Age-old initiations might be quite uncomfortable, but Heidi didn’t seem to mind much. She mentioned that she would soon be transferred to another palace, coinciding with the new emperor’s ascension. She was scheduled to become a maid there, and that might be why she didn’t have much interest in Ines.
After Heidi left, Ines got up from the bed. Although she had succeeded in entering the palace with great hope, the situation was still daunting.
Except for the knights guarding the main gate, no one resided in the castle.
Ines strolled through the sparsely populated garden quietly. The Crown Prince’s residence was not far from Granjaim Castle, where Carson stayed, but opportunities to see him were rare.
“Ines.”
At that moment, Casey approached her anxiously.
“What’s happening at this hour?”
“I have something urgent to say.”
Seeing her anxious expression, Ines also became uneasy.
“It seems that this castle will soon have an owner.”
“What?”
Her heart fluttered at those words. This palace belonged to the Crown Princess. It was a significant castle, considering it was spacious enough for the future empress. If there was going to be an owner, who could it be? Perhaps a new prospective lady of the castle?
For the first time since meeting Carson, Ines confronted the unexpected reality that he might marry someone.
“Who is it…?”
“Princess Luigianne is coming soon.”
“Ah…”
At that moment, Ines realized that she had breathed a sigh of relief.
It was something she hadn’t thought about when she realized she had harbored emotions that shouldn’t be taken from Jacohena Square.
Carson would eventually have a wife. That statement meant that there was one more thing she had to endure.
“Perhaps the coronation will take place soon, so she might come before the enthronement ceremony.”
If the coronation was a procedure declaring the emperor in front of the emperor and his substitutes, the enthronement ceremony was the occasion to proclaim the emperor in front of the gods and the people of the empire.
“We will probably be kicked out before the princess enters this castle.”
It was a natural thing. There would be no traces of the previous regime left when the only kin of Carson, who would become the new emperor, entered.
“Now we have to move, Ines. We don’t have time.”
Ines also agreed with Casey’s words. She wanted to stand confidently in front of him after becoming a maid, but there was no time for such leisure now.
“We won’t be able to reach the lord immediately, right?”
“Well, it’s not easy to meet someone just because I ask. And I can’t ask for an audience with the Empress.”
“Then, do you know Noah Timothy Kyeung?”
“Yeah.”
“Is there a way to meet him?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Then, could I write a letter?”
She couldn’t ask to become a maid right away, but requesting Casey and Ines to stay here a little longer would probably be possible with Noah alone.
If the letter reached Noah, they might be able to meet Carson sooner.
The two soon finished writing the letter in Casey’s room.
Ines could only wait for Noah’s response with an anxious heart.
Although many days had passed since Ines wrote the letter, the letter did not reach Noah until the coronation ceremony was over.
And soon, rumors spread that an owner would come to the empty castle. Those who had been watching Casey and Ines like thorns in their eyes couldn’t hide their laughter.
Soon after, an order for Casey to leave the palace came.
The two of them had to vacate the Crown Prince’s residence by tomorrow. After leaving the palace, they were planning to stay temporarily in a place for two days before returning home.
Ines sat in a corner of the garden of the Crown Prince’s residence, which would become the Crown Princess’s castle, gazing at the distant sky.
“Sigh, it’s not easy.”
A sigh escaped involuntarily. Although they had successfully come from their homes to the palace with determination, the imperial palace was much higher than Ines had imagined.
She looked at Granjaim Castle where Carson would be staying from afar.
The castle solely for the Crown Prince, as befitting the future emperor, had its highest tower soaring the most in the imperial palace.
Now no one called Carson a viscount anymore. Currently residing in the Crown Prince’s residence, as soon as the enthronement ceremony was over, he would move to the emperor’s castle.
Ines thought that it was just like him, who had to look up as high as the sky to reach the top.
“Should I sneak in secretly?”
Ines entertained an impractical thought and chuckled.
“It would be fortunate if we don’t get stabbed by the knights.”
Of course, she had no intention of retreating like this. If they were driven out, they could find a way to come back in. Perhaps convincing her father at this point was the fastest way.
As the time without seeing him grew longer, her heart flattened more and more.
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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