Even while glancing at this, the emperor took his place at the head of the long table without saying a word and made a gesture.
It was both a signal to take a seat and a signal to hurry up and serve the food.
I sat down with Bake’s escort.
Until the emperor revealed his intentions, it was impossible to know what he was up to, so the plan was to watch for now.
Thanks to Bake, who was more interested in the stillempty seat than in the emperor’s endless chatter, I was able to take a more leisurely look around.
But whether expectations were too high or not, the emperor, unlike his nervousness, showed no movement.
He continued to pull out irrelevant stories, doing everything he could to prevent a quiet meal.
Eventually, I couldn’t stand the boredom and picked up my glass.
“Oh dear. The lady’s glass is already empty. Is the wine to your taste?”
“It’s delicious. Especially, the aroma is very good.”
“Then why don’t we have another glass? This wine was prepared especially for you.”
“Your Majesty has been so generous, how could I refuse?”
Clank
As soon as my answer ended, the transparent glass was filled with dark red wine.
And at the moment when the tension was unknowingly loosened by the oak scent that tickled the tip of the nose.
The servant who was filling the glass and backing away wobbled, the wine bottle shook, and the overflowing wine poured onto me.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
In the silence that descended, the sound of falling droplets sounded unusually loud.
“II’m sorry!”
The servant who was the first to realize what was happening knelt in front of me.
Only then did I huddle up and cover my drenched chest with both hands.
The texture of the fabric sticking to the skin was uncomfortable. For a woman in society, having her dress dirty was a very shameful thing.
Yet, I was not upset because I had already seen it.
While everyone was in a panic, not knowing what to do, the emperor was laughing.
[This is the time separator]In the room guided by the maid, instead of new clothes, there was a man.
I spat out a hollow laugh at the sight of Duke Pieren, who, contrary to the emperor’s words, had already arrived at the imperial palace.
I don’t know when he has been waiting for me here, but at least it is certain that the servant who poured the wine did not make a mistake. He had simply performed his task perfectly.
“His Majesty said he had prepared clothes for me, but I guess that wasn’t it.”
“His Majesty…”
Plod plod, Duke Pieren, who was walking towards me, stopped speaking.
He seemed to have finally discovered my chest, which was stained red with wine.
I briefly wondered what kind of expression the man, whose face was not visible in the backlight of the sun, would be making at this moment, but I soon lowered my gaze.
There was no need for me to know that.
“Since His Majesty has taken action, may I assume that Your Highness has accepted my proposal?”
In the end, I pretended not to know the man’s intense gaze and clasped my hands.
Only after a moment of silence did Duke Pieren open his mouth.
“You dare to say such a thing with such audacity.”
“……”
I slowly closed my eyes and then opened them again.
No other words were necessary. The man’s resentful eyes alone were enough to know the feelings he held for me.
But that’s why I had to clasp my hands tightly. It wasn’t that I had nothing to say, but too much time had passed.
Above all, had I not already prepared myself?
“Do you not want that brazen woman?”
“I don’t want her.”
“Then why did you accept my request?”
“To check. To see how far you can go.”
“……”
“And, how you’ll crumble.”
Duke Pieren took another step towards me.
His face came into view at the closer distance.
So I decided to laugh even more.
“That wouldn’t be so bad.”
“I’m not on your side. And, neither is His Majesty, I presume.”
“You even bother to say that, are you worried about me?”
“It’s not a worry, it’s a threat. So that you can’t get scared and run away in case the situation changes later.”
Unconsciously, I swallowed at the tooclose distance.
For aristocrats, perfume was as important as another piece of clothing, but Duke Pieren did not wear perfume.
Instead, he had a different scent.
A raw, unfiltered scent that resembled his black eyes flickering in the darkness.
I hugged myself with both arms as if cradling myself under the shadow cast over my head.
“Once we’ve started, we need to see the end, right?”
“……”
Click.
A sound, as if meant to be heard, of a flint striking echoed.
I reflexively tightened my arms upon seeing the sharp blade through the space between Duke Pieren’s sheathed sword at his waist.
“Help if you can. I also have to deal with your husband. That’s it, just up to there.”
“……”
“Don’t think about stopping once we’ve started. If you want to avenge your daughter, continually prove your worth and resist. Otherwise, you’ll be dealt with even before your husband.”
“I have no intention of stopping, even without your threats.”
“We’ll see about that. Aren’t you quite capricious, Madam?”
As if he had never lowered his speech, he spoke politely again.
I took a short breath as Duke Pieren, gathering his emotions, retreated. Only then did I realize I had been holding my breath.
I carefully chose my words, then slowly parted my lips.
But Duke Pieren was quicker.
“Someone who was willing to send their parents and siblings to their deaths first is still alive. What difference does losing a daughter make?”
“……”
“In the end, Madam, you will want to live this time as well. Just like before, you will forget the past and attempt a fresh start.”
“…..”
“Then, I will be there.”
Duke Pieren didn’t say anything after that.
But even at that moment, he was holding a sword.
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.]
