Inside the carriage returning to the mansion, Lina observed the Duke, who was silently looking out of the window.
‘What if he misunderstands the relationship between me and the Second Prince?’
A little while ago, the situation was enough to create a misunderstanding about the relationship between the Second Prince and her.
Not wanting to cause more trouble for the Duke, she had tried her best to appear as a noble lady. Yet, she ended up entangled in absurd rumors.
A heavy sense of guilt pressed on her chest.
Moreover, since they got on the carriage, the Duke hadn’t uttered a single word, making Lina bow her head even more.
Should she initiate the conversation or not? At that moment of hesitation, Beligé’s voice reached her ears.
“Was it the same with the Second Prince as before?”
“That’s…”
What should she answer? They had only coincidentally run into each other a few times.
As Lina carefully chose her words to avoid any misunderstandings by the Duke, Beligé’s voice became even lower as if hesitating. Then, Lina urgently defended herself.
“We just happened to run into each other a few times in the palace. It’s really not what others might be gossiping about.”
“…Just coincidental meetings.”
The Duke seemed to have more to say as his lips twitched, but he ultimately didn’t utter anything.
Uneasy, Lina added a few more words.
“When I went to see the former Empress at the rose garden, and when I went to the library to see Lady Ariana. It was just two or three chance encounters like that. I really don’t know why she proposed a partnership to me.”
She felt truly unjust. From picking up the handkerchief dropped by someone else, to receiving a public proposal in front of everyone.
There was nothing understandable about the man’s actions toward her.
As Lina’s expression darkened again, Beligé sighed softly.
“If you say you’re nothing, then you’re nothing.”
“Do you believe me?”
“Yeah, so relax your expression a bit.”
Beligé used his index finger to gently smooth the furrowed space between Lina’s eyebrows.
As the Duke’s face loosened, she, too, smiled with relief and leaned against Beligé.
“I really have only the Duke in my heart.”
The Duke, seeing Lina’s relieved expression, chuckled.
“Me too.”
The air between the two became softer.
How much time had passed? Lina, now feeling relaxed, began to doze off with half-closed eyes.
It had been a demanding day, and she hadn’t been able to relax for a single moment from early morning until now.
“To reach the mansion, it’s still a long way. Rest a bit.”
Looking down at the visibly tired Lina, the Duke spoke.
“No… I’m fine…”
However, despite Lina saying she was fine, her voice was gradually fading away.
Beligé lifted one corner of his mouth in satisfaction.
“Since you don’t seem fine at all, just sleep.”
“Then… just a little…”
Lina rested her head on Beligé’s shoulder with those words. His breath, audible in her ears, comforted her heart like a lullaby.
In that way, Lina quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Lina softly opened her eyes at the refreshing breeze passing by her face. What she saw was a unfamiliar scenery.
From the warm sunlight pouring down from the sky to the fresh grass tickling her skin.
[Where is this…]She had definitely fallen asleep in the carriage.
Beligé, who had been sitting next to her, had disappeared again, leaving her alone in an unfamiliar place.
[What’s going on?]Lina moved her body to find Beligé. No, her body moved on its own.
After witnessing her feet moving autonomously, she sighed as if realizing something.
[It’s a dream.]The moment she thought it was a dream, her heart relaxed. Turning her head towards a familiar presence nearby, she felt a cold gaze.
And at the end of that gaze…
[Who is it?]There was a man.
A man with icy silver hair that seemed as cold as ice.
A long sword was strapped to his waist.
[A knight?]Having stared at the man’s back for quite some time, the man, who seemed to sense Lina watching him, turned around.
[Huh?]At that moment, Lina’s entire body stiffened at the unveiled face of the man.
[That face…]The familiar golden eyes and Lina’s violet eyes were entangled in the air. A face that seemed to capture anyone’s gaze wherever he went.
And the man with golden eyes, like the sun, was a face she knew very well.
“Beligé…?”
As she uttered a sigh-like word, Lina’s eyes opened.
“Are you awake?”
A gentle voice echoed in her ears.
Certainly, just before closing her eyes, she had fallen asleep using Beligé’s thigh as a pillow, but when she opened her eyes, she was looking outside the carriage.
“How long have I been sleeping?”
“About two hours?”
Two hours? That meant he had waited for her in the carriage for over an hour.
“Oh my goodness! You waited for me? You should have woken me up…!”
“You were sleeping so soundly. Were you dreaming?”
‘Dream? Ah.’
She swept her disheveled hair aside and answered, “Seems like it.”
“You called my name.”
As he questioned, Lina, who had been pondering the dream she just had, smiled brightly.
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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