Trapped in the Mad Duke's Snare (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
Adeline, who had been worn out from nursing him until just yesterday, greeted the morning with unusually good spirits.
It felt like the luxurious indulgence of turning on the air conditioner while wrapped snugly in a warm blanket.
‘So cozy.’
Just as Adeline instinctively burrowed deeper into the warmth in search of comfort—
‘Wait, since when did pillows get this hard…?’
The pillow she’d buried her face in should have softly enveloped her, yet the texture felt entirely different from what she’d expected.
Adeline fumbled with her hands, wondering what exactly this thing she was touching could be.
Her pondering lasted only a moment. Just as she was about to settle comfortably into sleep again, a low voice reached her ears.
“Enough already….”
But to Adeline, even that quiet murmur from the man was nothing more than a lullaby.
She was just sinking deeper into slumber—
“Hmm….”
“Enough. Please wake up.”
A man’s voice—how odd.
She dismissed it as impossible and tried drifting back to sleep once more.
“…Huh?”
Her foggy mind cleared, leaving her flustered.
Last night, overwhelmed by the duke’s nightmare-fueled grip, Adeline had ended up sleeping at the very edge of the bed.
Yet now, as she opened her eyes, she found herself hugging something large.
Sunlight filtering through the bedroom window began spilling onto the bed.
Blinking against the light, Adeline quickly ducked her head as the sun glinted off her red eyes.
Wait a minute—what exactly was going on here?
There was simply no way to explain this situation of them embracing each other.
Utterly bewildered, Adeline froze in place.
But her stillness only led him to another misunderstanding.
To him, it looked perfectly natural—as if she belonged in the duke’s arms without a second thought.
“Do we really need words? You and I are inseparable.”
The duke gazed at Adeline blankly.
Having no memory of his nightmare from last night, this situation was ripe with potential for misunderstanding.
If they were already sharing a bed, then his words could only mean one thing.
‘We’re lovers.’
Whenever he hovered between life and death or regained consciousness, she was always by his side.
Even when he couldn’t recognize her, instead of resenting him, she’d only taken care of him.
Gradually, the duke began to view Adeline as someone special, filled with remorse.
“I’m sorry, Del. And thank you.”
Every word—both his gratitude and apology—was utterly sincere.
But Adeline, clueless about his reasoning, could only stare blankly at the duke.
That genuinely apologetic expression…
‘What’s he sorry for? Could it be…?’
Adeline assumed he was thanking and apologizing for her having given up the bed for him.
“It’s alright. You’re unwell, after all.”
‘At least he has a conscience. Still, I’d really prefer he sleep on the sofa from now on.’
Unaware of Adeline’s thoughts, the duke began interpreting the situation entirely in his own way.
‘All this time, she slept separately… Was it because she was considerate of my injuries?’
The duke resolved to treat Adeline exceptionally well from now on.
“I’ll do my best for you.”
It was a perfect case of mutual misunderstanding.
[This is the timeline separator]“Isn’t this outfit a bit too short?”
There was nothing at the villa that Mel could wear.
Yet she couldn’t very well go around undressed. Adeline had come into town with the duke both to buy clothes and check on his condition.
Duke Torpeo’s build was significantly larger than average, making it difficult to find ready-made clothing that fit him.
Even the largest size available was slightly short, yet somehow it suited him well thanks to his physique.
Noticing the duke adjusting his shirt collar, seemingly bothered by the tight fit—
‘Of course. He’s used to tailored clothing—any slight discomfort must be unbearable for him.’
Soon, the hand smoothing his shirt brushed against his glasses. The constricting clothes must have made even his glasses feel cumbersome.
“Do you really have to wear those glasses?”
Adeline quickly grabbed the duke’s hand as he reached to remove them.
“Just keep them on.”
Having let her guard down in this small village, Adeline recalled how the staff at the tailor’s shop had stared at the duke’s appearance. His red eyes would only draw unwanted attention.
“Oh! Let’s stop by that clinic.”
Trying to distract him, Adeline abruptly changed the subject and pulled the duke along.
