The Dark Lord Obsesses Over His Fake Wife (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
Treason is the gravest crime in the Empire.
Now that the Emperor’s approval had already been granted, everything proceeded smoothly.
The entire Libertan ducal family was miserably dragged away by the Imperial Palace knights. Realizing that everything would end the moment they were locked in the palace prison, Duke Libertan clung to them disgracefully.
“There’s no precedent for dragging away a high-ranking noble so suddenly!”
But given their prior offenses, the situation remained unchanged.
Johan overlaid the horrifying memory of the Blanchet ducal family’s destruction onto the chaotic scene unfolding at the Libertan estate.
That day had come suddenly.
His father, who had left for the Imperial Palace that morning, never returned. At first, they assumed he was simply occupied with work, but after a day or two, as ominous rumors began to spread, they could no longer stand by idly.
“I’m sorry. It seems Father has gotten caught up in something serious.”
The Blanchet ducal family was honorable, yet unfortunately, their influence as dukes was not particularly strong. Even noble houses that had once maintained cordial relations with them began distancing themselves, swept up in the strange rumors spreading in secret.
“Just wait a little longer. I’ll return with your father soon. Until then, take care of Lily.”
In the end, his mother departed for the Imperial Palace alongside the family’s captain of the guard.
But it wasn’t his mother who returned—it was the Imperial knights.
Led by the Libertan ducal family, the Imperial knights utterly trampled the Blanchet family’s noble heritage, slaughtered the innocent, and dragged the survivors off to prison.
“Young master! Flee!”
The head butler tried to help Johan escape, but Johan couldn’t run—he was tending to his weeping younger sister.
He should have fled then. Had he escaped and secured his future at that moment, things might have resolved more easily.
After all, even if young Johan had been dragged to prison alongside them, nothing would have changed.
Yet Johan couldn’t abandon his sister, who was crying and unable to flee properly.
Because he couldn’t coldly cast her aside, Johan was forced to witness his parents, utterly broken by torture.
His father, who had left with a smile, was already unable to speak. His mother, her appearance horrifyingly disfigured, pulled the young boy into her arms, trying to comfort him.
“It’s alright, Johan. Mama’s fine.”
What followed was a hell too dreadful to behold.
Everyone Johan loved was tortured at the hands of the Libertans, and ultimately, burned at the stake. The last to be dragged to the pyre was his sister.
She had always seemed childish to him—less mature and slower to learn than he was. Now, with a face drained of all light, she cried out with her last ounce of strength.
“Don’t look at anything. Don’t listen to anything. Pretend you know nothing. Absolutely pretend you know nothing. Just think you’re not even here. Understand?”
At that moment, she was no longer the naive girl Johan had known.
“No matter how hard it is, you must do exactly that. Promise me.”
Though she might have resented Johan—the only one left unharmed—Lily sought only to protect him.
Perhaps it would have been better if Johan, too, had died with his family back then, however unjustly. But he couldn’t bear the memory of helplessly watching his family suffer while he remained untouched, not even a scratch on his fingertips.
Yet ironically, it was that very Imperial law—the same law that had unjustly brought down Duke Blanchet—that forbade killing or inflicting permanent harm upon the last blood heir of a ducal house, no matter how grave the crime.
Instead, Duke Libertan exploited this legal loophole, ensuring Johan witnessed every punishment.
“Hell begins now.”
“Let’s see just how long you can keep up that noble Blanchet ducal act.”
His sister had wished for Johan to forget everything and live on, but Johan couldn’t.
Rather than turning away from his family’s hell, he seared every detail into his eyes, vowing never to forget.
He forced himself to relive even the screams his family had let out in agony, driving himself relentlessly—so he would never forget, so he could one day repay it all.
The fall of the Libertans was the moment that boy from long ago had eagerly awaited.
Yet the emotion Johan felt upon completing his revenge was anything but satisfaction. Despite years of anticipation, his wounds remained painfully fresh.
Above his eyes, stained with Libertan blood, appeared the face of that seemingly innocent girl.
“My lord.”
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
The Libertans had been arrested for treason, and now only one task remained: to toy with that girl and repay her exactly as his own family had suffered.
Yet strangely, Johan didn’t feel much joy at the thought of seeing her face twisted in pain.
“Why on earth?”
Visiting her room at that late hour had not been part of his plan. Bringing along that ostentatious bouquet of artificial flowers—to mock her—had been half-impulsive.
