The pale blue light glinted slightly on Nathaniel’s white uniform, fitting him as if tailored to his liking.
My eyes were drawn to his chest and arm contours, which were revealed through the snugly fitted attire.
His cold eyes appeared softer that day, casting a glow on his forehead, which peeked through his dark ebony hair.
It was Nathaniel as always, but that day he seemed exceptionally radiant.
“Are my eyes playing tricks on me?”
Even the maids in the room, halfopened mouths, stared at Nathaniel as if they had the same thought.
Was it my illusion that only his surroundings seemed to shine brightly?
“What’s happening, why does he look so handsome?”
I realized it was the first time I’d seen him so perfectly groomed.
Was he like this at the wedding, too?
My heart even pounded at his nonchalant extension of his hand toward me.
“Is something wrong?”
Nathaniel frowned in irritation as silence continued.
Afraid he might get angry, I quickly stepped down from the podium.
“No, Your Highness. I was just surprised by how handsome you look today.”
“……”
I quickly flattered him to ease his mood.
Pouring out praise to the point of discomfort, Nathaniel backed off with a slightly bored expression.
But I felt he was a little appeased.
“Let’s go.”
I swallowed nervously and placed my hand in his.
The moment we opened the door and stepped out, the anxiety began.
This ball was no ordinary ball.
The Duke’s family and the royal family had to show they were on good terms, and that Nathaniel and I were close.
“That way, we can somewhat cover up the Princess Anais’s incident.”
No matter how grand our marriage was, the unprecedented event of the princess being rejected at the wedding would not be easily forgotten.
Thinking about it made my resentment towards Maximilian rise.
I knew without looking what Anais must have suffered at the hands of the Empress because of it.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?”
“Your hand is very tense.”
Turning to Nathaniel’s words, I realized I had been shaking with anger, clutching his hand tightly.
I unknowingly got angry, and strength had flowed into my hand.
“Oops, I’m sorry. Uh, did it hurt?”
“Your hand looks more painful.”
Saying that, I felt a slight numbness in my hand.
I tried to pull my hand away in embarrassment, but this time Nathaniel tightened his grip.
“Don’t pull away.”
Whether it was a playful intent or not, his red eyes twinkled strangely.
I felt the heat rising where his gaze touched.
The maids glanced at us as they passed by.
Their eyes held envy and astonishment.
“Of course, Nathaniel was a character disaster in the original work.”
He probably never thought he would be dressed properly, escorting someone to a ball like this.
The Empress must have thought the same.
“That’s why she insisted I attend alone. She thought I’d come alone.”
Unfortunately, the Empress’s plan was nicely set to fail.
Thinking about that made me feel better.
I grabbed his hand and said, “Let’s go. Her Majesty will be waiting.”
We passed the corridor and entered the ballroom I had decorated.
Decorated with white and blue banners to match the season, the ambiance was cool.
The added floral decorations gave it a different vibe from the balls hosted by the royal family before.
It was playful and youthful, clearly different from what the Empress would have arranged.
I felt a sense of pride and poked Nathaniel’s side.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“The ballroom. Princess Anais and I decorated it together.”
Nathaniel looked around quickly and nodded.
“It’s different.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“It’s a compliment. It used to be too flashy; it hurt my eyes.”
I remembered my father and Maximilian complaining about eye fatigue at balls hosted by the royal family.
Looking around, I saw that the invited nobles also looked pleased.
“It seems you’ve received a lot of praise. Judging by the Empress’s expression, it doesn’t look very good.”
As he said, the Empress had a look as if she had eaten something wrong.
Every time someone came to greet and left, her face became darker.
We slowly approached the Emperor and Empress.
“We greet the sun and moon of the Empire.”
Unlike me, who greeted as I was taught, Nathaniel merely nodded his head.
The Empress’s face crumpled instantly, and the Emperor only chuckled familiarly.
“Yes, Jaina has worked very hard preparing this banquet. She seems to be showing a youthful touch today.”
“Thank you for the praise. But I didn’t do it alone. Princess Anais helped me, especially with the flower decorations.”
At my words, the Emperor looked surprised.
“Anais? Ha ha… I thought she couldn’t do anything, but she has a talent for this.”
“I can only admire the princess’s judgment, Your Majesty. Especially in flowers and plants, her discernment is high. All the decorations here were chosen by Princess Anais.”
It was no flattery. Princess Anais’s knowledge of flowers and trees was truly extraordinary.
She recommended flowers that were rare but elegant.
Thanks to that, the work became much easier.
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.]
