“Of course, it’s a valid point, but the mining issue can neatly resolve the longstanding problems due to this war. But if we bring this matter to Her Majesty the Empress, it’s inevitably a matter that requires the Emperor’s consent, so Her Majesty the Empress must have felt awkward.”
“Why do you think I wouldn’t feel awkward?”
“Didn’t His Majesty the Emperor delegate the authority over warrelated issues to Your Highness the Crown Prince?”
Count Montrol clasped his hands, his face filled with anxiety.
Caliph, watching him as if enjoying the view, finally leaned back in his chair and sat up.
“So to summarize what the Count is saying, first, you want to fully own the mine this time to completely crush the ongoing problems. Second, you want to ask my mother about it, but since my father is a pacifist in diplomatic issues, you eventually sought me out, right?”
Caliph summed up the Count’s words, cracking his knuckles. He then stared intently at the Count with meaningful eyes.
The longer the silence stretched, the deeper the anxiety etched onto the Count’s face.
Just as the sweat on the Count’s forehead began to pour like rain, Caliph smiled brightly.
“It seems you’ve come to the right place with such a problem.”
“I, Your Highness!”
The Count brought his hands together, as if in prayer, his eyes gleaming as if he were about to cry. It was a sight too precious to watch alone.
Caliph, who had been savoring the sight, chuckled and straightened himself.
A serious negotiation was needed.
“How much of the profit you promised to give me are you thinking?”
“I will give you 10 percent of the profit.”
“If you own the mine in full, the profit you’ll reap will be at least twice that.”
The accurate point made the Count tremble his lower lip. After a moment of hesitation, he clenched his fist as if making a big decision.
“Ththen 20 percent……!”
“Let’s double that.”
“Excuse me??”
The Count’s eyes seemed to pop out. But Caliph didn’t care. Rather, he tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand the Count’s reaction.
“If you had asked my mother, you would have had to give up half the profits, wouldn’t you?”
“That, that’s…….”
“So even if you say 40 percent, it’s still a profit for you, Count.”
It was a clear conclusion. The Count’s mouth fell open in awe of the crown prince’s impeccable attitude.
He looked utterly insignificant.
Certainly, the Count had secretly requested a meeting, expecting the foolish Liurian of the past.
If it had been the previous Liurian, he would have laughed like a fool at the words praising his merit, accepting anything.
But that was not him.
It was just when he thought he needed to secure funds unknown to the Empress, an unexpected harvest.
“What will you do?”
“……”
“It’s fine to go to your mother now. If the Count does so, I will keep it a secret from your mother.”
Caliph pressured the Count harshly, pretending to give him a choice in a benevolent tone. The Count’s answer was a foregone conclusion.
The 40 percent concession to me might feel big right now, but it’s a path where you can gain more benefits than what you have to give up when you go to the Empress, so can you choose not to take it?
“……I will do as Your Highness has said.”
The Count answered with a deathly face. It was as expected.
Caliph smiled satisfactorily and asked the Count for a handshake.
“Then our deal is concluded, may I ask one favor of the Count to seal our faith?”
Politely bowing his head, the Count, who had taken Caliph’s hand, slightly lifted his head. A momentarily bewildered look crossed the Count’s face, but soon he returned the answer Caliph wanted.
“Please speak, Your Highness.”
“It needs to be ready by tomorrow. If it’s difficult, feel free to refuse.”
Even this time, the Crown Prince’s voice was utterly benevolent. But Caliph knew better than anyone.
That a moment later, the Count could not refuse his offer in any way.
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.]
