Gerard finally looked around.
People living in the castle and the Royal Guard, including Lakrahan’s knights.
Many people had silently gathered around them, their eyes fixed on the spot.
“Insane…”
Muttering to himself, Gerard exhaled roughly, managing to regain his composure.
“Right. I must be on edge because I’m tired.”
He cast a deliberately friendly glance at Lakrahan.
“We’ll talk again later, Duke.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Lakrahan respectfully bowed his head.
“I hope your first day sent from the North is comfortable.”
Lakrahan turned, his cloak making a sound in the wind.
His movements were cold, unlike the courteous and polite greeting.
His knights also dispersed in sync with him.
Lakrahan looked up at the top of the western tower where Bercheria was.
He was bothered that, of all places, Bercheria was confined to the top of the tower.
It wasn’t as if she had to stay there until Gerard returned, but he felt bitter thinking she wouldn’t be pleased with the situation.
If things had gone according to plan, by now they would have completed their marital vows and been together.
“Ha.”
Lakrahan shook his head once more at Emperor Gerard’s stupidity.
It wouldn’t have been so empty if it had even been a threat.
How could a person remain so consistent?
It had already been 10 years since the war ended and Lakrahan settled in the North.
He had been monitoring the border so that those who might threaten the empire wouldn’t cross it and had sent his knights wherever the emperor wanted.
Still, Lakrahan had no expectations that Gerard would have changed significantly from then.
However, just as a tree grows rings with age, and ripe rice bows its head, he thought there would have been some progress in a person over a decade.
Yet it seemed not to apply to Gerard at all.
Lakrahan looked at Wyatt behind him, who guided the emperor and his entourage inside the castle.
Lakrahan momentarily stepped back, allowing their procession to pass.
The emperor had brought along a large number of people just for a few days’ stay in the North.
Lakrahan touched the ring still in his pocket, silently observing the emperor’s party.
From the luggage and clothing, it was possible to guess the purpose of those who had come with him.
While he was observing seemingly indifferent, his gaze was caught by a woman.
She appeared to be of similar age to Lady Morgan and seemed unremarkable.
But there was a strange vibe about her.
Especially her eyes.
Though she walked nonchalantly, her darting glances carried an indescribable malice.
Lakrahan stored the woman’s face in his mind and turned his body to the opposite side.
As Lakrahan turned and disappeared, Gerard shoved away the hand of Leone who had been holding his arm.
Leone, having experienced this a couple of times, merely glanced at Gerard.
“Dylan!”
At Gerard’s call, Dylan, who had been standing right next to Grooby, rushed over.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Gerard covered his mouth with his hand and whispered into Dylan’s ear.
“You remember what I said earlier, right?”
“Yes.”
“Make sure it’s taken care of. Once your task is done, we’ll return to the palace immediately.”
“…How is the condition?”
Gerard thought of his treasure vault.
He had been delighted thinking of that vault on the way here, but now the mere thought irked him.
“Damn it. Just keep her alive.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
Dylan turned and gestured for the knights waiting behind him to follow.
As he was about to leave with his knights, Gerard hurriedly called out to them.
Approaching and leaning in, Dylan listened as Gerard spoke softly.
“Still, save her face. Understand?”
Dylan carefully lifted his head and briefly looked at Gerard who had turned around before retracting his gaze.
“Huff, huff.”
Bercheria was running on a sandy beach she had never seen before.
Her breath was rising to her throat, and her feet felt as heavy as if they were weighted down with iron.
As she quickly looked back, she saw a horse rapidly approaching from a distance.
“Haah, haah.”
With every step, sand scattered in all directions.
“Why are my shoes like this?”
Bercheria looked down at her legs that were doing their utmost to flee.
The clunky shoes carved from wood were unlike any shape she had ever seen in her life.
When she spread her hands and looked down, long, unfamiliar hands covered in several rings were visible.
“What? These aren’t my hands.”
“Stop right there, Bercheria!”
Hearing her name called, she turned her head and saw the man who had been far away moments before, was now right behind her.
The wind blew, causing her flowing golden hair to cover her face and flutter in the air.
She shouted at the man riding towards her.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
Although she felt every sensation vividly, these weren’t Bercheria’s words.
She had heard it once in the memories of an Awakened.
A dialect from the coastal city in the northwest of Feriat.
“Agh!”
When Bercheria fell to the ground, even the grains of sand entering her mouth were vividly felt.
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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