Casius thought Lenisha was really too much.
He had never imagined that Shamdier’s attire could confuse a person to this extent.
The pale exposed belly and the jewels that covered it, even the anklets that made a jingling sound every time they moved.
Jewels were also draped over her long, spreadout hair, and her eyes were covered with a white veil.
“Instead of a hat, this would be nice too. What do you think, Casius?”
Lenisha turned slowly.
The transparent sleeves of her dress fluttered with her movement.
Everything about Lenisha seemed to be intended to enchant Casius.
“It suits you well.”
Casius answered with a choked voice.
The touch on his face was somewhat rough.
Even when he was a beast, even when he was a slave gladiator, even when he finally returned as the empire’s hero.
Most of the time, he never lost his composure.
He may have harbored intense longing for something, but his inner self was never shaken.
That was why Casius’s achievements were fast.
‘Strange.’
But just looking at Lenisha seemed to crumble his composure.
It was the same now.
His heart fluttered every time he heard the jingling sound.
“Let’s go quickly, Casius. If we are too late, we may not have anything to watch.”
Linde wondered where he had gotten such clothes; it was a mysterious deed.
Casius glanced at Linde and quickly followed Lenisha.
Behind him, Linde wore a smooth smile.
“Really, that dress… for Lady Lenisha. Is this right?”
Jane asked with a worried expression.
Jane was the maid who had personally walked around the market to find that dress.
“Yes. Isn’t it the way to go out with the Duke? Besides, the lady did not have any objections.”
Rather, Lenisha seemed to find it amusing.
Lenisha was interested in the culture of other countries and enjoyed experiencing it firsthand.
She seemed to have accepted Shamdier’s attire in such a light sense.
Of course, there was also the fact that the resourceful Linde could only find such clothes.
Not only Lenisha’s attire, but what Casius wore also involved proper exposure.
His arms were fully exposed, and his belly would slightly reveal when he raised his arm.
Fortunately, the weather was not so cold.
The purpose of the maids, including Linde, lay elsewhere.
“The two of you need to become closer. Duke Casius is different from the Emperor. Don’t you see that he respects and loves his wife? I want the lady to be happy now.”
Jane stared at the two’s retreating figures with an anxious face.
“Don’t worry, it will be fine. Jane, go help Tesi and Luna pack.”
“Yes!”
Jane accepted the new task and scampered away.
Lenisha had sent all the nobleborn maids back to the mansion, except for Linde.
And she gave them orders to help Turiel and watch over the central social circles.
Linde lowered her eyes.
‘They’re nobles, my lady. Don’t you think they can betray? They can move in pursuit of whatever benefits they want.’
‘If they’re going to betray, they’ll betray whether they follow me to Hiloshain or not. Those who won’t will not do so here either. I need their help. Of course, I need them. But they also need to test if they need me.’
Over the past week, Lenisha had diligently sorted out her people.
And most of the nobles seemed satisfied with accepting Lenisha’s will.
They seemed content that they were not completely cut off from Lenisha but had received a new mission.
What made Linde anxious was rather that.
Lenisha was cold as ice, but she harbored a tender, tender core.
Casius was a passionate person who could embrace such Lenisha.
The look in Casius’s eyes when he looked at Lenisha was something anyone could notice.
Linday let out a sigh and hurriedly prepared to go out.
She planned to meet Turiel before leaving, once again entrusting him with surveillance of them.
“Empress Lenisha must not be harmed.”
So far, it had been enough.
Lenisha had done everything in her power to protect her people.
Now, it was their turn to protect Lenisha.
(This is a time separator.)
Lenisha moved leisurely.
“Lenisha. Hmm. Is it not a bit cold today?”
“I think it’s perfect, Casius, are you cold?”
Lenisha smiled.
“Then I’ll lend you my shawl.”
The shawl Lenisha offered was so thin that everything could be seen through it.
It was a light blue silk, smelling of summer.
Casius clenched his teeth and wrapped Lenisha’s shoulders with the shawl.
He was utterly relieved that at least this covered Lenisha.
Right now, Casius was as alert as he had been on the battlefield.
If he saw any man looking at Lenisha, he would flash his hidden golden eyes from under his hat and veil, driving the man away.
“Hoo.”
“Casius, there seems to be something interesting to see over there. Let’s hurry.”
Lenisha seemed even more lively, perhaps genuinely unaware of Casius’s concerns.
Casius moved, flashing his eyes like a guard dog protecting its owner.
“Hehe. This must be really tasty, right? There must be a reason people are lining up like this.”
Lenisha stared at Casius with rare, twinkling eyes.
Always calm, Lenisha now seemed truly free.
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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