Shaina’s Second Temple VIP Room.
The royal family of Lihart had convened a meeting for the Flame Ceremony.
A silent tension filled the room.
The royals, ever observant, whispered amongst those with whom they already had alliances.
“His Majesty is absent again this year.”
“It’s almost to be expected now.”
The main purpose of the meeting was to foster relationships among the royals.
Seven royals had awakened, yet none found joy in these gatherings.
Among them, Third Prince Chayce la Lihart had been plagued by nightmares for a month leading up to the event.
‘Would be better if this gathering never happened.’
Chayce was one of those royals who lived life with bated breath.
He had neither married nor had children.
All due to Queen Wyeno.
Chayce had witnessed the deaths of the First and Second Princes.
Though deemed accidents, all suspicions pointed towards Queen Wyeno.
He sensed it immediately.
He would be the next target.
Chayce, realizing this, became a priest at Shaina’s Temple, renouncing his rights to the throne.
To signify this, he wore priestly robes and lived away from the royal palace in a small temple estate.
Besides the aforementioned royals, many others had died.
Especially the young royals who had not yet awakened were sacrificed in large numbers.
‘As long as Queen Wyeno and Crown Prince Valented reign, this bloodshed won’t stop.’
That was the reason Chayce gave up companions and children.
It was no different for the others present.
The surviving royals, excluding the current Crown Prince, all had flaws.
The current royal court was a place where only those who renounced or were incapable of succession could survive.
‘I wish His Majesty would make a clear choice of successor.’
Everyone wished to live without the threat of being executed.
That was the only thing left for them to do.
Queen Wyeno even discouraged closeness among the royals, forcing them to whisper amongst themselves.
Just then, the door opened and the day’s main character appeared.
“Crown Prince Valented la Lihart is now present.”
All eyes turned to Valented.
He sat down with a leisurely expression.
“Has everyone received the blessings of the Flame?”
“Of course, Your Highness. The flames were beautiful again this year.”
“Your presence makes this gathering all the more special.”
The royals heaped saccharine praises.
But outward appearances differed from inner sentiments.
‘He has the audacity to show his face after the scandal.’
‘The man who featured in the article died suddenly, didn’t he?’
‘Most of the newspapers were recalled and discarded.’
The royals were laying low for the day, having heard the news about the Crown Prince.
In fact, newspapers featuring the article were being sold at a premium on the black market.
‘It would have been better if he didn’t show up.’
The nerve of him to show his face before the scandal had even blown over.
The gathered opinion was that he was as shameless as the Emperor.
“Now that everyone is gathered, let’s begin the meeting.”
Someone was still missing.
Everyone knew but no one challenged the Crown Prince.
The one who interrupted was not a royal but a doorman.
“Duke Kashar Vladis la Lihart is now present.”
Suddenly, Valented’s brows furrowed.
He had intended to treat the Duke as if he didn’t exist, but that plan had failed.
The absence of Duke Vladis had been planned in advance; the Crown Prince had moved up the meeting time.
“…You’re late. Duke.”
“Isn’t it remarkable that a dog even keeps time?”
Nonchalant in response to the jab, the Duke sat down.
Bottles for decoration lay on the table next to him.
The Duke picked up one at random and poured himself a drink.
He drained it alone, his lips turning a deeper shade of red.
“Let’s begin the updates.”
Suggesting to share updates, the Duke’s gaze rested on the wall clock.
The mandatory attendance time for the royal gathering was an hour. He seemed to wish time would pass quickly as he tapped the armrest with two fingers.
No one had ever been so free in front of the Crown Prince.
Subtle gazes of admiration surreptitiously turned toward the Duke.
Noticing the subtle atmosphere, the Crown Prince raised his voice.
“Very well. Prince Chase, you may speak first.”
“My life remains the same. I move only according to the time set by the Goddess.”
Surveillance from the Empress’s side had already been applied even in the temple.
Inquiring about each other’s recent activities in such a public place was to solidify their respective positions.
“How is your ability?”
The abilities of the royals varied.
Those who could manipulate natural elements without spirits.
Those with overflowing magical power. Those who could see the future. Those who had physical strength.
Among them, Chase’s ability was to hear distant sounds.
However, he had been almost unable to use his ability since suffering a major accident just before becoming a cleric.
“I have still not recovered.”
“What a pity.”
A smile flickered at the corners of the Crown Prince’s mouth.
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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