“You should ask that to Count and Countess Plache, not me. The Countess seems to think that the Duchess will naturally stay here.”
To parents, being with their children was natural.
“Isn’t it ultimately something the Emperor is involved in?”
“Don’t you like how things turned out?”
“No. Apart from my feelings, I’m purely admiring your skill, Your Majesty, to make all this happen in just a week since I arrived here.”
Hayden crossed his arms and looked at Rue.
Of course, he had directly come up with this result, but she immediately recognized it. The Emperor himself orchestrated and moved everything to reach this point.
“Why does it sound sarcastic when you say you admire it?”
He asked with a grin.
“That’s because Your Majesty is twisting it. I clearly said ‘purely admiring’.”
Rue said without changing her expression, continuing to eat.
“What did you promise my parents to bring me here in a week?”
“You really catch on quickly. Oh, I’m not being sarcastic; I’m purely admiring it too.”
“Yes, yes. I’ve lived by observing others in Kaleta, so I’m quick to notice.”
Hayden, who had been watching Rue eat casually, turned his gaze to the horizon outside the window.
“I didn’t demand a price from the Count and Countess for what I did.”
“Then I must pay the price. If not the parents, the child must.”
Hayden turned his head back and looked at Rue again. This time he frowned.
“You seem pretty twisted, Duchess. There are things one does with a pure heart without expecting anything in return.”
Really purehearted, but it seems that Rue, who’s been hit in the back of the head so many times, doesn’t trust it. Oh well.
“Nothing is free in this world.”
“If you live constantly struggling to repay everything, it’s only hard on the Duchess. Live on credit for now, and repay when you have the means. That’s the way to live.”
“I can’t live in debt.”
“I’m the Emperor; I don’t need to hound you for the debt. I’m not petty like some people.”
Declaring himself different from Carlos, another Emperor, he taunted with elegance.
“Don’t treat me the same as those you’ve met before; it’s offensive.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Hayden seemed to have a deep contempt for Carlos. Well, any sane person would hate such a being. The thought of Carlos made Rue lose her appetite, and she put down her fork.
“Eat more, Duchess. To withstand and break that curselike magic, you need to eat well.”
Hayden shook his head, gesturing for her to eat more.
“Shall I tell you something to whet your appetite? Count Plache and his wife will be busy for a while. This fortress will be even busier. The monster waves in the north are quite regular and small compared to the west. But in the west, years’ worth build up at once, so the scale is massive. Thus, people relatively endure in the north, but the west has many wastelands.”
The mana frolicking at the horizon’s end will continue to collide, creating monsters.
“The largest monster wave will likely last for about seven more times.”
“Will it be okay for the children to be here?”
“I’m a bit worried about that too. They’ll be scared, but it’s obvious they’ll feel more insecure without an adult if we send them back to Plache.”
Hayden rubbed her temples, looking in the direction where the children had run off to.
“Of course, there are enough people to look after them, but it’s different with or without adults. Seeing Sia trying to act like the owner of the empty castle, I can’t let that be. You can’t wipe away such a sense of responsibility from a nineyearold.”
Ludo agreed with that.
“…I tried to dismiss it a bit strenuously.”
He frowned and muttered.
“What?”
Did I hear something I shouldn’t have?
“The Duke must understand this. If you dismiss it too easily, they’ll be wary that you’ve done it too easily. You must match it to a moderately ordinary level, so they’ll think they’re at a similar level and stay still.”
“Who?”
“Everyone who hates the Emperor. If you’ve read diligently, you would know?”
It’s the noble forces centered on the Eastern nobles who have been ruling in Perseta without an emperor so far, having money in hand.
“To be honest, it’s not your place to care about what they say.”
“No.”
Hayden nodded.
“But a ruler must avoid conflict and seek harmony. Civil strife is annoying.”
If it had been Carlos, he would have pressed it down with brute force.
Judging by the magic and scale that Hayden had been using for a week, Hayden might be a similar powerhouse to Carlos.
No, in fact, the depth was unknown. So, he probably had enough ability to delete all beings that raised flags on the ground.
“We must respect the balance that formed the basis of this country.”
He, mumbling, looked at Ludo.
“Is the Emperor not to the Duke’s taste?”
“No. If Your Majesty foresaw the civil strife, I think your judgment is wise.”
The ones who die in civil strife are ultimately the lowest class. They had to protect this peace as much as possible.
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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