Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 37
“I asked if I looked lenient.”
Reinhart leaned forward, lowering his eyes to meet hers. The distance between them was already uncomfortably close, and now it felt even more so. Just then, Fernando came to Etienne’s rescue.
Fernando pulled Etienne back, creating some space between them, and fixed Reinhart with a warning glare—his eyes clearly saying not to lay another hand on her. Reinhart straightened his back and shrugged his shoulders.
“Fine. I’ll do as you say. After all, status seems to mean nothing in here.”
Despite Reinhart’s grumbling, neither Etienne nor Fernando said anything further.
‘Who’s really the one not bound by status?’
Etienne answered silently in her mind.
Reinhart was always the first to approach people, striking up conversations and even making jokes. Though he sometimes swiftly quelled complaints, he never considered punishing those who voiced them.
Perhaps because of that, traveling with the Crown Prince felt surprisingly free.
‘He only brings up his status when it suits him.’
Etienne shot him a helpless glance before immediately following after him.
“Etienne.”
Fernando’s quiet whisper from behind made Etienne pause briefly. Reinhart didn’t stop walking, so the distance between them gradually widened. Yet Etienne calmly waited for Fernando’s next words.
“Don’t get too close to the Crown Prince.”
At Fernando’s words, Etienne silently turned her gaze toward Reinhart.
“He’s unpredictable. And even though we support the Crown Prince, the current atmosphere in the imperial court is far from favorable. Getting close to him won’t bring you anything good.”
He must have been watching me and the Crown Prince all along.
“You’re saying this because I seem close to His Highness?”
Etienne half-turned her head to ask, and Fernando nodded.
“But I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”
True. She had approached him earlier than planned, thinking she needed to meet him sooner—but she never imagined they’d grow this close.
In her previous life, she hadn’t been close to Crown Prince Reinhart at all.
‘Then again, who could I have possibly grown close to back then?’
Fernando had been her entire world.
Still, even if they hadn’t been close, she wasn’t completely ignorant about the Crown Prince. Thinking back, he hadn’t been this cheerful then.
She’d once thought he smiled because they shared the secret of the flower tea, but now it seemed Reinhart had been smiling just as warmly at others throughout their journey.
‘It’s as if he’s gained some kind of ease.’
Etienne tilted her head slightly, puzzled. She’d sought his company early specifically to keep him from dying again—but unexpectedly, they were getting along well.
‘But isn’t it strange? If he knows he’s going to die, what makes him so calm?’
It was odd—even if someone from the future possessed abilities like his.
‘Whether or not I’ve returned to the past, he hasn’t actually escaped death yet.’
She was doing everything she could to prevent his death, yet she hadn’t succeeded—so why was he acting like this?
‘It’s strange. Everything about him is strange. He’s a strange man.’
The more she interacted with him, the stranger he became.
“Etienne.”
At Reinhart’s voice calling from ahead, Etienne flinched slightly.
“My back feels like it’s being pierced—stop staring and look around instead.”
“You could sense I was watching you?”
“I think even Fernando would’ve noticed.”
Etienne turned her head sheepishly—and saw Fernando’s face.
Reinhart was right: Fernando was giving her a look that seemed to ask why she was staring at the Crown Prince like that. Etienne shook her head.
“I guess we won’t be coming across another fork in the road anytime soon. But Fernando—how do you really find your way?”
“Water.”
“Water?”
“Follow the sound of water.”
Etienne strained her ears at Fernando’s explanation—but heard nothing.
“Looks like your abilities are starting to show.”
With that muttered remark from Reinhart, the three walked to the end of the path and finally arrived at a place.
Only then did Etienne understand what Fernando had meant by “the sound of water.” Beneath the earth lay another world.
A place where flowers bloomed despite no sunlight, clear water formed a small lake, and a much smaller Mitri tree—far tinier than the one outside—stood rooted. It felt mysterious somehow.
“Is this it? The temple guided by Mitri…?”
At Reinhart’s murmured words, Etienne turned to look at him. Sensing her gaze, Reinhart met her eyes.
“What?”
“You know this place?”
‘A temple? I thought it was just some unknown space near Mitri.’
“You know the stories tied to Mitri, right? Don’t you?”
Reinhart acted as if it were strange that she didn’t know—then stopped teasing and explained.
“They say Mitri is the tree given by the gods—and also the gods’ prank, because of this place that no one ever pays attention to.”
“But I thought ‘the gods’ prank’ meant that destinies could change?”
“The fates of the two who discovered this place did change.”
Reinhart slowly stepped inside and looked around. Etienne moved to follow him, but Fernando grabbed her hand and held her back.
When Etienne turned to Fernando, he gave a small shake of his head. Just then, Reinhart continued.
“That special ability.”
Etienne blinked in surprise—why was he suddenly talking about abilities when they’d been discussing the Mitri tree?
