There was hardly anything to unpack. Rivel belonged to a mercenary group and was known for having the least amount of baggage among them. It was a small privilege enjoyed by someone who could leave at any moment.

He stepped out of his lodging and slowly surveyed the campsite. It was quite far from the center of the royal palace and the buildings looked old, but he hardly cared.

‘The place where you are. And the place I must come to.’

Breathing in the air here felt like absorbing a part of her breath into his body. Finally, they would meet. How long had he endured and survived to reach this moment?

“Commander. Are you going to meet His Majesty the Emperor? Then, there might be the Empress or other high-ranking individuals. You should dust off and get tidy. I’m worried you might be criticized for lowering our dignity.”

“Yeah, I heard the Emperor here is quite a character.”

“Eddie, remember, no matter how handsome any man claims to be, our commander is the best. Look at that perfectly balanced face and chest. Even a man can’t help but admire.”

If Rivel heard this, he would’ve kicked Lailo’s shin for spouting such nonsense. Lailo glanced around nervously, but their commander had long since disappeared to wash.

Iliad was dressed in simple but elegant attire, with a thin scarf always around her neck. Claudius was nearby, but she didn’t even glance his way.

The vast banquet hall was empty. A modest welcome ceremony with only two greeters. The silence was as profound as the empty space.

The quietness made Iliad feel at ease. Was it even conceivable to converse casually with him?

“Your Majesty!”

Selina rushed into the banquet hall, her footsteps sounding like ice cubes clinking in a crystal glass. Her appearance, running on the carpet, was still dazzling and radiant.

“You’re becoming more radiant by the day.”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

“Why not rest a bit before the coronation? You must be tired.”

“I came to pay attention to even the smallest royal event. I wouldn’t want to be a burden to the Empress.”

Selina smiled at Iliad.

“Even if Selina doesn’t know, it won’t cause me any trouble. So just focus on attending to His Majesty.”

Iliad responded with a smile, but her words had an edge.

She implied that Selina should just quietly stay beside the Emperor, unnecessary and uninvolved.

Even though that’s what Selina desired, the more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.

“Does Her Majesty think I’m inadequate in serving His Majesty? That’s too harsh. I’m doing my best…”

Her face looked like she was about to cry, and her head drooped. Claudius, watching Iliad’s indifferent face, pulled Selina closer to him.

“Empress, there’s no need to make her cry.”

Cry or not. Iliad waited quietly for the guests, focusing solely on the door. Adding more to the conversation would only entangle her in their words and actions. Ignoring them was her best defense.

Finally, the door opened. The sound of footsteps entering the empty hall echoed heavily.

A man entirely in black. His attire seemed to merge with the darkness, as if he was part of the shadows.

The man’s entrance was intimidating, as if he was ready to cut off someone’s breath at any moment.
Claudius instinctively checked whether the man was armed. Naturally, as all weapons had to be surrendered at the entrance of the banquet hall before meeting the Emperor, he couldn’t possibly have any.

However, the man seemed ready to attack the person in front of him with his teeth if the time came. It felt as if he would fiercely dig his nails into the enemy’s skin even if a knife was thrust into his vital spot.

Raw wildness enveloped the man. Although this was only the second time Claudius had seen him, he still hadn’t gotten used to it.

‘I expected him to be extraordinary…’

Facing a difficult-to-tame wild animal might feel like this. The moment one mistakes whipping and leashing for perfect taming, the fierce beast bites the neck of its master.

But he was a mercenary. Once his contract ended, he could simply be sent away. Claudius decided to endure this uncomfortable cohabitation for just a little while longer.

Selina, seemingly frightened by the man’s dark aura, shrank and clutched the sleeve of Claudius. Her fingertips trembled slightly with tension.

She had heard about people living in the North. Barbarians who sliced and ate raw meat and fish. There were many former slaves in the mercenary groups; could this man be one of them?

Her fear was intermingled with curiosity as she closely observed the man dressed in black.

Those captivated by the entering man failed to notice the subtle changes in the Empress.

He walked towards the Empress, staring directly at her. It wasn’t a vague glance but an intense, fierce eye contact. A faint blue light approached her more vividly. The breath she couldn’t exhale in time lingered inside Iliad.

Everything around her seemed to stop, and only the dark, silent man walking towards her was felt.

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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