Seduce With The Body Of An Enemy (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
In the days that followed, Cassius did not seek out Vivian.
The rumor spread like wildfire.
For the first time in a long while, the meeting hall filled with nobles became chaotic due to Diarobe’s close allies.
“Your Highness, with His Majesty so gravely ill, you must secure an heir for the stability of the imperial throne.”
“Yes, indeed. What reason could there possibly be for not proceeding with the union with Her Highness?”
Some shameless nobles, clearly aligned with Diarobe, pressed Cassius as though swearing fealty to him.
Cassius sneered at them and tossed down a ‘Mark’ stamped with the Snowfell seal.
“Lord Diarobe must be truly busy—manipulating ministers by morning and scheming like this by night.”
The nobles, upon seeing the Mark and the snowflake seal pressed upon it, began murmuring among themselves.
The topic that had once centered on the imperial couple’s wedding night swiftly turned into an accusation against Snowfell.
Nobles loyal to the imperial family, seizing this long-awaited opportunity, loudly rallied behind Cassius.
But Diarobe was a cunning serpent.
With the seasoned composure of a veteran noble, he calmly responded to Cassius’s remark.
“Your Highness, you misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand?”
“He was indeed a mage under our jurisdiction, but he often acted independently and has long been a thorn in our side.”
His shameless denial of any connection to the matter was utterly brazen.
Cassius’s expression as he watched Diarobe was as cold and ruthless as ice.
“The mage who entered Rosemary territory under a false identity has already paid for his crime with his life.”
Cassius let out a faint, mocking laugh and added, looking at Diarobe, who gave a slight bow.
“Of course, you, Lord Diarobe, must also bear responsibility for allowing such a reckless fool to run wild.”
If Diarobe admitted responsibility now, he stood to lose much.
After all, the matter of a mage freely trespassing into another territory’s domain was far from trivial.
Yet, with too many vulnerabilities exposed, Diarobe had no choice but to accept Cassius’s thinly veiled threat.
Thus, Diarobe ultimately handed over the highly valuable Benedict trade route of House Snowfell to the imperial court.
Cassius’s recent actions, so soon after presiding over the grand assembly, embodied the very essence of a dignified and commanding sovereign.
The countless rumors that had trailed Cassius during his days of seclusion abruptly ceased.
Nobles who had endured the suffocating tension of the meeting returned to their territories and spoke of Cassius.
‘Cassius is a demanding and suffocating ruler.’
For an imperial authority once perceived as weak, no appraisal could be more favorable.
*
Returning to the palace with an impassive face, Cassius let out a long, weary sigh.
Lord Diarobe’s flustered expression, his subordinates caught off guard and unable to coordinate their responses…
‘Betrayal between such an affectionate father and daughter…’
Diarobe had clearly turned pale when the Benedict trade route was mentioned.
It was obvious he and his precious daughter had not coordinated their stories at all.
Until the moment he entered the meeting hall, Cassius had assumed Vivian’s advice was the result of collusion with Diarobe…
His assumption had been entirely wrong.
‘What on earth was she thinking, giving that kind of advice?’
She clearly understood just how vital that trade route was to her own house.
The precision and clarity of her statements had been startling—she plainly knew everything.
If this were true, Vivian could become his most formidable spy.
Yet the fact that she was a ‘Snowfell’ made it impossible to trust her easily.
His thoughts quickly veered elsewhere. After all, with evidence already laid bare, she had no room to retreat—surely she’d made that reckless statement just to curry favor with him.
Cassius shook his head, gazing up at the deepening night sky.
‘To think I’m spending so much time pondering such a woman.’
It was absurd.
*
Even after the meeting ended, Cassius continued his relentless pace.
An unreasonable amount of work was processed by his own hands.
He could hardly be anything other than the most diligent and capable sovereign.
Yet, when night fell, he always wavered like a candle in the wind.
Once again today, Tikan faced the precarious state of Cassius.
His lord still refused to accept his sister’s death.
Tikan himself missed his sister and had searched tirelessly for her, but by now, he had no choice but to accept that she was gone.
“Your Highness, it has already been seven years.”
Even after all this time, Cassius had never once believed she was truly dead.
Since receiving the letter supposedly sent to Rodgo, he had intensified his search efforts even further.
“It’s time you pulled yourself together.”
“I’ll reorganize the search party first. Make the preparations.”
Tikan stepped in front of Cassius as he tried to leave.
Cassius was glad Tikan didn’t resemble Rachel.
Remembering Rachel every time he looked at Tikan would have been unbearable torture, given how much pain he already carried.
