“Your Grace.”
“Why?”
“I’m sorry.”
She felt she had to apologize.
Casus paused for a moment, then responded in a low, soft voice.
“I understand.”
“But to be honest, if we go back, I’d do the same.”
At this, Casus slightly loosened his arms and looked down at Atia, who was in his arms.
“What?”
Atia quickly glanced at his face.
His expression had hardened further; it looked ominous, so Atia looked away.
“Ah, never mind. Pretend you didn’t hear it.”
“I heard it.”
“…”
“I clearly warned you. Don’t act on your own.”
His voice sounded somewhat angry.
“No… Yes.”
Atia closed her mouth before arguing any further.
Instead, she looked at the giant man lying on the ground.
“What will happen to this man?”
“His identity will be thoroughly investigated.”
Checking Casus’ expression, Atia wondered if he might kill the man.
“You’re not… going to kill him, are you?”
Casus, with a stern face, did not answer.
Atia felt awkward and slightly bit her lip.
It seemed like I’ve made a mistake.
(Time separator)
Shortly after, having resolved the situation, they returned to the mansion.
The kebab shop owner, who thought he’d never find his money box, repeatedly bowed in gratitude.
A strange tension hung between Casus and Atia, who returned the money to the owner and came back to the mansion.
The slightly angry expression on Casus and the tense look on Atia.
Both Zen and Kesha felt it was unanimous.
‘Something went wrong.’
‘We’re doomed.’
Just looking at Casus’ face, Zen felt the dinner he ate was about to come up.
Kesha wondered whether to approach the lady first or just let things be.
“…”
“…”
Thud.
Thud.
Both Casus and Atia went into their respective rooms.
Once inside, Atia felt her body rapidly tire.
“Ah, I’m tired, maybe I should go to bed early.”
Still, it was a day full of experiences.
It was the day she first visited a night market.
It was also the first day she had a meal with Casus.
She wasn’t sure if it was a proper meal.
‘Still, it was really fun.’
A faint smile appeared on Atia’s lips.
The night market had quite a lot to see.
She also enjoyed the kebabs and candies she loved as a child.
Atia felt like she had regained her youthful spirit for a moment.
The sudden intrusion of the old woman had been disconcerting at the time, but in retrospect, it was both amusing and absurd.
If it hadn’t been for the thieves, I might have stayed a little longer to look around.
The hand of Casus that I had initially grabbed.
And then….
‘I wasn’t hugged.’
Atia recalled the memory of being embraced in his broad arms in the back alley.
“Don’t do it again because I’m worried.”
His expression was colder than anyone else’s, but the meaning within was not.
It felt as if time had stopped.
It still seemed like his body scent lingered on me.
Recalling that time, Atia’s cheeks grew hot.
Atia still didn’t understand why Casus had done that.
‘Why did he hug me? Why did he look like that when telling me not to do dangerous things?’
Sitting on the bed, Atia swept back her hair.
‘He never cared about me.’
Had his feelings changed in the meantime?
He was not one to change his mind, and she had done nothing to warrant it.
‘Did I act cute? Did I seductively lure him?’
Not that acting cute would have any effect on a person like Casus.
‘So why did he do it? Ah, why is he acting in a way that causes misunderstandings? Could he have feelings for me?’
Fanning her flushed cheeks, Atia bit her lips.
‘No, it’s not that.’
At the end of her train of thought, Atia reached one conclusion.
‘He would have said the same thing even if another knight or subordinate had gone in there.’
After all, it was worrisome that she suddenly ran into a back alley alone.
It may have been fortunate to have returned home safely.
Perhaps he had said not to do it again as a warning of the danger.
‘Let’s not have unnecessary expectations.’
Atia stretched and flopped down on the bed.
The soft bed gently supported her back and waist.
But it wasn’t the same as Casus’s arms.
It was just a brief hug, but in that moment, Atia felt a multitude of emotions.
Warmth, coziness, and a tingling excitement.
For the first time in her life, she felt a ticklish sensation and sensed an unfamiliar emotion.
At this moment, why does even the ceiling pattern look beautiful?
‘Was the ceiling pattern always this beautiful?’
Suddenly, the world seemed incredibly beautiful to Atia.
Even the faint sound of crickets from outside sounded sweet.
Why does the world suddenly look beautiful?
Everything is the same as before.
“Did someone shoot me with Cupid’s arrow?”
Making the whole world look rosecolored.
Atia walked to the window and opened it wide.
The cool night air filled her lungs deeply.
The halfcovered moon illuminated the entire ground.
Atia swept back her silver hair.
With the refreshing wind against her face, she closed her eyes and felt at peace.
It felt as if it would be fine if time stopped right there.
Atia leaned her head out of the window and took a deep breath.
Inhaling through her nose, she felt her stomach fill with strength.
She exhaled the deep breath through her mouth.
“Phew….”
The stale air left her, refreshing both her mind and body.
That’s when it happened.
Her body began to tremble.
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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