As always, Shuher, who had prepared early, was having a meal alone when he called Emil.
“Did you call me, Your Majesty?”
“Is Evenel Istella awake?”
“Ah, should I say that she has woken up?”
His gaze turned to Emil at the ambiguous statement. There was a reason she could only respond that way, even under his eyes demanding a clear answer.
“The maid said she was not in her room when she went.”
It seemed she had prepared alone and gone out of the palace without even calling the maid. Emil, who heard the story, couldn’t help but be taken aback.
It meant she woke up earlier than the servants, without anyone seeing Evenel. Where on earth did she go so early?
Emil quickly bowed his head at Shuher’s silent demeanor.
“I apologize. You told me to keep a close watch. I will find her quickly.”
“No, I think I know where she went.”
With those words and standing up, Shuher left the palace straight away, recalling the story Demil told him yesterday.
She had challenged the Knight Order and seized the training ground with her own strength. It felt like he had been caught off guard.
‘I didn’t think she’d win so easily.’
He had pride that the Knight Order he led was never inferior in terms of skill. That’s why they had intense training every day.
But to crumble all those times at once like this.
Shuher turned his steps toward the Knight Order’s practice ground instead of heading to his office. Evenel would surely be there.
He had something to tell her anyway.
But for some reason, the knights were gathered at the entrance, staring blankly at one spot, oblivious to his approach.
“What’s going on?”
“Your Majesty.”
Shuher, ignoring the knights bowing to him, looked towards the practice ground. Only then did a hidden figure come into view.
Evenel was running silently there.
With her ostentatious hair tied in one place, dressed in a black training suit, and even carrying a gun at her waist, she could be mistaken for a knight.
Who knew how many laps she had run; her face was already full of sweat.
“Since when has she been here?”
“She’s been running like that since before we came.”
Demil answered Shuher’s question.
The Knight Order didn’t think she would be there earlier than them, so they were watching her with bewildered minds.
Evenel, who paused for a moment to catch her breath, belatedly noticed the eyes on her and calmly approached.
“When did you get here? Good morning.”
Despite the lively greeting, no reply came back. It would be more accurate to say they didn’t know how to respond.
Just yesterday, they had been competing as enemies.
That’s when Shuher pushed everyone aside and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“You can see, can’t you? I was running lightly before breakfast. I think I lack a lot of stamina.”
To her, training from early morning was a familiar task. She just hadn’t done it lately because she lacked motivation.
Physical training was needed for shooting. Especially since they had to face monsters, it was all the more essential.
Running enough to break a sweat after a long time felt refreshing.
“I got this outfit from Emil yesterday. It fits perfectly.”
To Shuher’s eyes, she looked much more natural than when she wore a dress, as if this was her original appearance.
“Ah, I also received the gun well. Have you come to train, Your Majesty?”
“There is something I need to tell you.”
At the look in his eyes asking what it was, Shuher glanced around. Demil caught on and led the Knight Order away so the two could talk comfortably.
Once the surroundings were cleared, he calmly informed her of the matter decided yesterday. And he closely observed Evenel’s reaction.
“It will be tight in two weeks. Got it. I’ll prepare too.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
He had no choice but to ask since she accepted without even asking more about the suppression. Of course, no matter what she said, the decision wouldn’t be reversed.
“Yes. From the beginning, that was the condition for staying here. I was to help when I was needed.”
From Evenel’s perspective, his reaction was nothing but strange. Why ask something like that after preparing everything himself for moments like this?
In Shuher’s eyes, she seemed to think too lightly, and he decided to coldly inform her of the reality.
“Subjugation is completely different from facing a single monster. You don’t know what variables might arise, and in the worst case, you might die. Even if you are a capable maiden, you can’t be an exception.”
To her, his words sounded like this:
Even if something like that happens, I won’t save you; survive barely with your own strength.
But Evenel wasn’t unaware of this. She knew that the only one who could protect her was herself.
“I understand that, of course. And I am ready to accept whatever happens there.”
Her determination was clear to him as well. It was fortunate that he didn’t have to waste his breath on annoying words.
“Speaking of which, you had a duel right after arriving yesterday.”
“You must have heard it from Sir Demil. Thanks to that, I’m able to use it so confidently now. I made quite a profit.”
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
