Fragile as his brother is, he couldn’t handle it.
It didn’t matter what happened to Roderick, as long as his brother wasn’t affected.
“Father!”
A child appeared, blocking Roderick’s path.
“What is this?”
“Mother alone? Why are you moving alone, father?”
“I have no intention of playing this childish game.”
Walking right through the child, he sought an escape.
“I can let you out.”
“I don’t trust the words of a creature.”
“Really? Then I should only open the gate for mother?”
“Suit yourself.”
“I have to punish you then! For trying to destroy our castle. You’ll stay with us forever.”
As the child clapped his hands, the floor became sticky, slowly engulfing Roderick. But his expression remained undisturbed, as if used to such occurrences.
The child was more taken aback by his reaction.
“Why aren’t you scared?”
“What does this connect to?”
“You think I’d tell? Hmm, too weak? How about this?”
The child snapped his fingers, and the scene flipped. Roderick found himself in a different, dreadful space.
‘Brother.’
In a room drenched in blood, a woman wailed, and his brother lay dying in her arms.
‘Don’t come, brother. I’m okay.’
The curse affected not just the bloodline but also the duchess living with them, driving her mad.
Unable to recognize her child, she screamed that it wasn’t hers, but a monster.
Even though he told his brother to stay away, the younger sibling, yearning for their mother’s embrace, crawled towards the woman.
“Brother.”
Proudly smiling as if he had done something right, his brother just smiled apologetically.
“Someone, get that thing away from me!”
The scene before his eyes was chaotic and disorienting.
“Please, someone kill that monster!”
The light reflecting off the shattered glass fragments made his vision blurry.
Ah, what did he do at that moment?
Even though he knew this was an illusion, nausea surged up, clogging his throat.
The child, who seemed unchangeable in his emotions, laughed brightly at Roderick’s agitation.
Should I trap this man at the bottom of the castle?
The child, smugly laughing with his arms crossed, suddenly changed his expression when someone touched his core. Gasp. The child, now with a face transformed into a demon, vanished.
“I think I’ve found everything.”
Diana was holding a variety of items, from worn-out dolls to wooden daggers.
These were toys stained with human touch, objects holding the sentiments of children.
She thought she only needed to find one child who proposed hide-and-seek, but several were hiding.
Finding them wasn’t difficult. Like magic, the children’s souls were detectable.
Picking up an item, the souls naturally followed her. Her ability to read magic was useful at times like this.
After parting with Roderick, Diana moved swiftly, feeling lighter than she had in a long time.
One of the following children tugged at her sleeve and pointed somewhere. It was time to end this long game of hide-and-seek.
“That one?”
The child nodded. It was the object of the child who proposed hide-and-seek.
As she reached for it, the child appeared out of thin air.
“Don’t touch it!”
“I found them all.”
As she reached out, flames erupted in the room, filling it with acrid smoke.
“It was smoke, not fog.”
Everything seemed real, but it was all an illusion. The intense heat threatened to melt her skin, but she didn’t care and continued reaching out.
She picked up a teaspoon, half-melted, hidden behind a piece of furniture.
“Yes, you were here.”
“Don’t touch it!”
The child was scared. They wanted to be found, but when actually discovered, they regretted it. They hoped to be hidden, not wanting others to see their grotesque forms.
Adults are scary yet yearned for.
The child, who had rushed at her like a demon, now sobbed, complaining it was hot. Other children were no different.
Hidden in small corners, their souls appeared as she touched the objects, each horribly burned and crying at the spot where their item lay.
In the magician’s castle, the purpose of its construction was unclear, but one thing was certain: children were sacrificed here.
Diana, carrying the items, led the children out of the western corridor. The stinging smoke was no hindrance.
The illusion was convincingly real, and despite her tearing up from the acrid air, Diana moved forward.
Her restored physical condition wasn’t too bad. Despite the searing heat, her steps were unyielding.
“Where are you going?”
“To your guardians.”
Her voice was as resolute as her expression. She seemed angry.
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.]
