Interpreting that as a signal, Haldin pressed his body closely to hers. Two layers of thin fabric separated the two’s warm body temperatures.
As Haldin started moving, Blair’s body twitched in response.
Amid the precariousness that seemed to touch but didn’t quite, the strain on Haldin from restraining his desire to leap freely was wearing thin. However, the unfulfilled desire was compensated in another direction. He felt satisfaction as he looked at his wife, who looked up at him with a somewhat pained expression, no matter how much she pushed him away.
In this way, he felt the fulfillment of having her completely.
“Ah, Blair.”
Haldin finally collapsed, whispering her name into her ear along with his rough breath.
Together with his labored breath, a soft kiss descended on Blair’s lips, who was breathing heavily. Blair closed her eyes tightly at the touch of the kiss.
Having wiped Blair’s exhausted body, Haldin, who was lying down, rose from the bed. He was still dressed in his outdoor clothes.
Avoiding eye contact, Haldin, gazing at Blair crouched inside the blanket, opened his mouth.
“I’ve requested a retrial for the case ten years ago.”
At that news, Blair’s body froze.
“Of course, the trial won’t be held until you stabilize.”
The moment she heard that story, one thought flashed through Blair’s mind.
Initially, she thought that she should divorce Haldin before he found out about the pregnancy. She considered the possibility of fleeing without attending the trial. But now, the situation might resolve everything, and she could leave.
‘If the trial reveals the truth, we can clear Empress Hua’s false accusation.’
Contrary to the original plan, Haldin found out about the pregnancy.
If she was going to run away from the ducal mansion anyway, it might be better to leave after finishing the trial.
‘That way, my heart will feel relieved.’
When leaving this place, without any lingering regrets or guilt from the past.
For this reason, Blair, who set the day to leave the ducal mansion right after the trial, decided to advance the trial date.
“It’s okay to move the schedule forward. After all, I’ll only stand as a judge for a very short time.”
“…”
“I also want to clear Empress Hua’s false accusation as soon as possible.”
“If that’s what you think, I’ll consider it.”
Haldin, who didn’t know Blair’s plan, readily agreed with her opinion.
“Please sleep a bit more. Let’s have dinner together after you wash up.”
It was a somewhat amusing statement to make when the one who woke up was Blair.
Having straightened his attire, Haldin left the room immediately. Despite his words, Blair, who woke up just now, got up.
Since waking up from her sleep, the fragrance of flowers had been lingering around her head. When she turned around, a beautifully wrapped bouquet of flowers was placed on one side of the room. It seemed like Haldin had left it.
Staring at the white bouquet, Blair walked to the trash bin placed in one corner of the room and threw it away. As she turned around, the fragrance of flowers lingered around her nose.
Several days had passed since the founding celebration, and the festive atmosphere that had filled the Jeodo Square had subsided. However, the inside of the tavern remained as lively as ever.
Mikhail skillfully crafted cocktails and delivered them to the guests, then moved on to the next customer. Although the guest had a hood flipped back even covering their robe, Mikhail recognized her instantly.
“The usual, as always.”
She was a maid working at Viscountess Cionell’s boutique and, in a sense, his subordinate. Mikhail’s gaze, having recognized her, became sharp.
The fact that she visited the tavern in person, despite usually avoiding contact as much as possible, meant that the client had sought him out.
“Your ordered menu is ready.”
Mikhail handed over the crafted cocktail. The maid took the glass from him and handed him a note.
Concealing the note in his hand, Mikhail handed the guest service over to someone else and went up to the second floor.
Unfolding the note, he saw the neatly written message, just as he had expected.
[A trial related to the Queen’s Palace fire incident ten years ago will soon take place. Consider leaving the ducal mansion shortly after that.]Confirming the content, Mikhail used a lighter from the nearby fireplace to burn the note.
‘Although I wanted to stop his misdeeds with my own hands for the last time…’
However, there wasn’t much time left for him to stay here either. He needed to start preparing to leave this place gradually.
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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