“It’s strange.”
On the day of the wedding held at Balmond Castle, Clodel was draped from head to toe in shimmering jewels on her bridal gown.
I knew about the wedding night gift he had given her, which was now stolen by Antoyne, and Clodel hadn’t even seen it, but was that not enough to catch his eye? I thought his taste was flashy enough to be convincing.
“I’ve never seen her dressed up.”
However, Clodel in Lowen Castle never wore any jewelry.
Even if, embarrassingly, it was mostly in the bedroom where I saw her, even then, there were no jewels or gold on her earlobes, neck, or fingers.
Ah, there was one exception.
She still wore the button bezel he had given her, like a thread ring.
Sometimes, when it caught my eye, I wanted to sneakily take it off, but I never got the chance, and Clodel always wore it.
‘Try wearing something that suits you.’
‘I’ll try it later. I’m too tired after looking at clothes for a long time.’
Clodel seemed troubled by Kyan’s words.
His keen intuition was on the verge of reaching a conclusion.
That night.
When everyone was asleep, Kyan moved silently towards Clodel’s bedroom.
There was no one in the castle who could prevent him from entering her room.
Yet, he entered the room like a shadow in the dark for another reason.
Kyan’s eyes landed on the bed, which showed no sign of someone sleeping in it.
Clodel was comfortably nestled between a large pillow and cushion.
He quickly scanned her figure and then quietly headed to the dressing room.
With his night vision better than others, he relied on the moonlight shining through the window to survey the spacious room.
‘This is absurd.’
Normally, noblewomen were obsessed with amassing jewels.
Regardless of age, all of them did the same; not far off, his cousin and the kingdom’s only princess, Bianke, wore earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and anklets, leaving no part bare.
Moreover, it was usual for them to have a variety of dresses for each season, purpose, color, material, and matching accessories.
But Clodel’s dressing room was so empty it felt desolate.
It looked as if the room was abandoned.
Frowning in disbelief, Kyan’s eyes caught sight of a familiar dress.
Upon closer inspection, in the smallest section of the expansive dressing room, barely the length of an arm, hung a few dresses.
Including the high-necked dress from Balmond that he told her to throw away, there were only three.
And two familiar nightgowns were neatly hung, that was all.
Even one of them, excitedly torn by him, had its chest strings mended by hand.
Kyan’s gaze then turned to the jewelry storage.
Click.
With a faint metallic sound, he opened it, and what he saw inside was even more baffling.
The torso mannequins that once displayed the luxurious belongings of his mother, the former Duchess, in times when she was alive, now stood completely bare, not wearing a single thing.
There was nothing.
Clodel had nothing of her own.
Kyan quietly left her bedroom.
His mind, heated with emotion, cooled as if doused with cold water, his rationality sharply reaching the conclusion he had been seeking.
“She lied.”
She had said it herself when she was enraged upon learning that Clodel had Herzol.
‘Daring to send a flawed bride to the lord of Lowen? Old man Belmonte has lost his mind.’
‘I’ll wipe out everything alive in the Balmond territory……’
‘No!’
‘It’s, it’s me. Duke Belmonte… Father knows nothing.’
She had deceived everyone by herself.
Duke Belmonte knew nothing about it.
“How could he not know?”
There could only be one reason for not sending even a single bridal gift, including a dress, for a marriage arranged by royal decree between ducal families.
Duke Belmonte knew that Clodel was going to die.
Kyan brushed his hair back roughly.
He was furious, but he couldn’t tell if it was because Clodel had lied to him or because Duke Belmonte had underestimated him.
Lowen Castle was bustling early in the morning.
Having just finished her meal, Clodel wondered what was happening and peered outside the window but couldn’t discern the cause.
Then the butler came looking for her.
“Madam. The lord has ordered you to get ready to go out.”
“Out? For what?”
“Yes. It won’t be a very long trip, but it would be good to wear a new dress.”
“Okay.”
After the butler left, Hanna’s eyes sparkled.
“Hurry and change into a new dress.”
“What should I wear?”
Knowing the destination would help her prepare appropriately, but the butler had already left.
“Wear this one.”
Hanna chose a dress that revealed both shoulders and had a V-neck on the chest.
“Isn’t that more suitable for a party or a ball?”
“Where does it say that? It’s not even that flouncy.”
“I don’t know where we’re going. What if it gets torn because the chiffon is thin?”
“What will happen? You can ask the lord to buy you a new dress.”
After some bickering, Clodel ended up wearing a dress with puffed sleeves and a square neckline, tied with a ribbon just below the chest.
Though it wasn’t excessive, it felt quite thin, revealing her figure.
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.
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