The Dark Lord Obsesses Over His Fake Wife (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Johan looked at Erich and spoke in a cold voice.
“If my wife knew about Viscount Gaspeer’s amethyst necklace, there might be a connection to the Libertan ducal house. You won’t do anything else to disappoint me, will you?”
“Of course not.”
Erich, formerly a retainer of the Libertan household, was the best among Blanchet’s ranks at uncovering Libertan corruption. Yet even while receiving an important assignment, all Erich could see was the bear-shaped cookie.
‘It must be related to that fake.’
Otherwise, there’d be no reason for such a cute-looking cookie to be in Johan’s impeccably tidy office. Suddenly, he recalled Johan examining a woman’s accessory atop it.
‘My lord said it was to execute the plan perfectly, but…’
All at once, Erich felt as though everything was done out of concern and protection for the fake.
“I won’t do anything to disappoint you.”
Then Johan tapped his desk with his index finger and said,
“And cancel Plan A of this ‘Fake Lily’ project.”
“Pardon?”
The lily was the symbol of the Libertan ducal house, and among them, the fake lily represented Estelle. Erich asked with eyes full of doubt.
“Plan A was a good strategy—using the fake as bait to unsettle even the spies. Didn’t we deliberately spare that Libertan rat for exactly this purpose?”
Among the options, Plan A involved using a Libertan spy to test Estelle—most efficient for heightening her anxiety and dependence by subjecting her to physical threats.
“Then we’ll need another way to use the spy we’ve kept alive until now. Do you have a reason for this?”
“It’s too dangerous to move the spy already.”
“Surely… you’re not saying the issue is that the fake might be in danger?”
Erich’s voice grew louder, stirred by emotion.
If his lord had fallen for that woman’s tricks just as Erich himself had wavered—
“She’s not a woman worth treating so preciously. As for her value…”
Suddenly, Estelle’s face—crying by the window—flashed through Erich’s mind.
“Since when have you started questioning my words?”
In that instant, Erich realized his mistake. Bewitched by a mere woman, he had shown disrespect to his lord.
“I apologize.”
Erich knelt and looked up at Johan. Johan’s cold demeanor remained unchanged.
“I won’t say it twice. Cancel Plan A. Inform Patricia as well.”
Only then did Erich obey without further words.
“I shall comply.”
A loyal retainer may advise his lord, but must never overturn his decisions. Erich left Johan’s office.
As he examined his new assignment closely, he saw the timeframe.
‘I won’t be able to return to the mansion until I’ve uncovered every connection.’
Come to think of it, it almost seemed as if someone wanted to keep him far from this estate.
‘If I think too much, it almost feels like my lord is sending me away out of jealousy.’
But no trace of such emotion could be found on Johan’s face.
In the final moment, what Erich saw was the vengeful Duke Blanchet he had always served. Erich forcefully denied the doubts he’d just harbored.
‘I may not know, but my lord would never waver.’
There was a clear reason why everyone in the Blanchet ducal house had once worshipped Johan like a god, even when he had nothing.
Johan was perfect.
Striking looks, innate combat prowess, exceptional intellect.
A ruthless charisma that seemed destined to dominate all, and even his posture—aloof and dignified amidst filth.
He was a born ruler.
Thus, even knowing the Blanchet ducal house had fallen, people still risked everything to flock to him.
Because, if anyone could turn the impossible into reality, it was Johan. And true to their devotion, Johan utterly destroyed the vile Libertans.
Meanwhile, the moment Johan sensed Erich’s presence disappear, he turned his head toward a small model.
A miniature replica of the Libertan ducal residence, perfectly recreated—even the lily crest symbolizing Libertan was engraved at its center.
Until now, this model had held many meanings.
Johan’s listless gaze drifted toward the sunniest room in the Libertan ducal residence—the room prepared for the beloved princess of the house. The very room Estelle was said to occupy.
He stared at it languidly and indifferently, then tapped it lightly with his pale, slender finger.
The slow, rhythmic tapping echoed through the silent room.
‘It’s just dust in my eye making me tear up.’
‘I’ve always been prone to tears—even over trivial things.’
Estelle, who had made absurd excuses after hearing harsh words from Erich.
‘No one here hates me that much. And even if they did, I wouldn’t feel so wronged.’
Though she’d accomplished nothing as duchess and hadn’t even formally greeted the head maid, Estelle hadn’t shown a trace of anger.
‘Of course they’d hate me here—that’s only natural.’