It was the very clinic the duke had called for when he collapsed bleeding.
Impatiently, Adeline asked the doctor who was examining him,
“What’s the verdict? Why can’t he remember anything?”
“Hmm. It’s a lingering effect of the accident. I can’t say for sure when—or if—his memory will return.”
“Could it be gone forever?”
“At this point, there’s no way to tell.”
Adeline had hoped showing the duke to the very doctor who’d treated him after the incident would yield some answers. Disappointed at having learned nothing, she fell into deep thought.
If his memory returned right now, he might immediately confront her about being in that house—and possibly even threaten her with a knife.
But if his memory never came back, that would be a problem too.
He needed his memories to identify who had nearly killed him and avoid that person. If the duke died, she’d have no one left to beg for her life.
Either way—memory returning or not—posed a serious dilemma.
What should she do?
Adeline grew increasingly confused, unable to find a clear answer.
Unaware of her inner turmoil, the duke watched her with visible concern.
Though he hadn’t shown it outwardly, his search for the doctor revealed how deeply troubled he’d been.
The duke couldn’t take his eyes off Adeline, lost in thought as she seemed to be.
To him, it looked as though she was disheartened because of his memory loss.
Unaware of the duke’s pitying gaze, Adeline continued wrestling with her worries.
‘For now, I need to keep him hidden as much as possible.’
Since it was uncertain when his memory might return, she had to shield him from whoever had turned him into a blood-soaked mess.
Adeline resolved to keep the duke as inconspicuous as she could.
‘But… is this man truly my best chance?’
She’d chosen the duke as someone who could help her—but now, after living together, she worried that instead of receiving aid, she’d plunged herself into even greater danger.
Would everything really be alright?
Adeline lifted her head and looked at the duke. Her troubled gaze reached him clearly.
Meeting his eyes, Adeline let out an unintentional sigh. Her expression and sigh only deepened the duke’s misunderstanding.
As Adeline walked silently back toward the villa, her mind a tangle of worries,
the duke—who’d been closely watching her—suddenly tightened his grip on her hand.
“I’m sorry, Del, for losing my memory.”
Startled out of her thoughts, Adeline couldn’t hide her bewilderment at the duke’s words.
“What?”
“I’m sorry.”
Taken aback by his sudden apology, she stared at him with wide, confused eyes.
Unaware of his misconception, Adeline could only look flustered.
Seeing her distressed, the duke decided he must recover his memories as soon as possible.
“How did we get along before? Were we living alone together in that remote mountain mansion?”
Hoping to trigger his memory, the duke asked about the past.
But for Adeline, who shared no real memories with him, this question was deeply awkward.
“Y-yes! It was just the two of us.”
She couldn’t deny it. Not only to escape the current moment, but also as preparation in case his memory never returned.
All Adeline could do was give a simple, affirmative reply to his question.
Yet her answer only worsened the duke’s misunderstanding.
“We must have relied on each other heavily.”
“R-relied…? Yes! Of course—we were the only ones living out here in the mountains.”
“I see.”
Cassis couldn’t imagine how devastating it must have been for her when her lover, with whom she’d depended on solely, suddenly lost all memory of their time together.
Yet even now, Adeline affirmed they were essential to each other—and Cassis felt his throat tighten with emotion.
The duke’s expression gradually darkened, unable to hide his guilt.
‘Did I say something wrong?’
Completely unaware of what was going on in his mind, Adeline felt extremely flustered.
Just as she began growing anxious over the duke’s increasingly somber expression,
he asked softly, “Does it upset you a lot that I’ve lost my memory?”
Ah—misunderstanding.
Realizing the meaning behind the duke’s sudden words and expression, Adeline let out a relieved, gentle laugh.
“I’m fine. Let’s go home quickly.”
“Once we’re back, I should look for something that might help my memory return sooner.”
“Don’t!”
Adeline’s sharp cry, born of panic, startled even herself. To ease the awkwardness, she patted the duke reassuringly.
“Don’t force yourself to remember. I’m worried you’ll hurt yourself. Just focus on getting better.”
