He got up abruptly, took a small ember from the newly lit fire, and shone it on the dagger on my thigh.
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry. But this dagger, it looks like one I know.”
Bran was pale.
“Can I just look at it for a moment?”
“…”
Moved by his earnest expression, I felt compelled to roll up my uniform and show him the sword on my leg.
A short sword, about three palms long, with a faint greenish hue. The blue mineral making up the handle shone like moonlight, even in the cave.
Bran collapsed to the ground.
“Why are you reacting like this, Bran?”
“Esdel, this is… the sacred sword of my homeland, Ventus. Why do you have it?”
Ventus’s… sacred sword?
There are three sacred swords passed down in this continent.
Delphast Empire’s royal sword, Luchela.
Belphast God’s relic, Lapis.
And the last, Ventus’s sacred sword, whose purpose is unknown.
I don’t even know the name of Ventus’s sacred sword. That’s all I knew.
But this, my mother’s legacy, is that Ventus’s sacred sword?
“Did the southerners steal it?”
Bran asked angrily, his anger directed at the Southern Duke.
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Then?”
“…Bran. This is a relic left to me by someone very precious.”
“A precious person?”
“Yes.”
My mother was the saint of Ventus, a fallen nation.
The sacred sword, lost after the war. My mother, Agnes Fleur, the greatest saint in Ventus’s history, had this sacred sword and fell in love with the enemy nation’s crown prince.
Bran said,
“The whole continent coveted this sacred sword. I thought someone from Scythos or another country had stolen it.”
He looked at me.
“Can you explain what’s going on, Esdel?”
“Bran.”
“Yes?”
“This is a relic my mother left for me.”
“!”
“I don’t know who my mother was. But… I’m sure it’s hers.”
“Was your mother… from Ventus? Was she of the Ventus royal family? A saintess from the temple?! No way. Saintesses can’t marry.”
“I don’t know.”
I lied.
He sighed heavily and then, seemingly in pain, buried his fingers in his hair and ruffled it.
“Right, you said you don’t remember your parents.”
“…Yes.”
“But what matters is that this sword chose you.”
Chosen?
“What do you mean?”
“This sacred sword doesn’t show this color just by existing. Look, the blade has a green glow. It means I can’t take this sword away from you.”
“Bran.”
“Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t take it from you. You’re not planning on letting it be taken, are you?”
“Over my dead body.”
“Right.”
Bran knelt on one knee in front of me.
“Though the North brought down our Ventus, they didn’t kill anyone except soldiers. That’s why I forgave them. They must have been following the Emperor’s orders. There’s some merit in coming to the North, Esdel. To think that I would see my homeland’s sacred sword again…”
He bowed his head in front of the sword.
“Bran, I’m sorry, but can you keep this a secret? This sword…”
“Of course. Who am I going to tell, when it’s the long-lost sacred sword of my country? If word gets out, it will be stolen again.”
“Who would steal it?”
“Everyone will want this sword if they learn of its power.”
“Do you know the power of this sword?”
Bran shook his head solemnly.
“Unfortunately, no. I was supposed to learn its secrets when I came of age, but my father passed away. The sacred sword had disappeared by then.”
“I won’t let it be taken by anyone.”
“Good. I’m really glad it’s with you.”
His eyes looked intently at me.
After a while, Bran stood up as if nothing had happened and tore off his upper garment to give to me.
“Wrap it around your leg, hide the sword.”
“Thank you, Bran.”
It seems like today is a day for tearing clothes, I almost joked in relief. He said,
“The kneeling earlier was for the sword, not you. It’s a matter of respect.”
“Understood.”
“Will we have to watch over His Highness all night?”
“Looks like it.”
“Then…”
He detached the thick cloak from his uniform and handed it to me.
“This is my token of gratitude. Use it if you’re cold. Thank you for keeping the sacred sword. Really, thank you.”
“Thank you, Bran.”
“Me too.”
He smiled gently.
Soon after, we heard the cries of monsters in the distance.
Real night had arrived.
Near the cave, where I had killed monsters during the day, it seemed like hungry beasts were gathering around the corpses.
‘I should have moved them farther away.’
Fortunately, the cave entrance was very narrow, so there was no worry of monster attacks.
I brought more fire towards the Duke. His temperature shouldn’t drop too much due to the fever.
I covered his bare body with his cloak and then added my uniform and Bran’s cloak.
The wind was terribly cold.
Suddenly, I thought my clothes on his broad shoulders looked like mere towels.
‘Unnecessary thoughts.’
I shook my head to rid myself of random thoughts and sat in front of the Duke to block the incoming wind.
I thought of my mother, the sacred sword of a fallen nation.
Then I thought of the Duke again. I turned to look at him.
Blocking the cold wind with my body, I immersed myself in endlessly circulating thoughts.
My eyelids grew heavy. Was it the cold making me more tired?
I turned to look at him again, checking the temperature on his forehead.
I took some of the fire from inside the cave and placed it at the entrance. I made sure to protect it from the wind using all the terrain and objects available.
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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