It felt like it had been a very long time since she’d had such a pleasant dream. When she woke up, her body even felt unusually light.
But she couldn’t recall the exact content of the dream.
Celia slowly opened her eyes. Only belatedly did she realize that she wasn’t lying on the hard, cold floor of a prison cell—but on a soft, comfortable bed.
‘I remember vomiting blood and losing consciousness…’
After that, everything was a blank. Had Dietrich moved her to this place?
‘Then… where is Dietrich?’
Celia tried to look around, but the room she was in was dark. She noticed a bright full moon rising above the half-open window.
She got out of bed and flung the window wide open. A refreshing breeze blew in, tousling Celia’s silver hair. At the same time, the moonlight faintly illuminated the interior of the room.
Using the moon as her lamp, Celia surveyed her surroundings. The room was spacious, yet extremely simple. It didn’t even have a basic tea table. The only furniture were a bed, a desk, a chair, a drawer cabinet, and a wardrobe.
There was no sign of Dietrich anywhere.
Celia wondered what exactly Dietrich had been thinking when he brought her here. Had he decided to keep her somewhere other than prison because of what happened in the dungeon?
‘But… there would be strong opposition.’
Celia didn’t know the details of the outside situation. No one had told her that those who coveted her were already inciting riots across the land to demand her life be spared.
Regardless of whether she trusted Dietrich or not, she had concluded he wasn’t quite as bad a person as she’d originally assumed.
Initially, she had thought very poorly of Dietrich. She’d heard that several people had previously attempted to assassinate the Emperor, and Dietrich had thwarted every single one.
Yet despite being known as the Emperor’s mad dog, the moment he learned Celia possessed supernatural abilities, he chose to spare her life.
She had long understood that he spared her because she held value to him. Without her powers, she wouldn’t be here in this place at all.
Celia was curious about Dietrich’s true intentions. But whenever it came to anything important, he clamped his mouth shut.
Knowing full well that Dietrich wouldn’t answer her questions, Celia made it a habit to ramble on about pointless things whenever they spoke.
That was when Dietrich, who normally showed no expression at all, would react. But his reactions were vastly different from those of the men she’d encountered in the Viscount’s household.
Unlike those beasts who only thought about what they could do to her, Dietrich would merely furrow his brow in disapproval or occasionally look at her with faint disdain.
Seeing emotion flicker in those otherwise emotionless red eyes strangely made her want to tease him.
Was it because Dietrich was the only human she could actually hold a proper conversation with?
Or was it because, despite her powers being ineffective, he showed no sign of wanting to harm her, making her feel safe?
Well, it didn’t really matter. Celia had no intention of quietly allowing herself to be used.
She only intended to pretend to be used by Dietrich.
‘After I uncover everything he’s hiding—his powers, his true identity…’
As for what came after that… no particular plan came to mind. Perhaps she had lost her sense of purpose after eliminating her long-standing enemy, the Emperor.
For now, Celia decided to focus on building a rapport with Dietrich.
The Dietrich she knew might have already realized that the more she used her abilities, the more her body deteriorated.
The more sympathy and pity he felt toward her, the better it would be for her.
If his vigilance toward her softened, her range of movement might expand. Even though his lord had died, Dietrich remained Captain of the Imperial Knights—and thus held control over the military forces of the palace.
‘First, I need to figure out where exactly I am.’
Celia reached for the doorknob, preparing to step out. The moment she opened the door, Dietrich stood right in front of her.
He held a lamp in his hand, looking down at Celia. The light cast a gaze upon Dietrich’s eyes that was utterly dry.
“…Looks like you’re feeling better.”
“Must be thanks to someone who let me sleep on a bed.”
At Celia’s words, Dietrich let out a faint chuckle—closer to a sneer than a genuine laugh.
“You slept like the dead.”
“You watched me sleep? Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Celia narrowed her eyes as she asked. Dietrich responded in a stiff tone.
“Since I failed to properly protect you, I thought it only fair to let you rest undisturbed for half a day.”
“…It must’ve put you in a difficult position, pulling me out of prison.”
Dietrich didn’t answer. His gaze lingered on Celia’s face for a moment. His expression remained emotionless, but something about Dietrich seemed to be in a worse mood than usual.
Finally, Celia asked again.
“No?”
“A criminal like you actually thinking of my position? Should I call you foolish, or just pretending to be?”
The mocking words rolled in, but they didn’t faze Celia at all. Instead, she smiled sweetly up at Dietrich.
“Guess which one. Am I truly foolish? Or just pretending to be?”
