Spent the First Night with the Male Lead, Thinking I Was Terminal (10 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
After finishing a simple meal with Admon, Odin headed toward the garden.
The garden he usually favored was a place no one could enter except himself and his guard knights.
Thus, he enjoyed a peaceful stroll with peace of mind.
However, his tranquility lasted only briefly, as someone soon entered his field of vision.
“There’s someone over there.”
Odin felt a rare sense of delight, something he hadn’t experienced in far too long.
It had already been several decades since he’d ascended the throne, and it had been an eternity since someone had come so brazenly to assassinate him.
Just as he was pondering how to cook the prey that had wandered into his hunting grounds, the moonlight revealed the figure’s identity, causing him to momentarily abandon his thoughts.
“Shall we capture them?”
His guard knights, having grasped the situation, suggested taking the intruder into custody. But Odin shook his head.
“Everyone, withdraw.”
“But Your Majesty—”
At his command for them to leave, the knights insisted they must never slacken their guard.
In these turbulent times, who could predict when or where danger might strike?
With the Empress away on holiday, only two members of the imperial family remained in the palace—making them prime targets for the nobles’ hungry wolves.
Though they pleaded for him to reconsider, Odin answered firmly.
“Do not make me repeat myself.”
His voice carried a stern warning, and the knights were immediately cowed by his imposing presence.
Unable to oppose his will any longer, they quickly stepped back.
Now alone, he watched the figure wandering about.
“So that’s the girl who’ll become my daughter-in-law.”
Seeing her appear before him without any effort on his part, Odin couldn’t help but smile.
“But how did she even get in here? There should have been guards posted.”
Odin briefly examined his own appearance.
If he approached her like this, she might be startled—so he decided to disguise himself for a moment.
[This is the timeline separator]“I don’t know where I am.”
Even in Clea’s body, she’d entered the Imperial Palace a few times before.
While nobles considered merely stepping into the palace an honor, Clea honestly found it hard to relate.
‘It’s just another flashy place.’
She found the excessive extravagance and dazzling brilliance utterly repulsive.
Since she’d never come here by choice, she’d always preferred simply killing time rather than touring the palace.
Clea sat on a secluded terrace, the very opposite of the palace’s splendor, wishing for this tedious hour to pass quickly.
Normally, there was never anyone around Clea.
In such glamorous places, people openly showed their scorn without bothering to hide it.
That behavior seemed to emphasize the gap between her and those around her.
‘Frankly, it suited me just fine.’
Then, someone appeared before her.
Amid the glaring brilliance, he stood out the most—yet his appearance was so plain it didn’t unsettle Clea at all.
Clea recalled that moment.
He was the kind of person who could shine brilliantly like radiant light, yet whose shadow, as dark as his hair, could effortlessly conceal his true self.
That was the man she imagined Admon Wilhelm to be.
His dark demeanor, unusual for a male protagonist, appealed to Clea.
Perhaps it was precisely because she hadn’t yet encountered someone as luminous that she could be so captivated by his darkness.
“Admon.”
“Do I look like Admon?”
“…My apologies. I mistook you for someone else.”
She sensed someone approaching and turned toward the source of the presence.
There stood a figure bathed in moonlight.
Clea mistook the person before her for Admon.
Partly because the surroundings were completely dark, but also because the man before her looked strikingly similar to Admon.
Though it wasn’t actually Admon, Clea was still pleased by the encounter.
“Excuse me, but do you happen to know where exactly this place is?”
“Where else could it be? The Imperial Palace, of course.”
“I meant the precise location.”
“Hah, really?”
Odin inwardly regretted having sent away his knights.
He’d been curious to see how others would react upon hearing her address him directly.
Yet, he was also rather pleased that she’d fallen completely for his disguise.
It wasn’t that Clea didn’t know what Odin looked like.
After all, how could anyone who’d attended even a single imperial banquet fail to recognize his face?
He was that kind of man—distinctive enough to be unforgettable at a glance.
Like everyone else, time hadn’t spared him; wrinkles had formed and his hair had turned white, yet Odin’s presence remained extraordinary.
Yet Clea failed to recognize him upon meeting him face to face.
She simply hadn’t seen through Odin’s seasoned disguise techniques—honed over years of evading assassins in his youth.
Odin relished the proof that his skills hadn’t rusted.
It had been a long while since he’d held such a conversation—excluding those with the Empress—and he wished to speak with Clea longer.
Of course, had anyone else behaved as she did, they would have lost their head on the spot.
“Unfortunately, this is a place only members of the imperial family may enter. Why are you here?”
If today’s incident got out, Admon might hide her away even more tightly afterward.
