A faint voice permeated the silence.

Herdin looked at the lips from which the voice had come. Blair, upon hearing that unfamiliar name, furrowed her delicate forehead in apparent pain and struggled to form words with her trembling lips.

“Asiel…”

A sorrowful voice accompanied by sobs spread throughout the quiet room. His hand, which had been lifting, froze.

Upon hearing the unfamiliar name that flowed from her lips, Herdin suddenly remembered Blair’s obsession with the word ‘contract.’

Only now did he begin to understand her actions.

Asiel.

It must be the name of a lover she loved so much that she wanted to meet him even in her dreams, so much that she wanted to fulfill the contract, no matter how terrible the memories were.

Was her claim of not believing in love just a lie to hide her true intentions? Did she want to hide the existence of her beloved so much that she was willing to be ridiculed by the world?

Herdin couldn’t help but smile as he got up from his seat.

Even though the theory he had casually mentioned earlier had taken shape, he had nothing to do with the wretched woman who had fallen in love with the princess and forbidden love.

The fact that the name she uttered from her lips annoyed him was probably because the deceitful woman had hidden her true intentions.

And the fact that the name happened to be the name of Delmark’s ancestor played a part.

Herdin left the room immediately.

Ruth, who had come to find him, was taken aback when she met the lord. He always had a cold expression, but now he seemed colder than ever.

In the midst of Ruth’s stunned state, Herdin asked first.

“What’s the matter?”

“Lady Sionel sent a catalog.”

Lady Sionel was undoubtedly the best dress designer in Ardel. She was originally born a commoner but had been recognized for her talent by Queen Catherine and even received a title.

She was scheduled to be summoned to the Duke’s mansion today to prepare the attire for the upcoming New Year’s celebration. However, due to Blair’s illness, the appointment had been canceled.

The servant who had gone to deliver the news had brought back the catalog instead.

Herdin accepted the catalog Ruth handed him.

“She asked me to choose the fabric in advance for any hard-to-find materials.”

When he opened the catalog, there were small samples of fabrics neatly pasted. Next to them, detailed descriptions of the fabric’s strengths and weaknesses, along with prices, were written in small letters.

Herdin covered the catalog and handed it back to Ruth, saying, “Choose any fabric that’s suitable for winter.”

The price of the fabric was not a consideration for Delmark’s duke, who was as wealthy as the royal family.

A few days later, when Blair’s condition improved, Herdin hired a new hypnotist.

She was a woman with a soft, gentle appearance who looked to be in her mid-thirties. She was from a respected family that was on par with Delmark’s nobility.

The woman, who introduced herself as ‘Agnes Lorelayn,’ explained her plans for the future to Blair.
I have translated the paragraph from Korean to English as per your request. Here is the English translation:

“People who have lost their memories due to a significant shock may actually bury their memories even more if they try to forcibly recall them,” Agnes explained to Blair with a gentle smile on her face.

“So, instead of trying to forcibly retrieve your memories, I want to start by slowly making those memories from that time more familiar.”

“How would that work?”

“First, once a week, during tea time, would you be willing to share stories from your childhood with me? Any story will do.”

Blair was looking at Agnes with a polite expression, but her fingers under the table were playing with the edge of her dress.

With Agnes’ proposed method, she couldn’t access her memories quickly.

There was one reason why she was so obsessed with finding her memories, no matter what. She had to find her memories before having Asiel, no matter what.

If she couldn’t end this contract marriage even after getting pregnant, Herdin would find out about the pregnancy.

Furthermore, every time she tried to retrieve her memories, her body would ache, so it would be impossible to attempt it during pregnancy.

Until Asiel was conceived, there was only about half a year left.

It was a tight time frame to finish everything here and prepare to leave.

Lost in thought, Blair raised her hand to the table and played with the edge of the teacup without immediately responding to Agnes’ story.

Agnes, as if reading Blair’s thoughts, spoke with a comforting tone.

“Don’t be too impatient. I will definitely help you find your memories. Just relax, trust me, and follow along.”

There was an irresistible force in her gentle gaze.

Could she really tell personal stories in front of a stranger?

She wasn’t inclined to, but strangely, she didn’t feel like rejecting Agnes’ proposal.

“Okay.”

Finally, Blair nodded her head firmly. Seeing Blair’s response, Agnes smiled.

“I look forward to hearing what stories Lady Blair will share. By listening to those stories, I will learn another aspect of life.”

Just as the two of them scheduled their next tea time, they felt a presence behind them.

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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