Eric, confused and hugging Ryan, clumsily patted the child’s back and sent a pleading look to Alicia.
And then, Alicia sent a pleading glance to Edward and Emma for help, but her siblings, seeming annoyed, avoided her gaze and only concentrated on their dessert.
‘Those two, really. I’ll get you back later.’
Having no other choice, Alicia turned her head towards her mother.
When their eyes met, Lady Lancaster, the countess, smiled and spoke.
“It seems our Ryan likes Eric. He’s been insisting on sitting next to him.”
Alicia was surprised at her mother knowing his name despite meeting for the first time today.
“Thank you very much. For being so considerate. You must like children?”
“No, that’s… yes.”
Because of Ryan whining for more and tugging at his tie, Eric awkwardly responded and then, while scooping up pudding, he met eyes with Alicia.
“He keeps crying.”
With a bashful expression, Eric made an excuse. Alicia looked at him for a moment, then chuckled lightly.
“?”
“Please feed him slowly. If you give him too much at once, he’ll spill it, and he’ll whine again soon after finishing it.”
“Ah, this much?”
“That’s enough.”
“Aaah”
“Okay, sorry. Here.”
When Eric hastily fed Ryan the pudding, who was continuously nagging, he chuckled and smacked his lips.
Watching the child in case he spilled anything, he unintentionally found himself laughing along.
‘Ah. So is this what the Duchess meant by that picture?’
Duchess Gloucester, who had been excited about getting the two together, came to mind. She had said that as soon as she saw Alicia, a picture of her with her son popped into her mind.
‘Uh huh. A picture, she said.’
She found the sight of the two sitting side by side, feeding the twins pudding, rather intriguing.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“Pfft.”
Lady Lancaster, who had been resting in her room due to her poor health, hastily read the letter brought by the butler and burst into laughter.
“He seems like a good kid. And he has skills too. His nickname is a bit… funny though.”
This letter was a reply to her asking a junior she knew to find out more about Eric after his visit.
The countess, who was smiling as if amused, pulled out a new piece of paper with a calm expression to write a letter to the duchess.
“If I press him too hard, he might get turned off, but if I don’t, he won’t move, so it can’t be helped. Maybe I should at least get a sketch?”
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“Mother. You called for me?”
“Yes, you’re here?”
As she stealthily hid the letter from the Duchess, the Countess greeted Alicia.
“I was curious about something.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about Eric. What do you think?”
At her mother’s cheerful question, Alicia stared at her incredulously and sighed.
“Mother. We’re not in a situation to be doing that right now.”
“Why not?”
Frustrated at her blissfully smiling mother, Alicia was on the verge of exploding.
For years, her father, the Count of Lancaster, had been travelling domestically and abroad in the name of research, and her mother, who was physically weak, was overly optimistic about everything.
As a result, the only one left to take care of the household was Alicia.
“The twins are growing up, Emma needs to prepare for further education, and if we want to send Edward to the military academy, we’re going to need more money.”
“Oh my, is that so? Why not ask Eric? He should know well.”
“Don’t keep trying to connect us like that.”
His face expressed dissatisfaction, but his mother just kept on smiling.
“Alicia. Your mother is talking about you. I hope you’d think about yourself before worrying about the house.”
“But I’ve already told you what I think. I have no plans to get married.”
“Who told you to get married immediately? It’s just about meeting once. How can one marry after only two meetings? You’re going too far, dear.”
“……”
“Oh my, have you thought about marriage at all? So, you didn’t dislike it?”
Alicia was left speechless by her teasing mother’s words.
Well, there was a very brief moment, a very brief moment, when she thought he could be a good father while she was feeding pudding to Ryan.
But, isn’t that kind of thought something anyone could have?
That doesn’t mean she suddenly liked the man.
“Besides, isn’t he a Knight Captain? Wouldn’t you prefer someone strong enough to protect you?”
“Then he’d have to protect the country before me.”
“Two birds with one stone. It will be included in that scope anyway.”
“What are you talking about?”
Seeing her grumpy daughter, the countess couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Alicia, being a Knight Captain means a high salary, plus a danger allowance that is almost equal to the salary. It’s also a public job, so the salary comes out regularly every month.”
“……”
“And you don’t need to worry about the house. It will be resolved when your father comes back.”
She was slightly tempted by the phrase ‘high salary public official’, but at the mention of her father, the Earl of Lancaster, Alicia’s wavering spirit returned.
‘What could possibly change if father returns? Unless he discovered a gold mine or something.’
Alicia pouted and muttered in her heart, then suddenly became curious.
“Mother, why do you like that man? You only met him once.”
“He seemed like a good child. Didn’t you think so?”
“Well”
He seemed like a good person. If he wasn’t a good person, he wouldn’t have helped her then, nor would he have pretended not to know and cared for her, nor would he have treated her siblings well.
Thinking that she hadn’t even thanked or apologized to him yet, she shut her mouth.
“And he has a cute side.”
“……What?”
Caught off guard by an unexpected word, Alicia opened her eyes wide and looked at her, but the countess just chuckled to herself and spoke tenderly.
“Mother just doesn’t want you to miss a chance to make a good connection. That’s all.”
“……”
“People can’t judge from one encounter. Honestly, you don’t think it’s bad either, right?”
“It’s not bad. But”
“But?”
“But I already rejected him. So I can’t meet him again.”
Eric had promised to make things clear and emphasized not to worry twice or thrice.
But the countess of Lancaster laughed as if telling her not to worry.
“Don’t worry about that. This time, Eric invited him.”
“What?”
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.]
