After darkness had fallen in all directions.
Tents, shaped as if a cylinder had been cut in half, stood in a row in the desolated Eben Bahar, resembling a line of graves. The sight was intimidating, but it failed to stir any sentiment among the soldiers who used the tents.
A young soldier on night patrol, holding a dim lantern, stopped abruptly in front of the tents.
“…….”
The tents of the imperial officers were crafted with more sheets, adding to their thickness. Therefore, no conversation or sound could be heard from within.
Yet the soldier fixed his eyes on the ground, focusing on the sound coming from inside the tents through the silent winter wind where even the noise of grasshoppers was not heard. Naturally, no sound could be heard.
But he knew. Just because it could not be heard didn’t mean nothing was happening.
As he had expected, deep inside the tent of a Parsad Imperial officer, an oil lantern was casting a ruddy glow even at the time of dawn when everyone was asleep. Although the weather in Eben Bahar wasn’t very cold even in winter, the heat filling the tent left no room for the cold to penetrate.
Creak creak creak…….
Along with the harsh friction of the temporary wooden bed, a woman, holding back short moans, left red lines on a man’s back as she pulled away.
At the same time, the man, pushing his body to the limit with a rough breath, leaned down over her with a faint smile on his handsome face.
“Don’t hold back.”
He kissed her sweatsoaked, trembling skin here and there. Tenderly, over the red marks left like flowers.
The woman let out a sweet laugh even as she panted.
“I’m sweating……”
“I know.”
So it’s driving me crazy, the man’s deep and low voice whispered in her ear, as her face flushed again. Under the dim light, he could clearly see where his marks remained on her pale skin. It was both amusing and quite pleasing.
Kissing her pale skin all over, the woman moaned and writhed, unable to contain herself. As if she didn’t know that it was more stimulating. He had intended to put her to sleep, but now…
As heat started to rise again in the man’s body, the woman swallowed a vain hope.
“You said it was the last time……!”
“So, do you mind?”
Even though resentment welled in her pumpkincolored eyes, the man laughed at the sight of the spirited woman shaking her head back and forth. He didn’t have to ask how she felt; her reaction told him all he needed to know. That she wanted him, too.
“You’re good.”
He began to satisfy his desires again, plunging into her like the soft petals of a flower dampened by the morning dew. How she learned such enticing movements when he was her first, he didn’t know, but they drove him mad. Ultimately, he thought he might go blind from her radiant white light, with a sense of dread.
Of course, her face and body were perfectly to his taste, too precious to be just a consort.
“Do you love me……?”
But every time after they had lain together, the woman in his arms would ask the same question, and he would give her the same answer.
No, Scáthach. I do not love you.
“Liar…….”
With the sweet kiss that accompanied his answer, the woman always denied his response, her eyes welling with tears.
Scáthach.
With soft ashbrown hair that looked golden in the sunlight and pumpkincolored eyes like the sun at dusk, she was like a fairy girl he had discovered one day in the Lindcoem forest.
He had met her for the first time seven years ago, in the autumn when he was sixteen. He had come fox hunting in Lindcoem forest with his father.
“Now that Lindcoem has become part of our Blahnath land, you must govern it well as the future lord.”
His father had said proudly, looking over the newly acquired Lindcoem territory, but Cassard had felt no thrill at all. He simply accepted his given responsibility and duty with equanimity.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Duke Blahnath tapped his shoulder with great satisfaction, knowing that his only heir, Cassard, was calm and graceful, but Cassard still looked around the forest with an indifferent face. After all, he would have found it hard to be interested, since it was not a new territory and whatever he pushed in didn’t matter.
His mother had said that he had been like this since he was very young and could not remember. Along with the affectionate complaint that he never properly showed a smiling face.
Soon, he parted with his father, and the red eyes that were roaming the Lindcom forest in search of a fox caught a small movement between the maples and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Crunch.
Hearing the sound of the bullet chipping away the wooden pillar, Cassard looked at the crossbowstyle musket in his hand with a dissatisfied face and clicked his tongue. No matter how accurately he aimed, the bullet flew at will as soon as it went beyond the range.
With signs of a cold war with the Teshia Empire dragging on, he had to improve firearms as soon as possible…….
Woof!
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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