Slap, slap.
The sound of waves hitting the ship’s hull caused it to sway gently.
Bound hand and foot, Laila Wessex, now a slave of Fitzroy, trembled in fear in the dark cargo hold.
〈I am Laila Wessex, whom Isabella Fitzroy seeks.〉
It was just a few hours ago.
The time when Laila, once a princess of the now-fallen Wessex Kingdom and a fugitive branded as a slave by the dominant kingdom of Damburnant, Fitzroy, surrendered after days of resistance.
In a few minutes, her status as a fugitive would end, and she was destined to become a slave to the princess of Fitzroy.
As she awaited this fate, Laila’s lips quivered.
Crash!
Suddenly, the ship rocked violently from a powerful force, and a loud crash echoed.
Then, a familiar voice was heard.
“I found it!”
Upon hearing this, Laila’s heart fluttered. She knew all too well who that voice belonged to and what its arrival signaled.
‘Could it really be Milay?’
Her heart quivered with such anticipation.
But amidst the uncertainty of whether he could indeed free her from being Fitzroy’s slave, the gag in Laila’s mouth and the cloth covering her eyes fell away.
Her vision cleared in an instant, and she was momentarily blinded by the intense light of a lamp, but she saw clearly.
Among the standing knights, someone she never expected to see appeared.
It wasn’t Milay, whom she had been waiting for.
But it was someone Laila knew for sure.
Silver hair and violet eyes.
Recognizing that familiar combination, Laila thought to herself.
‘Is this an illusion?’
Otherwise, that man shouldn’t be here.
Adrian Raines of the Hankin Empire.
And from the moment she recalled his name.
Laila’s heart, which had been trembling with anxiety, now seemed to drop heavily as if it would stop.
Thump.
Thump.
As if a giant was trampling on her heart.
The man who matched his steps to that rhythm, soon stood still in front of Laila.
About ten steps.
That was the distance now formed between Adrian Raines and Laila Wessex.
As soon as the man stood firm, Laila, in disbelief, finally voiced the name of the person before her.
“Adrian…?”
This name belonged to Adrian Pinter Raines, the Crown Prince of the Hankin Empire, virtually ruling the continent of Damburnant.
Moreover.
〈Can you really grant any request of mine?〉
About 10 years ago, to her single query.
〈Of course, Laila.〉
The man had shown a bright smile but eventually nearly lost his life.
However, the man in front of her no longer possessed the clear, always smiling face of his youth.
Now a full-grown adult, he looked down at her with cool violet eyes.
As Laila gazed at him blankly, her eyes shifted to his hand tucked in his pants. She naturally understood.
He was the one, the ‘Milay’ Duke who had helped her break off her engagement with the seventh prince of the Filmer Kingdom.
This was so unexpected that Laila let out a voice resembling a groan.
“How, how?”
Adrian, who had momentarily stopped, moved his feet again. Looking down at her, he muttered softly.
“……Barely kept the promise.”
Laila looked at Adrian with eyes full of confusion.
A promise.
‘Is he talking about the promise with Milay?’
The one where he promised to send her back to her homeland, Wessex?
Amidst her continued confusion, Adrian knelt on one knee.
The knights around him all lowered their gaze in a silent salute, as if to confirm that Laila was not mistaken about the man before her.
Soon, Adrian’s large hand touched Laila’s face.
With a touch so cautious, as if he feared harming her, but once his warmth reached her, Laila’s chin began to tremble.
“Milay…?”
Asking if he really was that person, recalling the name from the past, Adrian’s eyes darkened.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Princess Wessex.”
“……Why.”
Laila was too shocked to speak.
Meanwhile, Adrian spoke, and from between his lips flowed words as surreal as his presence.
“Shall we make a third deal? I will take you to Hankin and shelter you. And I will try to save your brothers and sisters, if possible. But in return…”
Take her to Hankin… And save her family too.
Her country, crushed by the Kingdom of Fitzroy. Her siblings had all been turned into slaves by Fitzroy.
Laila too was destined to become a slave to someone as soon as this ship reached its destination.
Yet here was the man, offering his hand to help her and her siblings.
None other than the prince of the empire now considered her enemy.
But there was nothing more Laila could have desired than this sweet offer.
So, before Adrian even finished speaking, Laila asked.
“……What do I have to do?”
Worrying he might impose an impossible condition.
Perhaps ask her to do something she couldn’t, or even become his slave.
But even so, if it meant grasping the lifeline he offered, Laila was willing.
Especially since Adrian Raines was the most likely person to stand against Isabella Fitzroy, who had destroyed her country.
It meant he was her last hope.
“Abandon the name of Wessex.”
Laila answered immediately.
“I will abandon it.”
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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