Mayana could not hide her expression mixed with anger and bewilderment as she glared at Joslyn. The cheek that had been struck stung as though it was burning with time, but more than that, the anger that boiled up from her core was even more intense.
“Butler, I don’t understand what you are talking about. Do the servants of the Valterminster Duke’s household have the authority to beat someone lower in rank?”
Joslyn’s eyes were wide open with terror as she tried to raise her hand once more.
But this time, Mayana would not take it quietly. She took a step back, clutching the hem of her skirt, glaring at Joslyn like a wolf ready to fight.
Joslyn spoke.
“Was it you who told Beinti to dirty the stairs that the princess is cleaning?”
Mayana scoffed.
“Are you serious? Do you think I would encourage the princess to do such a thing?”
Joslyn’s fierce gaze now turned to Ariante. The moment she saw that look, Mayana realized that Joslyn had not struck her cheek in wanton anger or frustration.
By showing Ariante her striking Mayana’s cheek, Joslyn undoubtedly wanted to inflict a greater wound and shock on Ariante.
And now, she was glaring at Ariante, intending to say that if she could, she would slap her cheeks as well.
‘This vicious old eagle.’
Mayana gritted her teeth.
“Do you know what Beinti did to the princess?”
Joslyn sharply turned her head toward Mayana. She glared so terrifyingly that it seemed her stiff neck might snap at any moment.
Mayana continued.
“Do you know that Beinti always treats the princess with malice? If being slapped on the cheek is the punishment for a servant encouraging the princess to dirty the stairs, what should be the punishment for a servant who torments and disrespects the princess? Answer me, Butler.”
“You…!”
Joslyn’s face turned beet red. Of course, that reaction only further angered Mayana. The more she recalled her indifferent appearance on the first day, seemingly unconcerned with anything but the wellbeing of the duke’s household, the angrier she became.
Ariante was not in her interest. That was the most infuriating and incomprehensible part for Mayana.
Then it happened.
“Get out, get out!”
A sharp and shrill voice rang through the kitchen. It was Ariante.
“Princess!”
Mayana tried to stop her, but it was in vain. Ariante scurried out from under the table like a squirrel and started kicking Joslyn’s leg with her little shoes.
“Princess Ariante, what is this…!”
Joslyn pulled herself away, her face enraged. Ariante’s face turned bright red, her fists clenched, and then she screamed.
“How dare you, a servant, interfere with my affairs! Don’t interfere, just get out!”
Joslyn’s face turned pale instantly. As if she had suffered an unfair and absurd insult, she trembled, her bony fingers clenched tight.
“You are no different…!”
Like an arrow cutting through the wind, a sharp and cutting silence passed between the three.
Joslyn’s face remained ashen, and Ariante was so angry that even her hair was sticking out in all directions. Amidst it all, only Mayana silently stared at Joslyn, her eyes filled with suspicion and astonishment.
Joslyn turned sharply. Her back straight, she walked out, looking no different than usual.
But the moment she turned, Mayana’s face turned ashen. Ariante surely hadn’t heard, but in Mayana’s ears, Joslyn’s muttered words were heard clearly. Was it a hallucination? No, it wasn’t.
Joslyn had clearly said:
[You filthy halfbreed.] Mayana’s breathing grew ragged. She looked once more in the direction Jocelyn had gone, but there was no one there anymore.‘What was that just now… What did he mean?’
Mayana was standing in a daze when she suddenly came to her senses because of the feeling of someone tugging at her skirt hem. Looking down in surprise, she saw Ariante with tearfilled eyes, gazing at the spot where Jocelyn had disappeared. Her ankle was hurting, and she was swaying, unable to stand properly.
“My goodness, Your Highness.”
Regaining her senses, Mayana quickly picked up Ariante and sat her down on a chair, then carefully examined her injured ankle. It wasn’t broken, so it shouldn’t be a major problem, but the shock must have been significant to the young girl’s body.
“Is your ankle okay? Let me… touch it a bit. Tell me if it hurts.”
As Mayana gently held the slender ankle, Ariante immediately scrunched up her face and drew in her knee.
“It hurts.”
“You must have been shocked when you jumped down from the chair. I’ll bring a cold towel for you.”
Ariante’s little head nodded glumly. As Mayana tried to rise, Ariante’s fingertips tightly grabbed her sleeve.
“Your Highness?”
“Jocelyn hates me.”
Mayana’s lips parted slightly. She then felt a faint pang of guilt for not immediately saying, ‘That’s not true.’
“Jocelyn only likes Father.”
Ariante’s fingertips tightened further. Mayana didn’t know what to say but soon softened her expression and patted Ariante’s hand.
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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