He isn’t the type to barge in unannounced like Klein, why did he come so early in the morning? Confused, Latil approached him.
“Why are you here like this?”
But Ranamun, after giving a light greeting, spoke sternly with a cold face.
“I have something to say.”
His tone was unexpected for someone who had been waiting since the morning, but Latil, knowing Ranamun’s nature, calmly ignored it and asked.
“Have you had breakfast?”
“I have not.”
“Let’s talk while we eat. I’m going to the dining hall.”
When Latil pointed to the corridor with her chin, one of her attendants who understood the signal ran down to the dining hall.
He must have gone to order an extra meal, so when Latil and Ranamun arrived, there would be two servings on the table.
Ranamun, who seemed to be in a great hurry to speak, did not refuse when Latil invited him to eat together. Especially since he said he had something to say. He didn’t say a word until they arrived at the dining hall.
Upon arriving at the dining hall and taking their seats, as expected, two servings were already prepared. There was a salad made from sweet potatoes, a smooth soup, and crispy bread.
After sitting down, Latil put some salad into her mouth and gestured for him to speak.
It was then that Ranamun finally opened his mouth.
“I received the gift you sent.”
‘Ah, the head attendant said he would send a gift to celebrate the first night.’
It seems he has already sent it. Latil didn’t even know what the gift was, but she asked with a smile.
“Do you like it?”
However, there was no hint of humor in his reply.
“Why did you send it?”
Latil raised one eyebrow while biting her fork.
“Why did I send it?”
“According to the chief servant, to celebrate the first night.”
“That’s right.”
Ranamun’s expression hardened even more. He stared at Latil with intense eyes for a moment and then spoke.
“You should know, Your Majesty. That night, you didn’t take me.”
“So. Are you saying it’s unfair to receive the gift?”
“Yes. I will return it.”
A true bundle of pride… it’s really true. Latil clicked her tongue internally. Other people would just accept it. But to see him come to return it, it’s no wonder the Duke of Atraxil let his son into the harem.
But surprising or not, Latil immediately refused Ranamun’s rejection.
“There’s no need to return it.”
“I… ”
“Regardless of how the first night was spent, you are my man. I just sent a gift to my man. If you don’t like receiving it in commemoration of the first night, think of it as a commemoration of our hand holding. That’s okay, isn’t it?”
Ranamun looked completely against it, but instead of persuading him, Latil cut him off.
“It’s yours. Even if you pile up the gifts in your room and don’t use them, they are yours.”
Upon hearing her firm words, Ranamun asked in a much colder voice than before.
“Do you have no intention of giving yourself before giving gifts?”
Latil replied as resolutely as Ranamun.
“Not yet.”
“Then I will give you something first, you just need to accept it. Is that alright?”
“I’m scared, so not really.”
“Scared?”
“Just by looking at your expression, it looks like what you want to give me is a punch.”
“……”
“I’m joking.”
When Ranamun’s expression twisted, Latil smiled and raised her fork, lightly tapping his plate.
“Let’s take it slow. You know we haven’t even properly faced each other five times yet, right?”
“……I know.”
“So. You’re going to be my man for the rest of your life. What’s the rush?”
“!”
“Let’s take it slow.”
[This is the time separator]“I’ve heard rumors, but your pride is really something. With that pride, you could build a fortress that’s impregnable.”
After Ranamun left, Latil clicked her tongue and mumbled, noticing Sonnaught’s lips curling up slightly at the corners. His jaw seemed tightly clenched, and while he kept forcing his lips into a straight line, he seemed unable to suppress his amusement.
“Sonnaught? Is there good news?”
In the meantime? When Latil asked confusedly, Sonnaught responded in a hushed voice.
“There is.”
Then, after briefly catching his breath, he didn’t look as if he was suppressing a laugh anymore but wore a light smile, gently looking at Latil.
This seemed even more suspicious, so Latil prodded again.
“What’s the good news? They say shared happiness is doubled. Let’s hear it together.”
“I can’t. I won’t tell you.”
“Ah, that’s mean.”
“This is a story I’ve treasured, I can’t share it easily. I’m sorry.”
“You’re still mean.”
“I can afford to be mean to this extent.”
She wanted to press further, but that would likely infringe on his private life excessively. Latil was still curious about what Sonnaught’s good news was, but instead of asking again, she shifted to a more official question.
“I see. How about the letter investigation? How’s that going?”
Sonnaught replied with a more serious expression.
“Since I’m handling it alone, it’s not progressing as fast as I expected.”
“I see.”
Latil nodded, accepting his words. It made sense. It was a confidential matter, and he was handling it entirely on his own.
Investigations tend to proceed faster the more manpower is assigned, except in very exceptional cases. But it was no wonder the progress was slow, with him handling the investigation alone, secretly, on top of being already busy.
“Is there anything I can help with?”
When Latil asked, feeling both grateful and sorry, Sonnaught replied lightly.
“It would be nice if you could smile once.”
“Who should I smile at?”
“At me.”
“I’m serious. Is there really nothing I can do to help? Don’t hesitate to say it. It would be good for me as well if you finished your investigation faster.”
“……”
Really, Sonnaught murmured lowly, appearing to agree with Latil’s words. After thinking for a moment, he made a request.
“Then, ‘official’ letters you received while in Melosie, about 321 of them. I can’t check them, so could you write down ‘who the letter is from and what its purpose is’, excluding any confidential or overly personal content? I want to compare it with the list received from the administrator.”
[This is the time separator]Even though it was only half a year’s worth of letters, because it was during a very busy period, the quantity was enormous. Latil was organizing 321 letters, but when it turned 11 pm, she put down her pen.
She had been working all night yesterday, and felt extremely tired trying to work all day today as well, and she kept getting distracted.
Latil, who had put down her pen, was aimlessly rummaging through her drawer when she found a portrait among the documents, and paused.
‘This…’
Latil pulled out the portrait to take a closer look. It was a portrait of Carlein that came with the harem application. The only one she took in because she liked his face.
That portrait was still captivating to Latil even upon a second look. Decadent beauty. It was amazing that despite having such a face, there were no rumors that ‘the king of mercenaries is incredibly handsome’.
Latil stared at the portrait of Carlein for a while, then put the portrait back into the drawer.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t spoken to this man yet. She saw him during the oath ceremony, but she was so overwhelmed and didn’t get a chance to see him up close.
‘I’ve been curious for a while. I guess I can’t work anymore today anyway, should I go visit him? …Yes, let’s go. He is my harem.’
As soon as she finished her thought, Latil quickly put on a light cloak and left the bedroom. As Latil left, a maid who had been waiting approached her quickly.
“Do you have any orders, Your Majesty?”
“Send someone to tell Carlein that I’m coming.”
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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