Whether it was thanks to the doctor sent by the Empress or just the natural course of recovery, the effects of the poison didn’t last more than three days.
“It’s a relief you recovered quickly.”
Perhaps that’s why the Grand Duke, who had sent a mountain of flowers, showed up only after I had risen from my sickbed.
“It’s thanks to your concern.”
After giving a polite response, I remembered another courtesy to extend.
“I received the flowers you sent. Thank you.”
“Ah, that. It was just for show, so don’t worry about it.”
I wished he had chosen a simpler way to handle it, but I refrained from saying so to a 5-year-old and simply kept quiet.
“Don’t make that face; if my sister hadn’t intercepted it, I would have handled the cleanup.”
It seemed my facial muscles betrayed me, showing the expression I was trying to hide.
I forced a natural expression, as if I never intended to hide my feelings.
“Was that also for show?”
“If you mean by ‘for show’, then yes.”
The Grand Duke shrugged nonchalantly.
“I was going to use the cleanup as an excuse to send people over.”
“Uh…”
Manpower. That was what I truly needed, and also what the Empress had provided.
But the Grand Duke knew that? He hadn’t even visited my palace.
“You knew?”
“You can tell just by looking at the staffing chart, the staff numbers are too low for the size of the palace.”
The Grand Duke gestured dismissively at my wide-eyed surprise.
It was definitely not an action befitting a 5-year-old, but his reasoning was even more unexpected.
Why would a 5-year-old look at staffing charts? He wasn’t responsible for managing the palace’s domestic affairs like the Empress.
“By the way, my sister doesn’t handle domestic matters because…”
The Grand Duke hesitated for the first time in front of me. I was intensely curious about what he was going to say.
“…she’s not good at delicate tasks. It’s overseen by my mother, the Empress Dowager. I just happened to see it while paying respects.”
Such a statement was rare for being suspicious in every aspect. Would the Empress really hand over palace management, a right of the Empress, to someone else just because she’s ‘not good at delicate tasks’?
And could you ‘accidentally’ see a staffing chart while paying respects?
The only credible part was that the Empress Dowager was overseeing it.
“I see…”
The Grand Duke seemed to notice my voice was full of skepticism but didn’t point it out, perhaps realizing his explanation was dubious.
“Anyway, that’s why I thought more staff would be needed. But just giving them directly seemed too─ childish, right?”
Was he suggesting that he looked at the staffing chart, realized I needed more servants, and then sent an excessive gift to create a pretext for increasing staff? That seemed less calculated than simply saying, ‘I saw you needed more people, so I’ll increase the staff.’
“So, I needed an excuse. Anyway, I don’t start things I can’t handle, so don’t worry prematurely.”
Was this kind of foresight innate? I was taken aback by the Grand Duke’s unusual level of judgment, approach, and attention to detail for a 5-year-old.
Even my late father, who was adept in such matters, might not have been capable of this at 5.
Stunned and unable to either flatter or act, I watched as the Grand Duke effortlessly changed the topic of conversation.
“So, those flowers were just a means, and the real gift is the Jasper Palace you’ll be moving to. I purposefully attached five gardeners, so it should be quite a sight.”
…Did I ever say I wanted to die buried in flowers instead of just asking for one to be plucked? Why such extremity?
I pondered whether confessing my preference for a quiet ambiance would rectify the situation, but it seemed unlikely.
“Was that also the Empress Dowager’s intention?”
“I did borrow her influence.”
His straightforward admission prompted me to ask another question.
“You seem quite close. Is your stay in the palace because of the Empress Dowager?”
I admit it was a low-level probe. I was double-checking the conclusions I drew from my conversation with the Empress, using information from the Grand Duke.
But after hearing the Grand Duke’s words, I realized the importance of not being too political. Better to have flaws and seem like a reasonably smart child.
The Grand Duke, perhaps thinking the same, didn’t respond with suspicion to my obvious fishing attempt but lightly laughed instead.
“No, not because of her. If it weren’t for my brother, I wouldn’t be staying in the palace.”
Mischief flickered in his eyes, then he asked me directly, “Didn’t you hear from my sister-in-law?”
It was a probing question about whether the Empress had leaked any information to me, as obvious as the one I had asked, but sufficient to deceive a somewhat clever three-year-old.
So, I pretended to be oblivious and answered calmly.
“Yes, I heard she’s like a child to you.”
“Right, I am like a child to my brother and his wife. Parents and children shouldn’t live apart.”
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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