Seliya noticed from Eli’s words that she had feelings for Dietrich beyond that of a servant to her master.

She also noticed Eli’s cautiousness towards her.

‘I guess he didn’t explain me properly. Typical of the indifferent guy.’

Even if she put herself in their shoes, it was strange that the emperor would tell a criminal who tried to kill him to serve him well. Since Dietrich had not explained about her to Eli, Seliya decided to give a vague answer.

“Lovers? If it’s the opposite, maybe.”

At Seliya’s answer, Eli relaxed her face. Her tone softened, less cautious than before.

“I apologize for the rude question. There has never been a woman close to the master… May I assist you with a bath?”

“It’s fine. I prefer bathing alone.”

“……Understood. Call me anytime if you need anything.”

Eli slightly bowed her head and left the room. Seliya looked at the closed door and gave a quiet smile.

She knew Dietrich was strikingly handsome, but she never expected that he could even entice a blind maidservant.

What’s your relationship with the master?

Eli’s previous question hovered in Seliya’s mind.

‘Come to think of it, I’m not even sure what to call our relationship,’

Seliya thought it was like Dietrich to not explain. Their relationship, in Seliya’s view, was very, very peculiar.

Neither enemy nor ally, just ambiguous.

‘It’s not important to me anyway. Dietrich aims to use me, and I just want to know how that author knows about my abilities.’

Clearing her mind, Seliya undressed and entered the bathroom. On the floor were neatly placed a rose-scented soap and a towel for wiping her body.

Seliya dipped her hand into the tub filled with water. The temperature was neither hot nor lukewarm, just right for a bath.

She submerged her body into the warm tub.

Taking a proper bath after such a long time instantly lifted Seliya’s spirits.

While enjoying her bath, Seliya realized she had forgotten to bring a change of clothes.

‘Surely no one will come in.’

Even if someone did, she thought, she could use her abilities.

Dietrich couldn’t defy the empress’s order. If he failed to bring Seliya by noon, the empress would relentlessly chase the matter.

Jeremy, the empress’s son, was trying to strip Dietrich of his military authority by making all sorts of excuses.
Today, defying the Empress’s orders gave Jeremy the momentum he so desperately needed, fueling his desire for retaliation.

He had been told to be ready by noon, and so he must be.

No sooner had the Emperor’s funeral ended than the Empress had bribed Dietrich’s in-house chef.

Within half a day, Dietrich, who noticed this, kicked the chef out and bought food from outside the palace. Naturally, he couldn’t leave his post, so he sent his aide, Anderson.

“Here’s the food, sourced directly from outside.”

Anderson was laden with a basket full of bread and fruit.

The food in the basket all looked fresh.

Dietrich picked up what looked like the freshest basket and began to speak.

“Well done. Leave the rest of the food in an empty room.”

“You mean an empty room, not the kitchen?”

“There’s a chance someone might mess around in the kitchen while I’m away.”

“Understood.”

Anderson bowed his head and added,

“I’ll look for a new chef. Someone trustworthy, who won’t be bribed by the Empress.”

Dietrich said nothing.

Knowing the Empress, the moment he found a new chef, she would bribe that person too, keeping up the pressure on Dietrich.

Right now, Dietrich had military authority, but as soon as Jeremy took the throne, that authority would naturally transition to him.

Jeremy disliked him so much that he might well ask him to step down as commander of the Royal Knights and even strip him of his dukedom.

It was a fight that was clearly unfavorable for him.

The three dukes would most likely know what was going on in the palace and choose to remain indifferent.

As always. Moving the pieces on a chessboard.

Just like they destroyed their own country by taking advantage of the Emperor’s stupidity.

The one variable was that Seliya, with her abilities, was on his side. Fortunately, it seemed that no one knew Seliya had these abilities except him.

The fragrance of hyacinth, which had clouded his mind, still lingered at the tip of his nose.

At the same time, the image of Seliya, coughing up blood in agony, came to mind.

‘Is her body deteriorating the more she uses her abilities?’

It made sense. She had been fine until she used her abilities, after which her body was left in a terrible state.

As he bit his lips…further.

The memory of Seliya, who wouldn’t let go of her hold on his lips, made Dietrich’s eyes deepen in silence.

All the while he swallowed, Dietrich was staring at Seliya.
Seliya would be furious the moment she opened her eyes and realized he had fed her his saliva. Especially once she figured out his saliva had healing properties.

But Seliya never opened her eyes to the end. After taking in the saliva, she finally pulled away and spoke a single word.

“Sweet.”

With a genuinely joyful smile, Seliya fell softly into sleep.

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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