When I Let Go of Obsession, I Got Obsessed (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
Guests invited to the coming-of-age ceremony arrived one after another. Half came at the mother’s request, and the other half out of curiosity about Lilia.
As Madame Berium had intended, they praised her generosity.
“To openly present a bastard child so boldly in high society—indeed, Marchioness Berium truly has great magnanimity.”
But when Lilia appeared shyly in her tawny dress, everyone realized it wasn’t merely the Marchioness’s magnanimity that mattered.
Lilia instantly captured everyone’s attention.
Objectively speaking, Liz was slightly more beautiful, yet Lilia’s gentle demeanor made her appear far lovelier in the eyes of the crowd than Liz, whose expression seemed somewhat stubborn.
Moreover, Lilia was amiable and eloquent.
She rarely asserted her own opinions but readily agreed with others in a pleasant manner, deftly sensing what they desired or wished to avoid, and skillfully guiding conversations to keep them cheerful.
Even before the atmosphere had fully warmed, suitors eager to court Lilia filled the banquet hall.
Her partner, Viscount Bert, struggled desperately to keep her at a distance from them, so as not to be pushed into the background.
Liz quietly observed all this from a corner, a wine glass pressed to her lips.
‘Yes, that’s exactly what the protagonist’s buff looks like.’
In the original story, Lilia had also drawn such attention.
And that was precisely why Liz grew even angrier—because Lilia, whom she considered far inferior to herself, had now surpassed her and become the sole focus of everyone’s admiration. So, what had she done back then?
“How shameless for a bastard to show no embarrassment at all. Isn’t that right?”
Princess Luna of Ament and Lady Celie of Larkin approached Liz and said.
Only then did she remember.
‘Right. I teamed up with these two to start a plan to torment Lilia. And then… I probably pretended it was an accident and spilled wine on her clothes?’
That’s roughly how it had gone in the original. But Liz had long since decided not to follow the original story.
“Could you please step aside?”
Liz replied coldly. Luna and Celie turned to her in surprise, clearly unable to believe the sudden change in her demeanor.
“You… what’s wrong with you? You always hated your sister, didn’t you? You were practically dying to get rid of her.”
“Not anymore.”
“Not anymore?”
“That’s right.”
The two young ladies exchanged bewildered glances, still unable to believe it.
Disappointment slowly began to fill their eyes.
That sly little vixen Lilia had even stolen the attention of their partners, making them furious. Unable to act alone, they had tried to egg on the bold and decisive Liz—but now she refused to cooperate.
“Why? All of a sudden?”
“It’s childish.”
“…”
Luna grew slightly angry at being called childish and redirected her frustration toward Liz.
‘Let’s see if you can stay calm after hearing this.’
“A moment ago, I went close to your sister and saw something.”
“…?”
“She was wearing Sir Ernest’s latest ruby set. I wonder where she got it?”
“…”
Seeing Liz’s brow furrow slightly, Luna silently rejoiced inwardly.
Having known Liz since childhood through their families’ close ties, she was well aware of the strained relationship between Liz and her mother.
The jab hit its mark. Liz suddenly understood—this must have been what Mirabel had meant.
‘Whatever you see at the ball, don’t be disappointed. Understood?’
Liz narrowed her eyes and examined Lilia’s necklace, earrings, and the ring on her second finger.
Just as they’d said, it was Sir Ernest’s limited-edition, top-tier ruby set.
So her mother gave her own daughter outdated, discounted jewelry, but bestowed such precious gems upon her adopted daughter?
Though Liz held no expectations of her mother, she still felt furious. Had she not known the original plot, she would have lost her composure and conspired with Luna and Celie.
Barely suppressing her anger, Liz downed the wine in her glass in one gulp.
‘There, see? You’re upset now, aren’t you?’
Luna smiled triumphantly. Celie, less mischievous, spoke to Liz with concern.
“You don’t handle alcohol well, Liz. If you drink like that, you’ll get drunk.”
“It’s fine. I’ll leave before I get drunk.”
It would take a little time for the alcohol to take effect anyway.
Soon, music began to play, and Viscount Bert led Lilia to the center of the ballroom.
Lilia, her cheeks flushed with shyness, obediently followed her partner’s lead.
They made a picture-perfect couple. It would have been even more so if Cain had been with her…
As the protagonist began to dance, others gradually joined in with their partners. Those without partners quickly found someone on the spot to dance with. But no one asked Liz to dance.
She exchanged a few words with some young lords, but it never progressed to dancing.
Ah… come to think of it, during those conversations, they kept glancing subtly toward her forehead.
Could it be because of the scar? She thought it was completely unnoticeable—was it only invisible to her own eyes? Had Mirabel not been overly sensitive after all?
Suddenly, Liz felt herself shrink inward.
