A knight’s oath meant swearing by the name and honor of being a knight. Breaking the oath was such a dishonorable act that it would spread like it had legs, making everyone point fingers. Therefore, knights did not carelessly make oaths even to their lords.
Now, Hexten was saying he would make that knight’s oath to Roxiana, whom he had never properly spoken to before.
“Sir Renardro. Please don’t do this.”
Although Roxiana pleaded, Hexten did not raise his head.
“If the princess does not grant permission, I will wait here for a month or even a year.”
Watching Hexten’s stubborn demeanor, Roxiana was reminded of Robert, who had been her guard knight. Feeling like she might burst into tears, Roxiana covered her mouth with both hands and said,
“Robert, who was my guard knight, used to grumble that he shouldn’t have made the knight’s oath every time I caused trouble.”
Hexten laughed with his head still bowed.
“I’d like it if the princess and I could have such a relationship.”
She couldn’t resist any longer.
She wanted to die, felt guilty for surviving alone, felt sorry and apologetic for even breathing.
Yet, she desperately longed for the kindness that reminded her of the good past, missed it, and was a cowardly and selfish woman who wanted to be warm even though her family had been abandoned in a cold well.
She could no longer refuse Hexten’s request.
So Roxiana slowly raised her right hand.
As soon as Roxiana gave permission, Hexten knelt on one knee without hesitation. Then he took the tips of her fingers and briefly kissed the back of her hand.
He raised his gaze to meet Roxiana’s eyes. Looking at Roxiana with loyal and slightly playful reddish-brown eyes, Hexten said,
“Hexten Renardro and the Golden Lion Knights swear to protect and guard Princess Roxiana Evelyn Franche, and to draw our swords without hesitation to clear the path before her.”
The knight’s oath should have ended there, but Hexten added, “Furthermore.”
“The House of Renardro will be the best friend to Princess Franche.”
Roxiana held her breath for a moment and then took a deep breath. It felt as if something was filling her chest, making it swell greatly.
“Thank you.”
Roxiana’s voice trembled slightly at the end.
“I will hold Sir Renardro’s oath in my heart with gratitude.”
+++
Roxiana tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Hexten’s oath had given her an emotion that was difficult to name. A tiny spark had ignited in her chest, which had been filled only with longing, sadness, pain, and despair.
It was so small as to be almost invisible, but it clearly possessed warmth. Though she didn’t know what that warmth was, Roxiana embraced it and curled up, accepting the warmth she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Roxiana tossed and turned until faint light began to filter through the curtains, then realized the outside was noisy and got out of bed. She pulled back the curtains and looked out, but all she could see from her bedroom was the garden of Lily Palace.
Roxiana habitually started to ring the bell to call a maid but stopped. Because of Hexten, she had momentarily felt like she was back in the past and had forgotten her current situation.
A slave without a country or family.
Even if she was staying in a noble’s palace, that fact hadn’t changed. Even if she had received the Grand Duke’s orders, a maid’s feelings wouldn’t be pleasant if she had to come running at a slave’s call.
Roxiana left the bedroom on her own and encountered maids who had already started their day early.
The maids who had been cleaning windows and sweeping the corridor widened their eyes when they saw Roxiana, then lowered their heads. Among them was a maid who had come earlier to assist with bathing and had left with a displeased expression.
“What’s the matter, Princess? If you need anything, you can just ring the bell…”
Roxiana found it curious how the maid’s tone had changed so much as she replied.
“It was noisy outside, so I wanted to see what was happening.”
“Ah, His Grace the Grand Duke is going out with the Red Spider Knights for monster subjugation today. It must have been noisy because of the preparations. It should quiet down soon.”
Monsters were strong, fast, and possessed wicked powers. Even knights who could take down bears single-handedly often died in vain when several of them ganged up on even a small monster.
Holy knights blessed by New Weden could confront monsters with sacred power, so it was common practice to request the empire to include at least one holy knight for monster subjugation.
Of course, it wasn’t as if ordinary knights were completely helpless against monsters, and she knew this monster was said to be small and solitary. But it was surprising that the employees weren’t worried at all about their ruler going out to face a monster directly.
‘He’s trusted.’
