When the Cruel Dark Lord Tenderly Seduces (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 7
When Nellia nodded, he brightened and sat down in front of her.
“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Yes… Nice to meet you too.”
She didn’t know who he was.
Seeing Nellia’s wary gaze, the man cleared his throat with a look of sudden realization.
“My apologies for the late introduction. I’m Liam Clint, Duke Hart’s cousin.”
“Oh… I see.”
“You may simply call me Marquess Clint.”
Marquess Clint gave a refreshing smile.
‘He looks young, yet he’s already a marquess.’
Just like Duke Hart, it was fascinating how everyone had inherited their titles at such a young age.
Of course, they must be capable enough to hold such positions.
Just then, Thorne’s voice came from near the door, sounding visibly irritated.
“Marquess Clint, His Grace specifically instructed that Lady Nellia not meet with anyone else.”
Marquess Clint replied lightly.
“I’ll handle it myself, so don’t worry.”
“That won’t do. Especially you—he strictly forbade her from meeting you…”
“It’s fine. I’ll take responsibility, alright?”
Marquess Clint stood up, pushed Thorne aside at the doorway, and firmly shut the door.
“Now the nuisance is finally gone.”
Marquess Clint grinned.
The more Nellia looked at him, the more she realized he was entirely different from Duke Hart—much more energetic and lively.
Though they resembled each other in looks, their auras were completely different, which was intriguing.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from the Duke. I hear you’ve joined as a maid this time.”
“Yes, that’s right. But… did you really hear a lot about me?”
Nellia tilted her head in confusion. Marquess Clint briefly rolled his eyes and gave an awkward laugh.
“Oh, haha. My apologies—I’ll correct that. I didn’t hear ‘a lot,’ just a little.”
“From Duke Hart?”
“There’s no one else in this mansion who’d talk about the young lady besides that fellow. He lives here all alone, with no family.”
Nellia’s eyes widened.
“Duke Hart lives here by himself?”
“Yes. Duchess, his only family, resides in the ducal domain.”
I see…
In the original story, Duke Hart’s family life wasn’t explored in much detail.
After all, primarily focused on the male lead, Crown Prince Carlos, and the female lead, Charlotte.
“So, aside from Duke Hart and the hired staff, no one else lives in this vast mansion? I heard there aren’t even other maids or servants.”
“That’s right. Recently, the head servant was also sent away to the….”
“Hm?”
When Marquess Clint stopped mid-sentence, Nellia asked.
But he only shook his head with a slight smirk.
“Nothing. I was just about to say the head servant recently returned to his hometown.”
“I’ve… already heard that.”
“I see.”
Marquess Clint answered again with a smile.
He was a man who smiled often. Duke Hart was the same in that regard, but their smiles were completely different in nature.
The Marquess’s smile carried a hint of mischief.
While Nellia sipped the tea Thorne had brought, commotion erupted outside again.
“Has Nellia arrived?”
“Yes. However, Marquess Clint is also here with her. I clearly tried to stop him, but…”
Thorne’s voice trailed off apologetically.
Burst!
Soon, the master of the mansion appeared.
His silver eyes first confirmed Nellia’s presence, then shifted to Marquess Clint beside her.
“Liam Clint.”
“I opened the drawing room door and found Lady Nellia sitting there. I was bored waiting for you.”
Marquess Clint shrugged as if he’d done nothing wrong.
Duke Hart stepped forward and stood right in front of the Marquess.
“Hand it over and leave.”
It was a colder tone from Duke Hart than Nellia had ever heard before.
“Is this how you treat someone just for having a little chat? That hurts.”
“If you’d like to be dragged out, go ahead and call someone.”
Leaning against the doorway, Duke Hart spoke calmly.
“I can’t very well let you make a spectacle of yourself in front of Lady Nellia.”
Reluctantly, Marquess Clint rose and handed something to Duke Hart.
‘What’s that…?’
Inside a small glass vial was something resembling a white pill.
But Duke Hart’s large palm quickly covered the vial, hiding it from view.
“Make sure you take it on time. Unless you want to suffer again.”
Duke Hart gave a brief nod.
As Nellia hesitated whether to bow in greeting to the Marquess, he turned back toward the door and looked at her.
“See you next time, Lady Nellia.”
“Yes, Marquess Clint.”
Slam!
No sooner had Marquess Clint stepped out than the door shut.
“There won’t be a next time.”
Duke Hart’s voice was stiff. Nellia felt inexplicably embarrassed.
As she awkwardly stared at her empty teacup, Duke Hart’s voice reached her ears.
“He’s overly curious about my personal life. That’s precisely why I didn’t want you to run into him—he might make you uncomfortable.”
“Oh… I see.”
Nellia replied, her eyes darting around. Then she decided to ask something that had been on her mind.
“Your Grace, I heard I’m the only maid here—is that really true…?”
“Yes. Recently, due to certain matters, I dismissed everyone.”
She wanted to ask what those matters were, but if it warranted firing everyone, it surely wasn’t anything good—so she held her tongue.