“What expression will she make?”
Truthfully, such blatant mockery wasn’t Johan’s preferred method. He favored something more elegant, more subtle.
Yet he had acted on impulse—an unusual thing indeed.
The girl holding the bouquet of artificial flowers stared at him with sapphire eyes. After carefully examining the flowers, she beamed brightly.
“They’re truly beautiful.”
At first, he thought he’d misheard.
In high society, artificial flowers—especially those with gemstone stamens—were a refined insult, implying falseness. And if they were red roses? They meant a gaudy facade hiding emptiness.
“Surely she doesn’t understand the meaning?”
Still, Johan had prepared for either possibility—if she didn’t understand, he’d proceed with seduction as originally planned; if she did, he’d feign an accidental gesture and offer comfort.
But Estelle didn’t behave as he’d expected.
“Yes, this is the first gift you’ve ever given me, my lord.”
She didn’t seem entirely ignorant of its meaning—he’d noticed her hand pause briefly while inspecting the stamen. And as if clinging to hope, she even asked Johan for confirmation.
“That’s a compliment, right?”
Despite the overt insult, she smiled as if genuinely delighted.
“Then I’m happy too.”
The girl, tucking a red rose behind her ear, was dazzlingly beautiful.
“As long as I’ve fulfilled whatever you wished for, in some way.”
This girl, who knew nothing—or perhaps knew something yet pretended not to—strangely stirred pity in Johan.
“She is my target for revenge.”
To feel sympathy for the daughter of the Libertans would be a betrayal to his family, who had died unjustly.
Estelle, rolling her sparkling sapphire eyes, suddenly pulled out a bundle of cookies from the room and pressed them into his hands. He was startled by the unexpected offering.
“It’s nothing special, but would you like a cookie or two?”
“Cookies?”
“You said you’d just finished something you’d planned for a long time.”
Though she had no idea what had happened, Estelle congratulated him anyway.
“Congratulations. I’ll pray that everything you do from now on goes well.”
Why was she so naive?
How could she show not a trace of suspicion toward a complete stranger like him? And yet, why did she not seem like a cherished, well-loved daughter?
“My lady.”
On impulse, Johan reached out to Estelle’s cheek, which shone as white as if dusted with sugar. The softness tickled his palm.
Estelle, seeming to enjoy his touch, gently rubbed her cheek against his hand and gave him a warm, crinkled-eyed smile.
“This…”
It was a habit his sister used to show the family whenever she’d done something wrong.
He should have felt revulsion at the memory—but strangely, he didn’t. He only felt annoyed that her soft cheek felt so pleasant.
“Am I really this weak?”
The more innocent Estelle was, the more perfect his plan should become.
Yet the more he felt Estelle’s charm, the more Johan developed a strange aversion to his revenge. And that was unacceptable.
After accepting the cookie, Johan gave Estelle a gentle, crinkled-eyed smile.
“Feed me another one.”
“Huh? Another one?”
“I’m never satisfied with just one.”
Estelle innocently rolled her sapphire eyes. Holding the cookie bag, she looked as tense as a rabbit facing a predator.
“She’s probably just shy.”
She always laid bare her innermost feelings so clearly.
“Hurry.”
Johan tapped his own lips, making his request. Watching his red lips, the girl flushed pink and carefully placed another cookie into his mouth.
Johan playfully pretended to eat even her fingertips.
“It tastes delicious because my lady gave it to me.”
When her finger brushed lightly against his tongue, Estelle gasped in embarrassment and quickly hid her hand. Johan watched her hidden hand with crimson eyes and smirked.
“Could it be because my lady’s hand touched it?”
“My hand isn’t meant to be eaten.”
“Why not?”
Estelle, pondering seriously, cautiously opened her mouth.
“Because eating people isn’t allowed?”
“My lady belongs to me. Is it wrong to eat what’s mine?”
“Even so, social norms…”
At the innocent girl’s gaze, Johan unconsciously smiled and kissed her hair.
“Alright. I’ll stay quiet until my lady wishes otherwise.”
When he whispered softly into her ear, Estelle reacted sensitively. Watching her, he twisted his lips.
“Johan Blanchet. Remember your dead family.”
This unease wasn’t because of her. It was simply that something unexpected had arisen—different from his original plan.
He needed to perfect his revenge against his family’s killers.
“However, tomorrow evening, there will be a banquet at the Blanchet ducal estate with the retainers.”
