Through that, he received the Emperor’s recognition and, although a commoner, obtained an honor that even nobles couldn’t easily confront, along with the nickname Mercenary King.
If such a Reian is hired by me, the best part is that Carlot no longer needs to escort me when I go out.
Even if Reian is a commoner, the Second Prince won’t dare to touch him since he has received the Emperor’s recognition.
Since Reian knows my past life’s name, he will find it reasonable, no matter what I do to earn independent money.
It’s not a bad proposal.
Elodie cheerfully nodded her head in reply but.
“Yes!”
“Refuse.”
Duke Ferdia gave the refusal answer at the same time.
“……!”
The Duke and Elodie’s eyes met.
He looked at his daughter with a very uncomfortable expression on his face.
“Do you trust him?”
“He saved my life.”
“He might have saved you with a purpose. Or he might be in league with those who attacked you and Carlot.”
To say such a thing in front of the person concerned, Elodie looked at Reian, perplexed, but he didn’t seem to be in a bad mood.
Rather, he seemed to accept the Duke’s reaction as natural.
‘Still, I can’t understand what he’s thinking.’
Anyway, I needed Reian to earn independent money freely.
I needed an excuse to keep Reian nearby and watch him anyway, so it was a winwin situation.
“I think this is not a bad condition even for Ferdia. If the Skyhawk Mercenary Group appears to have a close relationship with Ferdia externally, the influence of His Highness the First Prince will increase.”
“…….”
“Am I wrong?”
Sigh.
Duke Ferdia sighed and rubbed his face.
‘I can’t argue with that.’
The fact that Elodie was attacked, the fact that a stranger saved my child, and the fact that he is a mercenary named Ian, all didn’t sit well with him.
It didn’t even please him that they seemed quite familiar after seeing each other a few times, let alone hiring him as a mercenary.
But if what this mercenary said was true, he couldn’t just let him go.
It was right to pull him into our power somehow.
After a brief consideration, the Duke reached a conclusion.
“Then let’s draft a contract.”
Contract.
The contract he was talking about was a magical contract that curses those who breach the contract.
It was a contract made by a member of the Ferdia family who had the ability of “curse.”
Knowing this fact, Reian agreed without a hint of hesitation.
No matter what trivial curse was attached as a condition, he had no choice but to agree.
‘I must protect it this time. …Yoon Gaeul, you.’
At the end of his gaze was Elodie.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]“I’m definitely going to make the antidote today.”
As soon as he said that, Carlot burst into my room.
“Sister…!”
Phew…
I put the bottle of poison resignedly deep in the drawer. Several weeks had passed since I told my wife to wait a little, and I hadn’t given her the antidote.
“Doesn’t think I’m a lazy person.”
I was ashamed to see the Duchess’s face.
Unaware of my pitiful situation, Carlott walked up to me with an excited face.
“Is a mercenary named Ian your sister’s escort, really?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Because I, I couldn’t properly protect my sister? So is that why?”
Carlott, who knelt down on one knee in front of me, asked again and again with a distorted face.
“Back then, it was because I was careless, and I’ll never let that happen again. Can’t I continue to be her escort?”
Actually, Carlott’s attitude was only burdensome to me.
I apologized for the mistake, but that doesn’t mean that everything that happened between us so far just disappears.
If it turns out later that I am not the Duke Ferdia’s real daughter, he might change his attitude right away.
It’s good that he no longer shows hostility, but I didn’t want to get any closer.
“Just a shallow sisterbrother relationship, that’s just right.”
Anyway, I needed to calm the excited Carlott.
“It’s a command from Father.”
“Father commanded me to be the escort too, didn’t he?”
Unbelievable. The Duke’s excuse doesn’t even work.
I didn’t understand Carlott, who sulked when he was rejected, but now stubbornly insisted that he would continue to be the escort.
“There’s nothing I can do, Carlott.”
“…….”
Carlott made a gloomy face as if he were about to cry again.
I’ve seen this kid cry too many times lately.
It would be more work to console him if he cried again, so I patted Carlott’s shoulder and persuaded him.
“It’s for a deal with the Sky Hawk mercenary group. I’ve contracted with them only to escort me when I go out.”
“So I’m still your sister’s escort?”
“Yes.”
What need is there for an escort inside the mansion?
It’s fortunate that Carlott is so foolish.
Anyway, Carlott seemed to feel better when I told him he would still be my escort.
I wish he’d go now that the task is done, but Carlott hovered in front of me, hesitating.
“Sister, at the imperial banquet this time…….”
“Yes?”
“Who are you going with, no, that’s not it…….”
I inferred what he wanted to ask from his slow, frustrating speech.
“Who are you going to the imperial banquet with?”
“Yes, if you don’t have anyone to go with.”
“I’m going with Ian.”
“Why……?”
Carlott looked at me with hollow eyes, like a person who lost his country.
“Why? His Highness the 1st Prince won’t attend, and I’ve always attended alone.”
“Why? Why that kid again?”
“Since I hired Ian as a mercenary this time, we’re going together as escorts.”
It was necessary to attend official events together to show 2nd Prince the relationship between the Sky Hawk mercenary group and Ferdia.
My partner has always been the 1st Prince, but since he wasn’t attending this time, it was a good opportunity.
I explained the situation, but Carlott’s face still wouldn’t brighten.
“No, I can’t accept that kid. I really don’t like him. I don’t!”
“Calm down, Carl.”
“If I crush him with my strength? Then is it okay? If I prove I’m stronger? Right?”
Carlott’s golden eyes slightly lost focus. I was surprised and pulled back.
“It’s not about who’s strong or weak.”
“Your escort is me. So I’m your partner. So it’s right for me to attend! Not some kid from who knows where, but your brother!”
Carlott started to throw a tantrum……?
With those crazed eyes, too.
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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