“I’ve never worked as a maid before, so I’ll likely be clumsy. And if there’s no one to guide me…”
It might be better if you looked for someone else instead…
Nellia silently hoped her inner thoughts would somehow reach Duke Hart.
“It doesn’t matter. You only need to do what I ask of you, Nellia.”
Apparently, her thoughts hadn’t reached him at all.
“For example… what kinds of things would I be doing…?”
The Duke hummed thoughtfully for a moment before slowly speaking.
“Things like waking me if I sleep in late, assisting with simple tasks, or attending to me during my bath—those sorts of duties.”
He listed only unimportant tasks anyone could easily handle.
But there was one particularly unsettling phrase among them…
“Attending… during your bath…?”
Nellia’s eyes widened. Seeing her expression, Duke Hart covered his mouth and chuckled.
“That was a joke. I prefer bathing alone.”
Nellia calmed her racing heart.
This man really…!
“But the other things I mentioned are genuine. Just stay by my side and assist me when I ask.”
The Duke glanced down at his bandaged foot.
“For a while, I’ll likely need your help quite often due to this troublesome injury.”
“Yes… I caused it, so of course I should help you.”
As Nellia awkwardly stared at her teacup, a white box appeared on the table.
Its design looked familiar.
When Nellia looked up, she saw Duke Hart smiling gently at her.
“At the party, you seemed to enjoy strawberry tarts, so I brought some.”
“Oh…”
Nellia stared in surprise at the box before her.
The beautifully wrapped box was unmistakably from Pashu Bakery—the very place Layton had sent her to fetch strawberry tarts after throwing a tantrum.
She never imagined Duke Hart would go buy strawberry tarts from Pashu Bakery himself.
‘Their strawberry tarts are incredibly delicious…’
At the party, she’d caught his eye a few times while eating the tart—apparently, he’d remembered.
Now that she thought about it… why had he been staring at her like that back then?
Could it be because he shared some past connection with the original Nellia?
Whatever the reason, Duke Hart proved far more attentive and thoughtful than his fearsome reputation in the original story suggested.
Still dazed, Nellia finally looked up at the Duke.
Ah, right—I should thank him.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I’ll enjoy it.”
Looking at the long-missed strawberry tart, Nellia quietly murmured,
“Last time I went to that bakery for a strawberry tart, they were completely sold out.”
“I see.”
Duke Hart smiled as softly as the tart’s whipped cream.
“But you won’t need to go through that trouble anymore. Just say the word, and I’ll bring you some anytime.”
For a moment, Nellia thought she’d misheard.
“You’ll… bring it…?”
“Yes.”
But Duke Hart’s answer was firm.
He opened the box, revealing a beautiful strawberry tart inside.
When he handed her the fork placed beside it, Nellia instinctively reached out and took it, then asked,
“How…?”
“I bought that bakery.”
The fork slipped from Nellia’s hand with a clatter.
“What…?”
Duke Hart patiently picked up the fork, dusted it off, and gently placed it back in her hand.
“I said, I bought the bakery.”
It sounded as unreal as someone casually saying they’d bought apples while running errands in town.
That bakery was the largest and most famous in the capital.
She’d heard the owner was so proud that he refused to align with any noble house or sell his shop—even nobles had to wait in line like everyone else for his tarts.
“…Why suddenly? Were you always interested in bakeries?”
Duke Hart shook his head with a smile.
“No. It just happened to work out conveniently.”
How exactly does one “conveniently” end up buying a bakery?
“So whenever you’d like this tart, just let me know.”
“Okay…”
Nellia managed a dazed reply.
The tart she’d once waited an hour to eat could now be hers effortlessly.
Was this Duke Hart’s unlimited privilege?
‘He really must be loaded.’
It reminded her of those chaebol dramas she’d watched as a kid—there’d been a scene just like this in one featuring four handsome male leads.
‘If only I were the female lead.’
Just then, Duke Hart pushed the tart toward her.
“Go ahead and eat.”
He was watching her with an oddly expectant look.
Her hand, moved by his kindness, naturally reached for the fork.
And poke!
…She almost did—then suddenly remembered who this man really was.
‘Wait… why is he being so nice to me…?’
Not only had she stepped on his foot, but she’d also cracked his instep—and thanks to the head servant conveniently taking sick leave, he must be incredibly inconvenienced.
So why on earth would he go out of his way to offer her a tart?
“Why aren’t you eating? Are you not in the mood right now…?”
Seeing Nellia hesitating with the fork tightly gripped, the Duke asked curiously.
His expression looked so genuinely pure that she couldn’t guess if any scheme lay hidden beneath it.
But she quickly snapped out of it.
This man was the mastermind.
‘He might have laced something in it.’
After all that talk about the bakery to lower her guard, he probably planned to get her to eat this strawberry tart.
Nellia stared at the tart for a while, then finally dipped her fork into it.
And said,
“You eat first.”
With a solemn expression, she held the fork out toward his mouth.
Unintentionally, however, her gesture resembled that of a lover kindly offering dessert—completely unlike her true intent.
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.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)