“……What?”
“While you were away from the mansion, the duke’s fiancée came to visit. I hear it’s a marriage promise that has been made since the previous Duke was alive……”
‘The duke’s fiancée.’
Her mouth seemed to stiffen as if rigid.
[I don’t have a fiancée.]‘I told myself that clearly.’
The man’s eyes, which were whispering to her a few days ago, seemed to be without an inch of falsehood.
‘That day, those eyes were lying? That can’t be.’
“Lina, are you okay……?”
Whether she noticed Lina’s abnormal complexion, Mei asked cautiously.
“Mei, you didn’t hear something wrong, did you? There’s no way that could be true, the Duke said that the engagement was broken a long time ago……”
“You, if you talk like that recklessly, you’ll get into big trouble?”
Lina, who was about to say that there must have been a misunderstanding, stopped talking at the sudden voice.
“The Duke’s fiancée is at the mansion right now. How dare you talk so carelessly?”
With quite a proud stride, Roen approached, and a fleeting arrogance was on her face.
“What were you thinking, talking like that?”
It was as if Roen, who was speaking, had long been a maid attending to the duke’s fiancée. Lina’s brows furrowed at the sight.
“What will you do now, Lina? I hear she came to the mansion to take bride classes.”
Noblewomen of the Empire were educated before marriage, visiting their future husband’s family and learning to be the mistress of the house.
It was a customary event carried out before officially becoming a member of the husband’s family.
Usually, the bride’s class was conducted after the engagement ceremony and when marriage was imminent. It was rare for the marriage proposal to be broken after the bride’s class.
‘Bride’s class?’
Lina’s eyes shook violently at Roen’s words. Seeing Lina’s face noticeably darkening, Roen twisted her lips.
“But unlike you, she is a person with great dignity, so she might embrace you, the concubine?”
The thorn in Roen’s words seemed to prick Lina.
The fiancée and the concubine.
It felt like she had become the protagonist of some thirdrate novel.
As soon as Roen’s words ended, the maids who were whispering a few steps away began to add their words.
“What did I tell you? The Duke was just curious, wasn’t he? Why would he harbor such a girl?”
“She must have been quite swollen with hope, how pitiable…….”
These were the children who had been completely devoted to Lina until recently. But as soon as they heard that the duke had a fiancée, their attitudes changed instantly.
“But the Duke’s fiancée is from the Count Linz’s family, isn’t she? I hear she’s an extraordinary beauty?”
“A young lady of a count’s family is certainly a suitable match for the Duke.”
“So what happens to Lina now?”
“What will happen to her? It’s obvious what happens to a maid who has played with her master. When the Duchess comes in, will she leave her in the mansion? Of course she will be driven out.”
Roen and the other maids began to chatter excitedly. However, Lina did not hear their words.
‘Was there really a fiancée…….’
At first, she thought Mei had misunderstood. But as she heard the words of the other children, she realized that everything was true.
That day, she thought that all the words the man had spat out like a confession were sincere.
So she was thrilled and happy.
But now.
‘All of that was a lie.’
A deep sense of betrayal began to heat her head. Mei, watching Lina, spoke.
“Lina, are you okay……? The Duke is too much, how could he have a fiancée while being with you……!”
“It’s fine. In the first place, I had no special relationship with the Duke. It’s a big celebration in the mansion if the Duke gets married. What’s not okay about me?”
“Lina…….”
Betrayal, injury, and anger.
Complex emotions were stirring in Lina’s heart.
“For now, I’m tired, so I need to rest. I have to move my room again.”
“Move rooms? You mean return to the original room?”
“The fiancée has arrived, so I can’t be using that room. I’m just going back to where I was.”
Lina’s voice was rougher than ever before.
(This is a time separator.)
Thump[Dash].
“So, is the Duke still here?”
Heyren asked, gracefully setting down her teacup.
Three days ago, Heyren’s sudden arrival without any prelude was enough to startle everyone in the mansion.
“I just received word, but it seems the Duke has headed straight to the capital.”
“The capital? Without even stopping at his estate?”
“Yes. Apparently, an urgent matter came up. Maybe Your Grace should also consider going back to the capital……”
At Cullen’s words, Heyren seemed to ponder something as she looked out the window.
“I heard the Duke has a woman.”
“……Yes?”
Cullen, who had expected her to leave by now, couldn’t help but be taken aback by Heyren’s question.
“A maid who worked in this mansion?”
“It’s not something I can tell you.”
He answered calmly on the surface, but he felt as if he was facing the greatest crisis in his 35 years of being a butler.
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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