Seduce With The Body Of An Enemy (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“The lunch appointment for today has been canceled….”
“Could something have happened to His Highness?”
“Not to that extent… yet.”
Canceling the schedule abruptly without even giving a reason?
A sudden worry flashed through my mind.
“There was supposed to be a state council meeting this morning, right?”
“Yes.”
Marianne added, her expression deeply gloomy.
“His Highness is truly unreasonable. Not only did he do that on our wedding night, but now he doesn’t even summon you to the council meeting.”
As Marianne said, it was customary for the Crown Princess to attend state council meetings.
It was clear that Cassius was deliberately ignoring me.
“Didn’t Father attend the meeting today as well?”
“Yes. His Grace naturally attended.”
I suspected Duke Diarobe might have done something outrageous again at the meeting.
Given his prideful nature, seeing his own daughter absent from the council must have sent his blood boiling.
Though satisfying, it also stirred concern.
It might be fine for now since it’s the beginning, but if this kept happening, people would surely talk about the state of my relationship with Cassius.
Though tangled thoughts clouded my mind, there was no need to show it in front of Marianne.
“Perhaps His Highness is giving me time to adjust, since I’ve only just become Crown Princess.”
“Y-Yes. He’ll summon you soon, I’m sure.”
The moment a flustered Marianne agreed with my words, a servant hurried in from outside.
“His Grace the Duke has arrived.”
Could someone’s mood really be this foul?
Cassius cancels our appointment, and the last person I’d ever want to see shows up instead.
I had a vague idea why he had come.
‘Looks like he got thoroughly enraged at the meeting today.’
Though a headache throbbed, I couldn’t refuse his visit.
I nodded, and soon Duke Diarobe entered.
“What brings you here?”
Diarobe spoke with a gentle expression, expertly masking his anger.
“Must there always be a reason for a father to see his daughter?”
“I am the Crown Princess now.”
It was my way of saying he shouldn’t visit so often.
He, however, interpreted it differently and smiled contentedly.
“That’s right, of course. My daughter is the Crown Princess.”
Placing his hand on my shoulder with an air of pride, Diarobe played the role of a loving father.
There was a reason he put on such an act.
Ever since I became Crown Princess, not only Snowfell household servants but also imperial court staff had been stationed here.
Only after the servants finally retreated outside, leaving tea served between us, did Diarobe drop his mask entirely and reveal his true self.
“I went to such lengths to put you here, yet you still can’t even get that useless Crown Prince wrapped around your finger.”
Now I was certain.
Diarobe truly didn’t have an ounce of paternal affection for his daughter.
To him, Vivian was nothing more than a tool to produce an heir with imperial blood.
‘Even so, she’s still his own flesh and blood—he goes this far?’
Then again, this was the same man who attended a tournament on the day his wife died, caring only for personal gain. Expecting him to care for his child was laughable.
Rebelling here would be foolish—it would only invite disgust.
But my position as Vivian made me a perfect instrument to crush the Snowfell family.
Thus, I needed to play along—just enough.
“I’m sorry. I’ll pay more attention.”
“They’ve been spreading nonsense—that the Crown Prince only keeps you as a replacement for Rachel, that he’s already lost interest in you. Tsk.”
Apparently, at the noble club he presided over, there had been plenty of chatter about me and Cassius.
Most of it was filthy gossip from nosy people obsessed with others’ affairs.
But it clearly offended him. A man as proud and honor-driven as Diarobe could never accept the notion that his daughter was being rejected by the Crown Prince.
Naturally, that frustration was redirected at me once again.
“Now that I’ve gotten you married, the rest is your responsibility, you fool.”
‘My responsibility? What exactly am I supposed to do?’
I wanted to ask if he really thought Cassius would ever desire a beast from the Snowfell family, but I forced my expression to stay calm.
Barely managing a faint smile, I saw my reflection—beautiful as a demon—hover above the teacup.
“Don’t worry. There isn’t a man I can’t seduce.”
Somehow, I felt this was exactly how Vivian would respond…
For a moment, Diarobe silently stared at me.
His expression resembled the vacant look I’d seen once before, stirring unease within me.
‘He couldn’t possibly have realized the truth, could he?’
Diarobe was seasoned and experienced—he might even know about possession magic.
Just as tension gripped me, a satisfied smile soon spread across his face.
“Good. Once you bear the imperial grandchild, those fools spouting nonsense will vanish.”
Though the tension eased, seeing him smile made fury flare from deep within my core.
And then, as if determined to provoke me further, he added:
“I’ll set an auspicious date for the marital consummation. You must not miss it on that day.”
‘An auspicious date for consummation? Does he even know the current state between Cassius and me? Then again, Diarobe wouldn’t care about that. His mind is solely fixed on using me to place the empire under his feet.’
Feeling faint, I nonetheless forced a smile and replied,
“Of course.”
Though I disliked that Diarobe was meddling to arrange our consummation, I myself desired it more than anyone.
Given that Cassius canceled our lunch today, I couldn’t predict when I’d see him again.
Seduction meant nothing if I couldn’t even meet him—so accepting Diarobe’s aid wasn’t entirely bad, even if whether Cassius would accept it remained another matter.
Suppressing the flood of emotions rising within, I composed a calm expression and steered the conversation to the point.
“Was there any incident at today’s state council meeting?”
“The state council?”
He frowned, watching me silently before asking,
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
His distorted expression confirmed it—there had surely been an argument with Cassius.
I set down my teacup, the clink echoing through the room.
“His Highness abruptly canceled our lunch appointment today.”
“…….”
“I was worried something might have happened during the council meeting.”
