I heard young Ricardo’s voice.
A windy hill, a very brief spring in the desert when the whole world turns green.
There was a massive tree with drooping leaves. And I stood under its shade, my skirt fluttering in the direction of the drooping leaves.
〈Why, why do you think that?〉
〈Isn’t it?〉
It was the day he smiled at me for the first time, seeing my face turn red. Even if it was a mischievous smile resembling mockery.
It was an open hill overlooking the Fennel family estate. The day after it rained cats and dogs, the day was so brightly clear it hurt to open my eyes.
Ricardo had taken his brush and paper to paint, and I followed him to the hill.
Undoubtedly, it was the memory of my childhood I longed for the most.
If it appeared in a dream, I would feel like walking on clouds all day, such was its beauty.
The late spring of my 10-year-old self, beautiful because it was so fleeting.
〈So, it’s wrong for me to like you?〉
Eventually, I cupped my face with both hands and sat down. I didn’t want to hurt my pride any further in front of a man who claimed to have no memory of it…
〈Go ahead.〉
How am I supposed to bear Ricardo’s words echoing in my ears from that day? That day, just being allowed to have a crush made my lips curl up.
“Lady Fennel.”
Ricardo called my name gently but mercilessly. I didn’t want any comfort from him now.
“We shouldn’t have met again.”
“What…?”
I gathered strength in my legs to stand and dusted off my skirt.
“I spoke loudly, didn’t you hear? We shouldn’t have met again.”
It was a ridiculous thing to say. Neither I wanted to meet again, nor did he want to see me. Such regrets were only fitting for someone who had a choice.
Yet, it’s easy to make such assumptions.
What if I hadn’t met you again?
I had imagined that before Ricardo came to find me. Perhaps, in life, we might have crossed paths by chance.
I thought that meeting him again would bring feelings of happiness, joy, and maybe a bit of resentment. But in my imagination, there was never such a miserable emotion.
“If I, or rather the version of me that remains only as a scene in the Young Duke’s mind… had known I would be this pretty, it would have been far better not to meet.”
Ricardo did not respond to my words, which could be perceived as rude. Concealing an emotion resembling shame, I firmly stood my ground.
Then, turning to face him with the large painting as a backdrop, I felt as if I were standing on soft soil rather than the cold marble floor. This inexplicably gave me a burst of courage.
“Give me this painting.”
“What?”
“It’s useless to you anyway.”
Besides, in that painting, you didn’t appear at all, and I was just looking affectionately into empty space.
“Give it to me. After everything is over and you’ve achieved whatever you desire.”
“…….”
“I’ll take the painting and go back to where I lived.”
He looked at me on the hill in the painting for a long while. His eyes were so empty that I could hide a bit of my feelings. Although trying to hide something in front of eyes that gauge the truth was futile, I still had to try. At any moment.
Then, from afar, the sound of a door being knocked echoed. It wasn’t from the room we were in but from Ricardo’s bedroom.
Thanks to that, the chilly atmosphere between us dispersed. Ricardo bit his lip hard and then turned around. He walked a few steps, and when he noticed I wasn’t following, he stopped abruptly.
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.]