By “special ability,” he probably meant the Schupraher family’s water affinity or her own restoration power.
“History tells us there was someone who awakened those powers. He gathered the Awakened Ones and founded a nation. It began as a small kingdom but gradually flourished until it became a great empire, dividing the continent in two.”
Now it was a history lesson. Etienne couldn’t grasp what Reinhart was trying to say.
“The man who created those Awakened Ones—the first emperor—gained his power right here.”
“You mean…”
“Doesn’t this sound familiar? Yes—it’s the tale of Gagnien, the empire’s founding emperor.”
Reinhart wove together several well-known stories. He knelt and dipped his hand into the lake. His fingers appeared translucent in the clear water.
“The next person to set foot here probably…”
Etienne, now fully absorbed in Reinhart’s words, waited eagerly for what came next.
“…gained the power of water, didn’t he? The man who rose to nobility through that power.”
Etienne looked between Reinhart and Fernando.
“So you’re saying the Crown Prince and Fernando’s ancestors were the ones who discovered this place?”
“Exactly. That’s why Fernando could hear the sound of water.”
Etienne looked at Fernando as if to confirm—and he nodded.
“I read about it in the family archives.”
Now Etienne finally understood.
Both Reinhart and Fernando had inherited stories from their respective families, which explained their knowledge of this place and the sound of water. She was the only one who knew nothing.
‘Right—I was the only one who didn’t know. Only me…’
She’d stayed up all night in the library, trying to recall anything she’d read about Mitri, desperate to contribute even a little to their journey.
She’d prepared meticulously, knowing the future yet ignorant of Mitri—and in the end, it had all been useless.
And to make things worse, the Crown Prince claimed he already knew she was the one from the future. Frustration surged inside Etienne, and she snapped sharply,
“Then why didn’t you two just come here together?”
‘Why drag me into this?’
She pulled away from Fernando too. She didn’t want to be close to anyone.
“But catching you when I fell really was a coincidence. You know how I feel, right?”
“I don’t know at all. At this point, it just seems like you planned it.”
“I did have plans, but not this time.”
Since he couldn’t deny it entirely, there must have been something to it. Etienne gave up on arguing further. Exploring the place seemed far better than continuing this pointless squabble.
‘A temple?’
If it was called a temple, it clearly wasn’t just a random space. It radiated such holiness that anyone who saw it would likely never forget it.
‘How long must it have taken for a place like this to form?’
Time itself must have settled into every corner here.
Careful not to step on the flowers, Etienne moved deeper in, bent down, and examined a single bloom closely.
“How fascinating.”
The flower had opened despite the absence of light—and brimmed with such vivid life. Slowly, Etienne reached her hand toward it.
For a fleeting moment, she wondered if it was alright to touch—but then remembered Reinhart dipping his hand in the water just moments ago.
“I’ll only touch it enough not to hurt it.”
She spoke as if asking the flower’s permission, then gently placed her fingertip on a petal. The softness felt identical to the petals she’d handled while arranging flowers.
“Different environment, same flower.”
After withdrawing her hand, Etienne looked at the grass growing nearby. She lightly stroked blades still dewy with moisture. The fresh scent of grass seemed to rise from them. Then Etienne suddenly realized something.
Reinhart held nothing in his hands—nor did sunlight enter here—yet the surroundings were bright.
“The Mitri tree.”
Etienne rose and walked toward the source of the light. The Mitri tree, barely her height, seemed miraculous.
“Is it a sapling? But why plant a sapling here, of all places? There’s no sunlight…”
Moreover, even though it hadn’t fully matured, it shimmered with a silvery glow. Etienne reached toward the tree, just as she had with the flower.
Expecting rough bark, she was startled the moment her hand touched it and quickly pulled away.
“What’s wrong?”
Fernando, who’d been looking elsewhere, came over. He looked at Etienne’s hand with concern.
“This tree…”
Etienne stared at the Mitri sapling, wide-eyed.
She’d assumed it was young—after all, there was a mature tree above.
“It’s actually very old.”
She couldn’t tell exactly how ancient it was—only that it had lived long enough to stir her own power.
“Maybe this is the true sacred tree after all.”
Reinhart approached, nodding as if understanding her astonishment.
“Small size doesn’t always mean young. It might have simply grown to the size best suited for this environment.”
“But why did this tree grow here, of all places?”
“I don’t know either. Some say this might be the original Mitri tree—but no one has ever confirmed it. After all, there’s no one who can look into this tree’s past, is there?”
At Reinhart’s meaningful words, Etienne couldn’t tear her eyes from the tree. Someone who could look into the past…? Was that why she’d felt something strange the moment she touched it?
Restoration, after all, was ultimately about drawing forth the past.
As Etienne stood there gazing at Mitri, Reinhart spoke softly but meaningfully:
“Maybe our being here together—just the three of us—is destiny after all.”
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.]
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