Pryde headed towards that place which had now become the Pryde Mansion.
This space where even climbing over that fence was not easily allowed.
Now it had become solely his.
As the home of her and me.
Delphine was standing outside in the garden.
In the garden where the yellow daffodils planted for her were swaying in the spring breeze.
As always, with a beautiful appearance like a goddess ruling the world.
As there was no one inside the mansion, she was only wearing a very thin dress.
Pryde traced the outline of her body revealed through that dress fluttering in the spring breeze with satisfied eyes.
Inside there, my seed has taken root.
The shackles and chains that will bind her to my side forever.
Thinking that his traces had remained inside her and sprouted, it was quite a good feeling.
He always wanted to continue being connected to her in some way.
To think it would be achieved in such an unintended way.
Pryde smiled with the corners of his eyes raised.
“Del.”
“……”
She smiled softly between her red hair fluttering in the wind.
Along with a dizzying sensation, it was as if the whole world was smiling at him.
Pryde did not hesitate any longer.
Walking through the yellow daffodils, he stood in front of his goddess.
“Del. My wife. My……”
He smiled sweetly as he brushed her fluttering hair behind her ear.
“…master.”
“…!”
Delphine swallowed a surprised breath at that sudden confession.
From the moment he walked through the garden, he looked in a better mood than ever.
He said he went to the doctor’s office, did something happen on the way back?
It couldn’t be, but worried that he might have found out that La Rouge had come and gone, her neck stiffened.
“…Ioan?”
At that name called with a cautious question, the smile hanging on his lips deepened further.
“Yes. My name is Ioan. And my surname, you gave it to me.”
At those words, Delphine’s eyes widened as if they would burst.
It was him who never acknowledged the past of being a slave no matter how much she pleaded.
But.
“Suddenly, why all of a sudden……”
Instead of answering, he took out a medical report from his chest.
Delphine, who received the medical report he handed over with a puzzled expression, turned pale.
[2 months pregnant]Fortunately, thanks to covering her face with the medical report, her expression was not immediately caught by him.
However, she could not stop her hand holding the medical report from trembling.
Fortunately, he seemed to misunderstand the reason for the trembling.
“Yes, Delphine. A child of you and me has been conceived.”
He exclaimed in an overwhelmed voice and embraced her tightly.
Burying her face in his arms, Delphine tried her best to organize her thoughts in her confused mind.
How, how on earth?
…Why?
He clearly stated that pregnancy would be difficult. And wasn’t he a being without a soul?
Can you conceive another life with such a person?
Before she could organize her thoughts, a low voice was heard above her head.
“Delphine. Now I will tell you everything.”
Carefully separating her from his arms, he recited while looking into her eyes from the front.
“Starting from your father, all the truths you wanted……”
Ah.
Delphine had an intuition.
This man was finally trying to talk about that day, the rebellion incident.
The truth he never gave a piece of when she begged and clung.
Only now that his child has been conceived, after he became convinced she would not run away, he is telling her.
‘A cowardly man until the end……’
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Worried that he might notice the meaning of the tears, Delphine hurriedly asked.
“My father? Will you really tell me about what happened that day?”
Would it sound like she was moved to finally learn the truth?
Fortunately, it seemed so.
He gently wiped the tears from her eyes and began to explain in a low voice.
“You now know of the existence of the Black Crystal. ……The Earl of Pembrook was also granted the Black Crystal.”
“…!”
It was a series of shocks and surprises.
Vague realizations quickly passed through Delphine’s mind.
The kind father had become very strange at some point.
He became a violent and greedy person, and excessively flattered the royal family.
And he did not hide his intention to sell his daughter for his own advancement.
“Father……”
“But those who use the Black Crystal are never satisfied with that. He coveted greater power and eventually…… attempted to make a contract with the devil.”
It was a familiar story.
Like Duke Purcell, her father in the end could not overcome his greed.
But the surprise did not end there.
Towards her who was accepting the facts more calmly than expected, Ioan continued in a calm tone.
“……And the method he chose for that was to offer you, his daughter.”
Delphine was very surprised, but at the same time, sadly, she did not think he was lying.
In her mind as well, her father was someone who could sufficiently sell his child.
“After becoming a runaway slave, I was wandering around the Pembrook mansion to see you from afar and accidentally found out about that. ……I had never despaired more at the fact that I was a lowly commoner.”
His expression sank low as if recalling the events of that day.
Staring at her with dark brown eyes of unfathomable depth, he recited.
“If only I could protect you……. The moment I wished for that. I heard a voice.”
After hesitating for a moment, he added briefly.
“……And like a miracle, I gained the power to protect you, and came to face this day.”
“……”
Delphine lowered her head to hide her trembling eyes.
He doesn’t know yet, but Delphine knew whose voice it was.
The devil.
The devil came to him at that moment and whispered.
“They say the devil comes and whispers to the human with the most desperate wish at that moment.”
Belly had clearly explained it that way.
Her heart was beating like crazy.
Then, then you, in the end, to protect me……?
As if putting a period to her guess, he quietly recited.
“All I have ever wanted in my life is to protect you.”
At those words, before she even knew it herself, tears poured out.
“…Sniff.”
A heart that could no longer bear it crumbled.
He slowly knelt down in front of her as she cried.
He slowly, very slowly lowered his head and carefully kissed the back of her hand.
As if his dirty and lowly lips were touching the most sacred thing in the world.
“Del. My master, my wish, my saint. ……My, wife.”
You still say wife last.
Hot tears continued to pour from Delphine’s eyes.
“My love. My everything.”
He rubbed his cheek against her palm like a dog craving its master’s love.
“Just stay by my side. No matter what happens, no matter what that outside world is like, I will only protect you.”
Delphine could not bear the burning pain in her chest any longer and hugged him tightly.
Misunderstanding the meaning of the embrace, he hugged her back with a moved face.
Delphine buried her face in his solid arms and burst into tears like a little child.
Ah, it was I who made you this way.
It was not his miserable childhood or this hellish empire that made him a devil.
It was herself.
A piece of warmth she had shown to the lonely slave boy in his childhood had driven him to come this far.
“Del……”
His lips descended on her tear-soaked lips.
Delphine accepted him without any resistance and tightly closed her tearful eyes.
It felt as if her heart, which had been heading in two directions, had been torn to shreds.
Delphine finally had to admit it.
Herself who wanted to stay in his arms like this, ignoring everything outside, and live happily with him forever.
Even if this place was in the flames of hell, even if he was the devil guarding hell, she just wanted to stay by his side.
Can this also be called love?
If so, what on earth is love that it drives a person to the edge of a cliff like this?
Even if she had to fall off that cliff and die, she only wanted to be with him.
Him, this man like a devil……
‘I love you.’
I love this man……
“Sob……”
He licked up the constantly flowing tears like a large beast would.
“Del……”
“Ioan……”
However, Delphine also knew.
Herself who could never choose a future with him.
This man’s love for her was making him a watchdog of the devil guarding this hell.
The moment she realized her heart was love, paradoxically, she gained conviction.
She had to leave him.
From this mansion where the lonely boy planted flowers for the lonely girl, I must leave forever.
So for the last time.
Really for the last time……
She wanted to be in his arms without any guilt or hesitation.
If she could feel that moment one last time when they forgot about everything in the world and only looked at and coveted each other……
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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