The Shan Kingdom was engulfed in flames, and Inata Duchy, a close ally of the Shan Kingdom, had also vanished from the map.
Within the ruins reduced to ashes, Kyle silently wept as he held his mother’s lifeless body in his arms.
His heart felt as though it were being torn apart.
Hearing the distant footsteps of knights, Kyle held his breath and pressed his body close to the corpse.
“Are there any survivors?”
“None.”
“The Emperor really is… He usually spares the pretty women instead of killing them. Why did that lustful man slaughter even the women this time?”
The knight smacked his lips in regret.
“How would I know the intentions of someone so high above?”
“Well, you’re right about that. Our task is done—let’s head back. Wasn’t our goal to destroy the Shan Kingdom anyway? We even crushed the allied nation just to be safe, so no one will dare speak against us.”
The knight kicked Abel’s corpse with his military boot.
“She was pretty. What a waste. Damn it. Came all this way and didn’t even get to have any fun.”
Kyle’s hand clenched tightly as he lay on the ground.
“Hey, the other knights have already left. How long are you going to stay around in these ruins?”
“You go back first.”
The knight smirked as he pushed the other knight’s back.
The knight frowned.
“Hey, better not do anything foolish. If you get caught…”
“I said don’t worry and just go.”
Shaking his head, the knight left the scene.
Once he was out of sight, the remaining knight bared his teeth and sneered.
Bending down, the knight pulled the emerald necklace from around Abel’s neck, muttering to himself.
“After coming all this way, leaving empty-handed? I’m not a fool.”
He tried to take not only the necklace but also the ring Abel had been wearing.
Kyle could not forgive this knight who, having killed his mother, now dared to steal jewels from her corpse.
Kyle grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it straight into the knight’s eyes.
“What—what the hell?! You damn little rat…!”
While the knight stumbled in panic, blinded by dirt.
Kyle seized the sword at the knight’s waist and plunged it straight into his heart.
The knight’s lower body swayed, then collapsed helplessly onto Kyle’s body.
Kyle confirmed the knight had stopped breathing, then shoved the corpse aside as if discarding trash.
In the ruins, Kyle scraped together every bit of dirt he could find and covered his mother’s body with it.
In a place utterly devoid of human presence, Kyle closed his eyes and whispered as if speaking to his mother.
“Mother, revenge is the only thing left to me.”
Leaning against the cold earth, Kyle murmured.
“I’m sorry I’ve broken your last wish. But I will live only to kill those men.”
No answer came from the grave, yet Kyle continued speaking.
“I’ll crawl like a dog, hide in silence, and eventually rise to stand atop their heads. They’ll want to destroy me, but they won’t be able to…”
Kyle rose to his feet.
At his feet lay the corpse of the knight he had killed earlier.
Though this was the first time he had taken a human life, he felt no guilt—only a sense of clarity, as if his chaotic thoughts had finally settled.
Disgusted by the sight of the corpse, Kyle tossed it far away.
He was about to throw away the knight’s sword as well, but paused and swung it once through the air.
Despite never properly attending swordsmanship lessons due to Petrian’s jealousy, the sword felt as familiar in his hands as if he’d wielded it for years.
‘This is fortunate.’
There was no easier weapon for taking a life than a sword.
So then, where could one openly be in a position to master the sword in enemy territory—Abelon?
“…The Imperial Palace.”
Kyle’s eyes gleamed sharply.
But immediately, he realized there was virtually no way to enter Abelon’s Imperial Palace.
Only someone who answered to no one might possibly gain access to the palace.
Just then, something caught Kyle’s eye.
[This is the timeline separator]“These are the newly arrived slaves.”
The Emperor of Abelon glanced indifferently at the slaves before him and spoke in a bored tone.
“…Are there only male slaves?”
The slave trader, his face oozing greed, nervously rubbed his hands together and gave an awkward smile.
“Well, during wartime, female slaves sell no matter the price. Still, I’ve brought only decent ones.”
“Nothing particularly special seems to stand out…”
Sekret Basileus, Emperor of Abelon, wore a disinterested expression.
“Tsk. At this hour, I should already be enjoying myself in my private chambers.”
Forced into war against his will, all because of Ileon Gredrick.
