Threatening words.
Yet, Hestia was not frightened.
“No. But I think you never had the opportunity.”
She responded boldly.
“So, I’m offering you that opportunity now, willingly.”
“It could be this moment.”
Aslan stood up.
Using his long legs, he quickly closed the distance between them.
“If you wanted to die, you should have said so earlier.”
As he approached, Hestia had to tilt her head up to keep his face in view.
‘I can’t see his expression.’
Aslan, on the other hand, kept his gaze fixed on Hestia. Her calm attitude about death, despite not understanding what it entailed, irritated him.
Hestia’s slender, pale neck seemed to elongate, showing off its graceful line.
Aslan watched her neck quietly.
Like a deer trapped under the paws of a predator, pulsing with life.
Such fragile movement.
With just a little force, it could be broken.
Struggling to contain some fierce emotion within him, Aslan’s throat moved visibly.
Slowly, he raised his arm and gently grasped Hestia’s neck.
Most people would have recoiled, but Hestia did not even blink.
Her demeanor suggested she was serious about her offer, completely entrusting her life to him, and this bothered Aslan.
She spoke calmly as before.
“Wait. Not now.”
Aslan twisted his lips.
“Why? If you’re going to die anyway, what difference does it make if it’s now or later? Got scared?”
She slightly shook her head, still in his grip, able to move because he hadn’t applied any pressure.
“No. It just seems like it would be a hassle.”
“For you?”
“No. For you.”
Hestia swallowed a sigh, thinking.
If he killed her now, it would create complications.
She didn’t want to push Aslan into a pit of sin; she just wanted to atone to him. She hadn’t yet been stripped of her sainthood and was still the Princess of Elsword.
Dying by the Duke of Calaty’s hands while holding such statuses would inevitably lead to bigger problems.
The temple and the royal court would persecute Aslan even more.
‘I should only do it after giving him everything I can.’
Hestia slightly lifted the corners of her lips. Aslan’s face twisted even more.
“Duke Aslan Calaty, I ask you again. Marry me. Then, I can die whenever you want.”
“What difference does it make?”
“A lot. Marry me, and when I die, declare it a natural death.”
Her health would soon visibly deteriorate, making it believable to everyone.
Aslan watched her silently, realizing she wasn’t mocking him but was sincere.
‘But why?’
Part of him was tempted.
‘It might be a comfort for the people of the North.’
After the Great Rebellion, the hatred of the Northerners towards the South skyrocketed.
They lost loved ones and resented the Elsword royal family and the temple, blaming them and Hestia, whose oracle they believed had led to their losses.
The North only revered and remained loyal to the Calaty ducal family.
If it were Aslan Calaty, of all people, who plunged a sword into Hestia’s heart and took her life, it would offer a small consolation to the Northerners who had lost their loved ones.
‘…But.’
He was reluctant.
Regardless of her intentions, Aslan had no desire whatsoever to comply with Hestia’s wishes.
Aslan’s hand, which had been holding Hestia’s neck, fell away. Quickly stepping back, he sighed heavily.
“It was a tempting story, so much so that it almost brought tears to my eyes. Ha, I never dreamed that the Princess would think so highly of me.”
He smirked with a defeated laugh.
But then, just as suddenly, he wiped all traces of amusement from his face.
He glared at Hestia with burning eyes and said bitterly, “Everything seems so easy for you.”
Hestia, about to reflexively protest that nothing was easy for her, bit her lower lip instead. She had no intention of explaining herself.
She hoped that her life, however inconsequential and futile, might provide him with some small sense of satisfaction.
‘That’s the only atonement I can give this man.’
Ignoring her silence as a sign of contempt, Aslan scrunched his nose and spoke.
“I reject your proposal.”
“……!” Hestia was taken aback. Knowing his hatred for her, she hadn’t expected a rejection.
Caught off guard, she looked up at Aslan with trembling eyes.
Their eyes met again, and he flashed a seductive, yet cold smile she hadn’t seen since before the Great Rebellion.
Hestia’s heart ached slightly.
Aslan reached out again, lightly lifting her silver hair.
“Do you know why I want to kill you?”
“That’s because…”
“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s wrong.”
He leaned in close, their lips almost touching, but never actually meeting.
His hot breath tickled Hestia’s skin. Her breathing became erratic, and she eventually held her breath.
“I want you to suffer.”
His gaze was like a snare, holding her tight.
“Like my father, my friends, who suffered and froze to death.”
Each word he uttered felt like thorns piercing Hestia.
“You should, too.”
Hestia’s body stiffened.
She tried to hide her emotions, but it wasn’t easy.
Aslan released the grip on her hair and stood up straight, exhaling a long breath.
“You seem quite desperate. If you intended to manipulate me, you shouldn’t have let it show.”
He shrugged his shoulders, mocking her lightly.
“So, I thought it would be more effective to let things not go your way than to kill you.”
“……You will regret this.”
“Not particularly.”
He smirked and shook his head dismissively.
Hestia, unable to let go of her last hope, asked again.
“Is there anything else you want, other than my death?”
“Not really.”
Aslan answered without hesitation, showing no expectation or interest in her.
Hestia nodded, her heart heavy.
“……I understand your decision, Duke.”
“For such a clingy wait, you’re accepting it quite cleanly and quickly.”
Hestia wrapped herself in her hood again and spoke coldly.
“I don’t have much time left,” Hestia said.
Aslan raised an eyebrow as if to ask what she meant by that.
“Now that I know there’s no possibility of marrying you, I’ll have to look for another man.”
At Hestia’s candid response, Aslan’s neck muscles tensed visibly.
Although his eyes flared with anger, Hestia remained unfazed.
If her provocation would make him change his mind, then it was a tactic worth trying.
“I guess there won’t be any reason to meet again.”
She bid him farewell.
Her tone was calm, unlike Aslan’s.
“Thank you for your time. I’ll take my leave now.”
She offered a handshake, but Aslan didn’t reciprocate, so she confidently withdrew her hand.
Turning around, she walked towards the door.
Just as she was about to grab the doorknob, hesitating for a moment, she paused.
Aslan had followed her and, reaching out with a strong arm, he firmly grasped her wrist, stopping her.
“Wait a moment.”
Hestia complied and stopped.
“I have one last question.”
She turned to face him, surprised by the close proximity, but then looked up at him directly.
“What is it?”
“Why…”
Aslan started, his expression confused. For the first time, his eyes wavered.
He continued in a rough voice, struggling to find words.
“Why did you come to me first?”
His question came off as if even his own curiosity was something he couldn’t allow himself, as Aslan hastily added, almost justifying his question.
“Given all your options, you knew I would be the most difficult, didn’t you?”
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.]