Thus, Odin wanted to prolong their conversation as much as possible.
On the other hand, Clea frowned at Odin for not properly answering her question.
“I was invited, but I got lost.”
“Are you truly one of the invited guests?”
“Then how is it that you’re here, in a place only imperial family may enter?”
To be honest, Clea felt no fear.
To her, emperors and imperial family members were entirely irrelevant to her life.
But Odin, surprisingly charmed by her fearless attitude, answered with a smile.
“I’m the one who guards this place. Therefore, no one can punish me for being here.”
Convinced by his plausible explanation, Clea nodded and glanced around.
“It’s a beautiful place.”
“Yes, it’s a space the Emperor and Empress particularly cherish.”
“Even if there are only two of us, is it really alright to omit addressing His Majesty properly?”
“What does it matter? It’s just the two of us here.”
He had many things he wanted to ask her.
First, he intended to keep his true identity hidden and then inquire bit by bit.
But unfortunately, his enjoyment was cut short by someone who quickly noticed her absence.
“Clea!”
“Your Highness.”
Admon, spotting her from afar, came running swiftly toward her.
Odin couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
“Well then, we’ll have to continue our conversation another time.”
“Will there even be another chance? It seems unlikely we’ll meet again.”
“That’s merely your opinion.”
He never expected to see Admon—the man famed for never showing agitation—running toward someone else’s name.
Odin had no desire to confront Admon here.
If they met now, who knew what might be discussed—and besides, it felt too soon to reveal his identity.
Though this meeting with Clea had been unexpected, her first impression on him was remarkably favorable.
Even disguised as an unremarkable palace servant performing menial tasks, she hadn’t dismissed him but instead carried on the conversation.
She exuded an aura entirely different from anyone he’d met before.
The aura of someone with no lingering attachments anywhere.
Having finished these thoughts, Odin decided to leave immediately.
Since today wouldn’t be their last meeting, he looked forward to speaking with her again next time.
Clea, watching Odin walk away, shifted her gaze toward Admon, who now stood right before her.
“You didn’t need to run all the way over—I wasn’t going to run away.”
“If you’ve already left the Crown Prince’s Palace, isn’t that running away?”
“I merely got lost.”
At her confident demeanor, Admon suppressed a sigh.
Relieved simply by confirming Clea’s safety, he looked around.
“Who were you with?”
Having seen her conversing with someone as he approached, Admon was uneasy.
He worried someone might have tried to harm her.
Grateful for his concern, Clea relayed exactly what she’d just heard.
“He said he’s the one who guards this place.”
“The one who guards this place? I didn’t know such a person existed. More importantly, he didn’t hurt you in any way, did he?”
Sweat dripped from his chin—from running all this way.
Clea took a handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped his sweat away.
“Do you really think I’d just stand there and take it?”
“You might—you’d probably endure it quietly, worrying it might cause me trouble.”
Hearing his reply, she was momentarily speechless.
Yet as she reflected on her past actions, she realized his words weren’t entirely wrong.
There had been days when she’d suffered harassment without fighting back, simply enduring it.
“I won’t be like that anymore.”
“Do you think I can trust those words?”
“Either way, you’ll come looking for me, just like now.”
Once she’d finished wiping his sweat, Clea took hold of Admon’s hand.
Admon was momentarily startled by the small hand grasping his and the chill emanating from it.
Her icy fingers seemed to draw warmth away from him.
Yet instead of letting go, he clasped her hand even tighter and said,
“Yes, I’ll always find you. You’re already mine.”
‘Whose belonging are you, really?’
Hearing his words, Clea smiled.
No matter what he said, the one destined to marry him was none other than Aria—so Clea felt bitter inside.
Currently, the only candidate for Crown Princess was Aria Herscher.
Not only was she the sole unmarried noblewoman of matching status among the high nobility, but many other young ladies had already given up due to the relationship between her and Admon that had begun back at the academy.
‘In the end, I’ll be the one to abandon you.’
Clea changed her thoughts.
‘Therefore, I must not be yours—you must be mine.’
That way, no matter when she chose to let go, she wouldn’t feel any pain.
Though she foresaw the future, she was still grateful to Admon for having searched everywhere for her.
Thinking he wouldn’t understand unless she expressed it, she leaned against his shoulder and whispered,
“Thank you for coming to find me. If it hadn’t been you, I’d still be wandering around the wrong places.”
Hearing this, Admon gave a soft chuckle and replied,
“Then don’t even think about leaving my side, Clea.”
Clea hoped his words would come true.
Soon after, the two safely returned to the Crown Prince’s Palace.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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