“Eve!”
When her daughter returned to the room with Grita, Leah tightly embraced the little child with both arms.
“Where on earth have you been!”
Leah unknowingly raised her voice.
She had been so worried that the child, who had been sick, might have collapsed somewhere or gotten into an accident.
At that, Eve sobbed and hugged Leah tightly.
“I thought the lady was an adult……”
At Eve’s small sobs, Leah’s heart melted as if crumbling.
“Even if it’s interesting, you should have told Mommy.”
“Mommy was fast asleep.”
Eve pouted her lips as if she couldn’t bear to wake the deeply asleep Leah.
Leah lightly pinched Eve’s cheek.
“Still, Mommy worries a lot, so next time you must tell Mommy before going. Okay?”
Eve nodded her little head and scrunched up her chin, trembling.
Then, unable to hold back her welling tears, she wailed loudly.
“Waaah!”
“Eve!”
The startled Leah picked up Eve again, and Eve buried her face in her shoulder.
Her shoulder became a mess with Eve’s tears and snot.
It seemed that after being tense in an unfamiliar place, the relief had hit her belatedly.
“Huaaah, the bad man, hic, did this……”
Eve poured out her pent-up sorrow to her mother.
“Bad man?”
“Outside, a scary man……”
Leah looked at Grita with a questioning face, wondering what had happened.
The silent Grita merely shrugged her shoulders once.
Leah thought that Eve must have encountered a scary guard.
“It’s okay, Eve. Mommy’s here, right?”
Leah lightly held Eve’s body, rocking her and wiping her tear-stained cheeks.
“But you know what, Mommy……”
“Yes, Eve.”
“Daddy saved me.”
Eve sniffled and gradually stopped crying, then mumbled with a solemn expression.
“…… Uncle Egon did?”
“Yeah, Daddy saved Eve from the bad man……”
Eve spoke with a serious frown on her tiny eyebrows.
Even though she had been worried sick about Eve just now, seeing her daughter sternly making a serious expression while sniffling made her want to laugh.
It seemed that Eclas had brought Eve, who had been with the guard.
“I see. That’s a relief.”
“Yeah, but you know what, Mommy……”
“Hmm?”
“Is Daddy a prince?”
“Huh?”
“Daddy…… was wearing prince clothes.”
Eve thought of Eclas who had come to find her.
He was not wearing the shabby shirt and pants he usually wore when coming home.
He was wearing really nice clothes that princes would wear.
The buttons were shiny, the collar was big, and there were nice designs on the sleeves too.
His hair was also styled like a prince’s, tied with an elegant silk ribbon.
She almost didn’t recognize him as her father.
“Then is this Daddy’s palace?”
At Eve’s innocent question, Leah didn’t know how to answer.
She had never told Eve any specifics about Egon.
Eve probably thought of Egon as a sailor.
Because he would go out on a boat far away and return after a few weeks or a few months at the longest.
But now, introducing him as a baron……
“Eve, unfortunately he’s not a prince.”
Leah gently stroked Eve’s hair.
“We came to briefly meet the baron of this castle. When meeting the baron, you have to dress properly to show respect.”
Lying to her daughter made her heart sting, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Then, not a prince……?”
Eve’s head drooped a little, perhaps disappointed.
“Even if he’s not a prince, he’s still an amazing person to Eve, right?”
“…… Yeah.”
Eve gave a small nod.
Even though she nodded, she still seemed disappointed, making Leah almost laugh.
Leah patted Eve like that.
“By the way, Eve, are you feeling okay? Not in pain?”
“Yeah. Eve doesn’t hurt at all!”
At Eve’s healthy answer, a smile finally appeared on Leah’s lips.
Feeling Eve’s forehead, the fever seemed to have completely subsided.
The red rash that had spread seemed to have settled down too……
“That’s a relief. But just in case, let’s have the doctor examine you one more time.”
At Leah’s words, Grita nodded as if she had been waiting.
[This is the timeline separator]“It really…… seems to be completely cured.”
The doctor who examined Eve’s condition nodded in amazement.
Overnight, the erythema that had spread throughout her body had completely disappeared and her fever had subsided.
“It’s all thanks to you, doctor.”
Leah bowed her head to the doctor, relieved to hear that Eve was healthy.
But the doctor smiled awkwardly as if it wasn’t his doing.