There Lilia stood, sparkling brilliantly at the center of the stage, while Liz felt utterly shabby in comparison—even though she wore a dress far more beautiful and vibrant than Lilia’s.
Was this the difference between a heroine and a villainous side character?
Liz couldn’t stay there any longer. She needed to either return to her room or go outside for some fresh air.
As she rose from her seat and took a few steps, the alcohol suddenly hit her, and she stumbled, her ankle twisting before she even realized it.
She reached out desperately, but there was nothing to grab.
‘This is disastrous…’ she thought—just as someone caught her firmly with a steady hand and said,
“Are you all right?”
Relieved she hadn’t fallen, Liz tried to bow politely to her rescuer.
“Thank you. I’m fine…”
But she couldn’t finish her sentence—the man before her was far too dazzling!
“I’m glad to hear you’re all right.”
A delicate-looking young man with jet-black hair and mysterious golden eyes smiled gently, his eyes crinkling softly.
Good heavens.
Had there really been a man this handsome in Luzencia?
Even Viscount Bert over there couldn’t hold a candle to him.
Apparently, other young ladies had the same thought, because all eyes instantly turned toward them. As a result, Liz now found herself under the spotlight too—though she felt no joy in it.
He stood tall and graceful, his powerful yet perfectly balanced physique impossible to conceal even beneath his clothes, his exquisite features as if crafted by divine hands.
She’d always thought herself immune to ordinary handsome men, having grown accustomed to the charming Cain—but now she was simply awestruck and filled with admiration.
Perhaps that was why, while other women blushed and stole furtive glances at him, Liz could look straight at him without a trace of ulterior motive, as if admiring a statue.
As she stood there dazed, a few bold young ladies gathered their courage and approached the man.
“Um… you seem unfamiliar. Would it be alright to ask which noble house you belong to?”
Everyone wanted to ask the same thing and watched intently.
The man answered politely,
“I am Count Argent of Lorein Kingdom. I studied music under Marquis Berium when he resided in our kingdom. Since I happened to be traveling in Luzencia, I thought I should pay my respects—and upon hearing a banquet was being held at his residence, I hurriedly prepared and came.”
At this, her mother rushed over, bowed respectfully to the man, and said,
“So you were my husband’s student. That’s right—he once taught music at the Royal Conservatory of Lorein Kingdom. Unfortunately, he passed away two years ago.”
She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief as she spoke, though no tears stained the fabric.
The black-haired man’s eyes widened in shock, then his expression quickly twisted with regret.
“Oh dear—I should have come sooner. I hadn’t heard the news at all…”
“My husband wished for a simple funeral, so we only informed close acquaintances.”
“I see.”
A lie. Father loved grandeur—Mother simply didn’t want to reveal the cause of death.
The cause being suicide.
“I’m truly delighted you came. Today is my daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony. Let me introduce you to my daughter, the guest of honor.”
Fearing he might ask about her husband’s cause of death, her mother quickly changed the subject and, acting as if her eldest daughter weren’t even her child, immediately tried to lead the man toward Lilia.
“I’d like to speak with the young lady here for a moment.”
The man’s unexpected words startled Liz.
‘Me? What could he possibly want to say to me…?’
The other young ladies’ gazes shifted from the man to Liz.
Only then did her mother seem to notice Liz’s presence, giving an awkward smile as she said,
“Oh… there you are. This is my eldest daughter—the elder sister of the girl celebrating her coming-of-age today.”
“I recognized her at once. She looks exactly like my late master.”
“I hear that often.”
Her mother replied, then whispered quietly into Liz’s ear,
“Be polite and don’t give her any reason to complain. Smile a little, like Lilia does.”
Returning to her cheerful smile, her mother addressed the man again,
“Hehe, then please enjoy yourselves. Once you’re done talking, come find me later—I’ll introduce you to my other daughter as well.”
Even after her mother left, the crowd’s attention remained fixed on them.
The weight of their stares made Liz uncomfortable. Eager to escape as soon as possible, she asked the man,
“Um… what did you wish to speak to me about…?”
“Did you twist your ankle?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.”
After just a few exchanges, Liz sensed the gazes directed at her growing even sharper.
It had been humiliating enough to receive no attention at all—but now this was just as nerve-wracking. Was there truly no middle ground?
Was it really too much to hope for an ordinary entanglement with an ordinary person?
“I’m glad to hear you’re all right.”
The man smiled warmly.
Glad about what, exactly?
Just then, music began to play, and women glanced hopefully toward him, wondering if he might ask one of them to dance. Instead, he extended a courteous hand toward Liz.
“Would you care to dance one song with me, Lady Berium?”
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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Gosh, I hate this mother of female lead. What the heck she think she is. How artificial. I wish to see her fall badly.