As I fiddled with the map, sure enough, just as Edan had said, a lightbulb was hanging precisely over the spot marked as where monsters emerged.
“Good heavens! The Archmage is truly a mad eccentric.”
“Good heavens! The Archmage is truly a genius!”
Maxium and I simultaneously blurted out similar but different exclamations.
We blinked at each other for a moment, exchanging looks of mutual disbelief.
Then we lifted our heads again to stare at the lightbulb.
It was astonishing enough that the map meticulously marked monster emergence points—but to think of hanging lightbulbs on the ceiling of a secret chamber as hints?
I had noticed the bulbs were irregularly positioned, but this was peak absurdity.
The bulbs, dangling from a long string, originated from a massive circular artifact mounted on the ceiling—and the square drawn at the map’s center clearly pointed toward that artifact.
“Maxium, could that huge artifact on the ceiling possibly be the sacred relic?”
“Nah, surely not. It looks too hard to remove….”
“What on earth could it mean?”
I lowered the map I’d been comparing with the bulbs and focused intently on the artifact. Then, frowning, I narrowed my eyes.
“Isn’t that an arrow?”
“Huh?”
Maxium pushed his glasses up.
“Oh? You’re right! This way…? Ah! This way!”
It was such a tiny arrow that we wandered around a bit before finally locating what it pointed to.
The small arrow, starting from the artifact’s center, pointed toward a bookshelf—and then another arrow pointed toward the opposite bookshelf. This chain of arrows continued, seven times more.
Shockingly, the final arrow pointed directly to the desk.
Did it mean we should open the desk drawer? We rummaged through every drawer but found nothing except a little white dust in the corner.
“Surely it doesn’t mean we’re supposed to dismantle the desk?”
“The arrow is definitely pointing to the top of the desk. If not the drawer, then… right here….”
“What should we do?”
If only Edan were here—he could’ve handled this easily. But with just our strength, we couldn’t dismantle the desk.
Maxium is frail. As frail as I am, perhaps even more so.
“If only His Grace or Sir Ruben were here—they’d just yank this tabletop right off…!”
Clunk!
“…?”
“…?”
Maxium was pretending to lift the desk corner—and the tabletop actually came right up.
What? It was this easy?
Maxium, startled, gaped at me, then placed the pen holder and books from the desk onto the floor.
He lifted the now-clean tabletop again.
Inside the easily opened desk lay a very thin compartment.
“A notebook…?”
Inside was a single notebook with a slightly worn cover. As I picked it up, Maxium spoke in an excited, high-pitched voice.
“Is… is it a diary?”
“Who knows?”
On Maxium’s behalf, brimming with anticipation, I flipped open the cover.
Thud! I immediately slammed the notebook shut.
“Lady Latieana? Why’d you do that?”
It’s a diary.
Right on the first page, boldly written: “Records from August, XX3.”
Anyone can see it’s a diary! You’re not supposed to casually read someone else’s private journal, right? Even if the person is already dead, you still owe them basic respect….
“What is it? What is it?”
I handed the notebook to Maxium, who was trembling with excitement.
“Just look for yourself.”
“Aah…!”
Maxium, who had been looking at me quizzically, seemed to share my thoughts the moment he opened the notebook.
He stared at it with an extremely serious expression.
From the very first page, the notebook screamed “diary.” This was a battle between curiosity and propriety—and curiosity won.
“Lady Latieana, the answer we’ve been seeking might be inside here.”
My conscience pricked me—since this was the result of tracing the map, I couldn’t honestly say “no.”
“I’ll just peek at it without the Archmage knowing! Please forgive me!”
Maxium, eyes fiercely determined, shouted dramatically to convince himself, then boldly flipped open the diary.
And immediately burst into a wide, beaming grin.
“To witness the Archmage’s dark history… ah, no! Secret diary… will… ah, no! Records! It’s an honor!”
“Maxium, don’t people usually try to protect the secrets of someone they respect?”
“It’s fine! I can understand any dark history the Archmage might have!”
“….”
“If there’s a love story written here, I swear I’ll never leak it to anyone! I’ll just read it alone and smile contentedly to myself!”
That’s just you being nosy for fun.
After returning the desk to its original state, we began reading the notebook.
[August 2, XX3.I met Moné for the first time since becoming Archmage. Her only child, who awakened to special abilities, died in battle. She kept crying.] [September 27, XX3.
