“Claire!”
While I was deep in thought, fortunately, Eliana appeared from the banquet hall. She looked worried as she searched for me. It seems she became concerned when I didn’t return after saying I’d just look around the banquet hall.
“Eliana!”
It was a great relief for me. At least I didn’t have to worry about walking back to the McKain mansion.
Eliana, finding me, asked with a raised voice, “What in the world happened to you to end up looking like this? Did a monster appear in the garden?”
“Of course not. It wasn’t anything serious…”
“How could you end up in such a state without anything serious happening?”
“Just… I tripped in the dark garden and fell, that’s all.”
“How could a fall result in… such a mess?”
Even to me, my excuse sounded utterly implausible. There were no steep paths in the garden, yet my appearance suggested I had rolled down a hill.
But I didn’t know how else to explain. Faced with Eliana’s probing, all I could do was respond with an awkward smile.
“Forget it. Let’s talk about it back at the mansion. We don’t want to draw attention and start rumors.”
She draped her shawl around me and led me back to the mansion, avoiding prying eyes.
Eliana wanted to know what exactly happened in the garden.
But having been busy since dawn preparing for the banquet, drained from the crowd, and emotionally exhausted from meeting Ian, I started dozing off in the carriage on the way back to the mansion.
Unable to pry me awake, Eliana sighed and decided that resting was my priority, sending me to my bedroom.
Indeed, I slept like I was in a coma until late the next day. My body, already frail, must have taken a significant physical and emotional toll. Even waking up in the late afternoon, my eyes felt heavy and my body ached.
“Oh my, this is tough. Attending a banquet is no easy task. I always thought it was simple when it was someone else’s concern…”
As I lay in bed, wrapped up like a cocoon and grumbling, Eliana appeared. Her face was full of worry as she looked at me.
Her angry expression made me feel like I was being scolded. Or more accurately, I was being scolded.
I had heard that the dress I wore to the banquet, specially tailored for the award ceremony, was incredibly expensive. And I had ruined it, which seemed to be the source of her anger.
Rolling my eyes, I got out of bed. Eliana sighed and sat down at a nearby table. I sat opposite her and apologized.
“I’m sorry. The dress was a mess, wasn’t it? I didn’t mean to ruin it… Is it too damaged to repair?”
Eliana sighed deeper than before and said, “The dress is fine. You can’t wear the same dress twice for a ceremony anyway.”
I knew how expensive and elaborately made that dress was from what the maids told me. The cost was so staggering that I almost had a heart attack when I first heard it. Such an expensive dress, worn only once, now ruined by me.
So if it wasn’t the dress, I couldn’t understand why Eliana was so angry. I just rolled my eyes in confusion.
“Then why…”
“Why did you take Prince Ian away?”
“Ah…”
I had completely forgotten in my sleep. Pulling Ian into the garden where so many people were present – dozens, if not hundreds, must have witnessed it. Actually, considering the population density of the banquet hall, it might have been seen by even more.
Eliana seemed to have learned only today about the incident of me taking Ian away from the banquet hall yesterday.
“That’s because…”
Unable to say, ‘I panicked after seeing Ian’s blue eyes turning red!’, I hesitated and found myself at a loss for words.
“Miss, please just tell me the truth. Then I can help with the damage control. Unless you have feelings for Prince Ian…”
“No!”
My voice came out louder than expected, even a bit harsh. After being misunderstood about my relationship with Ian when I was Jane, it was problematic to face similar misconceptions now as Claire.
Back then, I used to grumble about Ian blocking my path to marriage, but if he were to make the same complaint about me now, I wouldn’t have any defense. I might actually end up obstructing his marriage prospects.
“It was a nosebleed!”
“Nosebleed?”
In a moment of desperation, my brain conjured up an excuse.
“I ran into Prince Ian while touring the banquet hall. Just as our eyes met, he started bleeding from his nose. I was worried he’d be embarrassed if he stayed there, so I quickly took him somewhere else to help him clean up.”
Despite my explanation, Eliana’s stern expression didn’t soften. Maybe the nosebleed excuse was too common? But at that moment, I couldn’t think of a better one. I added to my story.
“It’s Prince Ian, after all. If he bled in front of everyone, it would be a huge embarrassment. I guess I have a tendency to act impulsively when I see someone in danger or suffering. My thoughts shorten and actions quicken… That’s why I jumped in front of the dangerous horse to save Prince Daniel.”
Eliana sighed deeply but seemed to somewhat understand my explanation.
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.]
