My Fiancé Keeps Trying to Raise Me (16 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 12
Morning. Anet, who always rose before dawn, was startled awake by the warm sunlight brushing her face and yanked the pull cord.
As if waiting solely for her to awaken, Serina dashed into the room.
“Your Highness, you’re awake?”
“I’m sorry. Did I wake up too late? I couldn’t sleep well last night…”
Though in truth she had risen far earlier than the typical noble lady or aristocrat, Anet apologized out of ignorance, prompting Serina to wave her hands dismissively.
“It’s still early. It’s just that…”
Anet tilted her head, puzzled by Serina, who was trailing off as if preparing a surprise gift and awaiting her reaction.
Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, Serina beamed brightly and declared,
“Your Highness, they say Grand Duke Harzent arrived at the Imperial Palace this morning!”
“…Hm?”
Who came where?
Still half-asleep, Anet doubted her ears.
But seeing Serina—more excited than Anet herself—hurrying about, eager to freshen her up and dress her prettily, it didn’t seem to be a mistake.
“Really… Grand Duke Harzent has come?”
“Yes! He must’ve departed the moment he heard the news about you.”
‘That’s a bit strange…’
Serina, a baron’s daughter and the Empress’s personal handmaiden, had never left the imperial capital in her life and thus couldn’t find it odd, but Anet had just arrived from the Heyworth Kingdom the day before yesterday.
Even taking the quickest route through the perilous Beast’s Marsh took two days, so reaching the capital from the Grand Duchy of Harzent—bordering the western mountains of Heyworth—should require at least a day and a half.
‘Then how could he have heard the news yesterday and arrived today?’
Anet considered the possibility that he might have used magic, only to dismiss it—there was no reason for him to waste such precious magic just to see her.
Yet one thing was certain: the Grand Duke truly had hurried to the palace just to see her.
〈Your Grace, the Grand Duke will surely come to the capital the moment he hears the news.〉
The Empress’s words echoed in her mind, making her cheeks tingle.
Her heart fluttered too…
‘Hm, I’m nervous.’
She must have been unprepared mentally, having assumed it would take several more days for word to reach him and for him to arrive in the capital.
Feeling her face inexplicably warm, Anet buried her head in the basin filled with warm water and splashed around, washing her face.
After patting her cheeks dry with a soft, fluffy towel—
“W-Wait, what is all this?”
Anet found her room filled with unfamiliar garments.
“These are gifts from Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager for you, Your Highness.”
Ah, so the gifts were clothes.
For a brief moment, Anet had even wondered if the Empress Dowager’s gift might be Grand Duke Harzent himself, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
Trying to hide her embarrassment by shifting her gaze to the clothes, she unwittingly let out a soft gasp at a particularly charming, dainty dress.
Though similar to what she’d worn yesterday, these dresses now featured added details, appearing more ornate—and unlike her previous ill-fitting attire, they fit her as if tailored precisely to her frame.
“Your Highness, you look just like morning sunshine.”
“Yes, you truly are beautiful.”
Flustered by the maids’ effusive praise, Anet absentmindedly stroked the soft fabric at her sleeve.
Though she knew it was just routine flattery, she couldn’t suppress her awkwardness—or the giddy excitement bubbling inside her. She even felt a flicker of anticipation.
Today, among the pastel pinks favored by young noble ladies, along with demure sky blues and soft greens, Anet chose a pale yellow dress overlaid with delicate white lace.
Not only had the maids reacted most positively to this one, but she also secretly wished to make a bright, cheerful first impression on the Grand Duke.
‘Surely he won’t immediately accuse me of being ominous at this rate.’
Touched by the warmth and generosity of the Alkan Imperial Family, yet still anxious that his response might be cold and distant, Anet swallowed nervously as she sat before the mirror.
“Oh…”
An involuntary sigh escaped her lips.
The girl reflected in the mirror truly looked better than she’d expected—so much so that the maids’ lavish praise was entirely justified.
Her round, finely featured face appeared especially cute and harmless today, bearing not the slightest resemblance to a cursed beast.
But still…
‘Is this really alright…?’
No matter how carefully she dressed, the fact remained that the first impression he’d receive would be that of a child.
She had no idea how the Grand Duke would react upon seeing his betrothed transformed into a little girl.
“Um…”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“What… what kind of person is His Grace, Grand Duke Harzent?”
Only after hesitating several times and finally voicing the question did she realize just how late this inquiry truly was.
In truth, since it was a political marriage, she’d never felt any personal interest in the Grand Duke—not even when signing the betrothal contract.
