I quickly said, “Yes, that’s right. Just like how I fought to protect your dress, Your Highness should also protect me. When you swung your arm earlier, I felt so refreshed! You did really well, Your Highness!”
“Ha… This is just…”
“I mean, I met Confucius in the waiting room earlier.”
“Huh? Didn’t the innkeeper mention that a little brother came?”
“Master Kong seemed to have come alone. I’m not sure about the details, but I just wanted to let you know. It seems Graian is also concerned about this party.”
“Hmm, really?”
Princess Miliora turned her head towards the window while saying so.
I brought up my meeting with Confucius first for a reason.
There should be no suspicion that Princess Miliora might think I secretly met him behind her back.
Approaching her, who had become a bit rounder, I spoke subtly.
“I was so touched by your gesture earlier…”
Although Princess Miliora’s shoulders twitched at my words, she didn’t turn to look at me.
“Earlier, Your Highness stood firm like Lord Rond! I’m truly grateful, Your Highness.”
“Hmph. It’s only natural. How do you usually see me?”
“Oh, my. I apologize, Your Highness. You’re originally a courageous person.”
I noticed a slight blush on her cheek. Somehow, I felt she was feeling a bit pleased with herself.
The fourth competition question would probably be revealed after the end of the envoy’s visit. Since there was still a week until the party, I felt I could afford to relax a bit.
Perhaps due to Misha’s visit, I also genuinely wanted to see the Marquis.
When I returned to the Marquis’s estate, my room was as tidy as ever. It was thanks to Teria.
“Lorisha.”
The Marquis came to my room and hugged me before I could greet him.
Though his sudden actions surprised me, I didn’t dislike the fact that the Marquis had missed and worried about me.
After letting go of me, the Marquis spoke with a hint of reproach.
“Was it so difficult to send a simple letter of greetings?”
“I thought the Marquis knew everything about the palace’s situation… In truth, there haven’t been many good news.”
The Marquis answered with a sigh.
Starting from the turmoil with the court ladies, my life in the palace had been quite eventful. The Marquis also knew all about it, pretending not to know was not easy.
“Well, I’m still managing somehow.”
“Managing?”
The Marquis’s voice became sharp, and unknowingly, I straightened my back and swallowed my saliva.
“No one could have done better than you, Lorisha.”
“……!”
I quietly cursed inside my mind. Tears welled up in my eyes.
I never really expected the Marquis’s support or recognition until now, but why did those words touch my heart so deeply…?
As I turned away and wiped my tears, the Marquis looked surprised and reached out his hand. However, I smiled again and sat in front of him.
“It seems the competition will be on hold for a while. The results for the third competition haven’t been announced… Haven’t you heard anything, Marquis?”
“Lorisha. When you’re home, clear your mind. Distinguishing work and rest is crucial.”
Home.
My heart fluttered at that word.
I was living a life where tomorrow was unpredictable, and I didn’t know when I could leave the palace. I felt the need to speak up now.
“Um… when the competition ends, and I leave the palace, I’m thinking of looking for a place to live. The salary from the palace isn’t that low. I thought of getting a small room in the city and then searching for a position as a home tutor.”
“……”
The Marquis pursed his lips several times but didn’t speak easily.
“Is that your decision, then?”
“No, it’s my dream.”
“…You cunning brat.”
I gasped at the words. It was the harshest thing I had heard from the Marquis.
I blinked back tears and tightly bit my lips. I was puzzled by why I was acting this way.
It wasn’t typical for adults to cry over living alone, but it seemed I was still not quite an adult.
For a while, the Marquis silently stared at the wall before speaking.
“What do you think will happen with the competition?”
“I thought the results would be announced after Lord Agael’s envoy returns and iron production goes smoothly, but I somehow feel that His Majesty might postpone it.”
“Lorisha, the competition is still ongoing.”
“……?”
“The third competition hasn’t ended yet.”
A shiver ran down my spine, and I stood up from my seat.
The Marquis looked directly at me and spoke.
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.]
