Thanks to the good feeding and dressing, Askan looked much more splendid than before. It seemed like he might have grown a little taller, though I couldn’t be sure.
“If there’s anything else you want to eat, let me know. I’ll ask the chef to make it.”
At 15, he was in the peak of his growth phase. He might have many things he wanted to eat.
“There’s nothing like that.”
Askan answered without a moment’s hesitation. He always had an inscrutable expression, same as always.
Now that he had learned quite a bit about dining etiquette, I could see him using various kinds of forks and knives skillfully.
His appearance was admirable, and I found myself continuously watching Askan eat, causing his eating speed to slow down.
Yes, there was one thing that had changed.
At some point, Askan began to be conscious of my gaze.
‘… Is he embarrassed?’
For some reason, he might feel burdened by my staring.
“You’re cute. Okay, eat a lot.”
“…Cough!”
Suddenly, Askan coughed, as if he had something stuck in his throat.
I pushed a glass of juice towards him and said,
“Eat while drinking.”
With a face slightly redder than before, perhaps due to coughing, Askan frowned.
“Do you think that word suits me?”
“What word?”
“That… the word you just said. I’m not an eightyearold kid.”
“Oh, it suits you well. The word ‘cute’ can also be used for adults.”
At my words, Askan’s expression changed slightly, as if he were displeased.
“That word doesn’t suit me, no matter what.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I’m not a small and fragile creature.”
Come to think of it, Askan, who grew up in a laboratory, might not understand the meaning of the word ‘cute’.
“It’s not just for those kinds of people. For example, it’s a word used when you see a puppy and you don’t know what to do because you want to hug it so much. You might even want to bite it, what can I say… It’s a fluffy feeling?”
The more he heard my words, the more complex Askan’s expression became.
“Do you feel that way about me?”
“Yes. Don’t you understand even then?”
While chewing on my words, he hesitated over what to say and finally responded.
“…No, I understand.”
Feeling proud that I had taught him something new, I noticed a nicely prepared shrimp on the table. The shrimp was peeled and mixed in a sweet sauce, just the way I liked it.
Picking up a wellprepared shrimp, I naturally pointed at the plate of shrimp towards Askan and said,
“It’s delicious. You should try it too.”
Askan’s expression was complex for some reason, but without showing any particular reaction, he quietly nodded his head and ate the shrimp I recommended.
The tail part had a shell, so he had to peel it off to eat it, but he chewed and swallowed it all as if he couldn’t taste anything.
I found it odd for a moment, but as there were people who ate without peeling the shell, I didn’t think much of it.
[This is the time separator]After leisurely finishing breakfast, I was incredibly busy.
I thought I would be relaxed until the evening when the royal ball would be held, but I was mistaken.
From an early hour, I had to get a fullbody massage and skincare, and even had my hairstyle and makeup done by top experts from the capital.
After the warlike preparation, I tried on the red dress I had bought for today, and as expected, it suited me well.
Lastly, my father Orlando put on a red diamond necklace he had gifted me, and Jelin complimented me with an admiring voice.
“My, it suits you so well, miss.”
“That’s right. I like it too.”
I looked into the mirror with a satisfied expression.
Today’s protagonist was Noxia, so I didn’t pay much attention, but my appearance was better than I expected.
In fact, the dresses I had were all Noxia’s style and didn’t suit me at all.
But wearing the red dress that I picked out made a definite difference.
My black hair contrasting with my white skin, and my coldlooking blue eyes. My strengths stood out much more.
The atmosphere was different from the warm and sacred atmosphere of Noxia, but I, in my own way, radiated a charm like an icy, arrogant ice princess.
‘Why try to follow Noxia when you’re charming enough…’
Tanashia, while she was insanely jealous of Noxia, couldn’t escape her shadow at all. Somehow, it seemed a little pitiful.
I thought I should either hand over the dresses in the dressing room to Noxia or sell them all when I got a chance.
My mood improved slightly at the thought of shopping to my taste soon. In fact, it was a life without complaint, except for the death route.
As the time to depart for the royal ball approached, I finished preparing and left the room.
As soon as I left the room, I saw someone waiting.
Reflexively looking up, I saw Askan, who was dressed from head to toe like me.
“When have you been waiting here?”
“I just arrived.”
“Really?”
As soon as he replied, I tried to pass Askan nonchalantly, but stopped, turned and looked at him.
“You look splendid today.”
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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