But after arriving in the Empire and meeting the Emperor and his family, a flicker of curiosity had gradually grown within her.
“The Grand Duke?”
“What would you like to know about him?”
The maids, who had been selecting hair ornaments and found Anet’s budding interest in her fiancé endearing, brightened with delight in their eyes.
Just as they prepared to speak—about his brilliance, his exceptional abilities, or how, beneath the mask, he possessed strikingly handsome features—
“I’m curious about his personality.”
The maids’ pupils shook violently at Anet’s unexpected question.
“H-His personality?”
“You mean… his personality?”
Though trying not to show it, the flustered maids exchanged rapid glances.
‘What should we say?’
‘…The truth?’
‘Are you insane?!’
After their silent exchange concluded, Serina—the most senior among them—smiled awkwardly and replied,
“Your Highness, to be honest, we don’t actually know much about His Grace’s personality.”
Precisely put, he was utterly aware of his own perfection from head to toe—so much so that it was grating—yet his confidence was so undeniable that even his arrogance might show through plainly before Anet.
“Won’t you be able to see for yourself when you meet him today?”
“…I suppose you’re right.”
Unsatisfied but nodding anyway, Anet accepted the vague answer.
She’d assumed that Serina and the others, having served the Empress so long, would know something about the Grand Duke.
‘Apparently, he’s not the type to let people get close to him.’
She just hoped he wasn’t overly harsh or prickly.
And if rumors were true—that he was a warmonger who relished bloodshed and violence—then she’d have even more reason to worry.
Caught between hope and anxiety, Anet closed her eyes, feeling her heartbeat race erratically.
At the very least, she thought, those red eyes should stay as hidden as possible.
[This is the timeline separator]Meanwhile, at that very moment,
Grand Duke Harzent—infamously nicknamed “the warmonger” and “the cruel bloodthirsty demon”—Kardin, was, like Anet, in the midst of his own careful preparations.
“Heh heh heh.”
Samuel, Kardin’s aide, sighed as he watched his lord humming to himself before a full-length mirror, changing outfits repeatedly.
“Your Grace, please—”
“Samuel, do you think this looks acceptable to the Princess?”
Kardin adjusted his slightly crooked cravat and asked the question yet again.
Having arrived in the capital the previous evening and immediately sweeping up the finest men’s formalwear and brand-new accessories for this very purpose, he’d been posing this same question nonstop since entering the palace that morning.
“Yes, you look absolutely splendid.”
Samuel’s reply dripped with mechanical exhaustion.
He flinched, imagining the eyebrow arching sharply behind Kardin’s mask—but since it wasn’t technically wrong, he straightened his back again.
With his tall, perfectly proportioned frame, and dressed in a softly gleaming white silk shirt, black cravat, waistcoat, and tailored jacket, Kardin truly wasn’t just splendid—he was flawless.
When Samuel once more gave him a genuinely enthusiastic thumbs-up, saying, “You radiate elegance,” Kardin turned back to the mirror.
Given how little sleep he’d gotten and how meticulously he’d prepared, this look wasn’t half bad—so he arrogantly concluded—though his brow furrowed slightly.
“Maybe beige would’ve been better than black after all.”
“What? At this point?”
“Come to think of it, this is our first official meeting. A lighter color might give a gentler impression. What if she finds me frightening?”
Frightening? Who?
Samuel couldn’t help but give an incredulous look.
“But she’s the continent’s greatest swordsman.”
“You never know—she’s a child now. Even if that weren’t the case, I’d still like to appear kind and considerate.”
At Kardin’s shrug and casual remark, Samuel muttered under his breath as if he’d heard something impossible.
“Kind… and considerate…”
If Your Grace truly wishes to appear that way, why not just remove that mask you’re wearing?
If he revealed that angelic face—which charmed everyone regardless of gender—no one would care whether he wore black, beige, or even blood-splattered armor.
But since that was utterly impossible in their current situation, Samuel swallowed his wistful thought.
Just as he was about to make a tearful plea that it was truly time to go and they must stop changing outfits—
“What? Is it already this late? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
Kardin, checking the clock belatedly, shouted in alarm.
Well, I’ve tried telling you several times! But every time I opened my mouth, you kept asking if you looked alright, so I never got the chance!
Samuel’s resentment rose to his throat—but once again, he held his tongue.
Because the Grand Duke, the only person who might have listened, had already bolted out of the room.
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.
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Wow this novel has it all, huh? No misunderstanding over the ML’s feelings towards FL, kind and loving imperial family wow
Always a favorite of mine when hurt, abandoned, abused MCs gets a chance of having a true family 🥹