“It must have been a signal for each other. Indicating a time, a place we do not know…”
Aaron’s voice, articulating his thoughts, fell silent.
“Stop.”
Someone had obstructed the Imperial army.
The vanguard of the Imperial army searching the forest had met an unexpected ambush and could not advance.
“Halt your march.”
The unfamiliar group threatened the vanguard of the Imperial army by pointing their guns at them.
“Who are you?”
The vanguard of the Imperial army also took up their guns and adopted a wary posture in response to the threat of these strangers.
In the darkness of the forest, the guns of the two groups became chaotically entangled.
The rough breathing of the tense soldiers permeated the forest.
In the midst of the sharp tension that seemed to cut the very air, the leader slowly stepped forward.
“We do not intend to attack the Imperial army. We want peaceful negotiations.”
At the sound of the leader’s voice echoing, Aaron swallowed his deep silence.
It was him.
The loyal dog serving his master blindly.
Her subordinates, the militia of Eorenti.
But why?
Why did they come looking for the Imperial army?
Aaron, searching for the answer to his unanswered question, heard the voice of Zer, the captain of Eorenti’s guard.
“Speak your demands.”
Aaron slowly approached Zer, driving his words toward him.
As the commanderinchief of the Stilletez Empire moved, the Imperial army and the Eorenti army quickly made way.
They got close enough to recognize each other, with a torch between them.
Aaron and Zer’s sharp gazes crossed in the void.
Aaron’s low voice echoed in the tense forest.
“What do you mean? What we want?”
“We literally want to negotiate.”
“What negotiation?”
“Do you want gold? Do you want us not to surprise attack? Speak your army’s desire.”
“Why?”
“If you ensure the safety of our captain, we will try to accommodate your demands as much as possible.”
At Zer’s words, Aaron inhaled sharply.
He felt dizzy from completely unexpected words.
Aaron held down his ominous feeling and slowly, firmly uttered.
“So. Right now. To save your captain, are you asking the Imperial army for a negotiation?”
“Yes.”
In response to Aaron’s question, Zer conveyed a clear affirmation.
Aaron gritted his teeth to suppress the curse about to explode.
The throbbing of his heart raced unusually fast, echoing in his ears.
“Damn it.”
This crafty prisoner.
Aaron gripped the reins tightly and jerked them.
The sudden command of Aaron echoed in the night forest.
“All troops. Return to the camp.”
After giving the order, Aaron quickly turned the horse’s head back to the camp.
Dike was also surprised by the unexpected order but quickly conveyed it calmly.
“All troops. Return to the camp.”
The commander’s order was quickly delivered to the end of the Imperial army.
“Return to the camp.”
The command of the Imperial army, echoing like a reverberation, instantly diffused the tense atmosphere.
The Imperial army, which had been searching for the prisoner, followed the commander’s order without knowing why.
The sound of the retreating Imperial army shook the forest.
After the brief noisy disturbance, the forest was silent again.
“Captain Zer. What should we do?”
The Eorenti soldiers, who had been watching the retreat of the Imperial army, were tinged with confusion and looked at each other.
They were searching the forest fiercely and then they retreated their army upon the mention of negotiation.
In the end, Otto, the flustered guard captain, asked Zer a question.
“They seemed to have come out to chase us. Why did they turn back as soon as they saw us?”
At the question of his subordinate, Zer quickly recalled the scene he had seen during the day.
The commander who tightly held the princess without any space for a needle to enter, protecting her.
It was clear that the guard wanted to retrieve the princess, but the commander’s attitude was as if the guard had come to take the princess away.
And yet, that commander alone searched the forest.
He turned right around at the mention of negotiation.
Having thought that far, Zer groaned deeply.
“It seems we made a mistake.”
An ominous feeling ran down Zer’s spine.
The sound of horse hooves echoing urgently in the dark forest.
Curses that Aaron, who was riding the horse quickly, couldn’t suppress, splashed out.
Damn it.
It was not a joint operation with his subordinates.
It was a solo act and an escape.
How on earth?
The moment Aaron lost his prisoner was just a blink of an eye.
A very short time, taking a drink, stoking the log fire, and giving a few orders to his subordinates.
Not enough time to escape the camp on one’s own without anyone’s help.
Aaron quickly drove his horse to the command post.
Aaron, who had ridden to the entrance of the commander’s tent, jumped off his horse as if he were flying.
He walked briskly with large strides and roughly pulled back the curtain.
How did she escape without the help of his subordinates?
Aaron quickly scanned the inside of the tent with a cold gaze.
The familiar interior was always in sight.
A bed with neatly spread blankets.
A neatly arranged table.
The prisoner’s robe neatly spread on the table.
And the strong smell of alcohol with a subtle fragrance of flowers in between.
But something was subtly different.
The scent that had once filled the tent so strongly was lighter.
The uniform jacket symbolizing the commander was gone.
It was a very small change, but its meaning was clear.
Aaron’s prisoner was in the tent until the moment Aaron set out to search.
Only then did Aaron, realizing the meaning of Delia’s actions, let out a deep sigh.
So that’s why she drank so violently.
She intentionally spilled alcohol on her clothes to make the robe smell of alcohol.
To create an excuse to change her wet clothes.
To hide her breath in the lingering scent left on the robe.
She didn’t think it was because of her hiding, she thought it was because of the sweet brandy smell stuck on the robe from the alcohol.
Aaron followed Delia’s traces with sharp eyes.
The prisoner who entered the tent must have thrown off her wet robe and hidden somewhere.
She must have been hiding, listening in, killing all signs, and waiting for the right moment.
As soon as Aaron set out to search, she must have grabbed the commander’s uniform and left the tent.
And she must have easily escaped the empty Imperial Army camp.
Laughing at the commander who fell for the prisoner’s temptation.
Her golden hair fluttering.
She must have left the camp like smoke scattering in the sky.
With that thought, Aaron clenched his teeth.
He was fooled.
He was fooled by the cunning prisoner.
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.]
