The Maid Hates Childcare (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Ruben Castle.
Kashar sat in his office, skimming through documents.
The reward he received for leading the war to victory was not just a title.
Along with a massive monetary reward, a portion of the enemy nation’s territory that had entered the Reihardt Empire now fell into his hands.
His castle stood in the capital, and at the far edge of the empire lay his share of the former Bladis domain.
Kashar used his vast wealth and vacant lands to run businesses, amassing gold.
It wasn’t out of genuine interest in commerce—rather, the larger his influence grew, the more it irritated the Empress.
Kashar’s pen paused mid-motion.
His gaze had settled on the records concerning a woman named “Aileen Hallen.”
“Second daughter of Baron Hallen. Entered the palace at the young age of twelve and rose to become a maid. Ambitious, it says.”
He had already read this report several times.
The Hallen baronial house was a humble family without even a territory to its name.
Aileen had entered the palace seeking power, but ended up abandoned, serving a commoner concubine.
Moreover, after the concubine’s death, she was left behind in the cold palace alongside the princes.
“For someone so power-hungry, she seems oddly attached to the princes.”
Young royals without backing were utterly useless.
Mikhail’s investigation report included the twin princes as well.
“It’s said she’s after the royal stipend meant to maintain the dignity of imperial blood—but.”
That didn’t quite add up, for the princes genuinely looked up to Aileen.
Unbeknownst to himself, Kashar was already reminiscing about her.
“My dear,” he murmured.
He vividly recalled Aileen’s bold yet terrified demeanor, so openly defiant despite her obvious fear.
He had never met a woman so strangely fascinating in his life.
And her eccentricities didn’t end there.
Aileen’s cooking itself served as a remedy for the madness.
“She’s maintaining her sanity without consuming Alubi Fruit.”
At first, he assumed she was merely an antidote to the Alubi Fruit’s poison.
But the more he learned, the more extraordinary she seemed.
Her food wasn’t just an antidote—it was medicine capable of taming the madness itself.
His mind remained clear even without consuming the fruit.
Though his sense of smell and taste remained paralyzed, he could clearly perceive the flavors of her cooking.
“Perhaps my five senses will gradually return. Maybe… she can even cure the madness entirely.”
Madness was a curse, and curses had no cure.
Yet Aileen was different. He had a strong premonition that she could sever the chain around his neck.
He already had more than enough reasons to make her his.
One peculiar thing, however, was that Aileen’s food kept summoning memories from his past.
“…Why do those memories keep resurfacing?”
Whenever he thought of seaweed soup, he recalled a dish his mother had made for him as a child.
Former Empress Viviana had been widely rumored—and truthfully known—to be mentally unstable during her lifetime.
“She claimed to be someone else and cooked strange, unidentifiable dishes.”
It began right after Kashar’s birth.
Viviana spoke in incomprehensible tongues and stormed into the imperial kitchen, dissatisfied with the food, to prepare bizarre meals of her own.
But the biggest problem was this:
“I never gave birth to a child!”
Viviana pushed away Kashar, whom she had once doted upon.
Because she so intensely feared her own son, Kashar had barely any memories of time spent with his mother after her descent into madness.
Yet, one day, she came to him bearing food.
It was his third birthday.
“Try it.”
Something resembling seaweed floated in it; green and soup-like.
Everyone attending Kashar believed Viviana was poisoning her own son.
Ignoring their pleas, Kashar took the food his mother offered and put it in his mouth himself.
The taste was strange—but not poisonous.
He finished the entire bowl right before her eyes.
Watching him eat, Viviana gently stroked his head.
She offered no birthday wishes.
Only this:
“I’m sorry.”
After those words, Viviana never visited Kashar again.
Her condition worsened over time, coinciding with Kashar’s onset of madness, until she was stripped of her empress title and confined.
The food prepared by that maid evoked long-buried memories.
Perhaps his longing for the past was driven by necessity.
“So you must become mine.”
Anything useful must be kept within arm’s reach—whether it’s an object or a living being.
“How will she respond?”
He had granted her time, but in truth, it was merely a grace period—the outcome had already been decided on his terms.
Yet, at the very thought of her refusal, he felt a twinge of displeasure.
“No matter how I look at it, this is suspicious. Could this be part of the Empress’s scheme?”
Mikhail spoke cautiously.
He had personally prepared the investigation report.
