A sudden commotion erupted on a country road that was otherwise quiet.
Dark figures emerged through the dense greenery that had thickened over time. The procession, exuding a commanding presence, made the red wildflowers along the narrow path tremble pitifully.
A carriage led by four black horses thundered down the road, followed in perfect formation by two chariots and knights on horseback.
Even the clothes of those riding the horses were entirely black, resembling an army from hell marching to war with the gods.
The uninvited guests slowed their pace right in front of my house. A gaping lion’s crest filled the side of the carriage, its brilliance reflecting the light so intensely that it blurred the beautiful spring landscape behind it.
“Ah…”
I could no longer ignore it. I knew who the leader of this procession was.
As the carriage door opened, Ricardo’s fine black hair fluttered in the wind.
Was this how heroes were described in myths, emerging as if from an egg?
Stepping out of the carriage, Ricardo straightened his wrinkled collar with a sharp tug. The sun shone down, casting a cross-shaped light above his head. His luxurious navy-blue attire shimmered brilliantly.
With his slender fingers brushing through his hair, he started walking with long strides, the fabric around his firm thighs tightening and relaxing with each step.
“But… why?” I wondered why this magnificent creation was growing larger in my view. Instead of heading inside the house under the guidance of a servant, he was slowly approaching me.
Had our eyes met? No, it seemed too far for that…
His gaze, once scattered and unfocused, now hardened with determination, filling my view with the image of a sleek, predatory man.
“You’re still the same.”
His words, heavy with dual meanings, fell upon me. My head and hands involuntarily drooped towards the ground.
“It’s you, indeed.”
Startled or mesmerized, I wasn’t sure which, but my strength drained away, and the basket of eggs I was holding dropped to the ground. The topmost egg rolled away with a roll.
“Did it break? I brought the exact number needed…”
As I stood there foolishly, a dark shadow loomed over me.
The heir to the Rochester Ducal Family, who had left the Penell family seven years ago to return to the empire, was smiling at me.
The moment our eyes met, the sound of the breaking egg thundered in my ears.
Looking down, I saw the shiny black toe of his shoe and the yellow liquid of the broken egg beside it.
Startled, I looked up, realizing that the safe and perfect world I had known was now shattered at his feet.
It all started ten years ago on a day of thunder and lightning.
The perfect man sitting across from me now, with his long legs crossed, was part of a fate – whether a curse or a bond – that began then.
Ricardo Gardarelli Rochester, noble and tragic, was the heir to the most esteemed of the three Great Ducal Families of the Dermaier Empire and the chosen next emperor by the Oracle.
“The one who shall kill his father and become the sun in the sky.”
Ricardo, born with the world in his hands, started his life destined for a tragic end.
“Rienne Lowy Penell.”
My heart thudded prominently as my name was called in his low voice.
Here I was, in a world where gods still existed, sitting before a man who was especially and unmistakably loved by those gods.
Like a mere creature.
“Yes, speak,” I urged.
“I’ve met your mother.”
The only place in this humble house suitable for receiving guests was this drawing room. Of course, it was hardly befitting for a man who seemed as intricately carved from head to toe.
The crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace barely filled the gaps in our conversation.
“Ah, yes…”
As I responded, I was internally rattled, pondering why he had come to visit me.
“He gave his permission to take you to the empire.”
Permission, my foot. It almost sounded like a proposal. I had surmised he had business with me, but why now, after all this time?
“You have one day.”
The difference between heaven and earth—that was the most apt description for the gap between him and me. Although the Duchy of Lesothia was an independent nation, it was merely symbolic.
Even a princess of the duchy wouldn’t be treated with great reverence in the empire. That was the harsh reality.
And yet, here I was, the illegitimate child of the late Count Penell, who was executed for allegedly kidnapping and imprisoning Ricardo.
“Ah, so you can spare a day.”
A decade ago, on a night dominated by thunder and lightning, I was thrust back into life, as if pushed away from death.
That night, I saw a horrific vision of my future self dying in a fierce fire that could have engulfed the whole world. I was punished for pretending to be this man’s fake consort.
For three years following that dreadful ending, I protected Ricardo, then imprisoned at the Penell estate, from various dangers. I successfully returned him unscathed to the Rochester family.
“But do you remember me at all?”
There were certainly problems along the way.
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
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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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