This news, which had caused a stir in the kingdom, was concluded a few days later with a follow-up article.
“People thought as much,” many remarked dismissively. Young girls, who had fantasized about the sweet romance, reluctantly let it go.
What should have ended as a simple incident, however, turned into rumors that grew like ivy, taking a slightly odd direction.
“Of course. The Count is a true gentleman.”
“Exactly. To think he would consider making the daughter of the maid he saved from an assassin the lady of the house? I would have just given her a generous sum of money. It’s about class, after all.”
“I heard the maid’s daughter is neither beautiful nor intelligent.”
“Not just that. Her father was a thief, and her mother, believe it or not, a swindler!”
“How could someone like that work as a wet nurse in the Count’s household?”
“The Count’s family, impressed by their virtue, allowed them to repent their sins. Particularly, the current Count Lorentz was very fond of her, as if she were his own child. Hence, she was willing to sacrifice for the Count.”
“What a touching story.”
“Indeed, a very compassionate family.”
Praise for the handsome and kind Count echoed everywhere.
Most of the rumors were true, with a few exceptions.
“Help me, Eigraine.”
With soft golden hair and pale skin, the highly esteemed scholar of the Water God Marta, Hubert Lorentz, was a very handsome man with a gentle demeanor.
And he was also my childhood friend.
I stared blankly at him, holding my hand. His warm touch against my cold hand felt surreal.
“That’s impossible.”
Hubert bowed his head in agony, causing my heart to ache.
He was the one who shared warm bread with me, tormented by my mother for resembling my father.
‘I swore never to steal from you.’
That vow grew over time, eventually aligning my life around him.
Hubert’s soft golden hair flowed downwards, slightly long and tied back, but oddly adorned with a blue ribbon that didn’t quite suit him.
I hadn’t tied that ribbon. He had someone else to take care of his hair.
“The King cannot defy the barbaric commands of the Empire. And I cannot defy His Majesty’s orders…”
His anguished voice pleaded with me.
‘Don’t look at me like that. It sways my heart.’
“Our family’s fate rests on you.”
Should I be proud?
Me, once the daughter of a thief, now holding the destiny of the Count’s household.
“When the Prince arrives, please enter his chamber at night.”
Honestly, his request wasn’t as shocking as it might have been.
I am the daughter of a thief and a swindler. Even though I had been living as a docile member of the Count’s household, my identity remained that of a lowly thief.
I always thought I’d be used and discarded for the family’s sake someday.
But why does it feel like this?
Tears threatened to spill.
‘I never expected to be used like this.’
Hubert was to be wrongfully accused, I was ready to risk my life to steal the keys to his prison. But I never expected to have to offer myself to a barbarian.
In the Empire, there is a custom of offering women of one’s household to guests.
When the Imperial Crown Prince proposed a royal marriage to our kingdom, he also demanded that this ancient custom be honored during his visit.
The Crown Prince’s desire was for Princess Laratu of the royal family.
Naturally, this caused an uproar in the royal court.
The King, infuriated, decided to only partially accept the Crown Prince’s proposal.
Instead of the Princess, another woman would be offered.
And so, at the King’s command, my childhood friend chose me.
‘I don’t want to be used like this.’
I could lay down my life for a piece of warm bread, but this was something else…
“The King didn’t order you to use a servant’s family for entertaining guests.”
At my words, Hubert quickly raised his head, his green eyes sharpening.
“Then should I send Aris to the Prince? She won’t withstand the Prince’s rough treatment. Besides, she’s a priestess. How can I let her suffer such a fate?”
‘What about me, then?’
Am I, replacing your beloved Aris, to be sent to that brutal Prince?
Hubert lifted my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it.
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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