Though there appeared to be no connection between the governess Aileen and the Empress, the fact that a woman could influence Kashar’s condition seemed deeply questionable.
“Want to hear something amusing? She doesn’t even know what she’s doing.”
“What do you mean…?”
“She has no idea she’s affecting my illness.”
Kashar’s eyes crinkled in amusement.
Had she known she could concoct a cure for madness, she would have demanded something in return—and more.
Yet Aileen showed no such desire; instead, she was frantic to escape his grasp.
“That simply won’t do.”
He crushed the purple fruit on the glass dish in his hand. Thick juice dripped steadily onto his desk.
The poison that had previously kept his madness at bay was now useless.
“Her cooking seems to last me about a month.”
Meaning he would go mad again if more time passed.
“Then perhaps you should resume taking the fruit…”
“Why waste time on something so pointless when such amusement lies before me?”
Kashar scoffed as if he’d heard the most ridiculous suggestion.
His five senses had not yet returned—only Aileen’s cooking offered a solution.
“I’ll capture her slowly, ensuring she can’t run away.”
Perhaps it was her reactions that entertained him so greatly.
Imprisoning a governess from the cold palace would be trivial—but he had no desire to rush.
“I’ve been genuinely enjoying myself lately.”
Madness—the accursed illness that had stripped him of his position.
Before heading to war, Kashar had entered into an ancient pact with the Emperor.
This oath was tantamount to a leash; the Emperor could erase him with a mere command.
But the Emperor had imposed a condition.
“Should your madness vanish, I shall release you.”
If the Emperor refused to dissolve the oath even after Kashar’s recovery, the Emperor himself would perish.
The proof of this oath was engraved on Kashar’s back.
Within a mystical glyph lay a crimson moon emblem.
The complete disappearance of this emblem would signify the cure of his madness.
“…It’s so delightfully amusing, I could slit her throat right now.”
Though the Empress was his enemy, his hatred for the Emperor ran deeper.
Kashar continued to laugh.
While he laughed, Mikhail broke out in cold sweat.
He had been the one supplying Kashar with Alubi Fruit all this time.
Watching his master no longer take the fruit filled Mikhail with unease—yet he wondered if Kashar was already himself again, merely using Aileen as an excuse to indulge in whimsy.
Though Mikhail would rejoice at seeing his lord freed from the leash around his neck,
he simply couldn’t believe that the key to a problem unsolved for so long lay in the hands of such a suspicious woman.
“Why not simply make her your cook? Your insistence on keeping her as a lover—is it because of Empress Wayeno?”
Wayeno had already declared her intent to find Kashar a partner.
Recently, the Empress had chosen a girl from a family to her liking and summoned Kashar.
Though the arrangement predictably fell through, this was merely the beginning.
If her chosen woman became Duchess Bladis, the Empress would gain significant advantage.
Aside from the Empress, there was no need to keep Aileen as a lover—yet Mikhail couldn’t fathom why Kashar insisted on taking the difficult path over the easy one.
“That’s all over now. I hadn’t realized it myself, but I already have a long-time lover.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
Mikhail asked in astonishment, then his expression shifted to one of disbelief.
“According to her, we’ve known each other for three years—yet I had no idea.”
“You surely don’t mean Aileen Hallen? She’s far stranger than I imagined.”
At the words “strange woman,” Kashar finally burst out laughing uncontrollably.
After chuckling softly, he tapped Aileen’s name on the report with his fingertip.
“A bit of madness won’t hurt in the woman who becomes mine.”
His thoughts returned once more to Aileen.
Rubbing her portrait, he murmured to himself,
“You’ll have to answer for your own words.”
Having made up his mind, Kashar rose from his seat.
“Where are you going?”
“It’s almost time for our appointment.”
The outcome was already decided—but he was dying with curiosity over what answer she would give.
Kashar boarded the carriage heading for the imperial palace.
Shortly after, he arrived at the imperial palace.
As he walked through the rose garden—
“Uh… Your Grace.”
A woman’s voice called out.
Kashar looked up to see a richly dressed noblewoman whose cheeks had flushed pink.
“I am Jayana Enders, paying my respects.”
She was the daughter of House Enders—and Enders was firmly pro-Empress.
‘The woman the Empress sent.’
He had, in fact, agreed to meet here.