Floyd was different from any royalty Roxiana had met before. He didn’t follow palace etiquette, rushed to the scene first when problems arose, and his speech was rough and revealed his emotions plainly.
Nevertheless, he had everyone’s trust.
“Um…”
Perhaps misunderstanding why Roxiana had stopped and was lost in thought, the maid cautiously asked,
“Would you like to see His Grace off as he departs?”
Knowing that a slave’s send-off wouldn’t give strength to the knights, Roxiana shook her head.
“No, that’s alright. But I’d like to see them leave…”
“Then if you go up to the tower of this Lily Palace, you should be able to see. The tower has windows facing several directions, so you can see all the way to the main gate.”
Roxiana followed the maid’s guidance to the tower of Lily Palace. It seemed to be used for enjoying the scenery while having tea, as the tower was also well-furnished.
The maid tactfully left Roxiana alone. Left by herself, Roxiana stood by the window and gazed at the main gate of the Grand Duke’s palace visible in the distance.
Befitting the name Red Spider Knights, dozens of knights in red uniforms were standing at attention. A man with dull silver hair and a small build could be seen pacing on horseback in front of the knights.
Roxiana recognized him as the man who would grumble disapprovingly whenever he saw her.
At last, Floyd appeared. His figure astride a red-haired horse was dignified, noble, and exuded authority. Facing imminent battle, he appeared more refined than ever and radiated an intense majesty.
‘Ah, so that’s why…’
It was impossible not to respect him. Impossible not to pledge loyalty to him.
With such a ruler, one could only trust and follow.
Roxiana gazed at him as if entranced.
Standing before the knights, he drew his sword. The blade gleamed crimson in the dawn light. The knights, the retainers who had come to see them off, and the employees all stared blankly at that light, which shone seductively and brilliantly as if to bewitch and drive people mad. Roxiana was no exception.
At that moment, his voice rang out. It was a loud and spirited voice that reached all the way to Lily Palace.
“Let’s finish this in one go!”
At the tone completely different from the dignified attitude he had shown until now, Roxiana almost burst out laughing.
Belatedly, she realized she had forgotten everything and become immersed in him. She hastily swallowed the laughter that had almost erupted.
Roxiana only came down from the tower after Floyd and the knights had left and were completely out of sight.
+++
‘The Grand Duke must use that fire when facing monsters.’
Roxiana looked down at her palm. Looking at her dry, powerless hand without a single callus, she suddenly recalled a voice.
−”Princess, your hands are too large. It would be best not to show them to others as much as possible. After all, men prefer women with small frames.”
That voice sounded worried and pitying.
−”Even His Highness the Crown Prince seemed to find your height a bit burdensome, as it’s unladylike. Ah, of course, I don’t mean that His Highness doesn’t love you… It’s just, you know. Something he loves but finds a bit regrettable?”
Lucas always spoke about Roxiana’s height as if it were regrettable, and Elise always worried about that aspect. In a world that valued women small enough to fit snugly in one’s arms, with tiny hands and feet, Roxiana was as tall as a man with large hands and feet.
Believing it was her fault and accepting it as sincere advice from friends, Roxiana always wore low-heeled shoes and walked with a hunched posture. To hide these unsightly large hands, she wore gloves, and when dealing with others, she tried to clench her fists to conceal their size.
‘That’s how it used to be.’
Now she realized it had all been in vain.
No matter how much she tried to appear smaller, Lucas chose Elise, who was born naturally small and lovely, and as a result, Roxiana’s family died.
Roxiana wondered whether Lucas choosing Elise came first, or if deciding to betray the Franche royal family came first, but soon erased that thought.
Whichever came first, reality doesn’t change.
“Lady Roxiana.”
Petria’s call brought her out of her reverie.
“Guests have come to see you.”
This is the second visitor, including Hexten who came yesterday. As Roxiana looked puzzled, Petria added,
“It’s Viscountess Persi Renardro, Sir Renardro’s wife, and their children. They’re waiting in the reception room now, but they said if you’re still unwell, they can come back another time.”
Although Hexten’s oath included the words ‘The House of Renardro will be the best friend to Princess Franche,’ she hadn’t expected his family to actually come visit her.
Although Roxiana was still not feeling well, she couldn’t turn away those who had come to see her intentionally.
“Please tell them I’ll be ready and come shortly.”
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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