“It’s ridiculous! A palace maid becoming a ladyinwaiting?”
The ladiesinwaiting were furious. And rightfully so.
They had never once considered themselves in the same class as the palace servants. The servants were more akin to expendable items like candles or curtains.
The notion of a candle suddenly coming and taking over the position of the first ladyinwaiting was like a flood turning the whole world upside down.
“Ah, you remember that I was a palace maid. How curious. I thought you didn’t recognize a palace maid’s face at all.”
Ivette didn’t look at all cowed even among the angry ladiesinwaiting.
It was awkward, of course. But she had prepared herself for the backlash.
Besides, she wasn’t just some marginal ladyinwaiting, but the first ladyinwaiting, and it was more believable that the Duchess might hire a sorcerer to curse her than this.
Yet she was not afraid, strangely enough.
Perhaps it was because she had encountered very strange things all day yesterday. The king of birds and the existence he protected, the Empress, were on her side, so what could be the problem?
And Ivette believed in the Empress. The scariest existence in the empire was the Emperor. Not only because he was the Emperor but also because of the mixed blood of the demon tribe. He couldn’t beat the Empress.
So, in fact, the scariest person in the empire should be seen as the Empress. That made Ivette very proud.
“What are you talking about!”
The Duchess yelled when Ivette calmly said what she had to say.
Rasilia looked at the Duchess.
“How rude. To talk down to a duchess’s daughter. Your status has changed, so be careful from now on.”
When even the Empress came forward like this, the Duchess looked like she was about to grab the back of her neck.
“Your Majesty the Empress! Where in the world does such a thing happen! A palace maid becoming a duchess’s daughter!”
“The Duke of Shreiden has adopted a daughter. It was an official adoption approved by His Majesty.”
“Who on earth is the Duke of Shreiden! There is no such name in the Empire!”
“You keep doubting my words, that rudeness, I will forgive once, considering the time you’ve spent by my side. If you’re curious about the Duke of Shreiden, why not read some imperial history? I will grant you permission to rest, so stay at the duchy for the time being and focus on reading. You may leave the palace now.”
The Duchess of Pashad trembled.
“Your Majesty the Empress. You cannot do this to me… You cannot discard me like a wornout dedication…”
“I’m not discarding you, I’m allowing you to rest. I wonder why you keep distorting my words. Are you doing this on purpose?”
“Your Majesty the Empres…”
The Duchess’s face was extremely pale, and she looked like she might collapse at any moment. The other ladiesinwaiting looked on, unable to do anything, glancing between Rasilia and the Duchess.
“Go ahead. As I said, there’s no need to return to the palace until you’ve read some imperial history.”
“…….”
Rasilia turned her back on the speechless Duchess and faced the other ladiesinwaiting.
“From today, the newlyappointed Shreiden Duchess’s daughter will attend to me. The role of a ladyinwaiting is new to her, so there may be some awkwardness. I expect you to assist her wholeheartedly. Pass my words on to all the palace maids in the Empress’s palace.”
“…….”
The ladiesinwaiting darted their eyes around, unable to say a word.
“Did no one hear what I said?”
Only when Rasilia pressed again did a tiny response come.
“Yes, yes… Understood, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Rasilia nodded once.
“Then I will bathe now. Only Shreiden’s daughter may stay; the rest may leave.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”
With that, the flood that had begun in the morning seemed to pause for the moment.
[Star Icon]Fortunately, the underdress she wore today had buttons at the front, so she could easily put it on and take it off by herself.
After Rasilia undressed and got into the bath, Ivette came in.
“Peep!”
Pipi was with her, too. Pipi, who popped out of Ivette’s hand and landed on Rasilia’s shoulder wrapped in a towel.
“Will you be alright? It’s wet and slippery.”
When Rasilia asked, looking at Pipi, Pipi shook its head vigorously.
“Peep.”
Rubbing its head, still not fully feathered, against her skin was its way of saying that it had missed her all night.
Rasilia smiled and stroked Pipi’s head.
“Just one more day. Bluemoon sets tomorrow.”
“Beep…….”
PiPi was quite mischievous, just like someone.
“But why the training, Your Majesty the Empress? This will take a long time, so it would be better to do it at night.”
Ivette was gently fanning the wood fire so that the smoke wouldn’t go out, then asked.
“It was not my intention.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Lady Pashad seemed to have wanted something.”
“Hmm, I wonder what that was?”
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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