Trapped in the Mad Duke's Snare (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13
“Let go of me!”
Adeline let out a scream as if she were being torn apart.
If they hadn’t been in the forest, her high-pitched voice would have woken up everyone in Horn Village.
Adeline struggled fiercely to wrench her shoulder free, but the harder she tried to escape, the tighter the grip became.
“Help me! Someone, please help!”
If anyone was around, please save me.
Adeline cried out in desperation.
It was already unfair enough that she had been reincarnated as a character from a novel, but now she had to be dragged to her death by the very man who had given her life.
It was unbearably cruel—and just as she thrashed about trying to break free—
“Adeline!”
Adeline shuddered at the familiar voice whispering into her ear.
She hesitantly lifted her head.
“Mel? W-Why are you here?”
Only then did Adeline realize the one holding her was Cassis.
Frantically scanning her surroundings, she grabbed the sleeve of his coat.
“Did you see anyone chasing me? Are you alone? Are you alright?”
Her hand clutching the Duke trembled uncontrollably.
Drenched helplessly by the torrential downpour, rain streamed from Adeline’s hair down her round forehead and into her eyes, blurring her vision.
“It’s alright. I’m alone. There’s no one chasing us.”
The Duke raised his other hand to wipe away the water trickling down Adeline’s cheek.
It wasn’t rainwater.
The warmth soaking his fingertips was Adeline’s tears.
“I just came out because I was worried about you. But what on earth happened? Who’s chasing you?”
At the Duke’s innocent gaze, Adeline’s legs suddenly gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
There was no one else.
The one chasing her wasn’t a member of House Credion—it was him!
Tears welled up again at the corners of her eyes and streamed down sorrowfully.
It was resentment mixed with relief toward him.
“Why… Why did you come here!”
Adeline’s emotions suddenly surged, overwhelming her.
“I told you so clearly to stay at home!”
She had repeatedly warned him not to come out—and yet again, unable to bear it, he had gone searching for her.
Under normal circumstances, this might have been something she’d gently scold and then let go.
But perhaps because she’d been tense from being pursued by the Marquis’s faction all this time, Adeline had reached her limit.
She was exhausted—both body and soul.
She ought to have been grateful to the Duke for braving the storm to find her, but though her mind understood, her body refused to comply.
“It’s alright. I’m here now…”
Adeline slapped away the Duke’s arm as he tried to embrace her.
Her gaze toward him was colder than a blade of frost—cold enough to freeze the heart of any man who met her eyes.
[This is the timeline separator]The Duke had only intended to lower the small, troublesome zipper and then leave.
But the moment his fingers touched it, his mind changed.
Seeing Adeline hold her breath, he felt an urge to tease her—so he deliberately began lowering the zipper slowly.
He was annoyed by the woman who kept refusing him. At first, it was merely a mischievous desire to fluster Del.
But as the zipper descended, revealing more of her pale skin, his mind grew hazy.
Ironically, it was he who ended up tormented.
The Duke couldn’t control himself at the sight of Adeline’s fair skin.
Knowing full well she’d be flustered, he pressed his lips to her shoulder.
Predictably, Del flinched in surprise and tried to turn around, but the Duke, unable to face Adeline’s expression, held her firmly in place.
“Haa…”
He feared she would look at him with contempt.
So he kept his head bowed low, avoiding her gaze entirely.
Why must I lose my memory and end up in a situation like this?
The Duke felt utterly pathetic for having lost his memories.
Suddenly, something hot boiled over inside his heart.
What if his memories never returned? What would he do then?
He wanted to clarify his relationship with Adeline.
So he turned her toward him and lowered his head toward hers.
Fortunately, the eyes that met his showed no trace of the contempt he’d dreaded.
They only trembled endlessly, just like his own.
He had thought he’d be content with merely touching lips.
But the moment he felt Adeline’s breath, he lost all control.
Without realizing it, he first gripped Del’s waist so tightly it might break, then immediately softened his hold, cradling her gently.
“Ah.”
Startled by a sudden flash of lightning through the window, Adeline shoved him away.
Her push felt unbearably cruel.
But when he looked into her eyes—now lost and uncertain—he couldn’t help but smile fondly.
Deciding to let her go for today, he simply adjusted the corner of her mouth before leaving.
“Go wash up now.”
He needed to cool his own feverish heat. Feeling certain he couldn’t calm down in the same room, he stepped out of the bedroom.
Some time had passed.
The rain had stopped, and he encountered Adeline in the hallway. The moment she saw him, her face flushed crimson, and she fled toward the stream, head bowed.
At first, he assumed she’d return soon.
But contrary to his expectations, time dragged on endlessly until darkness blanketed the world.
Now that night had fallen after the rain, the summer air felt cool, as if the earlier heat had never existed.
Remembering the thin dress she’d worn, worry began to gnaw at him.
She must be cold. Convinced by that thought, he grabbed his coat and set out to find her.
As he entered the forest path leading to the stream, the rain began to fall again.
What had started as a gentle drizzle soon intensified, drenching everything once more.
