Trapped in the Mad Duke's Snare (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
A seaside on the outskirts, far from the capital.
Adeline had dyed her low-saturation wheat-colored hair brown—a shade that, to anyone’s eyes, clearly marked her as a member of a marquess’s household.
Though distant from the capital, rumors would eventually reach even here; this was merely precautionary.
Having thus completed her disguise as best she could, Adeline began searching for the duke’s villa, said to be located in this remote village.
‘How am I supposed to find it?’
Adeline, who had assumed that a villa belonging to a duke’s household would be easy to locate, was now facing unexpected difficulties.
Nowhere in Horn could she see a building resembling a nobleman’s estate.
Horn was undoubtedly the only place in the Solatarius Empire referred to as “the village at the edge of the land.”
‘It must be here… it has to be.’
Having fled to Horn relying solely on a single comment, Adeline’s anxiety began to mount.
As she wandered aimlessly, lost in thought—
“Child, beyond that point, the night road might be dangerous.”
At the low voice from behind, Adeline stopped abruptly in her tracks. While she’d been deep in thought, dusk had already fallen, and the sky had grown dim.
“Grandmother, how can this clearly visible road be dangerous?”
Adeline was puzzled. Despite the fading light, the path she walked was well-maintained and unmistakable.
“If you go that way for a long while, aside from one house, it’s all forest! Venturing onto the road at night will only make you beast fodder.”
“There’s a house beyond there?”
“It’s been over ten years since any noble set foot there. Hurry back before it gets darker, child.”
Something in the passing old woman’s words sparked a sudden realization in Adeline’s mind.
The elusive villa of the duke’s household in the village at the edge of the land, which she had searched for in vain, now seemed to loom clearly before her eyes.
The next day.
Adeline rose early and hurried out with purpose.
‘Here it is!’
Returning to the path she’d taken the previous day, Adeline began walking deep into the woods.
How long had she walked? Finally, after a long trek through the forest, a serene manor unfolded before her eyes.
‘No wonder I couldn’t find it.’
A grand estate in the village at the edge of the land, untouched by time and seemingly abandoned for ages.
It was unmistakably the villa of a ducal household.
Adeline stepped through the door as it creaked open with a thunderous groan.
In the pitch-black lobby, light seeped through the narrowing gap of the closing door.
Dust, undisturbed for ages, shimmered in the dim rays and scattered through the air.
“Cough—ugh. Guess I’ll have to clean first.”
Adeline resolved to transform the manor into a livable space.
If the duke arrived here as the novel’s comment suggested, she would become his savior; if not, she planned to live hidden away in this forgotten villa.
[This is the timeline separator]Late at night, inside the study.
Several days had passed since she began tidying the villa.
Adeline was starting to doubt whether this estate truly belonged to a ducal household—during her cleaning, she had found not a single crest or emblem indicating noble ownership.
‘Did I put too much faith in just one comment?’
Feeling weary, Adeline half-collapsed onto the sofa. As she leaned back, something caught her eye.
Peeking out from behind an unusually worn piece of furniture was the hinge of a hidden door.
‘Huh. Looks like there’s something here.’
Curious, Adeline gave the furniture a slight push.
To her surprise, the heavy piece slid aside with almost no effort.
Behind it, set into the wall, was a door leading underground.
Intrigued by the existence of a cellar, Adeline picked up a candle from the desk and stood once more before the newly revealed door.
‘What on earth could be down here?’
Creeeak. As if protesting its long disuse, the door groaned heavily as it slowly opened.
Holding the candle, Adeline began descending the dust-choked steps, one by one.
And when she finally reached the cellar—
The only thing in view was a large picture frame, draped in white cloth as if shielded from layers of accumulated dust.
Through a slight gap in the fabric, the edge of the frame peeked out.
The ornate, artisan-carved border of the antique frame only heightened Adeline’s curiosity about the painting it concealed.
‘What could possibly be so important that it’s hidden underground?’
Full of anticipation, Adeline grasped the edge of the cloth covering the frame—larger than herself—and pulled.
A cloud of pale dust swirled into the air as the cloth slid smoothly to the floor.
‘Black hair, red eyes.’
That was the first thing Adeline’s eyes fell upon in the revealed portrait.
A child nestled gently in the arms of the woman in the painting.
The child, held by a woman with her black hair neatly tied up, had jet-black hair and crimson eyes.
In this entire empire, only two people possessed both black hair and red eyes:
The crown prince, who would drive me to my death, and Duke Torpeo, who might just save me.
Judging from the comment she’d read before dying, this villa was undoubtedly the Torpeo ducal estate.
‘Cassis Mael Torpeo.’
Deep down, Adeline had secretly hoped this place wasn’t actually the world of that novel.
She’d fled to this remote village, clutching at the faintest hope offered by a comment, yet she had wished it was all a misunderstanding.
But as if mocking that wish, the painting before her eyes confirmed beyond doubt that she was indeed inside the very novel she’d never finished reading.
This villa truly belonged to the ducal household—otherwise, a portrait of Duke Torpeo’s childhood wouldn’t be preserved here like this.
Which meant the duke would indeed come here, grievously wounded enough to die.