Even though he was the Emperor of the Great Empire Abelon, he was practically nothing more than a puppet.
With the overwhelming military forces and imperial knights lent by Ileon, he hadn’t lifted a finger, yet two kingdoms had been nearly annihilated. Still, he couldn’t shake a strange, unpleasant aftertaste.
‘To travel this far and order the extermination of every last survivor? Isn’t that a tremendous loss for us?’
He wished he could defy Ileon’s orders and indulge himself freely, but Ileon’s spies were everywhere—such defiance was impossible.
As the Emperor lazily scanned the faces of the slaves, his gaze suddenly stopped.
A boy with jet-black hair and striking red eyes.
Standing at the boundary between boyhood and youth, this boy lacked any trace of muscle, unlike the burly other slaves.
His frail body looked as if it might collapse at any moment, yet his eyes were as sharp as honed steel.
“…Do you not even recognize your Emperor?”
The slave trader grew even more flustered at the Emperor’s words.
“Your Majesty, are you truly going to buy this one? There are many stronger-looking boys…”
“I have more than enough slaves. But I choose only what interests me.”
The Emperor grinned, revealing his teeth.
“What is your name?”
At the Emperor’s question, Kyle’s lips slowly parted.
“If you’re going to buy me, then let my master give me a name.”
The bold reply made the Emperor burst into loud laughter.
“Dietrich.”
“….”
“From now on, your name is Dietrich. Not some lowly slave.”
The Emperor extended one hand toward Kyle.
Kyle’s gaze fell upon the Emperor’s hand.
A clean hand, free of scars or calluses.
A hand that had never known hardship in its life.
Kyle quietly whispered the name “Dietrich” to himself, then took the Emperor’s hand.
Seeing this, the Emperor’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“…I wonder how long you’ll last in the fierce Imperial Palace. I’d say no more than a month at best.”
The Emperor chuckled as he withdrew his hand.
The slave trader and nearby knights followed suit, snickering among themselves.
Kyle immediately understood—he had been taken in by the Emperor on a mere whim.
A fleeting amusement.
To the Emperor, he was nothing more, nothing less.
To Kyle, it was a blessing beyond tears.
How foolish of the Emperor to fall so easily for such a shallow trick.
“I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s kindness. I shall never forget this favor.”
What did pride matter?
As long as he could kill you.
And as long as he could utterly destroy your nation, he would bow his head thousands, tens of thousands of times.
Kyle bowed deeply, concealing his true intentions.
Emperor Sekret Basileus never knew until his dying day.
That the moment Dietrich caught his eye was no accident.
The Emperor died without ever knowing Dietrich’s real name, his true heart—knowing nothing at all.
By the hand of Celia… No. Anastasia.
“What are you thinking about so deeply, Kyle?”
A pleasant voice broke through his reverie.
Kyle looked at his beloved wife standing before him.
Her soft silver hair tickled his forehead.
“…Memories of the past.”
Kyle pulled Anastasia into his arms and seated her on his lap.
“What kind of memories?”
The moment they faced each other, Kyle smiled gently and pressed his lips to Anastasia’s.
Anastasia wrapped her arms around his neck.
Their breaths mingled as their kiss deepened.
Kyle cradled the nape of Anastasia’s neck with his large hand.
Their breathing entwined, and a pale white hand rested against his chest.
A low, growling sound rumbled from Kyle’s throat like a beast.
When Anastasia removed her hand from his chest, Kyle caught it and intertwined their fingers.
A soft laugh slipped through Anastasia’s lips.
The bright laughter was swallowed entirely into Kyle’s mouth.
Their sweet moment was interrupted by a knock.
Knock, knock.
“Your Majesty, it’s Sir Anderson.”
Kyle reluctantly released Anastasia, wearing an expression of regret.
He gently traced her glistening lips with his index finger and murmured in a low voice.
“Anderson is capable, but his sense of timing will never improve.”
“You’re the Emperor—you should act like one. Don’t leave everything to Sir Anderson.”
At Anastasia’s scolding, Kyle sighed deeply and replied.
“…I only play Emperor because you told me to. Honestly, I’d rather be traveling with you right now.”
At Kyle’s words, Anastasia scratched her cheek.
“Sorry, but that might be a bit difficult.”
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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