“How strange. Perhaps it’s because she’s young that her recovery is fast……”
Normally, it would take several days just for the erythema to subside.
But this child had detoxified the poison of the red spider in just one night, a mere few hours.
It was an exceptional case.
“Then I don’t have to take medicine?”
Eve smiled brightly, happy that she didn’t need to take the bitter medicine.
“But just in case, it’s best to take it diligently until today.”
“Aww……”
Her bright face darkened in an instant.
The doctor comforted Eve and turned to look at Leah who was beside him.
But Leah’s expression didn’t look good.
“Miss Leah?”
“Well…… it’s not too unusual for the poison to be cured in a day, right……?”
Leah carefully asked the doctor.
The doctor lightly scratched his cheek with his finger.
“There are individual differences in drug efficacy and detoxification. But…… recovering this quickly is definitely miraculous.”
At the word miraculous, Leah flinched and looked at Eve.
A small unease that only she could guess bloomed.
“Her condition has improved, but it’s best for her to rest well until today.”
The doctor informed them of a few precautions and left the room with Grita.
[This is the timeline separator]The room with just the child and mother.
Leah sat close beside Eve.
Eve looked up at her mother with round eyes.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?”
Because her mother’s expression was different from usual, Eve hugged her mother’s arm for no reason.
Leah looked at the adorable child and pulled up the corners of her mouth with all her might.
“Eve, shall we change clothes?”
“Huh? Clothes?”
“Yeah, let’s change into prettier clothes.”
“But I like this outfit!”
“Mommy prepared even prettier clothes.”
Thinking that Eve’s recovery would take over a week, there were a few outfits that Eclas had prepared.
Leah brought out a few dresses she had put in the dresser and showed them to Eve.
The clothes prepared by Eclas were fancy enough for noble children to wear, so Eve’s eyes sparkled immediately.
“I want the blue butterfly!”
“Blue butterfly? Okay. Shall we change into this outfit, Eve?”
Leah smiled and unfolded the blue dress Eve had chosen.
It was a dress with a subtle pattern like a butterfly, with long ribbons attached.
Leah took off the white dress Eve was wearing and carefully examined her tiny body.
The rash that had blossomed all over her body had really healed cleanly.
Nevertheless, she closely inspected Eve’s white skin.
And.
“Ah……”
Her gaze stopped at Eve’s chest.
A faint crescent-shaped pattern was visible above her daughter’s chest.
A pattern so faint that without close attention, it might look like visible blood vessels.
Her heart plummeted into an endless abyss.
“No……”
She had thought it fortunate that she hadn’t passed on the curse to her child.
She wanted to give Eve an ordinary and happy life.
But……
“Mommy? Crying……”
When uncontrollable tears fell from the corners of her eyes, Eve looked up at her with her tiny eyebrows drooping.
Seeing her mother cry, Eve was already sobbing too, as if she was also sad.
“Mommy, don’t cry……”
It was the first time Eve had seen her mother shed tears, so she was frightened.
Did I do something wrong to make Mommy sad?
Does Mommy hate me because I didn’t listen to her enough?
Eve grasped her mother’s hand with her tiny hands.
The small warmth seemed to engulf Leah.
That warmth hurt so much.
She bit her lip hard, trying to hold back her crumbling expression.
Then Eve held her mother’s hand even tighter.
“Mommy, Eve did wrong……”
When Eve apologized while sobbing, Leah couldn’t hold back and buried her face in the child’s shoulder.
The child, who had done nothing wrong, was apologizing to her instead.
It’s me who should be sorry.
It’s my fault for giving an unbearable sin to an innocent and pretty child.
“No, Eve. Mommy is sorry……”
Leah hugged Eve, her heart aching.
She didn’t want to show tears in front of her child, but irresponsible tears kept overflowing.
Eve’s pure eyes pierced her heart.
In the end, it turned out like this.
This is how I’m punished again.
I was too greedy, unworthy of being a mother in the first place.
Not wanting to show weakness to her child, she held Eve even deeper in her arms.
“Mommy……”
“It’s okay, Eve. Mommy will protect our Eve no matter what.”
Leah made her collapsing heart even more solid.
She couldn’t weakly collapse in front of her child.
She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and kissed her beloved child’s forehead.
Yes, for Eve. For my child……
Even if the church comes to punish heretics someday, she will protect her child.
Even if she truly becomes a demon.
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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