“Now, that’s enough.”
He stepped back and released Yerpi.
Separated from the hot warmth of his body, the sudden reality felt disorienting, as if waking from a dream.
But there were countless excuses to justify the awkward situation.
‘Of course, emotional connection must be important.’
She assumed that was why he had drawn her into his arms.
Deciding this in her mind, her uneasy feelings eased slightly.
Thanks to that, Yerpi could once again look at Raymond with a calm gaze.
His green eyes, which had seemed unfocused, now regained clarity, and Raymond’s gaze appeared to return to its proper place as well.
Yet, as if trying to conceal the process, his eyes now seemed filled with dissatisfaction.
“Why won’t you just cooperate properly?”
“Huh?”
Wasn’t that natural?
Had her startled retort offended him?
Instead of answering her question, Raymond issued her dismissal.
“Leave now.”
With those words, Yerpi was helplessly pushed out into the corridor.
As the door closed, she thought she caught a fleeting glimpse of Raymond’s face.
In that brief moment, his flushed face looked red.
Probably he was angry.
But the door had already shut tight, completely severing the space between Raymond and her before she could figure out why.
‘Why is he suddenly angry?’
Unable to understand the sequence of events, Yerpi could only stare blankly at the closed door for a moment.
She tried guessing what she might have done wrong, but nothing came to mind.
Perhaps it wasn’t her fault at all—maybe the man’s mood simply shifted like turbulent waves, unpredictable and ever-changing.
If so, maybe she didn’t need to search for a reason after all.
Yerpi stood deep in thought before the closed door, finally turning to leave.
She walked alone down the empty corridor.
The path, mingling crimson twilight and darkness, slowed her steps further.
It was an evening where no one’s intentions could be discerned.
Still, even so, it hadn’t been a day of loss.
Most importantly, she had just secured permission regarding Dante.
‘Ah, right. I never got to ask how that maid became close to Dante.’
She recalled the unspoken question too late, but doubted Raymond would clearly know the relationship between Dante and the maid anyway.
‘Then who would know?’
Who in the castle was well-informed about such matters?
Just before the corridor was fully swallowed by darkness, the magic lamps automatically lit up.
Then, she saw someone walking toward her.
Though mostly hidden behind a pile of laundry, the face peeking out was unmistakably someone Yerpi knew.
“Pepe?”
“Your Grace.”
Hearing the maid’s voice, her first thought was, ‘Found her.’
The kind of person who hears and observes everything happening in the castle, even the darkest rumors.
The psychological evidence of abuse was already sufficient.
But even so, it was true that it wasn’t enough to directly confront Meidi.
‘It would be difficult to talk to Dante now about Meidi.’
Dante currently trusted and followed only one person—his nanny, Meidi.
Asking recklessly about her could backfire.
Right now, the nanny was the child’s most precious figure, like a parent. Risking her could wound the child’s heart.
So, first she needed to hear from others—but this must never reach the parties involved.
‘After all, even the request to keep things secret among the maids spread within a day.’
She had to be careful in choosing whom to trust.
Yerpi looked at the maid before her.
Pepe, who had stopped while carrying laundry upon meeting Yerpi, had come to the reception room attached to the Duchess’s chamber.
Pepe seemed startled by the sudden summons from her mistress, yet maintained a composed expression. The young-looking maid, appearing mature beyond her years, seemed somewhat pitiful.
“You seem surprised.”
The reception room, now having a proper owner, always had refreshments prepared.
For instance, dried apricots or cookies baked with honey.
Yerpi pushed a cookie toward Pepe.
“Shall we eat together? It feels a bit lonely eating alone.”
She had once heard a maid mention that these cookies, shaped round with jam pressed in the center, were only made within the castle.
“Thank you.”
Seeing Yerpi reach for a treat, the maid, thinking it impolite to remain idle, cautiously picked up a pastry.
This was the second time Yerpi had shared tea with Pepe.
They began the conversation with ordinary, mundane topics.
Things like today’s weather and daily happenings.
Yerpi asked, and Pepe answered.
As they exchanged a few words, Yerpi noticed Pepe’s tense shoulders gradually relaxing.
Yerpi learned things about Pepe’s past and family circumstances she had never heard before.
Like how her hometown was in the Spring Territory.
And the events that had occurred there.
Growen might outwardly appear as a land filled with beautiful scenery and abundance, yet strict class divisions and laws existed here too.
Pepe came from a minor noble family that owned a castle, but even uttering the name of her family was forbidden.
Pepe’s father had committed a mid-level crime by breaking regulations, and those guilty of serious or worse crimes were usually sent to the land of winter.
Though Pepe herself had committed no crime, she and her younger brother suffered persecution because of her father’s status.
Anyone with a criminal in the family couldn’t work in the castle.
Yet Pepe was able to become a maid because her late mother had served here as a maid her entire life and retired with honor.
With the help of a sympathetic steward who knew of her tragic circumstances, becoming a maid wasn’t an issue, but because she couldn’t speak her family name, rumors quickly spread among the other maids.
Pepe had worked in the castle for over four years, yet remained a low-ranking maid.
Yerpi, who had silently listened to Pepe’s story, finally spoke.
“You must have gone through a lot.”
Here, a person’s worth was proven by bloodline.
The noble class system, and even the principle of collective punishment—once you peeled back the surface, they were quite similar underneath.
At least, coming from a world where such hierarchies weren’t so visibly apparent, she well understood how suffocating such systems could be.
The Duchess’s words stirred something deep within Pepe, rising up like emotion threatening to burst.
Yet the maid, standing on the border between girl and woman, did not shed tears. Instead, she faced Yerpi with a firm expression.
“Thank you for saying that. To be honest, I thought I’d soon be driven out of the castle. Senior maids haven’t looked kindly on me. But since Your Grace arrived, it seems my dismissal has been temporarily postponed. I don’t desire a lady’s maid position—I’m content just being allowed to stay and keep working here.”
Seeming satisfied with just that, Pepe gave Yerpi a relieved smile.
“Working in the castle is an immense honor. While I serve here, at least my younger brother won’t just be seen as a criminal’s son, but as someone with a respectable sister in the family. My younger brother recently earned the Lord’s trust and became an official knight. I don’t want to block his future.”
In Growen, interpersonal relationships, personal honor, and one’s guilt or innocence mattered more than anything else.
Though perhaps a necessary strategy for governing a long-isolated land, the system of collective punishment often led to cruel outcomes.
“Even if I don’t appoint you as my lady’s maid, I’ll make sure you can continue working as a castle maid without any issues.”
“Thank you so much.”
At Yerpi’s assurance, Pepe smiled brighter than she ever had before.
Facing that radiant expression for the first time, Yerpi’s own heart felt lighter.
As the tense atmosphere eased, the time had come to discuss the real matter.
Yerpi set down her cup of cooled tea and spoke.
“Actually, I called you today because I had a few questions.”
For a moment, silence settled over the previously warm table.
Yet Pepe looked calm, as if she had expected this moment to come.
“I had a feeling why you summoned me.”
“Then?”
Perhaps she had been wanting to speak even before Yerpi asked.
Countless maids desired the Duchess’s favor.
Yerpi had chosen Pepe among so many because she sensed the maid felt genuine gratitude toward her.
A calm and kind-hearted maid like her would guard even a small kindness with fierce loyalty.
“You want to ask about Senior Maid Meidi, don’t you?”
“And also, I need to understand her relationship with Dante.”
The maid’s eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting Yerpi to bring up Dante so directly.
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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