Stolen Crown Princess (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
“Seeing her like this and saying her complexion has improved, I can hardly believe you’d even order the palace physician to examine the Crown Princess thoroughly.”
Liurian muttered this while staring intently at Ibelia.
Though his words were directed at Ibelia, in truth, they were aimed at Gadro.
Gadro’s hypocrisy was utterly laughable. He acted as if he cared for Ibelia more than anyone, yet he was just as guilty of neglecting her.
Otherwise, how could Ibelia’s complexion have worsened so much in just a year?
Gadro’s face trembled with rage. Unfazed, Liurian rose from his seat.
“It seems the two of you should have your meal alone.”
With that, he extended his hand toward Ibelia.
“Let’s take our leave.”
Ibelia flinched. Caught in a dilemma, her face showed she could neither stay nor go.
Watching her quietly, Liurian seized her wrist and pulled her forcefully into his arms.
Her fragile frame was drawn in helplessly. Only then did he turn his back on the imperial couple without a hint of hesitation.
* * *
Ibelia was breathing heavily.
From the moment they left the banquet hall and crossed the garden, the force pulling her wrist and his brisk strides showed no consideration for her.
“Your Highness.”
“…….”
“Your Highness…!”
Ibelia called out to Liurian in a strained voice. At her first call, he didn’t stop, as if he hadn’t heard, but at her second, he halted as if by magic.
“Haa, haa.”
Ibelia exhaled roughly, her chest heaving and sweat beading on her forehead. Yet, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from Liurian’s back.
She had seen that back countless times, but today, it felt strangely different.
“…Your Highness.”
Ibelia called him again, her voice now steadier. She hoped he’d at least turn with a slight nod, but he didn’t budge. Come to think of it, he was never a man who granted her wishes.
With a resigned expression, she cautiously stepped in front of him and stopped. Then, silently, she looked up at him.
“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. His Majesty… His Majesty has always looked after me with great care.”
Her voice, feigning calm, trembled slightly. Despite her pretense, she was clearly shaken. Liurian taking her side? It was utterly unbelievable.
But more pressing than that was the fact that the person he’d opposed was none other than the Emperor of the Balcherov Empire.
The Emperor was furious at his behavior, and no one could predict what punishment might follow.
She had to persuade him quickly. To make him apologize to the Emperor.
“He often checked on me to ensure I had no discomfort, and when I was bedridden with fever for three days, he ordered the palace physician to spare no expense on remedies. And, and also…”
“Enough.”
Ibelia, brazenly spinning lies, stopped as if struck by his firm command. Her body trembled.
A chill she’d never felt before seeped into her core. It was because of the cold gaze piercing down at her.
“Even if you say this, you gain nothing. Do you truly trust His Majesty that much?”
“…….”
“By defending him like this in his absence, do you think you’ll gain something?”
Ibelia clamped her mouth shut at his mocking, skeptical question. She hadn’t done it for any reward. If she had, she wouldn’t have spoken at all.
Her only concern was for him.
“…Your Highness, His Majesty is the Emperor of this nation. How could someone responsible for the peace of the empire’s people focus solely on the sleepless nights of a mere Crown Princess?”
“I thought you were a wise woman, but it seems I was mistaken.”
A hollow laugh suddenly wrapped around her ears. Caught off guard by the unexpected reaction, Ibelia lifted her head helplessly. Her fingers clenched tightly, unable to do anything else.
His face was chillingly cold.
“…Your Highness.”
“If you’re a mere Crown Princess, doesn’t that make me, who has such a consort, a pathetic Crown Prince?”
“Your Highness, that’s not what I meant…!”
“Surely you didn’t say that without thinking it through.”
In that moment, Ibelia’s eyes shook as if struck by an earthquake. It was a point she hadn’t anticipated.
“Tch, that’s…”
She frantically searched for an excuse, but no words came even after a long pause.
It was only natural. This was clearly her mistake.
To make such an error in front of someone always looking for her faults—she felt a sigh welling up. But now wasn’t the time to indulge in sighs.
Ibelia hurriedly bowed her head.
“My thoughts were shallow, Your Highness.”
“…….”
