Adel realized she had been holding her breath all this while. Her shocked gasping quickly turned into hiccups.
“Adel.”
A mesmerizingly beautiful face came close, softly calling her name. It sounded like a cherished compliment for someone precious. Adelhite’s eyelids trembled as she lowered them. A warm sensation settled over them.
That night, Adel couldn’t return to her room.
Every time she disappeared from Valentin’s sight, even for a moment, he almost had a fit, causing an uproar. Even the strong knights couldn’t hold him down.
His moans, fierce eyes, the gaze that persistently followed only her even while restrained, saliva dripping from his mouth…
It was almost like witnessing a madman. The Duke, so rational and composed at the sight of the Duchess, would fall into such a state without her.
At this point, the steward Herman bowed his head first, asking her to not leave Valentin’s side for a while. It was an unprecedented submission for Adelhite.
“Long live the Duke!”
“For the great Ansgar!”
Adel, momentarily lost in thought, looked down from the window upon hearing loud cheers.
In the backyard, groups were gathered, raising toasts to celebrate the Duke’s revival. It seemed the wine meant for the mourners had been generously distributed to the servants.
Everyone appeared overly merry and joyful.
As if they had forgotten that the Duke was nearly buried just the day before.
People easily forgot so much. Fear turned into reverence, ominous signs into miracles of Morrig. They believed the blessed power of Ansgar had ‘frozen’ the Duke at the critical moment.
This entire shift in perception happened overnight. It seemed she was now the only one in all of Bichelreben who still feared her husband as a revived corpse.
“Hurry.”
It was the moment Valentin, who had been vigilantly holding on to Adel all night, finally fell asleep like he had fainted. Adel quickly left the room to return to her own, planning to tidy up and gather some items before he woke up.
Her steps were swift as she ascended to the northern tower. The Duchess’s room was originally in the central part of the main castle, but the steward had given her an old room in the tower, using the excuse that the inner chamber hadn’t been used in a long time and needed repairs. She had spent three whole years there.
The room was somewhat shabby for a lady’s chamber. The window was small, there was a fireplace cleared of ashes, and although there was a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and a chair, they all seemed mismatched, as if picked up from different places.
“No time to light a fire.”
She skillfully undressed and poured cold water from a jug into a brass bowl. She soaked a towel and wiped off the soup stains that had dried on her body. Adel crouched in front of the wardrobe.
“Lucky I have spare underwear and clothes.”
She put on an old chemise and rummaged through the wardrobe for a clean padingale. It took her a while to lace up the dress by herself.
Just then, the door burst open urgently. As Adel turned in surprise, trying to cover herself, Greta’s anxious voice rang out.
“My lady! How long I’ve been looking for you!”
It was Greta, looking unusually pale. She quickly crossed the room, gripping Adel’s forearm tightly. Greta was panting heavily as she spoke.
“Now’s not the time for this. You must leave, right away, this very moment.”
Whether it was excitement, fear, or dread, the fragments of emotions etched on Adel’s face only added to her confusion.
“What do you mean? I have to leave?”
“You can’t stay here, my lady. You must leave before he wakes up. There’s no time to waste.”
Greta seemed to have forgotten that Adel was only in her chemise. She rummaged through the wardrobe and forcibly put a hood over Adel’s head.
The rough handling mussed Adel’s hair. She frowned, a rare expression for her.
“What are you talking about, nanny? The situation has changed since the Duke woke up. I wanted to go to the convent, but…”
“No, it’s not that…”
Greta cut off Adel’s words, murmuring desperately. Her voice was so shaky and muffled, it was nearly incoherent, almost like talking to herself.
“He recognized you, my lady. That thing… it came looking to devour you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s time, the time has come. There’s no stopping it now. What was it? Yes, watch the shadow very carefully. It will move on its own…”
“Nanny, why are you scaring me all of a sudden? Shadows?”
Greta seemed to have forgotten Adel was right in front of her, her face pale with fear. Suddenly, her lips parted.
“The dragon of Bichelreben is cunning, malicious, and enchanting…”
The rest of the sentence was well-known in Bichelreben, a famous tale passed down from parents to children as a warning. It was an ancient story layered with time.
“The dragon of Bichelreben is cunning, malicious, and enchanting. It can freely manipulate shadows, sneakily hide among people, mimic human behavior and language, but…
The mute animals will be the first to recognize it.”
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.]
