Please Marry My Son (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
When Eric lifted his head, he saw his reflection in the mirror.
Thud.
Doubting his own eyes, Eric unknowingly dropped his clothes.
His disheveled bedhead, short limbs, and tiny nightgown made for quite a sight.
‘She saw it all—this mess, this ridiculous state.’
Though he’d often shown flustered sides to Alicia, at least his outward appearance had never been this unraveled.
‘Why did Alicia have to walk in right then? Why did the kids have to start crying right then? Why did I have to lose my mind right then?’
Eric covered his face with both hands.
‘Seriously, why?! I told them to sleep in their own room—why crawl all the way in here and fall asleep?!’
Unconsciously, Eric’s head drooped heavily.
[This is the timeline separator]Eric, now composed again, met Alicia as he descended the stairs.
“The twins?”
“Edward and Emma are watching them.”
“Oh, come to think of it, it’s been a while since I properly saw Edward and Emma. I didn’t even greet them earlier.”
“Eric.”
“?”
Worried she might be recalling his earlier disheveled state, Eric was surprised when Alicia instead smiled brightly.
“For some reason, I feel more at ease now.”
“……”
Someone once said: it’s easier once you give up.
After showing her that utterly ridiculous appearance, he’d realized how pointless it was to keep up appearances in front of Alicia—and decided to let everything go.
“Is it strange?”
“No. I actually like this side of you much better.”
“……That’s good to hear.”
Alicia’s bright smile caught Eric’s eye.
Feeling awkward, Eric turned his head and continued down the stairs, with Alicia following behind.
[This is the timeline separator]Knock. Knock.
Alicia, seated at her desk reviewing documents, looked up at the knock and immediately smiled.
Eric was already standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.
“You’re supposed to knock before opening the door.”
“It was open.”
“Liar.”
“It wasn’t locked.”
Eric grinned as he stepped in and sat on the sofa.
Indeed, ever since then, both his words and actions had become more relaxed.
“There’s something annoying I need to tell you.”
“?”
“We’ve been invited to a tea party. Both of us.”
“When?”
“The Saturday after next.”
“That’s not much time left. Who sent the invitation?”
“The Imperial Palace.”
“Huh? Then it’s not just a simple tea party, is it?”
“We’ll just drink tea, not alcohol—it’s broad daylight.”
“……That’s not what I meant.”
When Alicia glared at him, Eric glanced away slightly and asked,
“Will you be alright?”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Well, you said it was tiring following Mother around. And this time, the Imperial Palace is involved too.”
“It’s part of our contract, and I’m fully prepared to fulfill it, so don’t worry.”
“You’re surprisingly diligent.”
“Surprisingly? I’ve always taken things seriously.”
After flipping the last document she’d been reading, Alicia rose from her desk and sat across from Eric.
“Have you ever met His Highness Prince Harry?”
“His Highness the Prince? Me? Never.”
“Really? Or maybe your parents mentioned something?”
“I wouldn’t know about my grandfather’s time, but I’ve never heard my parents say they had any close ties with the Imperial family. They’ve never liked social engagements anyway.”
“I see.”
“But why ask all of a sudden?”
“Ah—never mind. Just don’t worry. I’ll be right beside you, so nothing bad will happen.”
“Worried?”
Eric simply smiled without elaborating further, even as Alicia looked puzzled.
Besides, Alicia had something else on her mind right now.
‘It’s an invitation from the Imperial Palace, and we’re representing the Duke’s household—I can’t just go in anything. This is an unexpected expense.’
The gatherings she’d attended with the Duchess so far had been small, informal meetups, so she hadn’t paid much attention to her attire.
Noticing Alicia lost in thought, calculating her budget in her head, Eric spoke up.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“?”
“Mother wants to see us at the dressmaker’s tomorrow.”
“The dressmaker’s?”
“She’s really excited—it’s the first official event the whole family will attend together. She insists on personally gifting us our outfits.”
“……I see. I hope it’s not too much trouble.”
Though tempted, Alicia worried whether it was really alright, so Eric just shrugged and replied,
“It’s Mother’s wish. Don’t stress over it.”
“If that’s the case, I understand.”
“And one more thing—this is my wish.”
“?”
“Absolutely no outfits in Mother’s taste. She was going on about matching couple’s outfits, so I just walked out.”
“……”
“Oh, right. My expression was probably the same back then.”
“Matching outfits? You’re joking, right?”
“Do you think Mother’s the type to joke about that?”
“……Fair point.”
“So I plan to strongly resist. Don’t side with her.”
“Understood. I won’t get dragged into it this time.”
The two exchanged determined looks.
[This is the timeline separator]It was a bright, sunny day.
The first official event hosted by the Imperial Palace this year—and the start of a long series of social gatherings to follow.
The Duke and Duchess, attending their first such event together with their son and daughter-in-law, were in high spirits, walking with constant, beaming smiles.
“Try managing your expression a bit. It’s about to show on your face.”
Eric whispered into Alicia’s ear as they followed behind the Duke and Duchess.
“How is this even a tea party? It’s practically a banquet.”
“Right? I expected just tea, but they’re serving alcohol too. People drinking in broad daylight—really something.”
At Eric’s shameless remark, Alicia gave a gentle smile and quietly gripped his arm tightly, pinching it slightly.
“Ugh. I didn’t know either. Mother definitely said it was a tea party.”
“If you’d told me earlier, I could’ve at least prepared.”
