“Then tonight. Don’t sleep, wait for me.”
“……What?”
“I guess it’s okay to do what I’ve been holding back.”
Clodel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Just a minute. That, that’s…”
“Got suddenly busy. I need to finish work before dinner.”
Before she could say anything, Kyan put down his spoon, got up from his seat, and wiped his hands with a towel.
“I’ll hear from the butler if you’ve finished your meal properly. Make sure to eat everything.”
Kyan strode out of the room with big steps.
Walking towards his office, he unwittingly felt his lips twitching and brushed his mouth with his hand.
“If you’re sincerely devoted, even the heavens will be moved.”
Feeling a premonition of good things to come after showing his dedication to the one who saved his life, Kyan hurried to his office. The butler, watching his retreating figure, tilted his head in confusion.
Clodel didn’t know what to do.
“Ah, what to do.”
She hadn’t expected Kyan to visit her daily.
Her body, weakened from the illness and unable to eat well, couldn’t have recovered quickly from the serious injury. But she couldn’t refuse when Kyan glared and force-fed her, and her starving body even struggled to accept that little bit.
She could feel a different strength in her body these days.
But swallowing each bite was painful, and she didn’t want to eat forcibly. Also, seeing Kyan often wasn’t comfortable for her.
‘He’s my savior.’
‘You saved me.’
She hadn’t saved Kyan to be treated specially by him.
She was going to die soon anyway.
At the moment, she thought it was better for her to be hurt than him.
That was all.
Seeing a cold, indifferent man restrain himself or soften his gaze, she sometimes had fleeting thoughts.
What if.
What if Kyan had treated her like this from the first day she arrived at Lowen Castle? Would she have liked him?
Such thoughts made her wish to stop seeing him, even if it was out of gratitude or obligation.
Yet, when he briefly picked her up to move her due to her still struggling legs, or when his large hand held hers, the warmth was comforting.
‘It must be because of the illness.’
That’s why she felt so cold.
The ice spikes in her chest from the coughing made her sadder and weaker at the smallest warmth.
Kyan had fed her and left a bit of warmth in her lonely, affection-starved heart.
But she hadn’t forgotten that he was the same man who had ignored and humiliated her, as notorious as he was in Valmont before even arriving in Lowen.
Kyan was impressive and frightening.
To her knowledge, he was only five years older than her.
But was the difference between twenty and twenty-five years old really that significant?
Unlike her, who knew nothing, he had assumed the position and title of head of the family at the mere age of eighteen and managed this vast territory and numerous residents.
The aura he exuded was intimidating, making shoulders shrink and heads involuntarily bow.
Was being raised as a successor from the beginning such a different experience?
Clodel was curious but didn’t have enough life left to find out.
If he changed back to being cold, it would hurt a lot, wouldn’t it?
Even if she didn’t particularly like him.
Trying hard to endure didn’t mean she wouldn’t be hurt.
The one relief was that her life was indeed short, so there was a high chance she could spend her remaining days peacefully.
Kyan, who treats her as a savior, probably wouldn’t rub salt in her wounds by mentioning that she’s from Vermonte.
Clodel continued to tidy up her personal belongings, though there was nothing much to organize as she had nothing left to leave behind. She decided to leave everything she had to Hanna.
Hanna.
“Come to think of it, where did Hanna go?”
Her stream of thoughts about Kyan was interrupted as she returned to reality.
“I guess it’s okay to do what I’ve been holding back.”
What exactly had he been holding back?
“It seems like he’s said everything he wanted to.”
She never needed her consent or opinion, anyway.
Anyway, she wanted to talk to Hanna soon, but even after quite some time passed, Hanna didn’t return.
Hanna was running hurriedly near the castle gate. She felt sweat forming on her forehead, and her combativeness was at its peak. Soon, she spotted the person she was looking for.
“Hey! You, stop right there!”
Hanna’s shout made Antoinette turn around.
“Hey? Did you just call me ‘hey’?”
In the Lowen territory, governed by the Temnest family, no one dared to disrespect a lady of the Temnest kin, so Hanna’s attitude did not sit well with Antoinette.
“Yes, I called you ‘hey’.”
Hanna, who had discarded formalities, approached Antoinette with a sharp edge.
“You should be respectful to earn respect. Hand it over.”
“What, what?”
Antoinette flinched as Hanna abruptly reached out her hand.
“The ring you stole.”
“What?”
Hanna was sharp and observant.
Although she lacked experience and strength in her early years, after three years, she was capable enough to take care of a person.
Theft was a serious matter.
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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