‘Cold.’
Yerpi shrank under the pouring chill.
The thin bridal gown covered her skin, but offered no protection against the piercing cold seeping through.
How many hours had she been standing already?
Her legs alternated between numbness and paralysis.
But worse than that was the harsh winter, unlike anything she had ever experienced in the capital.
Even the tent made of buffalo hide, and high-grade anti-freeze magic, proved useless here.
This was the northernmost edge of the Kerast Empire.
The border of the capital and the only passage leading to the ancient territory.
Long ago, dragons lived on this land.
The ancient beings had made pacts with humans, founded a nation, and ruled as its guardians for ages.
But that magnificent creature had long since vanished.
Only the Yuil family, the sole lineage blessed with a fraction of the dragon’s power, remained as proof that the legendary creature once existed.
Today, Yerpi would become the Dragonblood Bride.
Recalling this reality, Yerpi clenched her hands.
Shhh—
A sharp gust of wind slipped through the momentarily lifted entrance.
Someone who had gone outside to check returned.
Even though he had only stepped out briefly, snow already blanketed his shoulders.
Instinctively frightened, Yerpi quickly lowered her head.
Baron Deilang—the head of the Deilang family.
He was both Yerpi’s father and the merchant who had arranged this marriage.
His cold gaze swept across the interior of the tent.
Tat-tat-tat.
The sound of enchanted firewood burning, unextinguished even by the cold.
The count moved to the sofa placed in the warmest spot and grumbled loudly.
“Goodness. How much longer do they intend to make us wait?”
The count pulled out his pocket watch.
It had already been five hours since entering the dragon’s domain.
To reach Growen, the territory under the duke’s control, one had to cross a massive crystalline barrier.
A mysterious wall erected upon the snowfield.
Crossing it was only possible with the grand duke’s permission.
“Contact them again.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The count immediately ordered a knight, clearly unwilling to wait any longer.
His irritated gaze, tugging the fur blanket closer as if annoyed by the cold, soon landed on Yerpi standing in the corner.
She flinched. Her already downcast eyes sank even lower.
The count sighed deeply, watching her with disdain.
“Timid and clumsy too. How did someone like you ever come to be born into our family? You’re nothing compared to Charlotte.”
Mentioning someone absent, the count darkened Yerpi’s expression.
When she remained silent, he muttered to himself.
“Then again, what was I thinking, comparing her to my little dove? I made a mistake.”
He opened the locket hanging from his neck.
Inside was a portrait of a beautiful young lady with silver hair and violet eyes.
After gazing fondly at the portrait, the count turned and scolded Yerpi, who stood frozen like a fixture.
“You don’t even respond when your father speaks.”
Flustered, Yerpi quickly opened her mouth.
“No, Father. Everything you say is right.”
She had learned not to speak unless necessary—whenever she answered hastily, books or pottery would fly at her.
Yet ignoring him wasn’t an option either.
She well understood that her response, or lack thereof, hardly mattered.
In many ways, Yerpi was simply an eyesore to the count.
But today was different.
The hateful words flying instead of thrown objects proved it was a special day.
“The grand duke is truly pitiful. What must spices be worth to accept someone like her as a bride?”
Spices.
At the word directed at her, Yerpi bit her lower lip hard.
Dragons’ minds were naturally sensitive and extremely volatile.
Humans capable of calming such unstable nerves were known as spices.
Spices were born very rarely among humans, and regardless of status, became Dragonblood Brides.
That was precisely why Yerpi, an ordinary human, could be betrothed to the Growen family.
Now, she had to prove herself worthy after all this time.
While thoroughly concealing her past flaws.
A flawed bride.
That was Yerpi’s true value.
The count warned her again.
“You must not bring shame upon our family. Do you understand?”
If a defect in a costly product were exposed, everyone would be in trouble.
Shivering from cold, Yerpi answered a beat too late.
“…Yes, Father.”
The count’s glare sharpened at her meek reply.
“Tch.”
As if questioning how one could speak so idiotically.
That was exactly what the count’s eyes seemed to say.
He signaled to the maid who had accompanied them to dress Yerpi.
“Tighten the corset further. A bride must not look like a pig.”
“Yes, my lord.”
The obedient maid adjusted Yerpi’s corset.
Her hands carried emotion.
The corset, already tightened to the point of nearly breaking her waist, now constricted her ribcage to the point of preventing breath.
For a grown lady to be adjusted like this before her father was humiliating, yet no one found it strange.
On the contrary, the count, frustrated by Yerpi’s appearance, gulped down hot wine in large swallows.
Yerpi held her breath, nearly passing out.
