“Huh?”
“I need to hear how this happened from the beginning.”
“So, what exactly?”
Rosetta turned her head as if to dodge, but her palms were already damp with cold sweat.She wanted to feign ignorance to the end, but with that damned piece of dress in Cardier’s hands, it was impossible.
If only she could insist it wasn’t hers, there might’ve been a chance, but that wasn’t a great option either.That morning, Cardier had personally undone every ribbon on the dress she’d painstakingly put on.It was likely etched clearly in his memory.
The arrow turned back to Turner. Damn it.That guy couldn’t keep his mouth shut, drooling and blabbing like an idiot.If she at least knew what he’d spilled, she could align her story.Rosetta wiped her sweaty palms on her knees and cautiously tried to explain.
“I…”
But before she could get a few words out, Cardier smoothly cut her off.
“Rosetta, let me make one thing clear.”
“…”
“If you’re not confident in controlling even your unconscious reactions, it’s better not to lie.”
“…”
“Your body’s reactions are honest, unlike your tongue.”
…Damn it. It was a blatant warning.Rosetta nervously brushed back her fallen hair.
“What exactly are you trying to confirm? You already heard everything from that guy Turner.”
“Hearing the truth from someone else and hearing it directly from you are different.”
Like a predator eyeing cornered prey, he gave a lazy smile.The problem was, that smile, with only the corners of his mouth raised, didn’t feel like a smile at all.Meeting his gaze head-on without avoiding it, Rosetta sighed and turned away.
It seemed he wouldn’t be satisfied until he heard the truth from her own mouth.She gritted her teeth and spat out defiantly,
“I had a cup of tea by chance, but it tasted strange.It didn’t seem like poison.I was uneasy, so I asked someone to find out what it was.”
“…”
“That’s really all there is.”
“The person who gave you that tea.”
Rosetta’s fingertips twitched, and she reflexively glanced at Cardier’s expression.His gaze still seemed cold, but it didn’t look like he’d caught on to anything.She was still torn about whether to reveal or hide anything about Lady Audrey.
If Lady Audrey had tried to poison her, things would’ve been simpler.But making a fuss over a mere cup of tea was tricky when that woman’s backing was so powerful.
“Rosetta.”
She snapped to attention, lifting her head. Then she calmly lied.
“I don’t know. It was a woman I’d never seen before.”
“…”
“I swear. If you want, I can swear on Pontos.”
“Really?”
Cardier pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the table.Then he slid it toward her with his finger.At a glance, it looked like a clipping from a local weekly paper.Rosetta carefully picked it up. It was an article about the Imperial Princess visiting Syclid.
“I secured a statement from a man working at a hotel downtown.”
“…”
“And from every employee at the nearby shops.”
Rosetta fell silent as death. Then she let out a hollow laugh, pretending it was no big deal.
“You really know everything.”
Cardier, looking weary, simply closed his trembling eyelids.Then, pressing his thumb and forefinger hard between his sunken eyes, he spoke.
“My wife drank some strange substance from a woman of uncertain identity.She’s even been dragged around for weeks.”
“…”
“If it weren’t for that guy, I wouldn’t have known anything.”
“…”
“Why didn’t you tell me first?”
Why didn’t she tell him? Rosetta mulled over his words.Because she didn’t want Cardier, of all people, to find out, even if the whole world did.Cardier was often overly sensitive about matters concerning her safety.And the other party was a prospective imperial, untouchable even by the Montrosa dukedom.
Even if evidence remained, it was just a filthy scrap of cloth.If the other side claimed it was forged, it would have no effect.To bring down the Imperial Princess, she needed something more decisive.
Not some tea-stained cloth, not an irritating attitude or laugh, but something undeniable…Like the stench of rotting corpses or decayed flesh coming from Lady Audrey.It was so blatantly suspicious, almost eerie, but Rosetta didn’t want to drag Montrosa into a mess.
Seeing something in Rosetta’s stubbornly closed lips, Cardier’s trembling hand clenched tightly.
“Rosetta, how much more miserable do you want to make me?”
The veins on his pale hand stood out sharply.Absurdly, only then did Rosetta realize Cardier was angry—far beyond what his cold smile could hide.His clenched jaw was rigid.
“I’m angry that I couldn’t stop that woman from meddling with Montrosa.”
“I’m… fine. Really. I spilled more than half of it, so I didn’t drink much.”
Rosetta stammered out an excuse.Her body was truly fine, and she hadn’t even drunk most of the substance.But Cardier, still not calmed, let out a curse with his elegant face unchanged.
It was closer to a soldier’s habit, and the words were almost comically refined for a noble, but Rosetta was slightly startled.Even knowing his anger was directed at himself, not her.
“I’m sorry.”
Cardier reached out with his other hand, gently covering the back of hers.
“Your body?”
“It’s not bad…”
“I called the physician anyway. He’ll be here soon, so get checked.”
She nodded. His fussing made her worry a little.
“What was in that substance?”
“A type of hallucinogen. The other components are still being analyzed.”
“If we find Calypso, she’d know what it is.”
“I’m looking into it. I’ll find her within a month.”
“…”
“And that woman will pay for daring to touch someone from Montrosa.”
His words sounded like a soft whisper, but the barely concealed edge was chilling.Rosetta realized Cardier’s apparent calm was closer to cold fury.After a brief silence, he spoke again.
“You don’t need to endure this because of me. You don’t need to be dragged around by someone like her.”
“What?”
“Don’t do what you don’t want to. If you don’t like it, say so. I’ll handle everything.”
“You’re crazy.”
Rosetta laughed through her nose.
“Even I, who know nothing about noble etiquette, know that’s not how it works.Besides, if she’s the Crown Prince’s fiancée, she’s a prospective imperial.Your family is Montrosa, sworn to serve the Emperor.”
“…”
“I don’t want to harm you or your family.”
Cardier raised a dry hand to rub his face.His strikingly handsome features, tinged with slight fatigue, tilted slightly.
“Rosetta, I didn’t marry you to hold you back. Or to cage you.”
“Are you reflecting or something?”
He gave a faint smile and shook his head lightly, his attitude ambiguous—neither confirming nor denying.
“Wait a moment.”
Cardier stood and walked to a long desk used for work.Rosetta watched him open a drawer and pull out a slender box.It was a wooden case, likely for storing a weapon, with meticulously crafted hinges.Cardier placed the box on the table in front of Rosetta.
“Open it.”
“What is it?”
Casting a suspicious glance at him, she obediently reached for the box.Looking inside, she let out a short gasp.
Inside was a sleek flintlock pistol, exquisitely crafted down to the handle, with a shorter barrel than a typical musket.
“What’s this?”
“I gave you a dagger last time. Carry this for personal use.”
“Why not just hand over your entire armory?”
“Do you need it?”
His tone was so sincere that Rosetta shook her head, exasperated.She had no desire to end up with Montrosa Castle’s entire armory.
“No, I’m good.”
“If you need anything, just say so. Whatever you want…”
His words stopped registering at some point.Rosetta gazed, entranced, at Cardier’s smooth cheeks, the golden hair falling over his striking forehead, his angelic blue eyes.
I don’t need anything. I just want to rest by your side.I wish you’d choose me over duty.Not this complicated, stifling noble life, but a place where it’s just you and me.Like that time on that deserted island.
But none of it could be said aloud. Rosetta just smiled.
“Come back safely from the campaign. If you get hurt, you’re dead.”
“Alright. I’ll be careful.”
That night, Cardier set sail as planned.Twenty days later, an urgent report arrived at the Montrosa estate: his ship had gone missing.
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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