Indeed, it was the perfect day for matchmaking.
I clenched both fists and stared straight ahead, eyes wide open. There sat a man, with a table between us.
Hair that seemed to be woven from strands of dark night. Eyes the shade of deep sea blue.
The man was breathtakingly delicate and beautiful, like a frostcoated ice sculpture. But he did not look weak at all.
The dignity that naturally flowed from his whole body, the overwhelming pressure that even the criminals dared not meet his eyes, the innate leadership of one born to rule, made him feel like a gigantic mountain range.
And that mountainlike man was now…….
“…….”
……brewing black tea with the most serious face in the world.
“!”
As the sand in the upsidedown hourglass fell completely, the man quickly poured the thickly brewed black tea into a cup.
Then he reached out with a grave face and picked something up.
‘Oh, Oh my God!’
As soon as I identified the ‘something,’ I had to exert myself to swallow a soundless scream.
Because what his massive hand was holding was none other than……an extremely cute design of a white milk jug.
“Yo, Your Majesty.”
“…….”
The man did not respond. Instead, he began to move solemnly as if performing a sacred ritual.
With exquisitely delicate touches, he poured steamed milk into a cup of black tea. The ratio of black tea to milk was exactly 1:1.
Eventually, when the man had poured enough milk, he cut off the milk flow with grace. Then he picked up the sugar bowl.
Exactly three sugar cubes, no more, no less. Any less would be bland, any more would be too sweet.
After stirring well…….
“Now, eat.”
……a delicious milk tea, perfectly suited to my taste, was ready.
The man looked at me with a strangely proud expression.
I could not resist his gaze and lifted the teacup with trembling hands. He had made milk tea for me more than once or twice, but I still felt embarrassed every time I saw it.
Because that man, Asphayren Loarkin, the ruler of the Loarkin Kingdom and my favorite character, was……a cold and stoic typical Northern Duke character.
‘Our Asphayren making such sweet milk tea!’
And that was from the guy who, until just a few months ago, asked why on earth I was drinking that stuff!
To shake off the awkwardness, I took a sip of the tea. The use of blended Bergamot tea leaves gave a pleasant freshness to the tea.
I even forgot my unfamiliarity and honestly admired it.
“It’s really delicious!”
“Hmm.”
Asphayren nodded in satisfaction. Watching him, I gulped.
‘It’s time, it seems.’
The ‘time’ for the last step to realize my ultimate goal.
The countless efforts over the past few months to gain Asphayren’s trust and favor quickly flashed through my mind.
The closest position to the king I had obtained was all a stepping stone for this moment.
Namely, to push for Asphayren’s marriage!
I leaned forward and asked seriously.
“Your Majesty, may I ask you something? It may be a bit rude, but…….”
“Go ahead.”
“Yes, well.”
To relieve the tension, I took a deep breath and blurted out.
“Your Majesty, are you thinking of getting married?”
“You?”
The question came back at me as soon as I asked. I answered nervously.
“Uh… I want to?”
“……I see.”
Asphayren bit his lip. I might be imagining things, but he seemed pleased.
“I do, too.”
“Oh!”
I was worried because he was always stonefaced with women, but he did want to get married?
The positive response made my mood soar. This seems like it might work out quite easily. Shall we take it a step further then?
I pulled out a book. It was a book I found in the Royal Library before I came here. I handed it to Asphayren.
“In that sense, I have a book I’m interested in these days. Would you like to take a look, my Lord?”
Asphayren took the book. His blue eyes scan the cover. It was written on the cover as follows:
「452nd Year Loarkin Unmarried Nobles Portrait Collection [Dash] Women’s Edition」
“I want to find my ideal type!”
I explained with a satisfied smile. I was planning to learn about his taste in appearance by looking at this book and having a conversation.
However, Asphayren, who had been looking at the book cover for a while, asked in a cold and chill voice.
“……Ideal type?”
“Yes?”
Suddenly, fire caught on the book before I could answer.
“Ah!”
I jumped up from my seat in a hurry. But the book was burnt to ashes without any chance to do anything about it.
“Why, why……”
My body is involuntarily trembling. It was unbelievable. The book would not spontaneously combust, so it must have been magic by Asphayren.
……He’s keeping a poker face.
‘What did he dislike again?’
Then suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
‘Ah! Perhaps because it’s the women’s edition?’
I see! I hurriedly pulled out another book.
“I’m sorry! I was thinking too narrowly. Here, there’s a men’s edition too……”
Before I could properly pull it out, 「452nd Year Loarkin Unmarried Nobles Portrait Collection [Dash] Men’s Edition」 was also burned away.
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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