Because she acted so unaffected, Johan found her expression even sadder.
‘How could I possibly look good? Even I wouldn’t approve of someone like me becoming duchess.’
So Johan changed his plan.
Estelle was, after all, the final step of his revenge. Since he hadn’t even dealt with the Libertan duke and duchess—who had committed the crimes directly—there was no need to rush.
‘Estelle already trusts me.’
Though that black magic book she’d brought to the garden was indeed strange. In that moment, Johan became aware that his thoughts were entirely occupied by Estelle.
“Interesting.”
His regularly moving index finger stopped.
“Very interesting.”
At that instant, his finger crushed the room on the model completely.
The moment I entered the room, I collapsed onto the bed.
‘Of course—I went back and forth twice.’
Even I thought it was foolish, but swayed by Johan, I’d left the black magic book I’d fetched from the library right there in the garden. So I had to go back to the garden once more.
‘Johan must have seen the book I borrowed.’
I worried I might have aroused unnecessary suspicion.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have borrowed it at all.’
I kicked off the blanket, stomped my feet, then hugged the pillow tightly again. The red mark Johan had left on my wrist was visible.
A mark that felt obsessive—like a claim that I belonged to him.
In a flash, I even recalled the dizzying moment when Johan’s teeth had touched me. My face flushed instantly, and I buried it back into the pillow in a fluster.
‘I really must be going crazy!’
Even if it was to seduce me—could he really act like that with no feelings at all?
‘…That’s exactly why he’s the mastermind.’
A man who would do anything for revenge—that was Johan Blanchet.
‘Will he come again tonight?’
Remembering how he’d lain there last night wearing only a robe, my face reddened again. I never thought I was so easily flustered, but his beautifully sculpted body was truly…
Be careful.
An unfamiliar voice sounded.
Startled like a child caught misbehaving, I lifted my face from the pillow and looked around. There was no one nearby.
Something dangerous is coming.
Yet the voice was as clear as if whispered right into my ear.
‘A man’s voice?’
And not just one—it sounded layered, as if spoken by several men at once. I felt I’d heard this voice before, in the study too.
‘Is it coming from outside the window?’
Just as I rose to go to the window—
Knock.
A knock sounded. I held my breath and stared at the door.
Knock knock knock knock.
Unlike Betty’s, this knock felt frightening. My heart clenched, and I clutched the pillow tighter.
Click Someone outside opened the door without permission. It was a strange man I’d never seen before.
He looked remarkably plain and simple, but held a glinting dagger in his hand. The man bowed politely to me.
“Good day, miss. My name is Anton.”
It was amusing—he treated me with a courtesy I’d never received from the Libertan ducal house.
“Oh, are you speaking to me?”
“Are you not Miss Estelle of our Libertan ducal house?”
“…That’s correct. What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to rescue you, under orders from Duke Libertan.”
Now I remembered the original plot.
‘Ah, the Libertan spy episode.’
Back then, Estelle was deeply shaken when told the Libertan ducal house had sent someone to retrieve her.
Especially upon hearing that her abusive adoptive parents missed her desperately—she betrayed the mastermind and tried to flee.
It was the first escape attempt in the original story.
‘But it was a trap set by the mastermind.’
Afterward, she was scorned and condemned as a traitor, true to her Libertan blood. And Estelle began clinging obsessively to Johan, the only one she could rely on.
‘…This time, I just won’t run away.’
Fortunately, I held no lingering feelings for the Libertan duke and duchess.
“Miss, how much you must have suffered, trapped here all this time!”
Anton spoke as if pitying me. His unpleasant brown eyes briefly swept over me.
“Duke Libertan sent me to rescue you.”
“My parents sent you?”
“Yes. They miss you terribly. Why else would I be here?”
I nodded innocently and asked,
“But my parents wouldn’t miss me…”
“If you don’t believe me, come with me. The escape route is secured. Shall we go?”
Anton approached me, dagger in hand, threateningly.
‘Even if I refuse, this might still be trouble.’
If I refused, no one would protect me immediately. Meanwhile, Anton was armed.
‘If this is Johan’s intended scenario…’
Even my refusal and subsequent injury would be part of his plan—people grow more dependent the weaker they become.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t fully understand the situation yet.”
I raised a rational objection to buy time.
“I can’t be sure you were truly sent by my father.”
“Ah! That’s understandable.”
Anton pulled a notebook from his coat. Right on it was the lily crest of Libertan.
“Are you convinced now? We must leave quickly.”
