The bright morning sun shone into the Duke’s dining hall.
Breakfast time was ending, but the servants lined against the wall were holding in their laughter, their heads bowed, ears pricked.
“Did you sleep well at night?”
The lady spoke, as if making an excuse, staring into the distance,
“……Well, I did hear a report that you visited the library late at night?”
The Duke’s gentle reproach was hidden in his otherwise gentle voice.
Ever since the precious lady came to Duke Vicander’s territory, mornings had begun like this.
Most often, the lady achieved her desires with a bright smile, but there were rare occasions when the Duke had the upper hand. A flush momentarily crossed the lady’s face.
“……I went to get a book to read in the morning.”
Olivia laughed at her own awkward excuse, as charmingly as she could. Edwin’s stern face slowly relaxed.
“……You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”
“Doing what?”
“You know it makes my heart weak.”
“Of course not, that’s why I’m doing it.”
Olivia responded sharply. Edwin’s lips momentarily loosened.
“Do you know that too?”
“Know what?”
“That every time Olivia does that, I feel like a caught fish, longing for affection.”
Edwin gestured at Olivia’s wrist with heavylidded eyes. Olivia’s inner wrist suddenly felt as hot as if it had been burned. Her heart thumped at the memory of his lips touching her wrist.
How could he! How could he say something like that in such a crowded place!
It was fortunate that no one else in this dining hall could understand what he had said.
In her embarrassment, Olivia’s lips trembled. Suddenly, she thought of those words as a subtle secret shared only between them.
A blush crept over Olivia’s peachcolored cheeks. She shouldn’t be thrilled by this. Olivia glared at Edwin and stood up.
A smile lingered at Edwin’s eyes.
“Where are you going?”
“To take a nap.”
Though it was too early for a nap, Edwin did not object.
If the fleeing lady glanced back even once, the urge to follow her would irresistibly arise, like a rabbit.
Instead, Edwin followed Olivia’s retreating figure with his eyes. Her dress, beautiful as a rose, billowed generously.
At some point, Olivia’s dresses had become more colorful, and the decorations she wore in her hair more varied. Edwin knew better than anyone that all of this was the handiwork of Bethany.
“Escort?”
“Don’t need one!”
.
.
.
“Why do you keep teasing her? What if she really gets sick from all of this?”
“I’m the one who feels sick right now.”
At Howard’s words, Edwin exhaled heavily and clenched and unclenched his fist under the tablecloth.
It was cheating for her to run away so adorably every time he teased her.
Edwin stared at Olivia’s vacant seat, swallowing hard.
“……Anyway, she has brightened up a lot. She even had a piece of meringue cookie today.”
“Really?”
At Howard’s words, Edwin also looked at Olivia’s plate. The voice that had said sweets would make her fat when she was sick had haunted him painfully. Seeing her deliberately avoid sweets had hurt him.
But today, one of Olivia’s meringue cookies was missing.
“Don’t cry. So smile with me.”
He knew she had always been cheerful and strong.
But he didn’t expect her to blossom so quickly.
Edwin flopped down onto the table, without any dignity.
That innocent lady blushed even from a kiss on the wrist.
And he was growing more and more desperate for Olivia. Her sweet scent, the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, her straight, green eyes.
No, Olivia herself.
An uncontrollable desire was leaking out.
But he would wait. Because he wanted to be the man who suited Olivia more than anyone else.
Edwin swallowed once again, then suddenly stood up from his seat.
“……Let’s go train.”
At times like this, mental cultivation was best. Howard’s impassive face blurred just a bit.
(This is a time delimiter.)
“Don’t you feel anything?”
Bethany, who had been watching Olivia climb the stairs, casually said to Dian.
“……I don’t.”
Although he answered gruffly, Dian’s brown eyes were slightly shaken. It had been since yesterday, in Yeniv Street. The lady’s unusual interest in Yeniv Street was different from what Dian had thought so far.
Even the precious lady was trying to take charge of cleaning up the section in Yeniv Street, the lowest place in Vicander.
What’s the scheme, he thought, but the reddened eyes he saw yesterday kept bothering him.
Finally, Dian tore at his head with his hands. He wondered why a haughty lady who is covered with rumors could confuse him like this.
“It’s not like you have a toothache, is it?”
Dian’s body instinctively stiffened at the sound of a languid laugh. It was Duke Vicander. Dian immediately saluted.
“……Your Grace.”
Always a Duke to be revered. He had been able to rebuild the collapsing family so generously and firmly. More than anything, he was Dian’s benefactor who saved his life when he was about to be killed.
That’s why Dian always sparkled his eyes in front of the Duke. As if he wanted to be like that.
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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