I had honestly expected something.
I believed I would hear a meaningful eyewitness account.
My expectations were disappointingly off.
“Your Majesty promised to protect Lady Elizabeth. How dignified and wonderful you looked. If I were a woman, I would have offered you my heart.”
The young knight said dreamily.
“Is that all?”
“Do you think so? Didn’t you see the two of you embracing each other?”
“……. ”
“It was as beautiful as a scene from a fairy tale. Honestly, I prefer Lady Elizabeth over those haughty empresses. She is simple and treats people kindly. Also….”
“That’s enough.”
“Aren’t you curious about Lady Elizabeth’s firm personality? I was watching from right behind.”
Claudia barely managed to quell her boiling insides.
‘Am I supposed to watch my Lord’s love games? It’s because of imbeciles like you that the VIP seats are falling apart!’
If she had been the captain of the royal guard, these knights would all be in jail.
Although dreaming of revolution, Claudia was a knight who swore allegiance to both the Hartman Empire and the Ebrai Dynasty.
Such laziness from fellow knights was unforgivable.
‘The entire guard has become lax because the emperor is a great warrior. But isn’t Elizabeth a powerless commoner? How could this happen again so soon after a kidnapping? What is the captain of the guard doing?’
She clenched her teeth hard.
Sensing the unusual atmosphere, the young knight subtly withdrew.
Claudia straightened her back and took a seat.
She briefly collected herself.
The duel was not yet over.
Distraction and wavering were not manners towards an opponent.
A moment’s carelessness was unacceptable.
Whether it started somehow, it was Claudia’s fight.
Even if this wasn’t a battlefield, even if the opponent wasn’t an enemy, she could not lose.
She did not want to lose to anyone.
At least, not by the sword.
“Prepare yourself, Sir Roseroys!”
She strapped her sword to her waist and went outside the tent.
It was then she realized that Simon had changed strangely.
(This is a time divider.)
A new tent was set up next to the witness stand.
Dozens of imperial flags were lined up.
The knights, tense and stiff, were surrounding it in layers.
‘I can see the stadium better now, but… this is so embarrassing.’
Sitting tightly attached to Nikolai was awkward and embarrassing.
When did they prepare this twoseater chair?
She rubbed her bottom against the soft velour cushion and leaned back.
A stern voice immediately flew in.
“If you move more than an inch away, it’s back to the palace.”
“But….”
“Even if you puke, it’s back to the palace.”
Nikolai said definitively.
Instead of hastening the duel, she had accepted his condition.
But sitting next to Nikolai with the strict protection of the knights was very challenging.
‘I’ve been alone with Nikolai many times, but never in a formal setting like this. Insisting I’m not the Emperor’s lover is futile.’
She always wanted to be by his side alone.
She wanted to monopolize him without any other women.
Even though her dream came true, she felt nervous as if sitting on a bed of nails.
She was neither the empress nor a consort.
There was a true owner of this position.
Her chest tightened just thinking about it.
When would she be free from the gaze of others?
Would such a day ever come?
“Simon seems a bit off.”
“What?”
“His steps are unnatural, his toes are more spread than usual, and his knees seem weak. Even his fingers seem to tremble.”
“Maybe he’s just tired. Victory will be ours.”
As he stroked his chin, Nikolai shook his head.
“An unexpected break was given. This break was advantageous for Simon compared to Claudia, who had been on the offensive.”
“So, he could regain stamina and turn the tables?”
“Why is he like that when he had time to calm his excitement? He’s not that foolish of a knight.”
I too had admired Simon’s skill.
Just the fact he was still dueling with Claudia was enough to highly rate him.
After hearing Nikolai’s words, Simon’s movements indeed looked odd.
The atmosphere deflated, and especially so were his cloudy, dimmed eyes.
“What did Duke Brendon say? Threatening to kill, wasn’t he?”
“Let’s wait and see.”
“Lady Claudia will take care of it soon.”
The duel resumed.
Simon kicked off the ground and leapt.
It was a speed and height incomparable to earlier.
“Why the sudden change?”
Simon swung his bastard sword.
Blue veins surged in the muscles of his arm that held the sword.
It was immense strength.
Claudia, who had been parrying Simon’s sword, staggered significantly.
Suddenly, Claudia lifted her head.
Even from afar, her perplexity was felt.
“Aahh!”
With a weird cry, Simon pressured Claudia.
Strength, speed, finesse, all were fundamentally different from before.
It was as if another person was dueling in Simon’s stead.
[Dash]Clang!As the swords clashed, Claudia’s feet scraped the dirt floor.
Simon’s strength was overwhelming her.
“I am the winner! The strongest knight of the empire is Simon Brendon!”
Simon’s eyes shimmered not with pride but madness.
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.]
