The energy spent exploring the art gallery soon led to hunger.
Lerianne and Yuri felt hungry at the same time, exchanging glances.
“Shall we enjoy a late lunch? We haven’t eaten anything since breakfast.”
Just then, Kun guided them to a restaurant.
The restaurant offered a private space, allowing nobles to hold salons even outside their homes.
The spacious and luxurious room felt strangely like a mansion’s reception area.
There were plenty of high-end restaurants and tea rooms for nobles in the kingdom, but none dedicated to external salons.
The staff here were extraordinary too.
Dressed in simple yet elegant clothes suitable for outdoor activities, they served the guests as if invited to a tea party at a mansion.
A staff member approached and asked what type of tea they’d like. Soon, individual teapots were brought to the four of them.
The lavish tray also had scones and muffins, along with sweet desserts, to satisfy their hunger.
The environment was perfect for enjoying afternoon tea.
“How did you two become acquainted?”
Lerianne asked while sipping her tea. To her eyes, the two seemed quite close.
“Yes, how did you meet my lady? You seem very close, especially considering the festival preparations aren’t that old.”
Yuri followed up. Her question was sharp, though not ill-intended.
When it was time to answer, Kun was interrupted by nearby staff.
Only when they were alone did he respond.
“In secret?”
The Emperor’s sharp voice caught the focused ears. His playful words elicited laughter from the two.
“My goodness!”
“It does sound like your relationship is secretive.”
There was no point in explaining any misunderstanding raised by those words.
Yuri’s muttering delivered the final blow.
By this point, refuting the notion as a joke would be fitting, but Kun remained silent, seemingly enjoying their misunderstanding.
“Seems my frequent interactions with His Majesty during the festival have been fortunate. His Majesty looks upon me favorably.”
In the end, Chloe was the one to clean up the mess.
Whether she knew that her calm demeanor actually incited tension was uncertain.
Lerianne’s wicked sense of humor was triggered by her naive appearance.
“His Majesty remains quiet, yet you claim rudeness? Hmm, Your Majesty, what kind of secretive conversations are typical in such secretive relationships?”
Her bulldozer-like personality kicked in.
When curious, she couldn’t hold back. If there was something she wanted to do, she had to do it—a wild instinct.
Her words could be construed as disrespectful.
Had she not been Chloe’s acquaintance, even the Emperor would have hardened his expression.
The recipient of the question seemed to consider if it was appropriate to discuss what Lerianne termed ‘secretive conversations.’
Soon, Chloe nodded, an implicit sign of approval.
“I’m aiding in her divorce.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Does it sound as secretive as you imagined?”
Even Yuri, who had been sipping her tea nonchalantly, was startled.
Both Lerianne and Yuri turned their heads toward Chloe.
Both had heard something about a divorce. Back then, Chloe was so cautious that they hadn’t pried further.
To think the Emperor was the one stepping in, instead of the royal family who had shunned her!
“You’re aiding her in the divorce, Your Majesty?”
Though it was a loaded question, it hinted at a follow-up.
“Yes, His Majesty has agreed to assist.”
Since the question was aimed at her, Chloe answered.
“But His Majesty is…”
Despite the confirmation, both remained perplexed.
The Emperor was known to be close to Callis, the Duke.
There seemed to be no issue with Chloe, but aiding in a divorce was a different matter altogether.
“I have no reason to heed the Duke. Right?”
Despite his solitary questions, Kuhn responded kindly. Contrary to his considerate intentions, the answer was firm and inflexible.
It was an imperial response, so the two were quickly convinced.
Why should the Emperor of the Empire care about such things?
“Any more questions?”
Kuhn then put an end to the topic he had been discussing for a while.
The sentence ended with a question mark, but it was oddly coercive. It felt like one had to pretend not to know, even if they did.
“If not, then I may speak now.”
Things were going as he wanted, so Kuhn comfortably steered the conversation.
He glanced alternately at Lelianne and Yuri. Then he fixed his gaze on Lelianne and asked,
“What’s your full name?”
“I am the daughter of the Kerubios family of Balront Kingdom, Lelianne Kerubios.”
From noon until early evening, they had been together for so long, yet their full names had not even been completed.
Lelianne and Yuri were able to freshly realize how little interest the Emperor had in them.
“I see, Lady Kerobios.”
It’s not Kerobios, it’s Kerubios.
Lelianne flinched at the slightly misaligned pronunciation. While she didn’t have a strong attachment to her family, it wasn’t pleasant to be remembered with the wrong name.
“…Yes.”
But she couldn’t correct him there and then.
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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