Though anxious enough to seek out a doctor, she hadn’t shown it outwardly.
Even though he’d lost his memory, she showed no resentment—only concern for his health. Deeply moved, the duke responded,
“Understood. Even though I’ve lost my memory, I’m truly lucky to have you.”
“Me too. I’m really lucky to have you.”
And with that, the duke’s misunderstanding grew even firmer.
My Arch-enemy Sealed My Memory and Said That He is My Husband
This is an incredibly captivating story that you absolutely shouldn’t miss! I’ll give a brief introduction here, and below you’ll find a detailed synopsis of the plot.
The female lead is a fierce and powerful demon king. The male lead is a once-in-a-millennium celestial lord, admired by the entire cultivation world.
They are equally matched, legendary rivals who have battled for centuries.
In the final duel, the female lead is gravely injured. The male lead saves her, seals her memories, and hides her true identity. He tells her that he is her fiancé. His entire life has been flawless—except for the one thing he never expected, never controlled, and never wanted to control: falling for his greatest enemy. She is his inner demon, his obsession.
When the female lead regains her memories, she is furious at his deception.
She makes his life a living hell.
And somehow, the male lead—possibly a total masochist—doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s happy she’s paying attention to him.
Yep, we’re back to my favorite trope: male lead suffering. If you love this kind of story, jump into the pit with me now!!!
Intro
Dong Xia lost her memory.
Her handsome and extremely powerful fiancé Li Qing comforted her: “It’s okay if you can’t remember. I’ll always be with you.”
Everyone thought Dong Xia’s ancestors must have burned incense to get such a perfect fiancé. He was the number one person in the immortal realm, yet he remained chaste and only loved her.
…
The day before marrying her fiancé, Dong Xia finally remembered everything.
She wasn’t suffering from memory loss at all.
Her arch-enemy had made her fake her death, destroyed her cultivation, replaced her memories, and pretended to be her deeply in love fiancé.
No wonder he said, “It’s okay if you can’t remember”!
Dong Xia laughed coldly as she pulled out her long knife: Li Qing, prepare to die 🙂
*
Li Qing, as the supreme being of the immortal realm, was the people’s shining beacon.
The only unknown stain in his life was his affection for Dong Xia, the ruler of the demon realm.
In the final battle of the war between immortals and demons, the sky collapsed and the earth shattered. The ruler of the demon realm was finally slain under the sword of the supreme being of the immortal realm, and everyone in the immortal realm applauded.
The cultivation world lost a ruler of the demon realm.
And in the back mountain of Li Qing’s cave dwelling, he secretly hid away a fiancée.
Notes:
1. The female lead is white on the outside, black on the inside, and the queen of flattery; the male lead repeatedly tests the edge of darkness, a VIP guest at the crematorium.
2. Fantasy cultivation world setting.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
3 Comments
Chapter Comments (68)
Why did you only feel threatened now, Adeline? From the beginning, it was dangerous to get close to the Duke.
Funny she was just realised how reckless she did to suddenly came to the duke
It’s a bit too late to realize how reckless your plan was, Adeline…
Inline Comments (34)
The Duke stormed out of the study.
Hmm, I feel that the Duke hasn’t lost his memory and that he’s trying to uncover it.
Faced with the sudden risk of being mislabeled a married woman, Adeline hastily
You just had a golden opportunity to turn this misunderstanding around and save your future self some pain and embarrassment…why claim to be lovers?
Counting the falling raindrops, Adeline soon drifted off to sleep.
This female lead is creating all sorts of issues for herself. Behavior like this makes forfeit any right to complain regarding future complications.
YOUR COMMENT
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Blairwoods
“Understood. Even though I’ve lost my memory, I’m truly lucky to have you.”
+
“Me too. I’m really lucky to have you.”
Bwahahahaha 😂 i don’t expect this to be a comedy!!!
Miioo
Hahaha, they’re really funny, each one of them is drowning in misunderstanding.
Artemtisforaday
I wonder how the Duke will respond once he has his memory back.