After the Parasitic Vine Decides to Break Up

Everyone thinks Xia should be content. The daughter of a minor noble family in a remote border town, she became the Grand Duke’s mistress after her family incurred an enormous tax debt. Not only was the debt quietly dismissed, but the Grand Duke also began supporting her family. Xia always knew she was an ivy clinging to the Grand Duke, cherished by him. He gave her fine clothes, good food, jewels, and estates, but he could never give her marriage. Xia knew her birth was too lowly. The Grand Duke had not even the slightest intention of marrying her. His marriage was meant to secure greater advantages, and he could not waste it on her. But tenderness always gives rise to fantasies. At a knights’ tournament, the Grand Duke won the laurel wreath. Then, instead of giving it to Xia, he presented it to the highest-ranking woman there: Princess Lilia of the royal family. At last, Xia summoned the courage to ask him one final time, “Will you marry me?” The man replied calmly, “Xia, don’t make a scene.” “If you have a child someday, I’ll legitimize the bastard and make him my heir.” Xia finally understood, and stopped hoping for more. So, in her third year as the Grand Duke’s mistress, she asked to end their relationship. * Cecil thought he’d brought himself a heap of trouble. His entire life had gone smoothly. He had always been invincible, and everyone admired and feared him. The women by his side were supposed to be no different: they should love and respect him, making his wishes the foundation of everything. Until Xia came along. Her status was so lowly, her beauty impossible to ignore, and beneath her obedient facade lay an untamable nature. She was like a raging fire, burning him and the order he had built to pieces. He couldn’t believe Xia had dared to ask for a breakup. How dare she challenge his authority? How dare she leave him? * Their protracted arguments finally ended with the Grand Duke giving in. He didn’t want to break up. He held out to Xia the laurel wreath the royal family had returned. Xia gave a cold laugh and flung it out the window, where it landed in the dirt and gathered dust. “Cecil, do you think I still care about it after everything that’s happened?” Reader’s Guide: 1. Both leads are each other’s first and only. Happy ending. This is not an empowering female-led wish-fulfillment story. 2. Includes patriarchal attitudes, identity reveals, coercive pursuit, groveling to win her back, softened coercion, obsessive love, pregnancy and childbirth, and the usual melodramatic tropes. There’s angst and sweetness. If that’s not your thing, don’t read. No need to tell me if you drop it. 3. If you’re reading a pirated copy, don’t leave comments. Bonus chapters that don’t count toward subscription rates are there for readers using the official platform. 4. The setting is fictional and draws on a mix of influences. Comments that make sweeping judgments, nitpick the research, insult people, or spread rumors will be deleted. 5. Enjoy reading! Theme: Pursue a life of freedom