Worried, he couldn’t turn back home.
Holding the coat he’d brought for Adeline overhead to shield himself from the rain as best he could, he searched for her.
After searching for what felt like forever, he spotted her taking shelter beneath a large tree in the distance.
“Del! You’re there!”
He shouted, wondering if his voice would reach her.
But the sound of the rain was too loud—it seemed not to reach her at all.
“I’m coming! Just wait there!”
He cried out even louder. In response, Adeline began running in the exact opposite direction of the house.
“That’s the wrong way! Where are you going!”
He quickened his pace, trying even harder to catch her.
“Stop!”
No matter how loudly he called, Adeline kept running away.
Soon, a mound of mud appeared in the distance—likely a landslide caused by the relentless monsoon rain.
Yet Adeline recklessly tried to hide herself between the unstable mud slopes, in a place that could collapse at any moment.
The Duke rushed forward and grabbed her shoulder.
“Aaah! Let go of me!!”
This time, she screamed as if she’d seen a monster.
“Calm down! It’s me!”
“Aaah! Help me!!! Someone, please help!”
“Adeline!”
“Mel? W-Why are you here?”
Adeline, clearly in a panic, seemed to recognize the Duke.
Upon seeing him, she began to sob uncontrollably.
“Did you see anyone chasing me? Are you alone? Are you alright?”
Adeline was on the verge of losing her mind.
Her perilous state choked the Duke. Who on earth had driven this woman to such desperation?
“It’s alright. I’m alone. No one’s chasing us. I only came out because I was worried about you. But what happened? Who’s chasing you?”
He himself had been the one chasing her all along—
“Why… Why did you come here! I told you so clearly to stay at home!”
Tears even thicker than before rolled down Adeline’s cheeks.
She must have been truly terrified.
He didn’t know what had frightened her, but seeing Adeline before him filled him with pity—he wanted nothing more than to hold her.
But Adeline harshly pushed away his hand.
Then she spat out words laced with resentment.
“Never—never come out again if I don’t come for you myself!”
“How can I just stay in the house when you don’t come back?”
“If I tell you not to come out, then don’t!”
Adeline showed no willingness whatsoever to compromise with the Duke.
At her unwavering stance, a bitter smile tugged at his lips.
“How can I not worry?”
“Why do you care about me? Don’t! Whether I come or not, just stay inside.”
Adeline raised her voice.
Her feelings toward him had gone beyond resentment—they bordered on disgust.
“Why are you treating me like this?”
He’d only gone out to look for his lover, who hadn’t returned even late at night.
He’d simply been worried—afraid Adeline might get hurt or lose her way in this storm.
“Is it really so hard to follow my order not to leave the mansion?”
Adeline’s barbed words poured out endlessly, like a madwoman possessed. As her venomous tirade continued, Cassis’s crimson eyes darkened deeply.
The reflection of himself in her gray eyes looked utterly pitiful.
What on earth had made this woman so angry and anxious?
“Just ignore it if I disappear, get captured, or even die. Please, just leave me alone.”
Was his concern truly nothing but a nuisance and burden to her?
The rain poured down harder. His heart ached so deeply it felt as if it were being torn apart.
The Duke’s eyes sank into desolation—they were wounded.
He wished, just a little, that she’d understand: he had come all this way out of genuine worry.
But perhaps hidden by the heavy rain, his sincerity never reached Adeline.
His chest throbbed painfully, and without realizing it, his face twisted in anguish. His lowered gaze then fell upon Adeline’s hand.
The bandage wrapped around her hand was soaked through and had long since begun to unravel.
Seeing that hand, the throbbing in his chest vanished entirely—because her pain always came first to him.
“Alright, I understand. If you still have the strength to be angry, let’s continue this at home.”
The two walked back toward the house without exchanging a single word.
The emotional rift left unresolved in the rain only deepened further.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
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MANGA DISCUSSION
3 Comments
Chapter Comments (52)
How long will his memory be gone? I wanna know if he reacts poorly or obsessively once he regains his memories
Haha, the Duke is very cunning. I feel he was in love with her even before he lost his memory.
That vile scoundrel hoped Adeline would escape and not be caught.
Inline Comments (29)
Not realizing how deeply he might probe, Adeline continued to fumble through her
Why not be honest here? She is in the paper & people from her house are in town.
“Hey, Mel… about yesterday… I was too sensitive. I’m sorry.”
Yay! I’m glad she apologized. I would have been annoyed if she didn’t.
He couldn’t allow anyone to take Adeline away. He needed to confirm that she bel
It’s unusual how quickly the Duke seems to have developed feelings for Adeline. These feelings appear to go beyond ‘I believe this person to be my lover therefore I treat them well’
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Aelthia
Wow this guy is unbelievably sweet and thoughtful. He’s behaving like a model lover. He is even putting up with unreasonable demands.
Artemtisforaday
Adeline is being too cruel to Cassis. I know she’s reacting out of panic and free, but she really should apologize for her meanness.
Miioo
Poor duke, why did you hurt his feelings like that, Adeline? He came because he was worried about you.