Blackening the Affectionate Male Lead (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
“Please become my fiancée.”
Whitney’s clear and refreshing voice rang softly through the verdant courtyard before the royal villa.
The man’s gaze shifted to the small, outstretched white hand offered toward him. Petals drifted on the breeze, swirling around the two before floating away.
His sharp nose, sculpted face as if crafted meticulously by a master artisan, perfectly tailored suit shoulders, and long, extended legs—his expression remained as indifferent as ever, showing no interest in anyone else. He hadn’t changed at all.
At least, not the way Whitney remembered him.
“You don’t seem like the sort to be the queen’s spy, and I doubt Princess Orleans would have any reason to make me such an offer.”
Chester’s eyebrows twitched. He kept his smile untouched as he stared at her.
“I want to protect Your Highness.”
“Then it seems Lady Orleans sees me as a fool incapable of guarding even my own life. Her Majesty went too far—however she spread those rumors… That’s why all these incompetent fools keep swarming around me.”
His blue eyes glittered. Despite the gentle smile, his aura was unmistakably sharp. One wrong move, and his sword might just take your head. Chester had become a Swordmaster at the age of ten.
Ever since childhood, Chester had faced constant threats to his life from his half-brother, Karl—the legitimate heir—and the factions supporting him. Surviving in such an environment made this reaction entirely natural for him.
Moreover, the sharp words he directed at her weren’t truly heartfelt. She knew his real nature.
She understood that every harsh tone and guarded expression was merely a mask he wore to protect himself. Because she had seen his genuine kindness, she wasn’t fooled.
‘If I’d just let myself die back then, he might have lived.’
Because of her—swept up in her half-brothers’ schemes—Chester had died. He, who could never turn away from another’s death, would never have been able to strike her down.
‘This time, I’ll never let things unfold like that again.’
Whitney closed her eyes tightly, then opened them and stepped closer to Chester. She took his hand firmly and spoke.
“What if I told you I could save your mother? Would that change your mind?”
His ever-present smile vanished instantly. His eyes, now sharp with an unfamiliar glint of killing intent, locked onto hers.
His mother, Elenia—the current emperor’s consort—was gravely ill. Suffering from an illness even physicians couldn’t name, she was slowly dying.
“How am I supposed to believe that? Are you claiming Princess Orleans can cure my mother’s illness when no one else could?”
“Yes. I can do it. If I’m lying, I’ll gladly accept punishment for insulting the royal family.”
“That sounds an awful lot like saying you don’t mind dying.”
Whitney slowly nodded. She met Chester’s gaze without flinching. He stared at their joined hands for a moment, then gripped hers tightly.
“I’ll leave it to you then, Lady Orleans.”
“I’ll do my best for you too, Your Highness.”
Somehow, this time, she would save him.
[This is the timeline separator]Whitney Bell Orleans—the cherished daughter of House of Duke Orleans. After her father’s death, her stepmother and half-sister Melissa banished her to the attic.
She didn’t even have a proper set of clothes, and all the menial chores in the ducal mansion fell to her.
There was no one in the mansion on her side. Even the position of head of house was withheld from her under the absurd excuse that she was inadequate—the title handed instead to her stepmother.
The only time Whitney could appear before others as a proper noblewoman was at balls. Yet even then, she couldn’t endure her stepmother’s glare and always fled outside.
This royal ball was no different. Her pinched arm throbbed, but the pain had become so familiar it barely registered.
Wearing a long-sleeved dress on a sweltering summer day was her stepmother’s petty trick—to hide Whitney’s bruised arms from others.
‘So what if it is? No one cares about me anyway.’
No one wondered why she wore long sleeves in the height of summer or an outdated dress. No one cared that she’d never properly made her debutante presentation.
A warm breeze tousled her hair. Her soft wheat-colored locks and fresh green eyes gave her a vibrant appearance, yet her expression remained utterly blank.
Whitney sat on a rock, gazing at the blue sea, waiting only for the banquet to end.
Suddenly—
Splash!
At the sound of someone plunging into the sea, her eyes darted toward the high cliff. Foam scattered across the blue waves, then receded, leaving a man washed up on the shore.
‘That’s a person!’
Whitney immediately ran to the beach. The moment she saw the man with golden hair, she clapped a hand over her mouth.
Karl de Clifton—the queen’s only son.
It was unmistakably him.
Whitney quickly checked if he was breathing. Her hands trembled, but she forced herself to recall every bit of emergency knowledge she had.
Relieved to detect even the faintest breath, she began first aid to help him expel water.
“Thank goodness—he’s breathing…! But I need to move him quickly.”
She turned to see if anyone was nearby. Carrying an unconscious man alone was impossible.
Gripping the hem of her dress, Whitney dashed toward the banquet hall.
The first person to see her disheveled, soaked, and filthy state was her half-sister Melissa. Melissa gasped and pulled Whitney outside the banquet hall.
“Are you staging a protest now?!”
“No, it’s not like that! Sister, on the beach—!”
