Kasallin was immediately taken to the palace and attended to by the court physician.
She had thought her body had returned to normal by the time she escaped the forest, but it seemed that was an arrogant misconception.
Kasallin suffered from a severe fever for several days.
Her frustratingly weakened body, as if determined to release all accumulated fatigue at once, burned with an intense fever day and night.
By the time it became impossible to tell how much time had passed.
“Ah…”
Awakening with a much clearer mind, Kasallin clutched her stiff waist and raised her upper body.
As if it had never rained, the sky visible beyond the glass window was as clear as if blue paint had been dissolved into it.
“You were so still, I thought you’d turned into a corpse.”
Startled by the voice that came without warning, Kasallin turned to look beside her.
Parnes, with dark shadows under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept for days, was setting down a tray with plain porridge.
“Eat.”
“What? I just woke up…”
“Can’t you understand?”
“Oh, alright. I’ll eat.”
Kasallin hesitantly picked up the bowl of porridge.
As if determined to supervise her until she finished every bit of it, Parnes sat heavily beside her, his fierce eyes glaring like a wild beast.
When Kasallin kept glancing at him instead of quickly moving her spoon, Parnes’ brow furrowed with irritation.
“Are you performing a ritual over your food?”
“No, no.”
“Then why?”
“It’s just… waking up and seeing Your Majesty first thing feels kind of nice.”
Sorry for the silly remark.
Kasallin gave a light smile and took a big spoonful of porridge.
It was about time for him to say, “Spouting nonsense right after waking up,” but why was he so quiet? Thinking this, Kasallin looked up.
Parnes, half-covering his face with one hand, had his head tilted slightly.
Through the strands of hair falling over his face, his ears appeared faintly red.
“What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothing, just eat.”
“Now that I think about it, I haven’t properly thanked you yet. Thank you for saving me. If it weren’t for Your Majesty, I might have been in real trouble.”
He didn’t respond.
He merely leaned against the wall, tilting his head at an angle, staring at her.
Kasallin vividly recalled the strong yet warm embrace he had given her, still lingering on her skin.
In the cold, damp air, he had held her tightly to share even a bit of warmth, but now, as if declaring such a thing would never happen again, he kept his distance.
In this awkward atmosphere, the fact that they had spent a night together in a cave felt like an absurd dream.
“Do you remember that time?”
“It’s a bit hazy, but mostly, yes.”
He let out a scoff, as if dumbfounded.
Kasallin tilted her head, unable to grasp the meaning of his laugh.
“Do you usually trust people so easily?”
“No. Actually, I think I’m more on the distrusting side. Why do you ask…?”
“You didn’t show the slightest sign of discomfort, even though I held you tightly all night, wrapped in just a thin cloak. And you call yourself distrusting?”
“That’s…”
“What would you have done if I were some vile man, or if I’d lost control for a moment and touched you? A grown woman, so lacking in caution.”
“But you didn’t do that.”
Kasallin looked straight at him with eyes clearer than ever and said,
“Far from having bad intentions, you stayed up all night tending the fire, even secretly warming my hands.”
“…”
“I wasn’t on guard because I knew from the start. The Parnes I know is, above all, a kind and gentlemanly person.”
He seemed about to say something with a faintly flushed face but then quietly closed his mouth.
With an expression as if he’d lost his words, he remained silent for a while before suddenly relaxing with a soft chuckle.
“Fool.”
Kasallin dropped her spoon with a clatter, her eyes wide.
“Did you just call me that?”
“Who else is here?”
Parnes took the tray and pulled the blanket up for her.
“Take advantage of my leniency and feign illness to your heart’s content. There won’t be exceptions next time.”
Kasallin peeked out from under the blanket, staring at him with just her eyes visible.
It was probably a coincidence, but it felt oddly meaningful.
It was as if he knew how much she suffered emotionally when with Shallen and Rose and was deliberately guarding her door to let her rest.
“…Alright. I’ll try to sleep.”
“How unusually obedient.”
“In return, could you tell me an interesting story until I fall asleep?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
To think she’d take the emperor lightly just because he’d indulged her a little.
Parnes spoke with a face so fierce it could make even a hellish gatekeeper whimper, but Kasallin wasn’t scared at all.
Instead, she even smiled playfully.
Because, as always, his voice overflowed with kind and warm energy.
“I’m not exactly idle, you know. I’ll stay for exactly five minutes, so fall asleep by then.”
“Yes, understood.”
Kasallin neatly folded her hands over her stomach and closed her eyes tightly.
