Walter looked at the yellow rose I was tightly holding and smiled gently.
Why? Was there a letter saying I wanted to go to the Chapel family written on this yellow rose?
“Perhaps you touched my body without permission?”
Of course, this was the moment to protect myself. But, since I was sure he wouldn’t kill me, there was no need to suppress the anger that was welling up.
“It’s hard to say you invited me forcibly since you bumped into me while I was standing still. It’s also hard to say that was your way of asking for my consent.”
“Ah…….”
He seemed to understand a bit now, but his sharp, scrutinizing gaze remained unchanged.
“It seems I fainted because of that collision.”
“Is that so?”
I looked around, touching my forehead with the back of my hand, as if dizziness had just set in.
“Where is this place? A guest room at Count Enehaz’s mansion?”
Despite my best acting, Walter remained suspicious. He tapped his lips thoughtfully with his finger and then slightly tilted his head to the right.
“Do you not know me?”
‘Not knowing me,’ instead of ‘knowing me.’ That was some serious confidence. Of course, it was confidence with a reason.
“No, not at all.”
But I had the confidence to pretend not to know him. After all, Rochester’s ability to gauge the truth wasn’t with Walter.
“Am I someone whose ignorance would be considered rude?”
He laughed a bit incredulously and then straightened his back.
“No. I am Walter Shaw Chapel, the heir of the Chapel ducal family.”
“Ah…….”
“You don’t seem very surprised.”
His serious demeanor made his turquoise eyes shine even brighter. They were so beautiful that it was hard to look elsewhere.
“And this place is not Count Enehaz’s mansion, but my family’s. This is my bedroom.”
Perhaps thinking his memory would be erased anyway, he candidly explained the situation.
“If your words are true, it seems I bumped into you, causing you to faint… Yes, that’s why I brought Miss Lienne here.”
“It’s quite strange to bring a fainted woman to the heir’s bedroom, though.”
He laughed as if amused.
“Well, you might think that, but that’s not what’s important right now.”
When I just stared at him without responding, he sighed softly.
“I’m telling you about myself in detail because I need to know the name of your family too.”
“Why is that?”
“We must have been at Count Enehaz’s banquet.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“And you were holding a yellow rose.”
I just nodded. His eyes seemed to harbor some unsettled thoughts.
“You were at Enehaz’s banquet with a yellow rose, and I am the heir of a ducal family.”
I frowned, not understanding why he kept repeating what he had said.
“Is that very important? In the current situation?”
“Of course. By tomorrow, the social circles will be buzzing with rumors about me.”
“Ah….!”
Suddenly, I remembered the young woman who had dropped the yellow rose. The image of the older man holding her hand came back too. My expression involuntarily grimaced.
So maybe this rose meant I could be sold off to someone.
“That’s why we need to handle this. I have no intention of making you my lover or mistress.”
I closed my eyes tightly. He was right.
“The people there will find out who you are easier than flipping a hand.”
If I stayed silent, I would become the protagonist of a scandal that would shake the Dermaier Empire’s social circles tomorrow.
Whether as the mistress of the Chapel heir or as a woman abandoned by him.
The Duchess of Rochester permitted me to even stand on my head and dance at the ballroom. But she never authorized me to hold the hand of another ducal heir with the family’s crested handkerchief and disappear.
“It wouldn’t be too hard to slightly distort people’s memories, but hiding the fact that both you and I vanished at the same time might be impossible.”
“…….”
“Your parents, friends, or whoever you came with will soon realize you’ve disappeared. And so will I. So, please tell me. The name of your family.”
‘Penel, it’s Penel! The eastern family the Emperor of Dermaier cursed to extinction. Or you could say I am a guest of Rochester. Sent by the Duchess herself, with a handkerchief bearing our family crest!’
I desperately held back my urge to cry, sorting out what I should say internally.
Should I say Penel, or should I say Rochester?
But my dilemma didn’t last long. Just as I was about to speak…
Boom.
With a thunderous noise, the door to the Chapel heir’s bedroom burst open.
“Ah…….”
A man with jet-black hair, eyes as dark as the abyss, stood there, his presence like a sharp sword drawn in the night.
He looked ready to smash the door down any second.
Walter and I both stood up simultaneously.
“Ricca.”
“Ricardo?”
And we whispered his name in unison. Our surprised eyes met each other’s. Walter’s turquoise eyes were asking me, “Who exactly are you?”
Then, another loud “bang!” We both turned towards the source of the sound.
Ricardo had either hit or opened the door, which was now trembling.
“Lienne, come here.”
Ricardo’s voice was cold and stern.
“Lienne? That Lienne… Lowie Penel?”
My name, uttered softly nearby, froze me in place. Walter repeated it, Lienne Lowie Penel, with a look of confusion.
Then, suddenly, as if realizing something, he turned sharply to me.
“You’re Penel. The woman who aided in the manifestation of the Rochester heir.”
Just then, a flippant whistle sounded. “Whew.” There stood a man with fiery red hair and golden eyes, his slightly upturned eyes reminiscent of someone else, exuding a somewhat lascivious aura.
“This atmosphere is too strange, isn’t it?”
He must be Julian, from the Paquin family.
“Walter bringing a woman with a yellow rose to his bedroom.”
Julian Bow Paquin was the heir of the Paquin ducal family, possessing the ability to erase others’ memories. The cost for using his power was literally money.
Depending on whose memory and how much he erased, he had to donate a corresponding amount of money to the temple. This was Paquin’s weakness.
If he didn’t do so, he believed the wrath of the gods would directly befall his family, leading to disasters like his mansion burning down or his family’s ship sinking.
“Come here, Lienne.”
Ricardo called me again with a slightly suppressed voice, and I didn’t hesitate to move towards him. Or at least, I would have if Walter, who was standing next to me, hadn’t extended his arm to block me.
“How rude of you to barge in like a storm and try to take my guest, Ricardo.”
“She’s not your guest, Walter.”
“…….”
“She’s my person, whom you’ve kidnapped. Ah, but of course, you have no memory, so I can’t blame you for acting so outrageously.”
Walter seemed struck by Ricardo’s words but soon straightened up and maintained a polite demeanor.
“As you said, I currently have no memory. So, shouldn’t you understand that I can’t fully comprehend this situation?”
Despite the polite protest, there was no response. Walter, too, did not back down. He didn’t retract his arm that was blocking me and spoke more assertively.
“Once you’ve crossed the threshold of Chapel, you become my guest. So sit here and let’s talk. If you refuse my request, I will no longer treat you as my guest.”
A tense atmosphere filled the room. Ricardo glared at Walter, who was blocking me, as if he wanted to kill him. Of course, he would be perplexed since I had disappeared like the wind. But hadn’t he witnessed everything with his own eyes? It was hard to understand why he, typically indifferent and unsympathetic in every matter, was showing such emotional turmoil.
Just as I wondered if a war might break out between the two ducal families, another unfamiliar voice spoke.
“Yes, Ricardo. Let’s all sit down and talk. It’s straining my neck to keep looking up at all of you.”
With his words, the icy, glass-like tension in the air shattered.
Looking past Walter’s shoulder, I saw a man in a wheelchair. I could tell that the others were noble, but I had no idea who he was. He looked noble at first glance.
But was he injured in the legs?
However, at that moment, I had no time to determine who he was.
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.]
