Spent the First Night with the Male Lead, Thinking I Was Terminal (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 14
“I come to see Your Majesty.”
By evening, the imperial palace had become completely deserted.
All the nobles and officials who had finished their duties had returned home to enjoy a warm family dinner.
But warmth never found its way into the imperial palace.
Not even among blood relatives could it be found.
Although the emperor was clearly his father, Admon had stopped using the term “father” long before receiving the title of Crown Prince.
From the emperor’s perspective—as the only child he truly had—he felt no sense of disappointment either.
For them, matters of state, the empire’s prosperity, the imperial family’s continuity, and the relationship between sovereign and subject always outweighed familial bonds.
As Admon took his seat, Emperor Odin Wilhelm opened his mouth.
“You’re rather late.”
“My apologies.”
“What caused your delay?”
“There was more to handle than usual today.”
“I see.”
Their conversation was stiff and utterly devoid of warmth, color, or any trace of emotion.
Even after the meal was served, Odin never once looked at Admon.
Admon did the same.
The two spoke without ever meeting each other’s eyes.
“You’re already past twenty.”
“Time flew while I was fully immersed in my studies at the academy.”
In truth, Admon didn’t need to attend the academy at all.
He was the undisputed heir to the throne.
Since childhood, he could have simply received private tutoring from specialized instructors within the palace.
Yet Admon insisted on attending the academy.
Though those around him objected, the emperor accepted his wish.
After all, he still had time before his death, and he wanted to grant his son what he truly desired.
There had been wary glances, fearing Admon would finally indulge in all the leisure he’d missed—but
as if to prove those concerns unfounded, Admon lived diligently and earned everyone’s admiration.
‘Though honestly, it wouldn’t have mattered even if I had played a little.’
To the emperor, Admon was simply “an uninteresting child.”
He walked the path laid before him without complaint, never showing the frustration one might expect.
He never once voiced dissatisfaction.
Precisely because of this, he often seemed less than human.
The emperor picked up his wine glass.
“You’re also at the age to marry.”
At those words, Admon froze his knife mid-cut.
He set down his fork and knife and, for the first time, looked directly at his father.
Odin, too, took a sip from his glass and met Admon’s gaze.
In their exchanged glances, not a trace of fatherly affection could be found.
Yet neither thought it strange.
Only Admon felt uneasy at the sudden topic.
“Normally, you should have held your engagement ceremony before entering the academy. And after graduating, you would have married.”
Admon already knew what Odin intended to say.
“Are you suggesting I marry?”
“Yes. You must produce an heir.”
Admon understood this well.
The imperial bloodline had grown so scarce that he could ascend the throne entirely unchallenged—precisely because of it.
In truth, this situation was hardly ideal.
A simple line of succession meant, conversely, that extinction loomed ever closer.
The emperor, still expressionless, spoke to Admon.
“I pay no mind to rumors. It’s obvious such matches are merely meant to check the overwhelming power you’ll wield once you take the throne.”
At this, Admon realized there were rumors circulating about him.
Rumors, by nature, always reached the subject last.
He didn’t know their content.
He was about to ask just what Odin meant—but Odin spoke first.
“How about marrying the young lady of House Herscher?”
“Your Majesty.”
“It’s not a bad proposal for you. Few families are as loyal to the imperial house as the Herschers, and their princess commands high society.”
Admon already knew well what House Herscher stood for.
Since the empire’s founding, the Herschers had served the throne with near-blind loyalty.
And Aria Herscher—their duke’s only child. How could he not know of her?
Beyond her unmatched presence,
‘She was one of the few who’d stayed close to me ever since I entered the academy. Of course I know her.’
He pictured Aria in his mind.
Her lovely pink hair and soothing green eyes drew affection from everyone who saw her.
During their academy days, Aria’s popularity had soared to the heavens.
Her noble background and the privilege of staying close to Admon often led people to whisper that she would become Crown Princess.
But Admon had never cared.
Though she remained near him, it was only because she followed him of her own accord.
He never sought her out himself.
Thus, he’d dismissed it lightly, assuming everyone would eventually see it for the idle speculation it was.
‘Yet now it’s becoming reality.’
Admon masked the bitterness in his mouth with a smile.
Then he asked,
“Is this a command, or merely a suggestion?”
An order from the emperor—or a father’s recommendation of a suitable match.
Seeing Admon ask which it was, Odin let out a chuckle.
“You sound as though you dislike the idea.”