Adeline unconsciously swallowed hard.
[This is the timeline separator]She was on her way back from running errands.
Hastening her steps, Adeline let out a sigh of relief as she spotted the distant villa.
Though the town wasn’t excessively far, it had already grown dark by the time she returned, despite her hurried trip.
Perhaps today would be the day the duke finally appeared.
Her brief anxiety faded as she saw the villa unchanged from when she’d left it.
Adeline turned the key and opened the villa’s door.
Creeeak—the rusty metal hinges groaned as the door swung open.
A chill draft brushed against her skin, mingling with the dim interior.
She approached the living room, fumbling in the dark for a candle.
‘I left it around here somewhere… Why can’t I find it today of all days?’
Soon, her fingertips brushed against a slender candle. Just as she began searching for matches—
A cold gust of wind brushed past her skin.
Click—the distinct sound of the lock turning echoed through the room.
“…?”
In the still silence, Adeline replayed the sound in her mind.
It was unmistakably the sound of the doorknob turning and locking. Instinctively, she clutched the candle tighter.
“Is… is someone there?”
Though it was absurd to think anyone would be in this isolated villa at the edge of the land, Adeline called out anyway.
Her palm, gripping the candle, was already slick with sweat, but she had no time to worry about it.
An inexplicable sense of unease crept up from her toes.
Just as Adeline raised the candle and began to turn—
“What exactly do you think you can do with that?”
A flat, toneless voice slid into her ear, followed by the whisper of heavy breath against her neck.
From the darkness, a large hand shot out and seized the wrist holding the candle.
Both of Adeline’s wrists were easily pinned in the stranger’s single grip.
The man’s firm chest pressed against her back, clearly felt even through her thin dress.
It was a man—broad-shouldered and powerfully built.
“W-who are you?”
Her voice trembled as much as her raised hand as she questioned him.
This villa, built deep in an isolated forest, meant no one would hear her cries for help.
“And what do you plan to do even if you know who I am?”
The man snatched the candle from her hand and flung it aside without hesitation.
Thud—the sound of the candle shattering against the window.
“A woman who will soon be dead.”
Cold metal pressed against Adeline’s throat.
Thick darkness enveloped the room; only a single sliver of moonlight, slicing through the window, faintly illuminated the villa.
As Adeline flinched, the blade bit deeper into her neck.
The finely honed edge seemed ready at any moment to slice through her throat.
‘No, not like this.’
She hadn’t run away just to die such a meaningless death.
Alarms blared frantically in her mind—she had to escape, now.
Slowly turning her head, Adeline met a pair of crimson eyes glowing alone in the quiet dark.
“Duke Torpeo?”
The man holding the knife to her throat was none other than Duke Torpeo—the very person she’d been waiting for.
She’d run to this villa to change her fate of an early death, only to seemingly hasten it further.
Moreover, though the comment had said he’d arrive here dying from blood loss, this man before her, overpowering her with overwhelming strength, looked far too healthy.
Adeline couldn’t make sense of this bewildering situation.
“You… you know me. How did you find this place?”
At the duke’s icy tone, Adeline stammered a desperate excuse.
“Your Grace! I was just—”
She couldn’t think of any way to resolve this situation.
Who would be waiting in a hidden villa, knowing she’d come? If she were Duke Torpeo, she’d have pressed a blade to her own throat too.
The duke shoved Adeline harder against the wall, tightening his grip on her arm.
The flickering candlelight reflected off the sharp blade, making the duke’s crimson eyes appear even more vivid.
Though the gleaming red eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, Adeline stood frozen in terror.
The murderous intent lurking in those scarlet eyes slowly, inexorably pressed down upon her.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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MANGA DISCUSSION
4 Comments
Chapter Comments (80)
I hope he gets his memories back quickkkk. That crown prince does seem to the one to let a job go unfinished. By now he should have been informed abt his runaway fiancée too~
Welp. At least she’s save from being murdered by the Duke for now. Let’s see how long it takes for his memory to come back.
How vile and despicable that crown prince is! I hope he dies a horrible death. Poor duke, now he’s lost his memory too.
Inline Comments (37)
Last night—
I always wonder about these types of tropes. Like, how strong is the FL that she was able to move the Duke to the bed?
[This is the timeline separator]
The Crown Prince’s name is Trashi? 😂🤣 So he’s a trashy ML. Got it.
Every four hours, Adeline struggled to lift his unconscious bulk and carefully p
SO HOW DID YOU MOVE HIM TO THE BED IN THE FIRST PLACE?!?!?!
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Artemtisforaday
Yeah know, she successfully ran away from home. Why didn’t she just go as far away from the kingdom as possible? Why bother going to this Duke guy based off of one comment? Sometimes I wonder about why these characters just don’t run away for good and change their identities.
Apu
I wonder if the Crown Prince and Duke are indistinguishable. Like what if this isn’t actually the Duke she’s getting tangled up with but the Crown Prince who is lying?
Blairwoods
Let me guess, cp and duke were the same person? Both were mad and has same features. And the comment said ‘if the duke death, it will end’ hmmmmmm
Miioo
Oh my God, poor Adeline, why is all this happening to her? It’s like everyone wants her dead.