The Monster Knight Wants Maternity Leave (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
The solemn corridor of the imperial palace.
Rather than the light steps of a woman, heavy footsteps resounded boldly down the endless hallway.
Black, long hair and a black uniform.
Upon her shoulders rested ornate epaulettes hinting at her distinguished record—her name was Lucia.
Lucia, captain of the Imperial Household’s Black Knights, had achieved more by the age of twenty than most could count on both hands.
Yet, because her methods were so ingenious and ruthless, rumors of all kinds—whose origins no one could trace—always trailed behind her, the so-called “Black Monster.”
Now, after five years, she had suddenly reappeared in the palace, causing servants who recognized her to hastily bow their heads, fearful even of meeting her eyes.
Reaching the end of the corridor—her destination—a lavishly adorned door appeared, clearly meant for the palace’s sovereign.
Even though the imperial guards stationed there had been forewarned, their startled heartbeats threatened to burst through their breastplates upon seeing her.
And understandably so—despite her infamous reputation, Lucia had just returned from completing the training required to become a Sword Master, the dream of every knight.
Before their very eyes stood the continent’s fourth Sword Master.
They could only stare at Lucia with eyes brimming with awe.
One guard, too tense even to wipe his sweat, turned and shouted loudly:
“His Imperial Majesty! The Captain of the Black Knights has arrived!”
Immediately, as if awaiting her, the door swung open, and the Emperor hurried down from his throne, spreading his arms wide in welcome.
For an Emperor of a newly founded empire, such behavior was far beneath his station.
“Oh! Who might this be!”
“I pay my respects to the Sun of the Empire. Your Imperial Majesty. Captain of the Black Knights—Lucia.”
Despite the Emperor’s warm reception, Lucia gave only a simple nod, offering her greeting with restrained formality.
“Tch… how audacious. Even when addressing His Imperial Majesty, she omits her family name…”
“Didn’t you know? She severed ties with her earldom the moment she came of age.”
“I see… Still, after all this time away, to return with such unwavering attitude…”
The nobles waiting for the Emperor’s approval frowned and whispered among themselves at Lucia’s demeanor.
But as always, the Emperor paid them no mind.
Instead, waving his hand dismissively at the nobles, he said,
“Enough for now. Leave us.”
The nobles, clearly displeased but unsurprised, filed out one by one.
Now, only the Emperor and Lucia remained in the vast Great Hall.
“My dear. It’s been five years. You’re twenty-five now, I suppose? Haha. Age suits you well.”
The Emperor, his beard stroked by wrinkled fingers and the corners of his mouth turned upward with age, spoke with feigned composure.
Yet his eyes betrayed his true desire, gleaming like a dog awaiting a treat, his nostrils flaring with longing as he gazed at Lucia.
Anyone witnessing this might assume a middle-aged man was about to commit an indecent act toward a beautiful woman—but Lucia, knowing his true intentions, didn’t even blink.
“You’ve aged since I last saw you, Your Majesty.”
Her response, as ever, was bluntly honest.
“Hmph… Perhaps living alone has stunted your tongue. It hasn’t matured a bit. Haha…”
Though the Emperor replied calmly, his face fell slightly, and his hand moved from his beard to the wrinkles near his jaw.
“But that’s not important. Come now—speak quickly. You must have sent word because your training bore fruit.”
“Indeed. It’s admirable you’ve reached a level unattainable even for those twice your age. But it’s absurd that our Empire has no Sword Master.”
The Emperor, overcome with emotion, rambled on excitedly to himself.
And indeed, his words rang true.
Ironically, aside from the Commander-in-Chief—the continent’s greatest swordsman—the Empire had not a single Sword Master.
There were only three Sword Masters on the entire continent: one each in the two allied nations rivaling the Empire. Once the Empire’s pride, the Commander-in-Chief, retired, their military strength would be no different from that of lesser kingdoms.
Thus, the Emperor’s desperate solution was to produce the continent’s youngest Sword Master.
Immediately after the Empire’s founding, he had removed Lucia—who showed clear promise—from all duties and ordered her into five years of secluded training. And now, the result:
“You’ve never disappointed me.”
Lucia, watching the Emperor puff with excitement as if about to snort, quietly opened her mouth.
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes, yes! Hmph. I’m ready. Show it to me.”
He meant for her to reveal the crimson aura—the proof of a Sword Master.
The Emperor composed his eager hands, swelling with anticipation to savor the fruit of five years’ labor.
“I must take parental leave.”
“Yes, of course. At your record-breaking age, a little parental leave is nothing…”
The Emperor continued gently—until his expression suddenly froze, as if struck from behind.
His dazed eyes seemed to carry the words: “Don’t even joke about this.”
Yet Lucia stood before him, expressionless, waiting patiently for him to finish speaking.