“…”
“It’s a fifty-fifty chance. Pick one.”
Dietrich stared blankly at Celia. As if he hadn’t heard her at all, he brought up a completely different topic.
“You’ll be staying in that room from now on. That’s why I came—to tell you that.”
Celia looked at him with an expression of utter confusion. Dietrich, noticing her reaction, added:
“There are clothes in the wardrobe—take whatever you like. The bathroom is attached to the room, so use it if you want to wash up. If you need anything, pull the cord beside the bed. A maid will come.”
Celia found Dietrich’s words extremely strange. After all, she was a criminal—a traitor who had assassinated the Emperor.
Yet, overnight, her accommodations had changed completely, her status entirely transformed. And now they were even assigning her a maid? None of this made any sense to her.
“…I’m the one who tried to kill the Emperor, right? You pulled me out of prison, and now you’re letting me live here? How exactly do you plan to handle the aftermath?”
“At least you’re aware you killed the Emperor. That’s fortunate.”
Dietrich gazed at Celia lazily. Despite the sarcasm, his eyes were calm, like still water.
“I’ll handle the aftermath myself. Just stay inside the room and don’t leave under any circumstances. I’ll explain everything when the time comes.”
“…Okay.”
Celia nodded meekly, and Dietrich looked surprised.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
As if delivering that message had been his sole purpose, he turned away from her. Celia reached out and grabbed the hem of his coat.
Dietrich’s brow knitted sharply.
“Where do you sleep?”
“Why should you care?”
“…We’re on the same side now.”
At Celia’s words, Dietrich looked utterly exasperated. He twisted his eyebrows into a deep frown, let out a long sigh, and finally snapped:
“Go to bed.”
Dietrich forcibly pulled Celia’s hand off his sleeve and walked away from her.
Celia watched him leave without even glancing back, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.
It wasn’t just her imagination.
The way Dietrich looked at her had become significantly softer than before.
[This is the timeline separator]Dietrich walked down the corridor. This mansion was entirely his own space.
The large estate, complete with a garden, had been granted to him by the late Emperor. Though the Emperor had offered him a dukedom, he feared that granting him a proper fiefdom would cause Dietrich to leave his side.
Instead of land, he had a vast mansion built for Dietrich within the inner palace grounds—ensuring Dietrich would remain in the palace at all times to protect him.
The Emperor could never have known that shortly after this mansion was built, he would meet his death at the hands of the very woman he so desired.
Just then, a soft, alluring voice called out to Dietrich.
“Sir.”
Dietrich tried to walk straight into his room as if he hadn’t heard anything.
But a slender hand gently rested on his firm forearm, stopping him.
Only then did Dietrich’s gaze fall upon the hand’s owner. The moment their eyes met, the woman smiled demurely, lowering her lashes.
“Finally paying attention to me.”
Dressed in nothing but a thin dress, her long, flowing golden hair cascading down her back, the woman gave Dietrich a seductive look. But Dietrich remained completely indifferent.
This was something she had done without hesitation even when the Emperor was alive.
‘Empress Erpia Li Basilisk.’
The woman before him was far more cunning, shrewd, and difficult to handle than the foolish Emperor ever was.
Dietrich looked past the Empress. Seeing she hadn’t even brought a maid with her, it was clear she had come with deliberate intent.
“What brings Your Majesty to my mansion at this hour? Others might think it strange.”
“There is nowhere in this palace I cannot go. And if it’s your mansion, all the more so.”
The Empress ran her fingers gently along Dietrich’s arm. Dietrich pulled her hand away and said:
“Please return.”
At Dietrich’s firm words, the smile on the Empress’s lips vanished.
“I heard you released that woman from prison.”
“…?”
“Releasing the woman who tried to kill the Emperor. Are you in your right mind?”
The Empress widened her eyes in shock. Her demeanor shifted instantly when things didn’t go her way—just like her son, Jeremy.
“Your Majesty must have heard the news from outside the palace. Riots have broken out due to demands for the criminal’s release. This was a necessary measure to keep things under control.”
“Necessary?”
“Yes. And I haven’t fully released the criminal—I’ve placed her under house arrest in my own mansion. To prevent others from doing pointless things.”
Dietrich emphasized the words “pointless things.” He already knew that the Empress had been aware of her own knights’ attempts to harm Celia and had deliberately turned a blind eye.
“I intend to monitor and guard her closely to ensure such incidents never happen again.”
At this, the Empress lifted one corner of her mouth.
“So that woman… seems quite special to you, doesn’t she?”
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.]