Diarobe’s eyes shifted briefly, lost in thought.
Then, as if recalling something, he frowned deeply and let out a long sigh.
“I sent a mage to Rosemary before—the damn fool seems to have noticed.”
My heart sank at the unexpected revelation.
‘A mage sent specifically to Rosemary?’
Now everything clicked into place like puzzle pieces.
Why Cassius had been so furious on our wedding night.
Why the Snowfells believed Rachel had been harmed by them.
Why he looked at me as if I were vermin…
If Cassius had uncovered all of Diarobe’s misdeeds, this reaction was more than justified.
‘What scheme required sending a mage? He must have risked much—so it must be something important… Was he plotting something against Father and Tikan again?’
My mind raced, but that didn’t seem right.
If he intended harm on his own family, he wouldn’t complicate matters by sending a mage into the Rosemary estate.
It would’ve been far easier to act from outside the mansion.
‘What could they possibly be after inside the estate?’
Then, a plausible hypothesis flashed through my mind.
‘Could it be… the Empowerment Stone?’
The Empowerment Stone was a gem that amplified magical power—something every mage coveted.
Yet for centuries, no one had managed to obtain it.
No one even knew where it was.
I had discovered its location by chance while serving as an aide, stumbling upon an ancient text.
‘The Heart of the Blue Dragon.’
Even upon reading that, I hadn’t dared seek the stone. Any mage would have felt the same.
Slaying a Blue Dragon was a mad endeavor—success was uncertain even at the cost of one’s life.
But upon reincarnating, I realized something:
Without risking my life, I couldn’t alter fate even slightly.
I immediately departed for Lazaro to hunt it down.
Fortunately, luck was on my side—I seized the Heart, secured the Empowerment Stone, and earned countless merits and a noble title.
‘If the Snowfells realized an Empowerment Stone existed within the Rosemary estate…’
I’d have effectively thrown them fresh prey.
If that stone fell into Snowfell hands, I couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful they’d become.
I had to reclaim it and restore my magic before they did.
‘But how did they learn I once possessed the Empowerment Stone?’
I’d never told anyone—not even my younger brother Tikan—because I knew better than anyone that the stone’s mere existence posed a threat to my family.
‘Have they truly uncovered the Empowerment Stone’s existence?’
I longed to demand what they were plotting, but now more than ever, I needed to stay calm.
Gripping my trembling hands, I set down the teacup and assumed Vivian’s posture as I’d practiced.
Then, carefully avoiding suspicion, I asked indirectly,
“What if His Highness finds out we were behind sending the mage to Rosemary?”
“Don’t worry. Those fools wouldn’t even recognize what it is.”
‘Wouldn’t recognize it?’
Given Cassius’s furious reaction, he clearly already knew.
“The Imperial Mages might get involved.”
I said this to test whether the Imperial Mages could uncover something of this caliber.
But he scoffed,
“It’s not a magic circle those amateurs could decipher—even if they somehow realized it was a magic circle to begin with.”
My mind raced.
‘Does Snowfell have a high-tier mage who considers Imperial Mages pathetic?’
I should’ve known such a mage… though seven years had passed—much could have changed.
‘Has Snowfell recently acquired such a mage? And what schemes require employing someone of that caliber?’
Suspicious as I was, Diarobe—who had schemed without a word to his own daughter—would hardly explain now if I asked.
‘I shouldn’t arouse unnecessary suspicion.’
For now, the best course was to stall him, preventing reckless moves.
“We’ll need to be cautious for a while.”
“Cautious about what? Even if those fools make a fuss, they won’t find any evidence.”
“Rosemary without Rachel may be a toothless dragon, but caution never hurts.”
Tikan would draw his sword if he heard that—but luckily, he wasn’t here.
Seemingly satisfied with my response, Diarobe laughed heartily, the sound echoing through the room.
Before leaving, he tossed out one last remark,
“Just properly secure that man. Then you won’t have to worry about his whims anymore.”
*
Watching Diarobe disappear left me unsettled.
To avoid disaster, I first needed to uncover his schemes.
‘If it’s Cassius, he must have recognized the mark.’
Diarobe insisted it was impossible, but Cassius—though no mage—had an uncanny memory, recalling every word I’d once spoken from a magic tome.
Though unnecessary for a Crown Prince, Cassius’s intellect and memory were extraordinary.
For now, since I couldn’t act openly, aiding Cassius was my best option.
Of course, I worried.
If he learned Snowfell was behind the Mark, he’d push me even further away.
‘Then it’ll take even longer to grow close to Cassius.’
Yet I couldn’t abandon my family to Snowfell’s machinations again.
The thought of Father and Tikan falling into their hands once more was unbearable.
Thus, I had to ensure Cassius discovered Snowfell was the Mark’s mastermind.
‘How much does Cassius already know? If I follow Tikan, I might find out…’
But as Crown Princess, tailing him was nearly impossible.
I could send a servant—but I had no intention of letting Snowfell’s loyal dog uncover my intent.
‘Well, this much is simple.’
I plucked a few strands of hair and loudly dropped a vial, causing Marianne to rush in, startled.
“Your Highness! What’s wrong!”
She found me laughing like a madwoman, tears streaming down my face, and gasped in alarm, hurriedly seating me.
With my hair disheveled and tears smeared across my cheeks, I looked convincingly unhinged.
In that state, I smiled faintly and whispered,
“Did you know too, Marianne?”
“Know what?”
Her wide, confused eyes brimmed with tension.
Gazing into them, I put on a sorrowful expression and spoke,
“It seems His Highness has taken another woman.”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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