Until the moment they boarded the carriage to leave, Alicia had assumed it was just a small tea party—merely the Emperor and Empress inviting a few close families like the Dukes.
“No wonder carriages kept filing into the palace grounds.”
“I honestly didn’t realize it’d be this big. You only know by attending something like this.”
“You’ve never attended before?”
“I always skipped daytime events, using the Knights as an excuse—with His Highness Prince William’s approval.”
“So you could’ve skipped today too?”
“I couldn’t just let you come alone. I couldn’t think of an excuse to get you out of it too.”
“Oh.”
“Kids, His Majesty will be arriving soon—we should probably go greet him first.”
The Duke and Duchess, leading the two young ones, approached the front of the entrance where the Emperor and Empress would appear, wearing satisfied smiles.
As a cadet branch of the Imperial family and among the highest-ranking nobles, the Duke of Gloucester was required to be the first to greet the Emperor and Empress.
Standing behind the Duke and Duchess alongside Eric, Alicia let out a small sigh.
The glances and murmurs from the crowd were getting to her.
“Something wrong?”
“Am I the only one feeling this, or does it seem like everyone’s staring at us?”
“No, you’re right. I was prepared, but this is worse than expected. I’m really sorry.”
Eric awkwardly smiled and covered Alicia’s hand resting on his arm with his own, as an apology.
“?”
“I’m comforting my nervous fiancée.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
But the murmuring seemed to grow louder, so Alicia jokingly asked Eric,
“Eric, you must be pretty famous.”
“Me? No way.”
Though taken aback, Eric feigned innocence and looked straight ahead.
‘This is exactly why I didn’t want to come.’
Eric glanced sideways at Alicia.
‘It’s just a contractual relationship—so it shouldn’t matter if she learns about my reputation.’
‘But she doesn’t need to know. If rumors affect her trust in me as her contractual partner, that’d be a problem.’
‘Hah. Never thought I’d care about rumors.’
While Eric was deep in thought, the head steward stepped beside the door.
“His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and Their Highnesses the Princes.”
The Emperor and Empress walked out first, followed by the princes through the open doors.
The Emperor scanned the crowd once, then smiled and stepped toward the Duke of Gloucester, who stood at the very front.
“Duke of Gloucester.”
“I greet Your Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and Their Highnesses the Princes.”
“With such good fortune lately, Your Grace’s face is positively radiant.”
“Oh dear, if it’s that obvious, I’m utterly embarrassed, Your Majesty.”
“The Duchess looks well too. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Watching the Emperor, Empress, and the Duke and Duchess chat warmly, Alicia began to tense up again.
‘So they really are different—being a cadet branch of the Imperial family. What do I do? I never expected we’d be deceiving even the Imperial Palace so directly.’
“Don’t be nervous. I’m here.”
Eric felt Alicia’s hand tighten on his arm and gently patted it.
Though it wasn’t the kind of nervousness he imagined, Alicia still smiled faintly in gratitude.
Besides, the die was cast. They weren’t going to cancel the contract now—she’d deal with her worries later.
“We greet Your Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress.”
Following Eric’s greeting, Alicia bowed respectfully.
“Oh! The two at the heart of the Empire’s hottest topic these days. Congratulations, Earl Russell.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“I was truly curious—just who was the lady who captured the Earl’s heart. Now I finally get to see for myself.”
The Empress fluttered her fan, scanning Alicia from head to toe before fixing her gaze on her face.
Then, with a formal smile, she spoke.
“As the rumors say, your relationship seems very harmonious. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Her face was half-hidden by the fan, so her expression was hard to read—but her eyes were certainly not friendly.
“Hmm. Now that you’ve grown up, you resemble the Countess more than the Earl. That’s fortunate, wouldn’t you agree, Empress?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s precisely why I kept looking for so long.”
“?”
Seeing Alicia’s puzzled expression, the Emperor smiled faintly.
“It’s understandable you don’t remember—it was when you were very young.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No need. Seeing you all grown up like this is quite moving. Welcome.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Then enjoy yourselves. Earl Russell, please take good care of her.”
“I will, Your Majesty.”
As the Emperor and Empress moved on from the Gloucester family, the princes gave a light nod and passed by the Duke’s household.
Prince Harry’s and Alicia’s eyes met briefly before clashing—Harry hesitated, then quickly turned his head away.
Eric, watching this, furrowed his brow.
“Eric?”
“Hmm?”
Eric, who had been staring at Prince Harry’s retreating back, turned at Alicia’s call.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Were you very nervous?”
“Just as much as anyone else, I suppose.”
Alicia finally seemed to relax, smiling softly.
“But isn’t it surprising? That I’d met His Majesty before?”
“Indeed.”
“I’d never heard of it, so I had no idea.”
“He mentioned it was when you were young—perhaps it was because of the previous Earl Lancaster?”
“Oh, right. Probably not because of my father, though.”
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who had been cheerfully greeting a noble standing behind them, finished their conversation and turned toward Eric and Alicia.
“Well then, kids. Shall we go?”
At the Duchess’s excited call, Alicia and Eric exchanged solemn looks.
“It’s beginning.”
“Let’s hope nothing goes wrong.”
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.]
I love how they interact with each other. They feel at ease together.
Hahaha. The butler’s perfect timing. And Erik hiding his face.
Maybe I’m really wrong about it, but I think Alicia has something to do with what happened ten years ago and maybe her father is the leader of that group.