The Princess Wants to Live (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Imperial Year 578. May 22.
Continental War.
“We shall bring an end to the war they have declared!”
Princess Olivia tightly shut her eyes as she heard the Emperor’s voice declare his challenge against King of Norden’s proclamation of war.
Again.
Once more, the Continental War begins like this.
The savage spark of war, burning the entire continent and devouring even the Empire’s very foundation without leaving a trace.
Though she had returned four times already, only the initial incident triggering the war differed each time.
No matter how desperately she tried to prevent the war, it was never enough.
“For the glory of the Empire!”
“For the glory!”
Hearing the thunderous cheers shaking the heavens and trembling the earth, Olivia let out a long, weary sigh.
The end of this war was always the same.
Even with knowledge of the future from her returns, no matter how frantically she ran in every direction, it always ended the same way…..
“Olivia? You look unwell.”
“Your Majesty….”
“Don’t wear that expression. It’s just a war—it’ll be over soon enough.”
Behind the Emperor, confident of victory, Olivia opened her mouth but quickly closed it again.
What good would it do to tell him that this war would end with both her father the Emperor and herself beheaded?
In the end, nothing could be changed.
And so once again, Olivia was swept into the vortex of war.
Day by day, the war intensified, and the spark ignited by a single person grew into a colossal blaze, consuming the entire continent.
Though not everything unfolded exactly as it had in her life before the return, her end remained unchanged.
“Any last words?”
Olivia looked up at the one pointing a sword at her throat and asked.
“Is conquering the continent your goal?”
Even at her abrupt question, the man didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.
“No. Rather, is that truly all you have to say as your last words?”
“If not, then why exactly did you drag this war so far?”
The monster who single-handedly started and ended this war.
The man who, as if by miracle—or rather, by some malicious and vile magic—suddenly set the whole continent ablaze in war and ultimately drove the world to ruin.
Cryer.
He stared down at Olivia silently for a moment, then slowly bent his waist.
Drawing so close that she could feel his breath, he pressed his lips to her ear and whispered,
“I’m a slave, so I must do exactly as I’m told.”
“A slave? What do you…?”
Before Olivia could finish her sentence, she met her fifth death.
Imperial Year 577. May 22.
One year before the Continental War.
“Ugh!”
Olivia jolted awake, her entire body drenched in cold sweat from a seizure.
She frantically felt her neck, reassuring herself it was still intact.
“Again…?”
Her voice slipped out in a low, weary whisper, mixed with a sigh of despair.
This always happened after a return.
Death was an utterly dreadful thing that one could never grow accustomed to.
If only she could die without remembering anything, she wouldn’t have to endure this revolting, shuddering feeling over and over.
“Well, it’s already happened—nothing to be done about it.”
Brooding over it would only lead, as in her first return, to spending the night weeping.
Feeling pity and regret over the Continental War that would destroy the world and her own death, and burying herself in despair—that only lasted until her second return.
Staring endlessly at the situation with grim seriousness only consumed her.
It was far easier to face everything cheerfully and lightly, so that no matter what failure struck, she could just brush it off and rise again.
Olivia roughly swept back her tangled hair and grasped a pen that fit comfortably in her hand.
Quickly, she scribbled down the changes from her previous life before this return.
“As expected—minor details differ, but the major course remains unchanged.”
No matter how hard she struggled, the Continental War still happened, the Empire still fell, and she still died.
But…..
She didn’t want to die. Who would?
When she first returned, she believed she could stop the war using her memories from before. She resolved to prevent the deaths of everyone who would perish in the war’s inferno.
Yet she failed.
In her next return, she thought she could secure victory in the war. If she couldn’t stop it, she vowed at least to do something for the Empire.
But that failed too.
Her third return was the last time she placed meaning in grand ambitions like saving the Empire or its people.
In her fourth return, Olivia acted solely for her own survival.
But as they say, what must happen will happen.
The war always broke out somehow, the Empire always lost somehow, and Princess Olivia always died somehow.
Unconsciously, she rubbed her throat.
“I want to live.”
The moment she voiced it aloud, her goal became clear.
Yes—she truly wanted to live.
She would do anything—anything at all—to stop the war.
“I must stop this war and ensure world peace at all costs.”
Long, long ago, long before Bolshayk became the imperial house,
It was said that after a grueling Continental War ended, an Emperor released a white dove into the sky as a symbol of peace and reconciliation.
Clenching both fists tightly, Olivia firmly declared to herself, word by word,
“I will survive— even if I must become a dove of peace myself!”
Imperial Year 577. May 28.
Continental Assembly.
Olivia scanned the vast assembly hall and took a deep breath.
Pain crept from her stiff shoulders and neck, as if her head might split open—but such discomfort was irrelevant now.
“Your Highness, the Duchy has sent the following message….”
“Your Highness, we’re short on personnel for this section….”
“Your Highness.”
Surrounded by a dense crowd, each delegate reported myriad issues from their respective domains, and Olivia issued clear, decisive orders to resolve every problem without hesitation.
Thus, even this hastily arranged continental event—organized in mere days—posed no issue for her.
On the very day of her return, Olivia went straight to the Emperor.
After dying and returning so many times, Olivia had grown decisive—once she made a decision, she no longer hesitated.
If something needed doing, she did it. If something needed saying, she said it!