Not long ago, he hadn’t cared who became his consort.
A Crown Princess was necessary, regardless of who she was.
Unless he declared he wouldn’t take another after her death, she would inevitably rise to empress alongside him.
It was a position he absolutely had to fill once.
With so many duties weighing on him, he couldn’t afford to dwell on such trivialities.
Had he never met Clea, he likely would have accepted Aria Herscher outright in this very moment.
But Admon’s thoughts had changed.
“It’s not that I dislike her—rather, there is another who has captured my heart.”
“Captured your heart? How truly surprising.”
Odin had never shown Admon particular interest, yet as his father, he understood his son better than anyone.
Hearing Admon speak so directly about someone he cared for was utterly unlike him—Odin was genuinely astonished.
“Who is she?”
“It’s still difficult for me to say.”
“Then I won’t approve the engagement.”
“I haven’t yet asked for her opinion.”
“Wouldn’t any woman desire such a position?”
A place every woman secretly dreamed of.
Throughout history, the selection of a Crown Princess had never been without fierce competition.
Stories from his great-grandfather, great-great-grandfather, and even further back echoed this truth.
But Admon had no intention of subjecting anyone to such a process.
‘What would you think?’
He wondered what Clea would say.
How would she react?
Honestly, Clea was the only woman who had caught his eye.
He could feel his feelings for her gradually shifting into genuine affection.
He wanted her to become his Crown Princess.
Yet he knew such a request might burden her.
She seemed composed now, but not long ago, she had still belonged to House Odoi.
Believing it only right to first confirm her feelings, Admon briefly imagined—
‘What if she refused?’
After a moment’s hesitation, he decided it wouldn’t matter.
He had no intention of letting her go.
He’d already made it perfectly clear to her:
No matter how hard she tried, she could never escape his side.
The more he learned of Clea, the more deeply he felt drawn to her—and the stronger his urge grew.
When they met on the bridge and he realized she’d left her family, his offer to accompany him wasn’t just simple kindness.
It was the sudden impulse to finally be with her, free from House Odoi’s interference.
He feared she might vanish somewhere far away—and wanted to keep her firmly by his side.
Every word she’d spoken to him, every mark she’d left behind, had become a new kind of stimulation for Admon.
Addicted to this strange thrill, he thought of no one but Clea.
He carefully concealed his expression, acting as if nothing were amiss.
But Odin, watching him closely, easily sensed what Admon was feeling.
“Your eyes have grown sharp.”
“My apologies. My mind wandered for a moment.”
“Hah! How amusing. Even you, before me, have a day when you can’t control your expression.”
Odin was thoroughly intrigued.
He now genuinely wanted to know which woman could shake Admon’s emotions so deeply.
Yet somehow, Odin felt he already knew who she was.
“If you receive her consent, you must bring her before me once. Otherwise, I won’t approve any engagement.”
“…I’ll ask her.”
“Hah. Earlier you asked if this was an order or advice—and now you treat it as advice outright.”
But Odin didn’t mind.
He was the master of the palace.
Any news within its walls inevitably reached his ears.
And recently, an intriguing rumor had come to him. Convinced he’d soon see for himself, Odin ignored Admon’s answer.
‘First, the young woman who vanished from House Odoi—then, the mysterious lady who suddenly appeared in the Crown Prince’s quarters—and now, the woman the Crown Prince himself favors.’
As the pieces aligned, Odin briefly recalled Clea Odoi—and wondered.
Just how had she managed to capture the heart of Admon, whose heart was said to be as cold as ice?
He longed to hear the answer from her lips himself.
‘I’ll arrange a meeting soon.’
Odin, already planning to summon her secretly, swallowed his laughter as he watched Admon continue his meal, completely unaware.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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Chapter Comments (17)
Inline Comments (209)
“Your Highness’s lips, perhaps.”
Oooh girl…😏 She wants something else for dinner i see 🙈
At this rate, heading straight to the bedroom instead of dining was only a matte
….😏🙈 You perverts sitting in a tree k.I.S.S.I.N.G😆
He desperately wanted to shout right then and there, grab Clea’s wrist, and drag
These brute losers ….how can their duchy even functioning properly…? That’s what I wanna know
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I wonder if subconciously he knows that she is sick.
Its quite weird that his aide calls her a close friend when its quite clear that Admon barely registers her presence 🤣
Urgh …i love this …she ain’t no damsel in distress, she’s fierce….i think I’m in love