Certainly, it seems that many incidents occurred during the chaotic situation in the early days of the kingdom.
Ruela asked again about Maria’s situation.
“Due to those events, Maria was sent to the Kamun Village, right?”
“Yes. She was only 5 years old when her mother died, and not long after, she ended up separated from her father. Duke Kuran was really too much.”
“With the state of the capital, it makes sense that she was sent for safety. The lady of the mansion could understand, right?”
“Yes, yes. Naturally, I can understand that part. However, she’s the only daughter. Moreover, being the adopted daughter of the duke, sending her off with just one nanny seems excessive, don’t you think?”
“Just with one nanny?”
“Yes. There were no knights accompanying her. Clere said that anyone who saw it would think she was a banished criminal.”
As she listened, it truly felt strange.
The queen, who had threatened to expose something while arguing with Duke Kuran over their son, died a few days later. And the duke’s daughter was immediately sent to the outskirts.
Considering the lack of security for sending her only daughter away, Ruela thought that the queen wanted to reveal something about Maria Kuran, the wife of Kamun.
Could that secret be related to creatures?
Ruela observed the countess, who was enjoying a buff cookie.
She wanted to ask more about Maria Kuran, but too much time had passed. Now, the royal ball was more important than that incident.
Thinking about how to make the queen agree to the royal ball, Countess Laine, who had finished her cookies, tapped her lips with a handkerchief and spoke.
“The time has already come to this. I should be going now.”
“But the conclusion about the royal ball hasn’t been reached yet.”
In response to Ruela’s words, the countess let out a deep sigh.
“If the difference in opinions can’t be narrowed down, what can we do? We should just pretend there was no ball.”
“But isn’t it better to open the royal ball, even if we don’t do anything else?”
In response to Ruela’s question, Countess Laine laughed.
“If the queen doesn’t like it, what can I do?”
With a nonchalant attitude, Ruela straightened up and looked directly at the countess.
“Countess Laine.”
“Yes?”
In a different expression and tone than before, Countess Laine responded with a tense demeanor.
“Have you experienced the time of the Helane Kingdom?”
To the unexpected question, the countess turned her gaze outward, reminiscent of the past.
“It was a dreamlike era. Of course, unlike now, I was of humble status, but still, it was a time of freedom, and even though we were poor, it was an abundant era.”
“To equate poverty and abundance in the same sentence, is that even possible?”
Countess Laine burst into laughter.
“Yeah, saying it out loud sounds strange. What I meant is that, even if you were poor, if you worked hard to earn money and put in effort, you could afford to buy what you wanted to eat. As you know now, even if you’re rich, it’s impossible, right?”
Ruela cautiously continued the conversation.
“In this situation, will things improve if the king changes?”
“I believe they will. The queen wants complete openness. Since Duke Kuran can’t come forward due to the monsters, he won’t be able to interfere with what the queen wants to do.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes. If he can’t move within the stronghold, what can he do?”
Ruela wanted to burst out with frustration, but she restrained herself and asked in a gentle tone.
“Will Duke Kuran just stand by and watch his daughter lose the throne while he’s still alive?”
The countess responded lightly, as if to assure her not to worry.
“I told you. He can’t move within the stronghold. Besides, it’s well-known that the duke is restraining Master Valder.”
“So, is the duke going to quietly watch the queen take his daughter’s place for that reason?”
“He won’t be quiet, I’m sure. That’s why the queen plans to negotiate with Duke Kuran.”
Trying to stay calm, Ruela inquired further.
“What kind of negotiation?”
“Maria Kuran isn’t fit to be the king. The queen plans to offer her the throne in exchange for ensuring her daughter’s safety.”
“Do you think such a negotiation will be successful?”
“I’m preparing a petition from the nobles to crown the queen as the king. The side supporting Valder has more support from guild leaders than nobles, so there’s not much concern. On Duke Kuran’s side, except for Viscount Gart and a few nobles, there aren’t many close associates to speak of.”
“How many nobles have signed the petition?”
“Most of the central nobles have already signed. Including those who have expressed their intention to sign, it will be over 90%. All thanks to Valder, who has been secluded within the stronghold, and Duke Kuran, who hasn’t interacted with others outside and has been stuck inside the stronghold. The queen has gradually conquered Kuran’s social circles for the past 15 years.”
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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