Count Le Bien anxiously sifted through the letter envelope once more. However, apart from the main body of the letter, nothing else emerged from the envelope.
Despite having read it twice, Count Le Bien couldn’t find any fault in the brief letter. He put forth a counterquestion to Lady Ariadne.
“Is there anything else Prince Alfonso has done to offend you? The letter itself seems unproblematic.”
Ariadne voiced her annoyance.
“The letter lacks sincerity!”
Ariadne pointed out the salutation part of the letter.
“I’m certain that I sent this letter early in the morning, but the response only came after ten! Look, it doesn’t say ‘morning’, it says ‘forenoon’!”
“Perhaps he was having breakfast, or had other appointments in the morning?”
The unsatisfying letter, coupled with Count Le Bien’s lack of support, only fueled Ariadne’s anger.
“Is his meal more important than me?!”
Ariadne looked as if she was about to throw something. However, she quickly held back her tears and whispered weakly.
“I waited all morning without even eating, just waiting for the prince’s reply…”
Her emotional changes were dramatic. He had heard about the sensitivity and fragility of the second daughter of the Duke of Oud. But no one had ever told him she was so hottempered at the same time.
Until he saw it for himself, Count Le Bien had no idea what kind of hellish ordeal he was in for in Etruria. He tried to appease Ariadne.
“Lady Ariadne, but Prince Alfonso remembers your desire to tour the city of Taranto, isn’t he asking you for a date first?”
Count Le Bien tried hard to find positive signs.
“Prince Alfonso definitely has good feelings for you, no doubt. Men don’t show interest in women they don’t care about.”
“Is… is that so…?”
Ariadne lifted her tearstreaked face to look up at Count Le Bien. Her doughlike long face seemed pained, like a horse in agony.
It was a face that mixed the worst features of Duke Oud and Duchess Bernadette.
Count Le Bien thought that if it were Lady Susanne sitting here, there would be nothing more he could wish for. She would have looked pretty even when crying, and she wouldn’t have started crying over a trivial matter like not liking a perfectly fine letter.
‘Let’s just go for average, just average…! You don’t need to be a worldclass beauty like your sister, nor do you have to be the kindest person in the world if you can’t be! Just don’t be like Doti!’
“But still…!”
Lady Ariadne cried out once more in a resentful voice. Count Le Bien, startled, turned his attention back to Ariadne, worried that his inner thoughts had been reflected in his attitude.
“I addressed him simply as ‘Alfonso’, omitting any title, but he refers to me as ‘Lady Balloa’ and himself as ‘Prince Alfonso’!”
She violently waved the letter.
“It’s like he doesn’t even want to get close!”
Count Le Bien consoled Lady Ariadne with all his might.
“You two are not even engaged yet. Maybe he is being careful in addressing you. After all, the diplomatic community’s official evaluation is that the heir to the Etruscan throne is a gentleman and cautious.”
“Is… is that so?”
“Absolutely, because he is a gentleman. Now, Lady Ariadne. Wipe away your tears and start getting ready. Don’t you have to welcome the prince this afternoon? Your skin is clear today and you look exceedingly beautiful, but if you keep crying, your face will swell.”
Upon hearing this, Ariadne quickly dried her tears. Count Le Bien breathed a sigh of relief. Phew, it’s over.
“Count Le Bien, this can’t go on like this. I need to do something to attract the prince’s attention.”
Just when he thought it was over, Ariadne summoned the distraught Count Le Bien and whispered her plan into his ear.
Count Le Bien was greatly startled by her astonishing scheme.
“Really? That… do you really think that would work?”
While understanding the Duchess of Lariessa’s reasoning, as a man, I could assure that she would not achieve the effect she aimed for.
“So you’re telling me to do nothing and just stand down?!”
Tears were brimming in the eyes of the Duchess of Lariessa. She seemed ready to burst into tears again.
Before items in the room started flying, Count Lebien decided to grant this troublesome Duchess’s wish. It didn’t seem effective, but it wouldn’t do much harm to others. There might be a backlash…
‘Hey, would it be a big deal if it happens?’
This marriage was a matter between countries. Ultimately, the final decision was in the hands of Leo III and Philip IV.
It didn’t seem likely that Prince Alfonso could have a significant influence on the negotiation process just because he fell for the Duchess of Lariessa.
“I will prepare as you have ordered.”
Anyway, the person Count Lebien had to guard was not Prince Alfonso but the Duchess of Lariessa.
[This is the time separator]Lariessa greeted Prince Alfonso, looking radiant as if she hadn’t cried in the morning. The rose makeup highlighted her fair skin beautifully.
“Prince! You’ve come to fetch me.”
“It’s only natural.”
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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