The dank underground dungeon was filled with the unique stench of moss and mold.
Despite working here for a long time, the jailer crinkled his nose at the smell he could never get used to, and looked at the woman who occupied the innermost cell.
Her thick silver hair, like melted moonlight, flowed haphazardly above her chest.
Her skin was snowwhite and clean, with an upturned nose, small red lips, and clear eyes like the sea.
The woman looked mysterious and beautiful, like a fairy out of a story.
Though her clothing was rather ragged, it did not conceal her beautiful appearance.
“Snap out of it!”
When the jailer was halfdazed by the woman, his fellow jailer sharply elbowed his side.
“You mustn’t be enchanted by a witch! If you do, you’ll end up being executed as an accomplice!”
“Ah, sorry. I was just lost… she’s so pretty.”
“That’s the typical method of witches. They enchant with their looks, then use dark magic to turn you into a puppet.”
Yes, the jailer agreed with his colleague, glancing at the witch.
“That witch, she claims she’s Olben’s daughter, did you hear?”
“Yes, tsk tsk. Desperate or not, that’s such an unbelievable lie.”
“Exactly. Everyone in the village knows that Olben’s daughter died a long time ago.”
A small territory with not even 100 households.
So well known to each other that it wasn’t an exaggeration to say they knew the number of spoons their neighbors used, the villagers were closeknit.
But it was absurd that a woman, never before seen, suddenly appeared claiming to be Olben’s daughter who had lived in the village for over 20 years.
“But she seemed to have investigated it. She knew the name of Olben’s dead daughter.”
“Yes. What was that daughter’s name?”
“It was Irene.”
As the jailers chattered, the woman who had buried her face between her knees, Irene, looked up at them when her name was mentioned.
“Ahem, ahem. What’s for lunch today?”
“Uh, well. Oh, I’m hungry.”
Startled by making eye contact with her, the jailers nervously changed the subject, then quickly left the dungeon.
Left alone, Irene looked down at the mosscovered floor with slightly unfocused eyes.
“She was his daughter….”
She hadn’t wanted it.
She was born his daughter, and had to call him father unwillingly because of that.
Even though the villagers unanimously said she could not be Olben’s daughter.
She understood why they said so.
The villagers had never seen Irene even once.
The same was true for Irene.
She had spent her entire life at home and had never met anyone except her parents.
She understood they didn’t recognize her, but other things were not the same.
For instance, that she was the one who killed Olben and his wife and set the village on fire.
So, she couldn’t accept that she was a witch either.
It was not that she wanted to deny it out of fear of being burned at the stake, it really wasn’t what she had done.
She didn’t know who set the fire to the estate or killed Olben, but she knew who killed her mother, Olben’s wife.
It was Olben himself.
In a drunken rage, he swung his arms wildly, and when his wife tried to calm him, she fatally hit her head on the edge of the table.
I saw that and… what did I do?
Irene blinked slowly, trying to recall, but nothing came to mind.
After confirming her mother’s death, she lost consciousness.
When she came to, she was wandering aimlessly through the flames.
Then she was found by the villagers and dragged to jail, branded as a witch.
‘I’ll be dead soon.’
Witches were always burned at the stake.
Her long eyelashes became damp.
Soon tears rolled down her cheeks, and she covered her face with her hands.
Dying was scary and frightening, but the relief was that she could meet her mother again.
‘And I don’t have to suffer anymore.’
Irene felt relief at this fact, but was saddened by the reality that she had to take comfort in such things, and she laughed and cried in repetition like a person out of her mind.
[Star Icon]
To execute a witch, a sacred flame managed by the temple was needed.
Baron Silas sent a servant to the temple to borrow that flame.
The preparations for the execution were complete, and all that was left was to wait for the servant to bring the flame.
But suddenly, due to an unexpected visitor, Baron Silas sweated so much that he felt like he was crying on his back.
He was so drenched in cold sweat that he not only soaked his shirt but also wiped the few remaining hairs on his head as he looked at Carlos, who was sitting across from him.
Carlos Dune Esper.
Having a middle name meant a noble status, and indeed, Carlos was the sole duke of the northern loser family of Esper, whom even the royal family dared not touch.
Sitting face to face with such a great person, it was natural to be nervous. His head involuntarily bowed.
He kept sneaking glances at Carlos’s face because his appearance was so attractive that it caught everyone’s attention, regardless of age or gender.
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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