“Why are you causing trouble on top of everything else? Are you insane?!”
At Melissa’s sharp tone, Whitney flinched. Still, she urgently tugged Melissa’s hand.
“His Highness the Crown Prince fell into the sea! I don’t know how it happened, but I’ve given him first aid—he needs to be moved quickly!”
“…What? His Highness?!”
Melissa immediately lowered her voice and leaned toward Whitney.
“Have you told anyone else about this?”
“This isn’t the time for that! His Highness the First Prince is unconscious!”
“Then you go call for help right now. I’ll check on him myself. Hurry—fetch the royal guards and gather everyone!”
Pushed by Melissa, Whitney went to find the guards. Though all eyes in the banquet hall turned to her, she paid them no mind.
When she returned to the beach with the guards, she found Prince Karl awake, cradled in Melissa’s arms.
Though Whitney had clearly been the one to save him, the reward bestowed by His Majesty the King went to her sister Melissa. It even seemed Melissa had captured the prince’s heart.
“Thank you for saving my life, Lady Melissa.”
“I merely happened upon you while taking a stroll. It was my honor to rescue Your Highness.”
Whitney couldn’t say a word. She knew no one would believe her even if she claimed the truth—so she kept her mouth firmly shut.
Even if she’d fallen for the beautiful golden-haired prince, she could simply bury her feelings deep. It was easier on her heart not to desire what she could never have.
Melissa would stop at nothing to steal everything Whitney had. In a ducal mansion without her father, Whitney struggled just to protect herself.
A prince was never meant for her. Perhaps it was only fitting that someone as lovely as rosy-haired Melissa should have him.
How wonderful it would have been if things had ended there.
Drawn by Karl’s suggestion to simply tell the king the truth about the incident, she went to the royal audience chamber. She thought she only needed to say that His Highness Karl had fallen into the sea and that she’d found and tried to save him.
“Whitney Orleans. As a witness, tell us everything you saw that day.”
Whitney had no idea why she was being treated as a mere witness. Her eyes wavered as she stood before the king and queen.
“Are you truly saying you saw who pushed the First Prince off the cliff? The one who tried to kill him?”
“No, I—”
“Your Majesty, she seems deeply shocked. Perhaps we should continue this discussion later?”
The king nodded at Karl’s suggestion. Karl took Whitney’s hand and led her out of the audience chamber.
“W-Your Highness…”
“Whitney.”
Karl gently called her name and turned to face her.
“The truth is, I know you were the one who saved me. How could I ever forget the feeling of your lips against mine?”
“…Do you truly believe it was me?”
“Yes. But everyone saw Melissa holding me, so I had no choice but to let it go. I know you saved me.”
His words made Whitney’s vision blur. His kind, loving expression and the warmth of his hand holding hers reminded her of her father.
After Duke Orleans died, everyone who approached her had ulterior motives. Even her closest friends drifted away because of Melissa. She was utterly isolated, left with no choice but to obey her stepmother and Melissa.
And now Karl had come to her—whispering sweet words of knowing everything, murmuring love.
“I love you, not Melissa. Because I know you’re my savior—the one who saved my life.”
Karl kissed the back of her hand. At the sincerity in his voice, Whitney burst into tears.
“So… if you truly are the one who saved me, I have a request.”
“What… kind of request?”
“My younger brother—my beloved sibling—wants to kill me. Will you testify that Chester pushed me? Once all this is over, I’ll marry you. I’ll take you away from the ducal mansion.”
His whisper, as if he understood her plight completely, made Whitney clench her fists.
“There’s no one there who truly loves you. Come to me. How could I not love the one who saved my life?”
Karl tilted his head, urging her for an answer. Warmth flowed through their joined hands, and his crimson eyes, fixed on her, showed no trace of deceit.
“After all, Chester is a prince too—he’ll only receive a light punishment. But he needs a warning, doesn’t he? If things go on like this, I’ll live in constant fear of death and destroy myself. Whitney, just say one word to my father—for my sake.”
He kept whispering softly into her ear.
“I’ll give you the love you desire.”
Love. A warm place filled with laughter. How desperately she’d longed for it.
But Whitney wasn’t a fool.
“…I can’t tarnish an innocent person’s name.”
“All you have to do is nod. Do it for me.”
At Karl’s words, Whitney looked up in shock—but before she could reply, Karl kissed her, silencing her completely.
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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Chapter Comments (2)
Inline Comments (14)
[This is the timeline separator]
Girly can’t write either?? Come on… if you pull thr I can’t talk trope u st least have to make her illiterate otherwise its just badly written
The man called “captain” roughly ran his hand through his hair and let out a sig
Thank you because I was kinda getting pissed. I take back my comment from before
Whitney stood once again before the king and queen, having finally yielded to th
Lengthy?? 🤣 all he did was whisper some generic nonsense
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I thought she had become mute due to the shock, but he deliberately made her mute. (@_@;)
This is the first time I’ve seen a good aunt help the heroine; I think this novel is different.