In the serene afternoon at the Empress’s palace, a quiet tranquility pervaded the atmosphere.
The leisurely ambiance was bathed in sunshine, turning a soft yellow, gently seeping through the window cracks.
Eilidh, the Empress, had dismissed all her attendants, including her chief maid Linette, granting the palace’s maids and servants a moment of respite.
She closed the door of her empty office and sat back down at her desk, which gleamed with a polished finish.
To avoid any reflection of her face, Eilidh began methodically arranging her workload.
On the desk lay a sheet of pristine white paper next to a glass ink bottle, sparkling in the light.
As always, she picked up her pen. Afternoon transcription was a part of her daily routine, never to be missed.
“Must you always transcribe? Wouldn’t embroidery or reading be more soothing?” Linette once fretted, witnessing Eilidh’s sore wrists. But only this tedious, mundane task seemed to calm Eilidh’s restless heart.
The wooden pen holder was fitted with a well-used nib. She opened the ink bottle and dipped the nib, every action quietly graceful, befitting an empress.
Her transcription was always the same. Eilidh unfurled a vertically rolled scroll, its long paper cascading down with a heavy rustle to the floor.
On the aged scroll’s top read “The Empress’s Discipline,” a guidebook for empresses passed down through the imperial lineage.
Eilidh’s pale hand over the white paper shone brilliantly. The golden nib lightly traced across. Her neat handwriting was always admired by the court and nobility.
Eilidh, dignified and wise.
These two words were always used to describe her. Anyone who had met the Empress could not deny this appellation.
Her graceful, dignified demeanor and untouchable aura always lingered around her.
The nib started to flow gently across the paper.
The movement caused a few strands of bright silver hair to fall across her cheek. Eilidh blinked her deep green eyes, meticulously embedding every word of the scroll in her memory.
“An Empress must always maintain a composed heart. She must overcome all crises with unwavering tranquility, always beside the Emperor…”
Suddenly, a thud echoed from the adjacent room.
The abrupt noise in the silence was like a discordant sound. Eilidh’s hand jerked, causing the pen to splatter tiny ink droplets.
Calmly, she reached for a handkerchief nearby and began to gently wipe off the black spots.
The wall thudded again, and amidst it, a scream pierced through.
A sharp, loud cry, cutting through the wall to Eilidh’s ears, revealed its owner.
The Emperor’s secret consort, known as ‘the Shadow,’ Selina Le Diove.
Soon, the Emperor’s low groans followed. The continuous, heavy breathing of the two filled the adjacent room.
In this vast palace, why did they choose the room next to the Empress’s quarters, as if they already knew she was there?
Eilidh placed the ink-stained handkerchief down and picked up her pen again.
Was this a rare occurrence? The occurrences in the next room were usually ignored with nonchalance.
Should she consider new soundproofing? How much was left in the budget for the Empress’s palace? With these thoughts, Eilidh pretended not to hear, straightened her posture, and refocused on her transcription.
The noise had reached its climax. Selina’s voice, calling out ‘Your Majesty,’ grew louder. The panting and groaning mingled, then suddenly ceased.
‘Finally, it’s over.’
Eilidh slightly shook her head, barely perceptible.
The nib squeaked, leaving only half-expelled ink marks on the paper.
The half-written words became an empty relic of the past. Her hand, dipping the pen back into the ink bottle, began to tingle numbly.
It was then that the office door burst open, revealing a man. A hurried servant, failing to stop him, bowed his head in apology.
There was only one person who could act so impudently in front of Eilidh, the Emperor, Claudius.
“Quite elegant, aren’t we?”
His taunting words slithered in like a snake. Eilidh’s hands and feet involuntarily tensed, but she composed herself, took a deep breath, and slowly lifted her head.
Claudius leaned against the door, looking in her direction. His deep red eyes bore into her relentlessly.
His beautiful golden hair cascaded over the ornate door frame. His attire was unbecomingly disheveled for an emperor.
His partially exposed skin was starkly visible through the gaping fabric. Eilidh showed no sign of surprise, instead lowering her gaze back to her transcription.
Perhaps he hadn’t even taken a moment to straighten his clothes.
But that couldn’t be. Eilidh ignored the emperor’s skewed gaze and focused more intently on the sensation of the pen.
His footsteps approached, stopping abruptly in front of her desk.
“An empress must always be modest… What use is all this?”
His sarcastic tone, slow but sufficiently cutting, brought his fingers into Eilidh’s view.
He mockingly smiled as he scattered the papers she had been transcribing.
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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