“Ha ha…”
Prince Mikhail, still looking at Anette, who appeared to be his age but was actually an adult, couldn’t take his eyes off her, finding it fascinating.
The Empress had asked him to keep an eye on the prince for a while, but Anette found herself inadvertently checking the time, wondering when she would return.
Mikhail, as Anette had thought before, was a kind and adorable child, incomparable to Laon or Bridget… But Anette was uncomfortable around children.
Perhaps it was because she had been troubled by Bridget and Laon for so long that she developed an aversion.
After all, they had often put her in difficult situations with their innocent faces while making rather cruel remarks.
“Really, it’s Uncle’s princess!”
…Of course, part of the reason was that this pure affection was unfamiliar to her.
Anette, slightly awkwardly smiling at Mikhail’s eager and direct display of affection, suddenly asked a question that came to mind.
“Um, Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“That… Has Duke Harganet ever mentioned me to you?”
Even before he fainted, Mikhail had called her ‘Uncle’s princess’ and looked surprised.
It felt like a reaction that came from knowing about her, which made her curious, especially since he had just made a similar remark.
Anette, thinking that Duke Harganet calling her ‘princess’ wasn’t just a simple form of address, waited for Mikhail’s response.
“Yes, I’ve heard! Uncle told me a lot about you!”
Mikhail answered enthusiastically without hesitation.
Anette hesitated and then asked, “Really?”
She had guessed that Duke Harganet knew her well when he said she was the person he wanted to marry from the beginning, more than just hearing rumors about her.
But she hadn’t expected him to talk about her so much to others.
‘Come to think of it, when we were discussing the drafting of the marriage proposal with the Emperor, he already seemed to know about me.’
That meant all those who followed him, including the Empress and perhaps even the Crown Princess, had a certain understanding of her.
Suddenly, Anette felt a dryness in her mouth.
Until recently, she had only faintly acknowledged the existence of these people from the Alkan Empire, never imagining she would meet them.
The realization that they might have been watching her for quite some time sent a chill down her spine.
“What could he have said about me?”
Surely he wouldn’t have spoken ill of her.
Considering their favorable attitude towards her and Duke Harganet’s behavior, she thought it unlikely, yet Anette couldn’t help but worry. She knew all too well the rumors and perceptions about her.
‘The seed of a monster who devoured her mother, the queen, and never received recognition from her father, the king…’
Anette tried to calm her racing heart and asked with a tense face.
“What exactly did Duke Harganet say about me?”
“The Duke about you?”
Mikhail seemed puzzled by the question, blinking and then clapping his hands as he answered.
“Of course, he said you’re the person he respects the most in the world!”
Anette’s expression turned strange at that response.
Perhaps she would have been less surprised if he had said he liked her.
That too would have been an unbelievable story.
She even thought it was a delusion beyond her station.
But the answer being respect, something she hadn’t anticipated, left her bewildered.
Whether Anette was confused or disappointed, she muttered almost to herself.
“Respect?”
“Yes! Our uncle is really smart and can do anything. He said that Princess Anette is the coolest, strongest, and most amazing person in the world, and that’s why she’s the person he respects the most!”
“Uh-huh, I see.”
Despite the continuous praise, Anette’s reaction was somewhat ambivalent, unnoticed by Mikhail.
“Really, I didn’t quite understand what uncle said. Because our father, mother, and grandmother are also cool and amazing!”
Anette agreed with that. Surrounded by people of great status, ability, and character, why would they specifically respect her? Even they themselves are second to none.
“But uncle’s words were true! Yesterday, I saw Princess Anette fly and tear the tree!”
“I didn’t tear it.”
Anette quietly contradicted, but her words fell on deaf ears to the enthralled Mikhail.
He had seen astonishing things like a perfectly intact door suddenly flying away and sticking to a window frame or magically returning to normal, as if it were a dream. But witnessing a giant tree being obliterated in an instant was a first.
An excited Mikhail asked while fidgeting his fingers.
“So, tell me.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Are you really stronger than uncle?”
“…What?”
“Uncle said that Princess Anette is the strongest knight on the continent. But uncle is also very strong… Can you really beat uncle?”
Faced with Mikhail’s eyes sparkling with pure curiosity, Anette carefully chose her response. Whether it was because of those admiring and longing eyes or because swordsmanship was the only skill she could take pride in, she didn’t want to give a vague answer.
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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