But that didn’t mean he would simply let Tikan block his path.
“Step aside.”
“Your Highness, please let go of my sister now.”
Objectively speaking, Tikan was right. She was someone they couldn’t find even after devoting the empire’s entire resources for years.
Too many circumstances pointed to her death to believe she was still alive based solely on that dubious letter allegedly sent to Rodgo.
Perhaps Rachel really was dead, as the nobles kept insisting.
In fact, accepting that would be the sensible thing to do.
But emotions weren’t something that could be resolved by mere common sense.
Thus, Cassius could only stand by as his feelings overwhelmed his reason.
“Rachel isn’t the kind of person who’d leave so easily.”
The empire’s greatest archmage wouldn’t have perished so meaninglessly.
No ordinary assassin could have bested her.
Even now, whenever he closed his eyes, he saw Rachel smiling brightly as she accepted his confession.
‘And now they expect me to accept her death?’
Cassius’s eyes turned fierce as he thought of Rachel.
Of course, that anger wasn’t directed at Tikan—it was aimed solely at himself.
“My sister wouldn’t have wanted to see you like this, Your Highness.”
Instinctively, Cassius grabbed the bottle of rum on the table and took a deep swig.
“If only it hadn’t been me, none of this would have happened to Rachel.”
Lately, Cassius repeated this regret dozens of times a day.
If Rachel had never become entangled with him, she wouldn’t have suffered such a fate.
All of this was his fault—for making that hollow confession when he couldn’t even protect her.
Whenever he thought of Rachel, he wanted to abandon everything, even his title as Crown Prince.
And so, he died a little more with every passing second.
“Your Highness, this isn’t your fault…”
Tikan’s voice echoed in Cassius’s mind like a fragmented, distant echo.
His consciousness slowly blurred, and his vision began to flicker.
Thud—
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
*
Not long after Cassius collapsed, Healer Hilther rushed in urgently.
He immediately examined Cassius’s condition.
A blue aura extended from Hilther’s hands, floating gently around Cassius’s body.
The process continued for a long while, yet a clear diagnosis remained elusive.
Seeing the prolonged healing session, Tikan, who stood vigil nearby, could barely conceal his anxiety.
“What’s happening? Why did His Highness collapse?”
“It’s due to accumulated fatigue, Your Highness collapsed—but…”
Just as Hilther began to explain further, Cassius slowly opened his eyes.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
After glancing around and realizing he had fainted, Cassius pressed firmly on his temples.
“There’s no need for commotion. I’m fine. You may leave.”
Yet for some reason, Hilther hesitated, glancing warily at Cassius.
His expression even carried a hint of grim resolve.
“What’s wrong?”
“I sense an unusual aura from Your Highness. You must undergo a thorough examination this time.”
“An unusual aura?”
Now that he thought about it, the intermittent pain he’d been feeling recently had completely vanished.
‘They say when one’s time to die draws near, even pain disappears… Has my time truly come?’
Cassius’s expression turned resigned as he stared blankly out the window.
Honestly, he just wanted to vanish from this world.
‘If I turned to dust and disappeared, would this tormenting tangle finally unravel, bringing my heart peace?’
But he couldn’t afford such an irresponsible conclusion.
He still needed a little more life.
Not until he took revenge on Snowfell for reducing him and Rachel to this state.
His reason for clinging to this wretched existence was clear.
Half-resigned, Cassius surrendered himself to the healer.
As the blue aura enveloped him, his emotions surged wildly out of control.
The healing session was long and grueling.
An oppressive force, like shackles tightening around his entire body, overwhelmed Cassius.
Tikan couldn’t bear to watch his lord thrash in agony.
Only when cold sweat drenched Cassius’s body and even his breath seemed restrained did the blue aura finally recede.
“Your Highness.”
“What is it?”
Hilther’s hesitation was deeply unsettling.
Tikan quickly approached and pressed him urgently.
“What’s going on?”
After examining Cassius’s body several times, the healer spoke cautiously.
“Your Highness’s illness is no longer progressing.”
“What do you mean?”
“A white aura within Your Highness’s body is holding back the black corruption.”
“Weren’t you the one who said there was nothing to be done before?”
“That’s what I believed, yet…”
“Are you saying you misdiagnosed him?”
“That’s certainly not it. I truly don’t understand what’s happening.”
Furious at Hilther’s bewildered response, Tikan snapped sharply.
“Is that really all you have to say?!”
Intimidated by Tikan’s outburst, Hilther quickly offered his own tentative theory.
“There is such a thing as revival magic, but…”
Hilther glanced around nervously before abruptly falling silent.
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.]
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