An oppressive silence filled the vast hall.
Then, staring fixedly at Lucia, the Emperor let out a deflated chuckle.
“Ahaha?! You? You of all people? That’s absurd. You must be joking.”
His laughter, however, carried a reason.
No matter how he thought about it, Lucia’s statement was utterly flawed.
Of all people—Lucia, the genius who knew nothing but the sword.
After her legendary debut at sixteen, noble sons had lined up endlessly to woo the beautiful Lucia.
But she had acted as if the very concepts of love or romance had been erased from her mind—utterly incapable of understanding their advances.
Recalling those memories, the Emperor shook his head, laughing heartily.
At his dismissive demeanor, Lucia remained as unmoving as a doll devoid of emotion.
Then, she raised her hand before him, spreading all five fingers.
“Ah—my apologies! Of course! Five years! It’s been five years! So, our esteemed Sword Master…”
Lucia shook her head, cutting him off.
“Five years old.”
“Five years old?”
The Emperor mirrored her gesture, equally bewildered.
“Yes. Five years old. I have a child.”
The Emperor’s eyebrows shot up in desperate hope.
He quickly shook his head, refusing to believe it.
Lucia nodded firmly, confirming it.
No?
Yes.
But no.
I’m telling you, yes.
No…
In this deadly clash of affirmation and denial—shield against spear—only the Emperor remained, drained and ancient as a millennium-old mummy.
*
Certainly.
It had been her final breath…
Yet, as she exhaled meaningfully through her pierced nostrils, a warm breath brushed sharply across her lips.
‘….’
Was this the next breath?
After hesitating and exhaling repeatedly, she finally reached a conclusion.
‘I thought those memories were my life flashing before my eyes—but apparently, I didn’t die after all.’
Lucia—92 years old, the continent’s first and last Grand Sword Master.
Once, in the Empire of Eldarion, she had been a fearsome swordsman and royal knight, known as the “Black Monster.”
Now, though she had lived alone deep in the imperial mountains for over forty years, she remained a legendary master who, without any noble title, had risen to Commander-in-Chief by effortlessly defeating countless wars and top-tier monsters.
In truth, she had long awaited death.
Perhaps the unique loneliness of someone who felt no interest in anything but the sword had worn her out more than anyone else’s life ever could.
And last night—at long last—
She had sensed her body, elevated to the peak of mastery, being consumed by death, accompanied by visions like a life-review.
Lucia had accepted that death without resistance, preparing to slip into eternal slumber…
But she hadn’t.
Had it all been a mistake? Or, regrettably, a failed attempt?
Even this supposedly final, special experience was interrupted—as morning inevitably arrived once more.
With a long sigh, as if surrendering to fate, Lucia rose from her bed.
Without even glancing around, she instinctively reached out and grasped the hilt of her sword.
Grabbing her sword the moment she rose had been her unbroken habit since becoming a swordsman—a ritual to awaken her body.
Her morning sword dance began, tracing elegant arcs through the still air of the empty bedroom, slicing through the dawn’s stagnant silence—until, like a final flourish,
—Whirrrrr.
Her sharp blade left her hand, spiraling high toward the ceiling.
—Thud.
“?”
Impossible.
Lucia looked up in shock.
Her sword was firmly embedded in the ceiling.
Normally, when tossed upward, her blade would leisurely spin like a windmill and land perfectly in its stand.
‘Did I put in too much strength?’
Though she had just moments ago longed for death, she couldn’t hide her bitterness—her body, once controlled with flawless precision for decades, now betrayed her with age.
Staring blankly at the ceiling with a hollow expression, she noticed something odd around the embedded blade.
‘…Strange. Was this painted here before?’
An unfamiliar yet oddly familiar mural adorned the ceiling.
Her sword had pierced precisely the center of the mural—deep into something held in the hand of the goddess Ashir, who governed nature.
Just then—
Someone knocked on old Lucia’s bedroom door.
“Captain, it’s Berel. If you’re ready, please come down.”
‘…Berel?’
Though surprised by a visitor in this isolated place, the name sounded familiar, prompting her to search her memories.
Then she recalled—she had once served alongside a comrade with that very name.
The Berel she knew was Berel Altrood, vice-captain of the Black Knights.
This was odd.
These mountains were the Empire’s only dangerous region, teeming with monsters—accessible only to those of Sword Master caliber or equivalent magical prowess.
Thus, aside from her young maid—who used a special route—Berel, who hadn’t even reached such mastery, coming alone was utterly impossible.
Frowning in suspicion, Lucia narrowed her eyes—so distracted by her unexpected guest that she failed to notice not only her renewed physical vigor but even the absence of wrinkles where she’d just furrowed her brow.
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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they’re so cute i’m gonna cry 😭😭 i adore them sm