If she was destined to die anyway, why not flail desperately for survival?
So without prior appointment, Olivia confronted the Emperor head-on while he was deep in state affairs.
The Emperor, bewildered, asked,
“What on earth are you saying?”
“Please convene the Continental Assembly immediately. We must gather every nation’s leader, along with their invited delegates, to discuss matters concerning the entire continent, beyond national interests. I know the originally scheduled date is still months away—but Your Majesty can make it happen.”
The Emperor fell silent, but Olivia pressed on regardless.
“The topic is world peace.”
This forced assembly existed for one sole purpose: to find a certain individual.
Her nerves, sharpened like a well-honed needle, pierced her temples—but Olivia didn’t blink once.
She couldn’t afford to miss him. She must not lose sight of him.
That man.
“Cryer.”
His name slipped from her lips in a whisper so faint even she barely heard it.
The moment his name escaped her, memories of death flooded Olivia, and unconsciously, she rubbed her throat hard.
She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, taking a steadying breath.
There was no time to wallow in self-pity.
Keeping her gaze fixed on those entering the assembly hall, Olivia recalled the man for whom she’d convened this gathering.
Even with her eyes closed, his image remained vividly etched behind her eyelids.
The demon of the continent. The master of the battlefield. The conflagration of war.
He had appeared so abruptly—as if dropped from the sky—and was described with a chaos of both curses and praises.
And he had become a man Olivia could never forget.
Her heart began pounding wildly, erratically.
This wasn’t excitement or fluttering nerves toward Cryer.
How could she feel such emotions toward the man who’d mercilessly killed her again and again…?
It was fear.
And her bewilderment grew as large as her terror.
His final words just before beheading her:
“I’m a slave, so I must do exactly as I’m told.”
A slanted shadow fell across Olivia’s pale cheeks, so white even her veins had vanished.
A slave?
Even at the time, she couldn’t comprehend it—and even after repeating those words countless times since, she still had no idea what they meant.
Could that man truly be someone’s slave? Cryer, of all people?
Her thoughts kept circling the same point.
It was simply impossible to place the words “Cryer” and “slave” on the same plane.
He might enslave others, but for Cryer himself to be a slave—obeying someone else’s slightest gesture?
After days of racking her brain until it felt ready to burst, she’d found no clues—not even today, the day she’d finally meet him.
Even if she dispatched agents to investigate him, the chance of uncovering the meaning behind his words was vanishingly slim—and there was no time for that anyway.
Then only one option remained: if she didn’t know, she’d simply have to ask him herself.
Whether he’d actually answer was another matter…..
Imagine—a complete stranger, the Empire’s Princess, suddenly appearing before him and asking,
“You’re someone’s slave, aren’t you? Whose?”
Picturing the scene, Olivia frowned and opened her cloudy eyes.
No matter how she looked at it, it was pure madness—nothing more, nothing less.
At least now was the period when he’d just revealed himself, before he’d fully bared his ferocious and cruel fangs—perhaps that was something to be grateful for.
A dry swallow clicked repeatedly down Olivia’s throat.
“Bring me… not strong liquor—just a glass of lukewarm water.”
She felt she couldn’t endure this clear-headed, yet facing Cryer in anything but full clarity would be near-suicidal.
Just as she downed the glass handed by a servant and tried to organize how to begin their conversation,
“Your Highness, it’s an honor to meet you.”
Olivia’s thoughts were abruptly severed by a crowd gathering around her as if they’d made a prior agreement.
“Princess, I am….”
“Your Highness, it’s been so long since we last….”
“You presided over this Assembly….”
Olivia half-listened and half-ignored the flatterers straining their necks to catch even a glance of her attention, merely pretending to listen attentively.
She desperately wanted to dismiss them all—but for the sake of world peace, their cooperation was essential, so she couldn’t.
This charade would end the moment he appeared—just a little longer to endure.
How long had passed—each second feeling like an eternity?
Olivia’s eyes widened until they seemed ready to tear open.
There he was.
He had appeared—without sound, without warning.
Cryer now stood before Olivia.
“Cr… Cryer.”
Consciously, Olivia drew a deep breath.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to breathe properly at all.
Soon, at Olivia’s subtle signal, the bell announcing the start of the Continental Assembly rang.
“We shall now commence the Assembly!”
Held unusually months ahead of schedule, with the agenda delivered so abruptly, attendees had no proper time to prepare anything.
But this was a gathering of leaders, each governing their own nation.
Even with insufficient time, they still fiercely maneuvered for their own interests.
“The agenda for this meeting is—”
The moderator paused briefly, took a deep breath, and nodded firmly.
“World peace!”
Taking over from the moderator, Princess Olivia of the Empire, who had convened the Assembly, spoke.
“Thank you all for attending and gracing this gathering with your presence. I sincerely hope our discussions will be constructive and fruitful for the sake of world peace.”
And everyone present had to consciously avoid looking at the person upon whom Olivia’s gaze was fixed, struggling to hide their bewilderment.
And no wonder—Olivia wasn’t scanning the crowd. She wasn’t staring into empty space, nor at distant tapestries.
Her eyes were fixed on only one man.
A knight accompanying the king of some tiny, barely remembered nation—
with hair like a crescent moon and eyes as deeply sunken and red as scorched earth.
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)