In my previous life, as an avid reader of , I really liked Maria, the main heroine of the original story.
But that didn’t mean I wanted to be romantically involved with Maria!
Contrary to my inner thoughts, in the [Preview Scenario] scene, I was seen holding hands and joyfully running through a flower field with Maria, followed by a trail of colorful, sparkling heart patterns.
And in the heart, Maria and I gazing deeply into each other’s eyes…
I was so horrified by the following scene that I immediately closed the preview window.
“This, this is wrong! Right, Piya?”
I frantically grabbed and shook Piya.
Chirp?
―Wrong? How so?
Piya tilted its head in confusion.
“I mean, I’m a woman, and so is Maria. Why would I share true love with Maria?”
Chirp? Beep!
―That’s right! Saint Maria, a character meant to experience true love with the player!
Chirp Chirp Chirp!
―Finally, the real destiny has appeared for Lady Lulu! Not that madman Anselot, but true love!
Listening to Piya’s excited explanation, I despaired.
Yes, I am a player, but even so…!
Why is the system deciding true love and all on its own!
I don’t intend to fall in love or anything like that, regardless of gender!
‘Is this an error caused by me replacing Hezen’s role?’
Cold sweat streamed down my forehead.
‘No, there must be another way to handle this. Quests can be completed as long as the clear conditions are met.’
Trying to calm myself, I told myself that.
[SYSTEM] Quest Arrival! [Main Quest: Love and Duel! (1/3)]The kingdom of love and passion, Luenhart! Your fate awaits you here.
They say even a mere brush of shoulders can lead to a connection. Save Saint from peril and build affinity with her.
▷Clear Conditions: Rescue from danger (3 times)
▶Success Reward: Experience +25000, Skill Points +10, MAX Affinity with
The success reward being MAX affinity with Maria…
It’s like the whole universe is rooting for my love with Maria…
I scanned the quest notification with cold eyes.
In the original , the chapter where Hezen, the protagonist, meets and falls for heroine Maria was also titled ‘Love and Duel.’
In the original, Hezen happened to save Maria in danger. The coincidental encounters repeated three times, gradually blossoming into love.
‘Do I really need to follow such details?’
Although a failed game, it seemed to try to stay somewhat faithful to the original.
‘And the trigger for Hezen and Maria’s mutual affection in the original was…’
Maria, coveted by a prince from a smaller kingdom, who tried to force her into marriage, leading to a duel between Hezen and the prince.
‘Right, that was the story.’
Knowing the storyline well from reading the original, I even remembered the name of that prince.
The eldest prince of Luenhart, Arno.
That meant he was Anselot’s nephew, being the youngest brother of the king.
I thought about asking Anselot about him if the chance arose.
Just then, the others, having finished their respective tasks, began to return one by one.
The thrifty Klaus handed me a portion of the gold he had earned from selling the monster parts we had collected on our way here.
“I’ve sold the parts, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Klaus.”
Klaus had divided the gold from selling the parts with clinical precision, and thanks to that, my inventory was steadily filling up.
‘This is more profitable than I thought.’
Though the amount was much less compared to the maintenance allowance I received in the palace as a princess, the fact that it was earned with my own efforts was particularly gratifying.
“LuLu, a gift!”
Unexpectedly, Illei, who had wandered off alone, returned with a ring set with a thick gemstone.
“Oh, how pretty. Did you wander around alone to buy me a gift, Illei?”
“Yes! For LuLu!”
Illei nodded eagerly in response.
Until we had just left the forest, Illei had been almost silent, but little by little, he started to engage in more conversations and express his emotions.
And now, he even brought a gift.
“Thank you so much.”
I was so touched by Illei’s change that I smiled broadly and stroked his head.
“There you are, you ring thief!”
A large, rugged-looking man came charging towards us.
“What’s the matter?”
Sensing the troubling atmosphere, Klaus stepped forward to confront the man.
“Are you with this group?”
The man pointed accusingly at Illei.
“Yes, he is.”
“That kid stole a ring from our shop and ran away.”
Startled by his words, I turned to Illei.
“Illei, did you take this without paying?”
“?”
As I asked cautiously, Illei tilted his head in confusion.
In Illei’s pocket, there was still the gold that Klaus had distributed.
It seemed he didn’t understand the concept of paying for items, having lived in the forest for so long, and just took what he liked.
“I’m sorry. The child didn’t understand and made a mistake. We’ll pay for it.”
“Five times the price.”
The man spread out five fingers.
“What?”
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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