No one could ascend or descend Bercheria’s tower.
Below it, a splendid carriage raced down the treacherous forest road.
The sound of the wheels hitting the ground clattered loudly.
Sitting on the railing of the tower, Bercheria’s serene face, as she looked at the windshaken leaves, turned pale.
Clatter.
As the sound of the carriage wheels hitting a stone echoed from afar, she jolted awake and lay down on the floor.
The cold stone floor, without any covering or cushioning, was her bed.
Right beneath the tower, the carriage stopped, and the sound of pointed shoes, unfitting for the forest, clicking on the ground could be heard.
Click, firm. Click, firm.
“Bercheria.”
My mother, calling my name in a tender voice as soon as she got out of the carriage.
The smell of the world she brought with her floated on the wind to Bercheria.
The dried bread in my mother’s hand…
“Bercheria. Today is a very special day.”
A special medicine for a special day.
Since Bercheria’s body had grown to adulthood, it was always there, once a month.
Although pretending to sleep, her body shivered.
“Our dear child, look at this mother.”
The smell that had been felt from afar was suddenly felt right beside her.
Bercheria held her breath for a moment.
Even today, she couldn’t see how her mother ascended the tower.
If she tried to watch, a whip would immediately fly at her.
The way to ascend and descend the tower was a secret only her mother knew.
“Bercheria. Time to get up.”
“…….”
“Bercheria! Is my love not enough?”
“I… I’m awake.”
She lifted her trembling eyelids and sat up.
Pretending to have just woken up, she rubbed her eyelids with the back of her hand.
“You’ve arrived, mother?”
“My dear Bercheria. Here, this is prepared for you.”
Bercheria’s hand, accepting the green medicine bottle offered by the smiling woman, was shaking.
“Drink it quickly. The pain is only momentary. But the happiness will last long.”
I want to ask.
If living trapped in this tower is truly happiness.
If taking this medicine and losing strength, and thus enduring time listlessly, is really…
Alright.
“Quickly. Bercheria.”
Mother’s voice was, as always, tender and gentle.
“You must drink quickly, right?”
Bercheria, with a trembling hand, gulped down the sparkling green liquid.
“Gulp.”
The sensation of the liquid going down her throat was transmitted vividly.
Her esophagus felt burnt, and her entire body felt shattered. She had to experience this feeling once a month.
The aftereffects were severe.
From the next morning, her whole body would feel empty and continuously shake.
She had to spend days enduring chills, feeling as though her soul and life had been sucked out.
Being hit with a whip or kicked would be fine.
Feeling so powerless and unable to do anything felt sinful.
“Agh.”
Mother calmly stroked Bercheria’s hair as she scraped the floor in agony.
“Do you know how much mother loves our Bercheria?”
“Cough.”
“Let’s live happily like this forever. Safely, happily here, away from those dreadful humans who hate you.”
“PPlease. Sob.”
“Oh, I must go now. Mother has some urgent business today.”
A piece of shriveled bread was placed next to the woman as she stood up.
“Don’t sulk, and take care to eat well. You understand what mother’s saying?”
She playfully tapped Bercheria’s nose and then descended the tower.
“Hah, hah.”
Left alone in the tower, Bercheria, spending agonizing time, crawled to the railing and peered out.
Her long hair hung down, and her thin body seemed ready to fall out, hanging precariously.
The chill wind grazed his face, finally allowing him to breathe, giving him the illusion, if only for a moment, that he had escaped the tower.
Bercheria leaned against the railing like that for a while without moving.
“If I could just evaporate like this, how wonderful would it be.”
Such was life, where nothing could be done except enduring.
If Bercheria had to go back to that time, she would rather choose to go mad and let her power run rampant.
That seemed like it would be happier.
[Star icon]Lakrahan signed his name on the last document and inserted the pen into the pen holder.
The scenery outside the window had already darkened.
He took out a pocket watch, laid it on the desk, and placed two fingers on his wrist.
He checked the number of heartbeats to match the sound of the second hand.
Since he drank the tea that Kelita had served, there had been no noticeable changes in Lakrahan’s body.
Though immune to poison and not lifethreatening, it didn’t mean that there was no reaction at all.
“Did I misunderstand?”
Lakrahan muttered, sinking deep into his chair.
The trembling eyes of Kelita were clearly hiding something.
It wasn’t just a reaction to Lakrahan’s refusal of marriage.
Moreover, inviting Bercheria for tea time out of the blue was suspicious.
If he hadn’t met Lady Morgan, Lakrahan would have left Bercheria with Kelita without knowing anything.
Even if it hadn’t been poison, it would have been an uncomfortable time.
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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