The place Sione called the two to was the room where she used to give lessons.
In the center of the room, designed like a small library, was a large desk neatly arranged with parchment and quill pens.
Raven walked into the room, smelling the somewhat familiar scent of paper and ink.
There, Sione, who had arrived first, greeted him warmly.
“It’s been a while, Raven. Have you been well?”
“……Yes.”
Bella hasn’t come yet, it seems.
Looking around the room, he felt a slight sense of disappointment and took a seat.
‘It’s a bit awkward to be alone with Sione.’
He still wasn’t entirely comfortable dealing with her.
No, in fact, most people in the Rose Palace would also be uncomfortable with Sione.
Except for Bella, the three maids, and Elga, everyone seemed to be quite uncomfortable around her.
Noticing his frequent glances towards the door, the perceptive Sione spoke with a small smile.
“Bella will come a bit later. I called you first because I have something to tell you.”
“To me?”
“Do you remember what I said at the last dinner?”
Raven recalled the recent dinner held for Elga’s welcoming.
A table filled with delicacies he had never seen or heard of before.
And a variety of utensils, the uses for which were hard to guess.
While he was briefly pondering how to eat, she had mentioned she would later educate him on dining manners.
“From now on, I intend to teach you not only writing but many things—history and culture of the kingdom, etiquette, and even knowledge about other countries.”
“Why? You don’t have to teach me all that.”
“As you might know, you now have to stay by Bella’s side. It’s inevitable as long as the dependency magic is in effect.”
“……So?”
Raven asked, his expression stoic.
Being confined to the Rose Palace was not as dislikable as before, but the reality of being shackled against his will was still hard for him to accept.
I want to decide for myself where I belong and where my will takes me.
That was Raven’s innermost thought.
“You probably guessed from the recent assassination incident that being with Bella is not easy.”
“……”
“Like it or not, you have to live in this kingdom with Bella, at least until the dependency magic is lifted.”
“I know that. But what does that have to do with educating me?”
“As I said before, I chose to trust you, Raven. You will be the person closest to Bella from now on. In some ways, your position is similar to mine.”
At that moment when their eyes met, Raven could finally guess what she was up to.
‘Is she thinking of raising me as Bella’s confidant……?’
After all, he could not leave Bella’s side.
And the same was true for Bella.
The red potion made by Elga and Sione had a clear production limit, and currently, they could only make enough for one month at a time.
Meaning, if he was gone, Bella would again face the risk of magical depletion.
Given that she was born with a constitution that could not replenish her magic with monster flesh and blood like other ordinary vampires, no one could guarantee how long that would last.
In the end, she was offering him a chance to grow while also asking if he would guard Bella’s side.
“I will spare no support for you to gain the strength and knowledge necessary to defend yourself. Consider it a sort of test. In fact, I’m curious how far you can grow.”
“Was giving me the sword and swordsmanship book a while ago part of that?”
“That was just my goodwill. Actually, the decision to go through with this was due to my mentor. They strongly recommended your education.”
“Elga?”
“Yes, she seemed to take quite a liking to you.”
Sione grumbled a bit, saying it was the first time he had seen Elga be so kind to someone else.
Their relationship seemed closer than he had thought, considering they normally bickered quite a bit and yet were upset over such a trivial matter.
“So, what do you think about Raven? Are you considering getting serious about your education?”
“I’m not completely disinterested. I don’t really care about manners or etiquette, but I guess it would be good to learn if necessary.”
“You’ve thought well. There will definitely be uses for it later. Bella is not someone who will stay in Rose Palace forever.”
Just as she answered with a bright face, the sound of a creaking door was heard.
Bella had arrived.
“Oh? You two are already here. Am I too late?”
“No, Lady Bella. I had something to discuss with Raven.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Trying to grasp the atmosphere, Bella glanced back and forth between Sione and him.
Perhaps she thought the mood was warm, as Bella gave a small smile and then took her seat.
“Have you been busy these days, Sione? I haven’t seen you much.”
“Lady Elga asked me for some help before returning to the mountains. I’ll probably be stuck in the lab for a while.”
“I see. Rosa has been doing a lot of your work lately.”
“You noticed. I’m planning to delegate some work to her since I anticipate being busier.”
As the two conversed, Raven stared absentmindedly at Bella.
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.
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