I’m worried about Moné.] [April 5, XX4.
Moné got divorced.] [July 12, X4.
Moné came to see me. She confessed her divorce was due to her husband’s infidelity. Damn bastard. I’ll curse him and his woman with dark magic. Dark magic is illegal, but if it’s me, I can commit the perfect crime.] [December 24, X4.
I obtained a book of dark magic.] [December 31, X4.
Dark magic seems surprisingly fun. Haven’t tried casting curses yet.] [February 15, X5.
Moné is ill. Seems to be having memory problems. She cried, saying she can’t recall her son’s face.] [November 16, X5.
I created a pill for memory. Made from the blue heart of a talking bluebird.
I can’t give it to Moné. It’s only a half-finished product, effective only under specific conditions.] [February 1, X6.
Moné died.]
The diary entries ended here. The next page was completely blank.
I paused to catch my breath after speed-reading the contents breathlessly. Maxium did the same. Though the entries were brief and plain, we both fell silent as if by mutual agreement.
After a moment of quiet, Maxium awkwardly forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
“Ha, ha… the love story I thought I knew was completely a rumor.”
Without a word, I turned the diary’s page again.
After flipping a few more pages, the entries resumed. Three years had abruptly passed.
[May 5, XX9.The political arena is full of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Rotten nobles.] [October 7, XX9.
Bought and renovated an old castle. Trapped in this small hidden space, I miss Moné even more.] [November 30, XX9.
If only her son hadn’t been killed by monsters, Moné wouldn’t have died either.] [December 2, XX9.
Monsters must disappear.]
Suddenly, the entries cut off again. Flipping further, another long gap appeared—fully eight years.
[April 19, X17.Failure.] [September 22, X18.
Failure.] [August 17, X19.
Failure.]
What on earth was he doing to leave records like this?
The sporadic entries, roughly annual, clearly showed he’d been furious for a long time—his once-neat handwriting had become increasingly scrawled and messy.
“Lady Latieana, what do you think happened during the unrecorded days?”
“I don’t know.”
I turned the page. Several pages were blank. Then, on the final page, there was a very long entry.
It was dated five years later.
[May 21, X24.I’ve installed magic circles across the entire Empire. If only ‘that’ sacred relic is offered, the path through which monsters emerge can be sealed.
Perhaps it’s an impossible task.
.
.
I miss Moné.]
The notebook’s final page ended there.
Judging by the wrinkled, water-stained paper, he must have been crying.
“I never expected the Archmage had gone through all this.”
Maxium took a deep breath and gently smoothed the crumpled part of the notebook, as if comforting it.
“Different from what I imagined, but the Archmage loved deeply.”
It seemed to be a lifelong unrequited love…
The Archmage apparently believed Moné’s death was caused by monsters.
If monsters hadn’t existed, her son wouldn’t have died—and neither would she.
I had merely hoped to find a sacred relic or substitute capable of transferring power.
But the Archmage found a solution targeting the root of everything.
To seal the path through which monsters emerge—that was the ultimate answer, beyond imagination.
A whirlwind of awe, admiration, and underlying sorrow sent chills down my spine.
“But if we look at it like this, it seems the Archmage’s plan succeeded—so why did he call it impossible?”
“….”
I carefully hid the notebook back inside the desk.
Clearly, it was written: “If only ‘that’ sacred relic is offered.”
“Offered” usually implies a sacrifice.
I tried to recall the book’s contents about sacred relics, but so far, everything mentioned in the books referred only to objects.
“Let’s head to the desert first, Maxium.”
***
The southern desert was still scorching hot.
“Welcome, Lady Latieana.”
It was Dante, whom I hadn’t seen since he last gave me pepper. Unlike the day he attempted to kidnap me, Dante now welcomed me with excessive warmth and fanfare.
The moment I stepped out of the portal, horn blasts echoed from all directions, servants waved palm fronds along a long red carpet, and with every step I took, confetti and flower petals rained down upon my head.
“Welcome!”
“Welcome!”
“….”
Unlike Maxium, who was delighted and fascinated, my face turned deathly pale.
They were smiling awkwardly to avoid embarrassment, but it was overwhelming. Extremely overwhelming!
I’d only come for personal business—this welcome ceremony was way too much. I half-expected a lavishly decorated elephant to appear from somewhere.
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.]