The sleep that seemed so elusive came quietly, unnoticed, and within less than five minutes, she was fast asleep, oblivious to the world.
Finishing a bowl of warm porridge must have helped.
Parnes stayed by her side without moving until the minute hand of the clock made a full turn, then quietly left the room.
“Sweet dreams.”
Stepping into the corridor, Parnes encountered an unexpected figure as soon as he crossed the threshold.
It was Shallen.
How long had he been there? As soon as Parnes emerged, Shallen moved toward the room as if he’d been waiting.
Parnes stopped him with a single sentence as he tried to enter Kasallin’s room.
“She’s sound asleep, so don’t even think about going in.”
“I just want to see her face and leave.”
“That’s not happening.”
Parnes slowly crossed his arms, standing diagonally to block the door as if daring him to pass.
Shallen’s brows twitched slightly.
“What authority do you have to stop me from seeing her?”
“And what authority do you have to enter a sleeping woman’s bedroom?”
“You seem to forget that the sleeping woman is my wife’s maid.”
“You’re missing the point. Do you think it’s normal for a king to enter a sleeping maid’s room?”
“It’s you who’s having improper thoughts. I’m simply visiting because I’m worried about her condition. I ask you not to tarnish the pure friendship between Kasallin and me.”
Pure friendship?
Parnes let out a light sneer and leaned fully against the door.
“And who was it that brought that maid to such a state?”
When Parnes deliberately dragged out his words with a mocking tone, Shallen, as if he had at least some conscience, fell silent for a moment.
But his eyes burned with a reckless resolve, as if he could no longer tolerate this.
“Just to be clear, do you like Kasallin?”
“…”
Parnes answered Shallen’s blunt question with silence.
“If you have even the slightest interest in her, you’d better give up now. I told you at the hunting grounds. Kasallin isn’t a pure woman.”
“That again?”
“I hate to say this, but Kasallin and I were once in a serious relationship with marriage in mind.”
“I know.”
When Parnes responded nonchalantly, Shallen’s eyes, which had been brimming with confidence, widened in shock.
“What did you say?”
“I said I know. If an emperor couldn’t even pick up on that, shouldn’t he step down?”
Shallen couldn’t comprehend Parnes’ calm reaction, as if he’d already anticipated it, let alone being surprised.
“You must be misunderstanding something. She and I were together for a full ten years. We spent most of our youth together, sharing passionate love. In short, I claimed all her firsts!”
“Aren’t you ashamed as a man?”
Parnes slowly brushed back his fallen bangs, looking troubled in a different sense.
He glared at Shallen with eyes that seemed to regard him as some deplorable scoundrel or trash.
“If you were together for ten years with marriage in mind, that must mean your feelings weren’t ordinary. If you loved her so sincerely, you should have cherished her to the end. What? Claimed her firsts? Did she look like some territory to conquer to you?”
Shallen took a sharp breath.
Only then did he realize that, as a king, he’d been somewhat undignified, but in that moment, his pride in not losing to Parnes took precedence.
Shallen wanted to see defeat in Parnes’ face.
He was overwhelmed by an urge to triumph by flaunting that he had already possessed the Kasallin that Parnes could never have.
Having never regretted or longed for anything in his life, Shallen didn’t consider that his words might lead to disastrous consequences later.
But why?
Why couldn’t he say anything?
‘Say something, Shallen Riche. Prove to him that you’re right.’
Shallen opened his mouth, but the torrent of complicated words boiling in his throat never came out as sound.
In contrast, Parnes, with an expression as if he had much to say but chose not to, stepped closer and whispered directly into Shallen’s ear.
“Do you know how your words sound to me?”
“…”
“You’re saying you and Kasallin are nothing now. It’s over, and you’re going on about it like someone clinging to strange regrets.”
Shallen’s bloodshot eyes widened dramatically.
“Regrets? How absurd!”
“Get a grip. A married man, no less. If you were born a man, you should be devoted to your family.”
“Well, I don’t think someone rumored to have dozens of hidden lovers has any right to lecture me.”
Parnes furrowed his brow, genuinely puzzled, before letting out an incredulous chuckle.
“Now that you mention it, there was that rumor. People do love sensational stories, don’t they?”
“No smoke without fire, you know.”
“Fine, let’s say I have dozens or even hundreds of nonexistent lovers—it doesn’t matter. But in return, your reputation as a devoted husband had better be nothing but the truth.”
“What…”
“I’m reaching my limit.”
Parnes looked down at Shallen with an arrogant gaze and continued.
“Watching that girl waste her precious life under you—I might not stand by any longer after today.”
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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