“Lies. Don’t lie. Every time I looked at you, you made a face that said you loved me.”
“Even knowing that. Why did you not know that flowers came to me in your name?”
“Flowers, you say. Surely, you didn’t talk to me about flowers back then…”
Olivia raised the corners of her lips. With just that, Leopold’s face turned ashen.
Ah, that’s right. How dare I pity anyone?
Maria Etel never does anything deserving of pity. This foolish choice must have been what Maria Etel had longed for.
Olivia quietly lowered her hand. The hand that had hoped for someone to grab it now, before it could twitch, was firmly held by a warm tenderness.
“…I remember everything you said, Your Highness.”
“…”
“How passionately you spoke of love to Lady Etel.”
“Olivia…!”
He couldn’t take it anymore. The clenched fist seemed to tremble pitifully. Leopold felt like his heart was about to burst. The breath going out of his mouth became increasingly rough.
But unfortunately, Olivia in front of him smiled gracefully.
“So, dare I say…”
Exquisitely beautiful.
“Don’t ever say that you wished I had been by your side now.”
Unyieldingly.
Just like when I declared that I would break off the engagement.
Before the overwhelming realization of helplessness could begin to set in, Leopold bit hard on the inside of his mouth. Even in this situation where he couldn’t feel pain, Olivia looking at him was bitterly beautiful.
Unlike her gracefully pursed lips, her green eyes warned Leopold with a coldness.
“If by any chance, Your Highness, you have any other feelings towards me, don’t even think about revealing them.”
“…”
“And please.”
“…”
“When I left that place, please consider the sight of me at that moment as Your Highness’s answer.”
Olivia’s back, which I first found strange. Instead of confusion, it should have been a sense of urgency.
Leopold’s face crumbled gradually. Watching Leopold’s inner thoughts peel away layer by layer, Olivia casually observed, pondering the words I had spoken.
I won’t look back on what I’ve abandoned. I had vowed that day, the first time I showed him my back.
The one who held my hand when I took the uncertain steps was now by my side. Edwin, who fulfills my emotions that I’ve wished for over a dozen years with just a momentary glance, so I want to do my best. Edwin.
“Empire’s Moon. In that lofty position…”
In the place I abandoned,
“…there is already Lady Etel, whom Your Highness loves.”
That’s where Maria Etel, who had longed for that position so much, should sit. Maria Etel’s face, looking down at me from the high window, was unusually clear.
Those blue eyes that sincerely resent me.
Olivia turned her gaze away without any lingering attachment.
In no time, the sound of murmurs surrounded us. As the banquet reached its midpoint, the nobles all came out to watch this situation.
An uncontrollable summer banquet. The princess standing in front was looking at me with a pale face.
Edwin’s escort continued smoothly. As Olivia took a step, she muttered elegantly.
“……In the past, when the nobles were this turbulent, worries would flood in.”
Ah, how should I regulate the social circles? Tomorrow, Her Majesty the Empress will surely summon me again. Father, no. I’ll get scolded by the Duke again.
Thinking about the many things I should be controlling, Olivia looked at Edwin.
“But now, it’s quite enjoyable. No, I’m actually looking forward to tomorrow.”
Whoever handles it, it wasn’t my business.
Olivia, with a proud expression, stepped back, playfully teasing. Her face, adorned with a mischievous smile, was terribly lovely.
“But our marriage is still far off, yet isn’t it fair to say I’m quite qualified as the prospective Grand Duchess?”
With a voice as smooth as mischief, Edwin swallowed a groan. Then, he pulled Olivia’s slightly exposed shoulders towards him.
“It’s so overflowing that we should celebrate the wedding right away.”
Olivia laughed brightly. She didn’t care about Leopold’s crumbling expression as he watched her from behind.
“What a disgrace this is!”
A thunderous rage shook the reception room of the imperial palace.
Even the attendants standing in the corridor bowed their heads as they could feel the rage seeping through the closed door.
The princess, who was receiving the full force of that anger, couldn’t lift her head and had to bow her body.
Although she had been educated to maintain dignity, she couldn’t prevent her body from trembling like a reed. This wasn’t just fear of the emperor.
How could, Olivia. That lowly thing. Refuse my elder brother.
The surroundings blurred. Though I had just gone out momentarily to cool my anger, every noble at the unrestrained new banquet had seen that scene. My elder brother, whom I thought would surely keep Olivia in check, instead lowered his head with a defeated expression.
The somewhat inexperienced empress tried to calm the atmosphere.
“Your Majesty, please control yourself.”
“Control? Can this be controlled?”
The infuriated emperor bit his lip.
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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