Although he hadn’t raised his voice, the raw emotion in Reus’s words was palpable.
“If you understand, then leave.”
Reus’s tone and voice were noticeably rougher, clearly indicating his patience was wearing thin. However, Casien seemed oblivious to this, responding with something utterly nonsensical.
“I can’t do that. I must have a conversation with Roel today.”
Is he really insane…?
In the social circles, although indulgence in mistresses was treated leniently, adultery among nobles was considered a grave sin.
Even for Casien, known for upsetting the women in the capital, his current actions were inexcusable and would surely lead to gossip.
Knowing this, yet blatantly pursuing a married woman, especially in front of her husband, the Grand Duke of the Empire, was outrageous.
It was no surprise that Reus grimaced openly.
“I didn’t realize you still had no grasp of the situation.”
“It’s rather ironic coming from someone who took someone else’s fiancée.”
“Casien!”
I reflexively called out his name, shocked by his tone.
A tense atmosphere briefly lingered between them. Soon, Reus stepped closer to Casien.
“Do you think even after a small talk Roel will come back to you?”
“Roel doesn’t understand… No, she doesn’t realize how things went wrong while she’s with you…”
Before Casien could finish, Reus burst into derisive laughter.
“Seems you still don’t get it.”
“What do you mean?”
Reus’s lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Roel had decided to completely break it off with you even before she met me.”
“…….”
“You know so little about Roel, yet you want to go back to her.”
His words carried an underlying warning to abandon his futile stubbornness.
Reus turned away from the stunned Casien, and we left the Britian Palace.
No words were exchanged between Reus and me until we reached the Duke’s mansion. I wondered if he was really angry with me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
However, there was a definite difference in him before and after visiting the palace.
‘I heard he was called by the Emperor…’
What had happened while he was away from the banquet?
I knew it was better not to pry, but it wasn’t easy. I had to face him continuously, and we even shared a bedroom, whether we liked it or not.
‘And ever since I realized Reus isn’t entirely a bad person, I don’t find him as detestable as before…’
Lost in thought, I was startled by a knock on the door. I quickly got up to greet the visitor.
“Dewin, come in.”
“As per His Highness’s instructions, I will be assisting you from now on. I look forward to working with you.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
From today, Dewin would take charge of teaching me my duties as the Duchess.
It was good to have responsibilities, but there was one problem.
‘Should I really be seeing this…?’
Contrary to my expectation of just pretending, the documents Dewin showed me revealed intimate details about the Rocheter Grand Ducal family.
Could it be… I would be handled by Reus’s hand before I leave?
While reviewing the documents, I finally spoke up.
“But… should I really know all this? I’m a bit concerned….”
“Whatever it is, you are the Duchess now. And it’s my assigned task as well.”
“Hmm….”
“You’ll find it much easier if you know the overall situation.”
Inside the Grand Duke’s mansion, only three people knew about this contract: me, Reus, and Dewin.
If I only had to interact with these two, there wouldn’t be a need for this, but to others in the mansion, I was genuinely the Grand Duchess Rocheter.
So, considering I’d have to engage in work-related conversations with the mansion’s staff, it was beneficial to know as much as possible.
While I understood why they showed me all the intimate details of the Grand Duke’s affairs, it still made me uneasy.
No matter how much I thought about it, it bothered me. Sensing my concern, Dewin quickly reassured me.
“Rest assured, there won’t be any disadvantages for you. His Grace might seem cold, but he’s not the kind of person who would harm his benefactors.”
“Right.”
I nodded, managing a small smile.
Reus currently seemed very rational, even beyond just appearing normal.
But recalling that he would eventually become a mad villain, solely focused on rebellion in the latter part of the novel…
‘Well, you never know with people.’
I had read how Reus’s blade would soon turn towards the Emperor’s allies, and he would even lead the ducal knights into the palace. So, the current situation wasn’t much of a comfort.
I just hoped he would remain sane until I could escape.
While Dewin was called away by Reus, I reviewed the sections he had explained earlier. Suddenly, I felt someone watching me from behind.
Turning slowly, I was surprised to see a tall man standing right behind me! I was so startled that my chair rattled violently.
Struggling to calm my racing heart, I couldn’t find the words to speak. Theron looked at me, amused, then pushed my chair back closer to the desk.
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
