“……Love?”
“Yes.”
At Sylvia’s firm response, Cedric tilted his chin slightly.
“Who?”
…You.
Silvia silently pointed to Cedric’s chest with her index finger.
“Me?”
“Yes. If what you just said isn’t love, then what is it?”
Cedric slowly recalled the emotions he felt when looking at Ramein.
He thought he just wanted to protect. That was the only feeling he thought he had.
“Is wanting to protect the same as loving?”
“No, they’re very different.”
“How can you distinguish between them?”
Oh, this person.
A faint smile spread on Sylvia’s lips, which had been watching Cedric as if feeling frustrated.
“At least those who aren’t in love don’t make the same expression as the master.”
“Me? What’s my expression?”
Sylvia’s pupils roamed around Cedric’s face as if examining.
“The expression of someone in love.”
“…What does that mean?”
“It’s difficult to explain in words.”
…Really. Then say something.
Cedric, with wrinkled eyes, looked at Sylvia.
He laughed at the sight of his master, who seemed more serious than solving a difficult math problem.
“Don’t think too much.”
Sylvia, as if holding back laughter, slowly opened her mouth.
“Stay where your heart leads. Even if you try to pretend not to know, you’ll find out as you follow without doubt.”
“….”
“Loving someone. Even if others don’t know, you can’t deceive yourself.”
…Where the heart leads.
Cedric, who had been staring as if frozen, blinked his eyes slowly.
Now looking at his seemingly serious master, Sylvia couldn’t help but burst into a faint laughter.
“Count, may I ask you one thing?”
“…Huh? Sure.”
Sylvia’s gaze was fixed on the bandage inside Cedric’s open shirt.
“Does it hurt where you’re injured?”
“Yeah. A lot.”
“Fortunately, it seems you don’t love me.”
“…What?”
“Just kidding. Your expression was too serious.”
Cedric, who twisted his lips wryly, smoothed out his expression.
“Stop making unnecessary jokes and just go.”
“Yes.”
Bowing with proper manners, Sylvia turned around.
Usually, Sylvia, who would have disappeared like the wind, stopped after a few steps. And…
“It may be an off-topic thought, but I hope you’re happy, Count.”
“….”
“I’ve always been by your side with that in mind. And I intend to continue doing so.”
A sincere voice intertwined with a gentle breeze flowed.
Looking at the vacant spot where Sylvia disappeared into the darkness, Cedric let out a wry smile.
‘If I could become a knight, I would do anything. I would sacrifice even my humble life.’
A girl who seemed unable to lift a sword with her frail body came to him.
He had rejected her outright, as she couldn’t be admitted to the knight order as a commoner. However…
‘I’ve trained in swordsmanship so diligently. Please take a look!’
She constantly approached and began to torment him.
When asked why she wanted to become a knight so desperately…
“I want to become a knight, but I also want to work for Count.”
That was her response.
“My parents lost their lives in front of me by the enemy’s sword. Just before the enemy’s sword was about to cut my throat, Count saved me.”
It was an incident she couldn’t even remember.
“So, I want to dedicate the remaining of my life to Count.”
She didn’t want to sacrifice her life.
Just an orphan with nowhere to go. That fact was pitiful.
“I can’t put you in the knight order, but can you work for me? Become my knight.”
A quiet smile spread on Cedric’s lips as he recalled the past.
“You seem to be in love.”
“I hope Count is happy too.”
She remembered Sylvia’s words and smiled wryly.
“Sylvia, you’ve grown a lot.”
Cedric, who uttered a mixture of laughter and murmurs, finally resumed his halted steps.
The next day.
After finishing breakfast and leaving the dining hall, Ramein headed towards her room.
Fortunately, Cedric hadn’t looked for her while she was away yesterday.
“I should keep an eye on him today.”
It was a sense of duty that couldn’t erase the thought that he got injured because of her.
As Ramein approached her room, she stopped.
Jane and Roberto were standing in front of her door, engaged in a conversation.
“Why did Roberto come to me since this morning?”
Perhaps Cedric was looking for her?
Stopping her steps while staring straight at the two, she began to move.
“Lady, are you back?”
“Good morning, Lady.”
The two who noticed her simultaneously greeted her.
“Roberto, is something wrong with Cedric?”
Ramein widened her eyes and asked.
“No.”
“….”
“I came to deliver a message to Jane. The Count is still sleeping.”
Only then did Ramein release the tension in her eyes that had been staring intently.
“Okay. Let’s talk. Oh, and let me know when Cedric wakes up.”
“Yes. I will do that.”
With Roberto’s response, Ramein, who had been forcefully holding back her gaze, finally relaxed her eyes and entered her room.
A while later.
“Lady, shall I prepare some tea for you?”
Jane entered the room.
“No, it’s okay.”
“If you need anything, please call me.”
“Jane.”
Ramein called Jane, who was turning her body with her usual innocent smile.
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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