That evening, after Rebecca returned to the Mansion of Darkness.
Sedrick and Bianca started their slightly late dinner.
Whether it was because she was back home after a long time or because of the astonishing conversation with Rebecca, Bianca sang a little song throughout the meal, looking more at ease.
“Bianca, you seem to be in a good mood today. But you should finish your meal, right?”
“Oh, yes!”
Although she picked up her fork, Bianca just stared at Sedrick’s face instead of her own food.
“Uhm… brother.”
“Hm?”
“…Do you think Lady Rebecca meant what she said to me?”
“What did she say?”
At Sedrick’s soft question, Bianca blushed and looked shy.
“That I’m a child worthy of being loved…”
Watching Bianca, a wave of pity deepened in Sedrick’s eyes.
“…Of course, you are.”
“Really?”
Sedrick smiled softly as he saw Bianca genuinely happy.
“I haven’t seen a child as adorable as our Bianca.”
“Heehee. That’s because you are my brother.”
Bianca lightly teased her brother but still looked pleased, crinkling her eyes in a smile.
But Sedrick’s feelings became more complicated.
A child who smiles so easily at kind words despite enduring harsh treatment.
How starved must she have been for the warmth of family?
Sedrick felt a deeper ache in his heart.
“…Lately, the Duchess has changed a lot. So, you can comfortably stay here from now on.”
Though meant to reassure Bianca, Sedrick had to admit to himself that the Duchess really had changed.
And upon accepting this, he was left with one burning question.
‘What exactly changed Rebecca so much?’
As Sedrick was about to drift into deep thought, Bianca nodded vigorously, agreeing with him.
“That’s right, Lady Rebecca does seem much different. I could feel it just from her expression!”
“…”
“Before, she seemed much more comfortable and incredibly happy!”
Bianca was referring to the time before Rebecca and Sedrick divorced.
Why did the image of Rebecca smiling beside Adrian suddenly come to Sedrick’s mind?
Soon, his brows furrowed deeply.
‘What does it matter to me now?’
He tried to shift his thoughts away from it.
“In a few days, some noble girls from the capital who you were close with are visiting.”
“Oh, yes… I heard.”
Bianca’s voice, once lively, suddenly became subdued.
“They are good friends, right?”
“Yes… they’re really nice! Hehe…”
With that, Sedrick nodded absentmindedly and continued his meal.
As soon as his gaze shifted away, Bianca’s cheerful face quickly darkened.
A few days later.
I received a letter from Camilla, the villainess of the original story and my maid, stating that she would soon return to the North.
Immediately, I called for Adrian.
“Adrian, how is the additional disposal of the art pieces I requested going?”
“We are proposing to a few more shops and plan to deal with the one offering the highest price.”
“Good. Proceed as quickly as possible.”
Camilla’s return signaled that the futures market would soon feature ‘that item’.
‘Henry, Robellia’s husband, hits a jackpot in the futures market right after returning from an adulterous trip with Camilla. Then he flaunts his power and later oppresses Robellia with it.’
I was determined to intercept that fortune from the adulterous Henry.
To compete in the bidding with him, having sufficient cash ready was essential.
That’s why I decided to trade additional art pieces I owned to accumulate more cash.
While I was discussing this with Adrian, Mina entered the drawing room, carrying a large box in her hands.
“Lady V, the toys you ordered have arrived! Would you like to check them?”
When Mina opened the box, there were four cute dolls inside.
“As expected from custom orders, they look beautiful. The children will surely like them, right?”
“Of course! Lady Bianca might even cry tears of joy when she realizes that you personally prepared these!”
Ever since Bianca returned to the North, Mina had been bringing me various information about her, knowing my intention to mend my relationship with Bianca.
One piece of information was that Bianca’s noble friends from the capital were soon to visit.
That very day, I ordered dolls to gift Bianca and her friends.
And today was the day to present those dolls.
“I heard on my way back that her friends have arrived and are enjoying a tea party.”
The thought of cute children gathered together made me feel good.
‘Of course, among them, our Bianca will be the cutest, right?’
Imagining Bianca proudly receiving the gifts in front of her friends, my lips curled up into a smile.
“Let’s go now. Where are they all?”
“They should be in the orangery in the garden!”
At the same time, in the orangery of the garden.
Despite the cold Northern weather, warm winds blew around the hexagonal orangery, and a variety of spring flowers were in full bloom.
In front of a white table in the middle, young noble girls from the capital, around eight or nine years old, gathered, looking around in wonder.
“It’s so fascinating! With magic, even cold weather turns warm instantly!”
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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