“It’s too far—I can’t tell if it’s genuine.”
Anton’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn’t get angry. Instead, he slid the notebook across the floor.
“This was given to me by Duke Libertan. It was very difficult to keep safe in this dangerous place.”
I picked up the notebook as slowly as possible and pretended to examine it.
It was genuine anyway—so what did it matter?
“Have you confirmed it now? We don’t have much time. We must flee as quickly as possible!”
“I understand you were truly sent by my father. But…”
I feigned distress and asked him,
“I simply can’t understand why my parents would secretly help me escape.”
“I’ll explain calmly once we’re out of this mansion. Right now, escape comes first.”
“This marriage was something my father strictly ordered me to uphold. I can’t act rashly without hearing an explanation.”
Anton’s face twisted abruptly.
“Hah… seriously.”
“I understand your frustration, but if I flee now, the Libertan ducal house might suffer unnecessary misunderstandings among the nobles.”
I answered meekly, lowering my eyes.
Anton thumped his chest in exasperation. Judging by his reaction, he wasn’t a patient man.
‘How much time can I buy?’
If I hold out, will someone come to rescue me in the meantime?
‘Johan.’
Though he was the one who’d put me in danger, his face came to mind—the man who’d promised to protect me and take responsibility.
‘Does he really think I’m worth the trouble of bringing me back at such a cost?’
This must be the value Johan spoke of. So this situation was crafted by him to torment me.
Alongside fear, an inexplicable sense of betrayal surged in my heart.
In the end, it was unfolding exactly as in the original plot.
Without Johan’s silent approval, the spy could never have reached this far. In that moment, I noticed the red mark he’d left on my wrist.
Strangely, I had the absurd thought that this red mark might protect me.
“This isn’t the time to worry about noble misunderstandings.”
“Then what?”
“Well…”
I could see Anton hesitating whether to mention ‘treason.’
But he seemed conflicted—afraid that if he brought it up, I might refuse to cooperate in escaping.
Sorry, but either way, I won’t run.
“Your marriage has already become meaningless—because Duke Blanchet is the one who burdened the Libertan ducal house with debt.”
“…I see.”
“And you’re not safe either. Duke Blanchet is the culprit behind all the recent murders near the capital. If you stay, you’ll die too.”
Fortunately, I already knew this.
The mastermind Johan had ruthlessly killed all those who’d brutally murdered his young sister and parents. Not satisfied, he even displayed their corpses as a warning.
‘What even is this… Should I call him a monster who knows right from wrong?’
Among those he’d taken revenge on, I was the only one who hadn’t committed any crime.
That was the most regrettable part.
‘Someday, Johan will kill me.’
No matter what I do, Johan will never cease his hatred toward the Libertan ducal house.
But right now, the real danger was the agitated man holding a dagger. If I said anything even slightly offensive, he’d surely harm me.
“Do you now understand your situation, miss?”
“I understand.”
Just then, I felt a strange vibration through the floor beneath me.
“So Duke Blanchet is the one who burdened our family with debt.”
“That’s correct.”
“And he’s also responsible for the murders near the capital lately.”
I heard the sound of people moving. Johan was likely nearby.
‘Good.’
If Johan was close, I had a gamble worth taking.
‘The blade is frightening, but…’
The dagger in Anton’s hand gleamed coldly.
But if Johan entered at just the right moment, I’d be safe.
Even if I got hurt, enduring a little pain would earn me great favor with the mastermind.
“But even so, I won’t go with you.”
“…You won’t go with me?”
“I’ll confirm whether it’s true by speaking with my husband, the duke, first.”
Anton’s eyes changed abruptly.
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.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (23)
He fell in love with Estelle.
What did I say?
Johan, take control of yourself and your emotions.Estelle, I didn’t expect you to hit him.
You did well.
Hit him without hurting yourself.Estelle is not stupid.
She is not a disposable pawn at all.
Inline Comments (21)
Estelle was a greater villainess than even the Libertan ducal couple. Leandro al
Leandro sees himself as a chivalrous knight who will save even the wicked and bring them back to their senses. Arrogant.
‘She doesn’t understand what’s truly precious.’
What is valuable? An arrogant fiancé abandoned her.
All the composure he’d so skillfully maintained was utterly useless before such
Love works wonders. Johan is still unaware of his true feelings.
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agustus_orchid
Let’s go to Estelle.
Mr. Johan, Estelle is smart.
Mr. Johan, you’re not the only smart one.