Emma had glimpsed Carson’s demeanor from a few days ago, seeing a resemblance to the past Carson. Emma, having spent the most time witnessing how Carson behaved with people at his closest, couldn’t help but notice the similarities.
While Ines was a lovely woman, Emma never thought she would become a woman suitable for the imperial family like this.
Emma felt a proud sensation as the two seemed to be becoming more alike.
Approaching the wardrobe to retrieve the pajamas Ines always wore, Emma was suddenly called by her.
“Oh, Emma.”
But suddenly, Ines called her.
“Not that today.”
Ines got up and walked to the bed herself. From underneath the bed, she retrieved a small box. It was an elegant box made of red satin.
When she opened it, beautiful indoor clothes made of light and airy fabric were inside.
Seeing them, Ines blushed a bit more, and Emma’s eyes sparkled.
At that time, Carson was in Noah’s bedroom, drinking alcohol after a long time.
Sitting comfortably, he was already pouring alcohol for the third time.
“So, another autonomous territory has been created.”
“Manisute’s face was quite worth seeing today.”
Carson smiled happily, recalling his face. The meeting today was more enjoyable than any other day.
“I wonder what Lord Boniface is thinking.”
He argued today that Montray Bank should be made the central bank. And not only that, he added that if the empire stabilizes due to this, Montray should be given the title of a viscount.
“It’s definitely stepping on some toes…”
“It seems Lady Sweden helped a lot, right?”
When Ines’s name was mentioned, Carson drew a satisfying line with his mouth.
Lord Boniface declared the complete failure of the Finance Ministry.
As the head of the Finance Ministry admitting failure was not an easy task. It was not just a matter of pride; it involved the lives of many people.
However, without changing his facial expression, he presented a thick stack of documents without hesitation. Watching him, Carson couldn’t help but scrunch his face.
After they revealed their plans, the second currency reform was inevitable, even if not explicitly mentioned.
But what followed was completely different from what Carson had expected.
“The preparation was very thorough. So, even if you don’t ask, you should know whose work it is.”
The indicators presented by Lord Boniface were so perfect that no one could deny them. Even if they were incompetent and greedy individuals, they couldn’t have shamelessly played superficial tricks.
It was clear that Carson had not noticed Lord Boniface’s change of heart with the attitude of the Marquis of Manusute. Lord Boniface received the furious glares of the nobles but consistently maintained a relaxed attitude. By the end of the meeting, he even closed his eyes.
“It seems that instead of the Finance Ministry, they decided to protect your position.”
“Sure, that’s right.”
The moment Ines was sure that she had intervened, Carson decisively dropped his plan without hesitation. Without missing the opportunity, he immediately announced that he would not elect the empress right away. Instead, he declared that he would appoint Ines Sweden as his empress on the spot.
The conference room fell into instant silence. Shortly after, when Manusute coughed awkwardly, the delegates and high nobles foamed at the mouth and began to oppose.
Unable to resist such an obvious gesture, Carson couldn’t help but express his displeasure.
“Something feels lacking.”
“Perhaps the timing wasn’t right.”
“Sure, that’s true.”
Carson raised the half-empty glass to his lips.
“But, I can’t stand it anymore.”
At Carson’s words, Noah nodded. Although his lord had a very cautious personality, he had a temperament that couldn’t endure frustration.
The robust and beautiful man always looked at a woman with a thirsty expression. As a servant who knew of his long and patient wait, Noah felt as parched as Carson.
“You have declared war against the nobility.”
Carson nodded, emptying the glass he was holding.
“Has there ever been a convenient time? Now, I’ll do whatever it takes. Our Manusute Marquis, who has been driven to the cliff, will surely do something.”
“I’ll reinforce the defense at Landhill.”
“Sure, you should handle it well, but it’s better to be prepared. However, we won’t touch that side immediately. We don’t have the luxury to do so right now.”
Touching Landhill in the current situation would be like nobles grasping straws and jumping into a pit. Everyone knew this. And Manusute wasn’t a figure whose moves could be easily deciphered.
“What about the empress?”
Noah raised his head with an apologetic expression.
“We have to get rid of the new empress before she enters the palace.”
“……”
“But it’s somewhat strange, isn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Even if she’s hiding perfectly, it’s strange that she hasn’t been caught until now.”
“There must be someone watching over her.”
Carson nodded.
“There’s no suspicious movement on the Manusute side, right?”
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
