanding. I can’t let you pick something ridiculous and make a laughingstock of me too.”
Though spoken softly, his words were sharp enough to wound me deeply.
I’d remembered this period as one when Ernant was at least somewhat kind.
Apparently, even then, he’d already been cruel.
When I didn’t respond, Ernant quickly left the tent.
Leaving me alone with a heart weighed down by stifling frustration.
[This is the timeline separator]Beneath the now-darkening sky, Martin sat quietly, polishing his weapon.
He’d already spent a long time polishing it—the halberd’s blade reflected his face with perfect clarity—but his hands wouldn’t stop.
His mind was so utterly consumed by thoughts of one person that he couldn’t even cease this meaningless task.
“Yulia……”
Was she truly Ernant’s person after all? Martin swallowed the rest of that thought and recalled what had just happened.
Earlier, Yulia had accepted Ernant’s support despite knowing full well that Martin was keeping an eye on him.
Because of that, Martin had been unable to send Ernant back to the imperial palace.
Just as he’d been about to tell Ernant to leave now that he’d seen enough of the rift, Yulia had intervened—robbing Martin of any excuse to send him away.
Of course, Yulia’s action wasn’t particularly surprising.
It was already common knowledge that Yulia was Ernant’s person—and that she held feelings for him.
So naturally, she’d choose to side with Ernant over Martin.
Martin knew that perfectly well—yet—
“Hah……”
He still felt awful.
Yulia’s retreating figure, leaning on Ernant, kept flashing through his mind.
Helplessly, he scrubbed the halberd’s blade harder, trying to erase that image from his thoughts.
Just then—
“So you were hiding in a place like this. Found you.”
Ernant’s voice suddenly came from behind Martin.
Lost in thought, Martin only now sensed Ernant’s presence and turned to face him.
For some reason, a sly smile played on Ernant’s lips.
Feeling faintly uneasy, Martin replied,
“Did you come looking for me? I’m honored.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I only came to tell you I’m returning to the palace now.”
“You’ve made a wise decision. You really should head back. This place isn’t exactly comfortable for Your Majesty to stay in.”
“Not even pretending to act reluctant? Guess I should roll out a red carpet to hurry me along after just one night, huh.”
Martin didn’t argue.
He truly did wish for Ernant to disappear as soon as possible.
But Ernant seemed in no hurry to leave and spoke again,
“Send Yulia to the capital alone one week before the Foundation Day celebration.”
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.]
Yulia is exceptionally intelligent and always finds creative solutions to difficult problems.
Took you so long!! I suspected him when he sneek up on you at the river and finally confirmed my suspicion of him since the Ball!!