Prologue
“Damn, it’s starting again.”
I muttered quietly behind my fan.
He was approaching me, attracting the piercing gazes of the young nobles filling the ballroom.
Duke Kaidel’s eldest son, Duke Rocard Kaidel. Handsome in appearance, excels in both civil and military affairs, with a remarkable background, erratic personality, lack of conscience, and more…
While I was searching for four more letters to describe him, he was standing in front of me.
He’s unnecessarily tall, so if I want to look him straight in the eye, I have to tilt my chin up, which I find annoying.
Every single strand of his smoothly brushed black hair seemed to be showing off. His purple eyes, fixed on me, were so full of passion.
There’s only one word to explain those shining eyes situated on such a perfect face. Unfair. God is unfair.
Before he could open his mouth, I winked and whispered with a smile.
“Would you please go away?”
“Duke Rocard…”
This guy, look at him pretending to be hurt.
I straightened my fan to hide my sneer.
Then the heat that hooked from behind him. It was the jealous flames coming from the eyes of the nobles who were pretending not to watch us.
Ah. That’s it.
This guy is trying to kill me by burning me in those flames without dirtying his hands.
I know his dark intentions. The reason he’s putting on this act right now.
Though my tone was incredibly rude and chilly, he took a step closer with a serious face, as if he would cherish even the wounds I gave him.
I glared at him as if to say, ‘Stop right there!’ but then I met his moist eyes.
Such a pitiful face, making me the trophy of the empire’s nobles.
I don’t know if he’s charmed the whole empire with that overwhelming expression, but I’m not going to fall for it.
By the way, where can you buy such an eye expression? Good grief.
When I momentarily lost my focus, he made his move.
“Duke Rocard, I wanted to ask you to dance, but if I have offended you, I apologize first. However, if there’s a misunderstanding, I want to clear it up. May I ask for a moment of conversation?”
Apparently, he doesn’t listen when told to go away.
“What kind of conversation would someone with bad hearing want?”
Then he answered, puffing out his chest.
How irritating his shining selfesteem and confidence must be to someone like me, he probably doesn’t even realize it.
“Duke Rocard, why don’t you give me a chance…….”
I cut off his words and whispered venomously so only he could hear.
“You think I don’t know your scheme, you devil?”
Mom, I am a bad child. When I was little, I thought the village kids were the bad ones, but now I see it was because I was bad that they threw rocks at me.
I pondered. Should I accompany him with a little drink to lubricate his mouth, or should I pretend to comply with his request, take him to the balcony, and kick his shins?
But both were difficult. If I dared to publicly insult the first lion of the empire, Duke Kaidel’s only son, the repercussions would reach my father, Count Roar. Because he’s a count’s daughter in rank.
Nor could I accompany him to the balcony without public testimony that I had fallen for him.
The people watching us now wouldn’t believe that a woman who spent time alone with Duke Rocard Kaidel didn’t fall for him.
This guy knows that too. That’s why he’s doing this. He will rub my singed shins, laughing at being rejected.
I scanned the piercing gazes directed at me and then spoke quickly and softly.
“Go back now. In everyone’s eyes, you’re the victim, Duke, that’s enough, isn’t it?”
Then he smiled thinly and said,
“They say that in matters of emotion between men and women, the one who feels more loses. So maybe you’re right, Duke Rocard.”
“Ah. Yes.”
He must have picked that up somewhere. It’s really funny.
“Even though we serve different masters, it doesn’t mean we can’t be close. Duke Rocard… Would you open your heart if I were to kneel?”
“Oh my.”
I approached him closely before he attracted any more attention, carefully controlling my movements as I felt enveloped by his broad embrace.
“Even with heels, I’m too short, so look down,” he said, bending slightly at the waist. Only then could I bring my lips near his ear.
A faint perfume mingled with expensive fragrance caught my breath. Must he brag about being wealthy even with his scent? It smells good, though.
I whispered quickly.
“Don’t you realize that no one else is dancing right now? They’re all watching us! Could you please stop showing off?”
He immediately showed his true colors. His malicious and playful breath grazed my ear.
“Dinner in town? If you accept, I’ll leave immediately.”
“In a fancy restaurant crowded with idle aristocrats in the middle of the day?”
“Of course. Étranger would be nice. I’ll send a carriage.”
“So you want rumors to spread that I, the princess’s maid, have betrayed her and fallen for you?”
“That’s fine. Or it’s good because it’s an opportunity to expose your trickery.”
“Oh, such evil words! Someone might misunderstand, Duke Kaidel.”
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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