“That must be a very important occasion.”
Estelle nodded, completely unaware.
“I’ll do my best to present myself well as the duchess.”
“No. Quite the opposite.”
Johan looked at Estelle’s trembling sapphire eyes and spoke gently.
“My lady must not attend.”
Honestly, Johan’s words were somewhat shocking.
“Why is he telling me not to come?”
It wasn’t as if I absolutely had to attend that evening banquet. But unlike everything that had happened so far, this banquet was an event from the original story.
“I can’t afford to miss it.”
After the Libertans fell for treason, the retainers who had supported the Blanchet ducal family would gather under the pretense of a light celebration—and invite me only to humiliate me.
Crushed by people’s coldness, I’d become even more dependent on Johan.
“Why?”
I widened my eyes in exaggerated surprise.
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t attend?”
“It would be difficult for a lady who’s only recently come from the Libertans to attend.”
Johan curved his cool eyes into a lazy smile.
“Of course, it’s also because I want to keep my lady all to myself.”
He slowly took my hand, raised it, and kissed the back of it, gazing intently at me. Yet his gaze carried a strangely suffocating pressure.
“My lady only needs to look at me.”
The next morning, Erich arrived at Johan’s office at his summons.
Johan was opening a jewelry box, inspecting its contents. Unconsciously, his eyes lingered on gemstones suitable for women’s ornaments.
“Has my lord ever shown interest in women’s jewelry before?”
It wasn’t that Johan was ignorant about gifts for women—he always knew precisely what suited his purposes.
But that also meant he never looked at things unnecessary for his goals.
“Lately, there’s been no reason for him to look at women’s jewelry.”
Especially since Johan had never liked such ornaments. Erich asked cautiously.
“Are you planning to give her a gift?”
“That woman?”
“…I mean the imposter.”
Johan glanced briefly at the women’s jewelry inside the box before closing it.
“No. I have no interest in my lady whatsoever.”
His movement was clean, without a trace of hesitation. Yet to Erich’s eyes, a subtle change in Johan was unmistakable. He couldn’t quite define it, but Johan’s demeanor had indeed shifted.
Johan’s gaze returned to the jewelry box as he spoke slowly.
“The reason I called you today is because my lady won’t be attending the banquet.”
“…What?”
Erich repeated in disbelief.
“Did that woman say she didn’t want to attend? How could someone who claims to be the duchess herself possibly…”
Hosting a banquet with retainers was a duty the lady of the house must fulfill. For her to refuse was absurd. Erich found her ignorance baffling.
“No. I told her not to attend.”
“My lord himself?”
“Yes. She’s still an unstable woman, having only recently come from the Libertans.”
Johan stated it plainly, his expression calm and unwavering.
“She might run into trouble if she meets hostile retainers.”
“…I see.”
Clearly, this was an instruction meant to perfect his plan further.
Such an order was entirely fitting for Johan, a perfectionist. But to Erich, it sounded like this:
“He’s keeping her away so she won’t get hurt by the retainers.”
Suddenly, Erich recalled Estelle’s face from their meeting in the library—so pure she seemed ready to melt into the sunlit air.
“Surely my lord isn’t… because of her…”
But it was true—something had subtly changed since Estelle’s arrival. Just then, the office door burst open, and the Blanchet captain of the guard rushed in.
“My lord. We’ve received word from the Imperial prison.”
“What is it?”
“Duke Libertan says he’ll confess the truth—but he’s set one condition.”
Erich frowned immediately upon hearing this.
“He dares to set conditions?”
Watching the captain, who had clasped his hands together, Johan lazily curled his lips upward.
“What’s his condition?”
“He requests to see Miss Estelle one last time.”
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
4 Comments
Chapter Comments (40)
Estelle, my summer fairy, spirits are communicating with you.
Estelle, it seems you possess an important and special power.Stay away from my demon summer fairy. Our Estelle is wonderful.
Why would Estelle commit suicide? Use your brain, Erich.
Atmosphere created the impression that she would commit suicide, but she didn’t.
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
Duke of Libertan must have suffered a severe brain injury from being beaten.
Why would he want to see Estelle?
agustus_orchid
People don’t easily choose to become demons.
Johan’s reason for choosing to become a demon is your evil.
agustus_orchid
Johan, don’t fall in love.
Keep your obsessive love to yourself.
agustus_orchid
You have deserved the anger and revenge of Johan, Duke of Libertan.