He had permitted it, calculating that a rejection in this open setting would spare him further disturbances for a while.
“I heard you were occupied last time. I was truly disappointed we couldn’t meet. But seeing you now fills me with joy.”
Jayana smiled sweetly and pressed close to Kashar.
Even among society’s many beauties, she was undeniably stunning.
Yet she failed to capture his attention.
“Seeing you so closely, you’re even more magnificent. Truthfully, I saw you at a party years ago, but I was too shy to greet you then.”
Dull and verbose, Kashar concluded.
Just as he was about to brush past Jayana—
She stepped in front of him, afraid he might leave.
From afar, it looked as though she were about to embrace him.
Just as Kashar’s brow began to furrow, a shrill cry rang out from a distance.
“My darling—!”
“…?”
A figure dashed like lightning, splitting the two apart.
“What on earth—Eeek!”
Jayana shrieked, stumbling backward.
Kashar blinked slowly. Before him stood Aileen, fuming indignantly.
“How… how could you…?”
Aileen’s voice trembled.
Tears immediately spilled from her green eyes.
“How dare you cheat on me behind my back!”
Her thunderous voice echoed through the rose garden.
Nobles strolling nearby instantly turned their full attention to the trio.
“How could you do this to me?!”
The woman who had shoved Jayana now sobbed into Kashar’s chest.
Jayana, having barely risen with her maid’s help, was about to snap back sharply—
“How dare you—!”
“Tell me yourself! Is our three-year love ending here? Were all those sweet whispers you breathed into my ear just lies?!”
The woman cleanly ignored Jayana, focused solely on speaking her piece.
Kashar looked down at the woman clinging to him. He knew it was Aileen—but for a moment, he mistook her for someone else.
Brown hair reaching her waist and green eyes were a common combination.
But today, something was different.
Her eyes seemed larger than usual, her long lashes trembling delicately. His gaze settled on her cherry-red lips.
“Answer me quickly, will you? Huh?”
Aileen pleaded.
As she tilted her head, her hair slid to one side, revealing her slender neck.
The pearl necklace around her throat, matching earrings, and the yellow dress accentuating her delicate waist—all had been gifts from Kashar.
Every detail contributed to casting Aileen as the tragic heroine.
Kashar suppressed a smile.
Then, his hand lifted to wipe away her tears, cupping her cheek gently.
“Calm down. She just suddenly came up to speak to me.”
“You’re lying…!”
Her tearful, accusing voice sounded utterly pitiful.
Though she reproached him, Aileen couldn’t tear her eyes away from Kashar.
To any observer, this was clearly a lover’s quarrel.
“How can I believe you?”
Feigning regret, Kashar brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek.
The warrior who wielded a demonic blade now bowed his head, impossibly tender before his beloved.
“I’ll never believe a word you say…!”
A shadow fell over Aileen’s face.
Their lips nearly touched—hovering on the brink.
Aileen’s eyes widened in shock, as if her mask had shattered.
With an expression of pure innocence, she whispered his name.
“…Kashar?”
Her voice quivered.
His lips stopped just short of hers.
After a moment, Kashar slowly pulled away.
Aileen’s face burned crimson.
Gently stroking her flushed cheek, Kashar murmured,
“Do you believe me now? That you, Aileen, are the only one for me.”
“…I believe you.”
Too shy to meet his eyes, Aileen slowly nodded.
The two seemed trapped in their own pink-tinted world.
Jayana, who had witnessed this entire lover’s quarrel from the closest vantage, finally staggered back in shock.
“Oh dear, miss! Someone please help!”
Jayana’s maid and palace attendants hurriedly carried her away.
Though she had left, many spectators still remained.
Kashar drew his embarrassed lover close, wrapping her in his cloak.
“Were you looking forward to it?”
Aileen’s face grew even redder than before.
She looked less angry and more mortified to death. Kashar barely contained his laughter and spoke soothingly.
“I shall serve you until your anger fades. So forget about that pumpkin-like woman from earlier.”
His honeyed whisper left Aileen breathless, as if she couldn’t handle it.
Such an immediate reaction.
With his arm around her waist, he guided her away.
“Shall we go now? We were originally supposed to meet in the Merchant’s Lane, after all.”
Acting as if nothing had happened, Kashar led Aileen out of the rose garden.
Those left behind couldn’t tear their eyes away from the retreating lovers.
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.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)