“To call Your noble Highness pathetic—my foolish mistake. I humbly beg your generous forgiveness.”
It was overly formal and stiff for an apology between spouses. But in a way, that made it flawless.
Hoping not to further upset him, Ibelia awaited his response.
“…Indeed. As you say, I am a noble Crown Prince.”
“Wise words…”
Ibelia moved her lips out of habit. Picking words to please others was, for the current her, not difficult at all, even if it might have been for her past self. Yet, she couldn’t complete even that simple task.
“And you, my consort, must never forget that you too are always a noble person.”
He gripped her shoulders firmly and whispered softly.
“…….”
“…….”
Ibelia blinked rapidly, unable to hide her confusion.
A noble person?
She was at a loss for words. Was “noble” a word she could hear from him? No, it wasn’t something she could hear, even laced with sarcasm.
“Your Highness… Why, why would you…”
Ibelia mumbled like a fool. She couldn’t believe it, yet his tender tone, unheard even in dreams, pierced her heart, resonating through her entire body.
And that wasn’t all. His eyes shimmered calmly like a still lake. Too clear to belong to someone lying.
It felt like a dream, but every time she tried to believe it blindly, the searing heat from his grip on her shoulders grounded her.
Ibelia could only stare at him helplessly. Words she couldn’t voice spilled from her eyes.
What did he mean by that? Why was he saying such things to her?
But as always, the answers she hoped for never came.
“I don’t need a frail consort. And I certainly don’t want the title of a Crown Prince who neglects his consort.”
His expression hardened instantly, and he answered in the cold voice she knew so well. At the same time, Ibelia’s trembling eyes stilled as if by magic, losing their light dully.
“Ha…”
Ibelia let out a halted breath. She couldn’t hide her despondency. Her heart, which she thought had grown numb, felt like it was crumbling to dust.
In an instant, a chilling cold enveloped the two of them. Even her shoulders, which had felt burning hot, weren’t spared.
She couldn’t move, as if placed in the heart of winter, nor could she breathe freely.
Then, a high-pitched voice suddenly cut through the silence between them.
“Your Highness!”
Breaking the stillness was Lellia Nett.
Upon spotting Lellia, Ibelia buried her head downward. To appear at such a moment—humiliation washed over her.
Regardless of her feelings, Lellia closed the distance in the blink of an eye. She stood by Liurian’s side and, with a perfectly natural gesture, grabbed his arm.
More precisely, she forcibly linked arms with the arm that was holding Ibelia’s shoulder.
“I greet Your Highness, the Crown Princess.”
Lellia, boldly linking arms with the Crown Prince in front of the Crown Princess, smiled confidently.
It was a scene Ibelia had witnessed several times. Yet, seeing it again after a year, she couldn’t shake the bitter feeling.
“Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence in the reception room immediately.”
Lellia, showing minimal courtesy to Ibelia as if her feelings were unimportant, turned to Liurian at once.
At her lively voice, Ibelia couldn’t muster the courage to lift her head.
Soon, Liurian would likely take Lellia’s hand and walk away from her. That was the natural, expected scene.
But strangely, today, she desperately wished he wouldn’t.
Lellia, standing by Liurian’s side, looking at her with confident eyes, felt infuriatingly smug.
After a whole year, Lellia’s attitude, as if she couldn’t bear to see Liurian with her for even a moment, was maddening.
But as always, her hopes crumbled miserably without exception.
“Your Highness, Her Majesty is waiting. Come with me.”
Lellia gently shook the arm she held, urging him.
It was a faint force. Even if she had pulled with all her might, it wouldn’t have disturbed Liurian’s grip on Ibelia’s shoulder.
Yet, drawn by that slight force, Liurian let go of Ibelia’s shoulder.
Ibelia squeezed her eyes shut. Her breath caught, and her nose stung. A heavy stone seemed to settle in her chest, her stifled breath rising.
Then, the sound of footsteps—whose, she didn’t know—pierced her ears relentlessly. The more it did, the harder Ibelia pressed her closed eyes.
She had seen it countless times, but today, she lacked the strength. She didn’t want to see the two of them turning their backs and walking away, leaving her alone.
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.
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Nobodynobodyma
This chapter is the old chapter I think?