Douglas and I always chose remote and rugged paths. Unpaved road carriage travel was much more tiring than expected. Until I got used to it, my stomach felt queasy, and I couldn’t even swallow a piece of bread.
“Aren’t you tired, Elizabeth?” Douglas, who was driving the carriage, turned around. I was more worried about him.
“Are you really okay, Douglas? It must be tough to talk to the horse all day.”
“This is nothing. Writing is surprisingly labor-intensive.”
“You seem to be enjoying it somehow?”
“I didn’t know being a coachman could be this interesting. It feels like I’ve discovered a new talent.”
The original Douglas was a dandy who had never held anything heavier than a fountain pen. Despite his father’s gambling debts, he was the eldest son of a wealthy family. He probably never experienced anything troublesome.
“When did you learn to drive a carriage?”
“I started horseback riding for physical training. I found this more interesting than horseback riding.”
Douglas revealed a bright smile, showing his white teeth. It was a smile that could brighten the mood of anyone who saw it.
“If it weren’t for Elizabeth, I wouldn’t have even thought about learning.”
“Because of me?”
“Do you remember when Her Majesty kidnapped Elizabeth?”
“How could I forget?”
At one point, Nikolai tried to turn me into a hostage.
Douglas sacrificed the family treasure to stop Nikolai.
Around that time, Douglas’s character began to change.
“I thought if I knew how to drive a carriage, I could escape with Elizabeth.”
“Your foresight is remarkable.”
“I was just a man who knew nothing but writing and books. I couldn’t do anything in front of Her Majesty’s overwhelming physique and power.”
While staring straight ahead, Douglas reminisced with a bitter tone.
Wanting to change the atmosphere, I asked lightly, “Did you really want to defeat Her Majesty that much?”
“As an imperial subject, I couldn’t harbor disloyal feelings. However…”
“?”
“I just wanted to become someone who could stand confidently. Man to man.”
“Douglas.”
“Even if I were to lose, I wanted to try. The memory of kneeling helplessly is enough for a lifetime.”
“You didn’t want to kneel before the emperor. I thought you were a loyal subject, but you harbored a terrifying desire?”
Douglas wiped away the laughter in response to my question.
“I had desires even more sinister.”
“What?”
“Sometimes, I wanted to become a traitor.”
“…!”
A traitor?
What is this pale pink deer saying?
My heart rate increased.
With a stiff turn of his head, Douglas softened his gaze.
“Haha. Just kidding. I apologize for surprising you.”
But his eyes were as cold as a midwinter lake.
The lofty title sounded like a warning of danger.
‘If Douglas joins Claudia… No, if he persuades Claudia, what will happen?’
Upon closer inspection, helping a fugitive like me was no different from treason.
If Nikolai, treating Douglas like a thorn in his side, were to catch on, I didn’t know what crime would be turned upside down. Douglas was not the same as the old Douglas. Even Claudia, who loved him, wouldn’t stay still. A precarious situation, which I had never imagined, obsessed only with beating the original work, unfolded before me. Claudia, leading the revolutionary army, and Douglas, helping her. ‘Douglas isn’t that kind of person, right? Let’s not think unnecessary thoughts.’ I tried to suppress my anxiety.
Douglas looked at the map for a moment. “By tomorrow, we should be able to reach the fourteenth temple.”
“Why do Moracinian worshippers refer to the temples by numbers? They could use designations or names.”
“It’s probably because of the doctrine emphasizing equality.”
“You mentioned that Moracinian goddess covering her eyes is also because of that. To not discriminate against the poor and destitute.”
“Elizabeth said such a world doesn’t exist.”
“Do you remember that?”
“It was quite impressive. Elizabeth, who spoke her mind without hesitation, was very cool.”
As if embarrassed, Douglas scratched the back of his head. I silently watched him.
“Douglas, why don’t you ask?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I asked about a place where there might be divine water. You hinted that there might be information at the fourteenth temple.”
“So, that’s why our journey began.”
“Why do you search for divine water as soon as we escaped from the palace? Aren’t you curious about what you want to do with divine water?”
I wrote a letter to Douglas before leaving the palace, asking if he could help with our escape. Also, if he knew anything about Moracinian divine water. Douglas said he would help with anything. He even suggested going to the fourteenth temple, the oldest temple of the Moracinian religion.
But he never asked anything.
“You could suffer because of this journey. You should know the reason.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Why?”
“Because Elizabeth wants it.”
My words got stuck. I was thankful for Douglas’s blind favor. At the same time, it felt frustrating, like swallowing a hundred sweet potatoes.
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.]