She was used to the count’s glare, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
Family trash.
That was how Yerpi had been treated before manifesting as a spice.
Once again, the waiting began.
The count lit a cigar and clicked his tongue.
“Tch. It’d be nice if we could just break through and enter.”
The ice barrier surrounding the estate was a mysterious ancient relic.
It could not be destroyed by physical or magical force.
Only those who carried the blood of the dragon could control it.
Just as she recalled this again, Yerpi shrank in on herself.
Suddenly, a massive vibration resonated beneath her feet.
Uuuung—
It sounded as if the sky itself were opening.
Immediately, the tent flapped and a knight brought news.
“The barrier has opened!”
Finally.
Both their gazes turned toward the source of the sound.
The count, wearing a greedy smile, stood and commanded.
“Follow me.”
“Yes, Father.”
Yerpi hurried after the count.
But eagerness alone couldn’t move her stiff legs, and she staggered repeatedly.
She barely stepped outside when a violent snowstorm clawed at her fiercely.
‘So it was warm inside after all.’
So cold it hurt.
Yerpi wrapped her arms around herself and followed the path.
Heavy snowfall obscured her vision.
Was this the right way?
Just as confusion set in, an irritated hand grabbed her arm painfully.
Emerging from the blizzard was the count.
“Where are you crawling off to, you fool?”
“Uhh…!”
“Shut your mouth. Can’t even walk properly, yet calls itself human. You can’t do a single thing right—be grateful the grand duke is buying you!”
Having had to come looking for her, the count was filled with irritation.
He finally dragged her forward like a push and placed her before the barrier.
‘The snowstorm…’
Strangely, the heavy snow ceased entirely in front of the barrier.
Just as the pain in her grasped wrist intensified, a stunning scene unfolded before her eyes.
Raising her head slightly, she saw a massive wall—pink and green, like a cascade of captured stars. The mysterious barrier stole Yerpi’s gaze completely.
‘It’s just like holding the Milky Way itself.’
A breathtaking spectacle, beautiful enough to make her forget the earlier insults and the pain in her arms.
Surely the earlier vibration had been real—the barrier split open to either side, revealing a narrow, secret gap.
Yet beyond it was silence. No one came to greet them.
“Where is the grand duke?”
The count was desperate to find Yerpi’s husband—or rather, his buyer.
Currently, the Deilang countship was buried under debt.
Once, Baron Deilang had gained fame through business. But that was all in the past.
Once a noble and ancient family, poor investments had dimmed their glory, and repeated failures had ultimately shaken the family to its core.
Now, the count had only one card left—and today was the day to sell this precious commodity.
Truly, wasn’t this a moment to look forward to?
The count muttered, eyeing the gap in the barrier.
“Could it be that they’re telling us to go in?”
Beyond the barrier lay an unknown world.
Only the grand duke, his loyal retainers, and finally, the spice—the dragon’s bride—had ever passed through here.
Uuuu.
A mournful cry echoed from the gap—the call of the summoned beasts.
Currently, it was the spawning season for the creatures that served the dragon.
Entering during this extremely dangerous and sensitive period was practically suicidal.
After a moment’s hesitation, the count turned around.
“You go in first.”
He reasoned that the summoned beasts would never harm the dragon’s bride.
But on the surface, it was as if he were using Yerpi as a shield.
Entering was itself fulfilling the family’s duty.
Knowing this, why did it still feel…
‘Like being abandoned?’
There was no comfort for this aching heart.
Yet resistance was impossible.
Silently, Yerpi stepped toward the gap in the barrier. The moment her small frame passed through—
Grrrr—
“…!”
“The barrier…!”
The massive wall emitted an animal-like growl as it began to close.
The vibration served as a warning to those outside.
‘Strange.’
Yerpi felt relief in the tremor. The barrier seemed determined to embrace only her.
“We must go in. We must meet the grand duke!”
The count did enter.
But this bizarre wall moved on its own, perfectly separating Baron and Yerpi.
‘What is going on?’
The passage that had existed moments ago was sealed, and a new path opened on the opposite side.
It led toward a high cliff.
There, knights clad in silver armor stood.
Among them, one stood out—a handsome man riding a massive black steed.
Jet-black hair swayed over his dark eyebrows.
His face was clearly handsome even from afar. His sharp, cold eyes hid pupils as vividly golden as a wolf’s.
Yerpi instinctively knew this man would be her husband.
Why?
‘Because he’s exactly as described in the book.’
The head of the Dragonblood lineage.
Raymond Growen, Grand Duke.
Her fiancé was the male protagonist from the original story.
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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