There's a Snake in the Empress' Bedroom (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Thud.
What on earth could that sound possibly be announcing?
That noise had burrowed into Renisha’s ears like a ringing tinnitus.
Renisha felt as though her heart had plummeted into an unfathomably deep abyss.
Renisha’s empty pink eyes turned toward the Emperor.
“Why do you look at me with such eyes, Empress?”
The Emperor rose from his throne and stepped lightly down the dais.
His steps were as carefree as if he were out for a stroll.
Rexus’s gleaming eyes swept over Renisha from head to toe.
At that serpentine gaze, Renisha’s shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Even though she didn’t want to show it, her anger, despair, and sorrow inevitably spilled outward.
It was the lingering residue of overflowing emotion.
Rexus wiped away the tears streaming down Renisha’s cheeks with his finger.
“Renisha, my beautiful and noble Empress—why do you weep so? What connection could you possibly have with those criminals over there?”
Rexus whispered.
Where Rexus pointed lay two heads neatly arranged inside a box brimming with salt.
Once called human, they were now nothing more than corpses.
All that remained of those people were their severed heads.
Seria and Beriton of House Rotera.
The names of the parents who had given birth to and raised Renisha.
Who could have foreseen they’d meet their end in such a wretched state?
House Rotera had laid the foundation of the Hientry Empire alongside the first Emperor and had stood faithfully behind the Imperial family as a meritorious house.
It was House Rotera’s unwavering support that had allowed the Hientrys to endure as the Imperial line.
Everyone had said so in unison.
Yet all that glory and those promises had crumbled so miserably.
The Emperor tilted his head slightly and kissed Renisha’s lips.
A strong scent of mint surged forward, then receded.
To Renisha, who stood dazed with tears silently dripping, Rexus asked,
“Didn’t I just ask you why you’re crying, Empress?”
“…….”
“Answer me. What connection do you have with those wretches?”
Rexus was maliciously forcing Renisha’s hand—
demanding she renounce her own house, her own parents.
‘Why must I survive in such disgrace?’
Renisha thought blankly.
Death crept slowly around Renisha’s ankles.
Rexus seized Renisha’s wrist with his smooth hand.
There was no trace of tenderness or warmth in his grip.
Instead, a chilling coldness—something inhuman—seeped through her skin.
‘Your Majesty the Empress, fortunately, the young lord appears to have survived. His wife and child as well. They haven’t been captured yet.’
Clutching Renisha’s other ankle was the uncertain fate of her surviving family.
She couldn’t leave—not until she confirmed they were safe.
She couldn’t… die.
Renisha opened her lips like a lifeless doll.
“Yes. They are no one. They have nothing to do with me.”
At that emotionless voice, Rexus smiled brightly.
As if praising her, Rexus kissed Renisha’s cheek.
Stepping away from Renisha, Rexus gestured to his attendants.
It was an order to dispose of those foul-smelling things.
Renisha barely restrained herself from reaching out to them.
She had to remember who stood before her.
She had to remember who that man was—the one mocking her parents’ deaths right in front of her.
The Emperor of the Hientry Empire, renowned as a tyrant of unparalleled cruelty.
The man who had built absolute imperial authority no one could challenge and now stood at its pinnacle.
The man who could end Renisha’s life at any moment.
And yet, at the same time, the husband she had lived beside, flesh against flesh.
The guilt ignited by her own words burned hotly in Renisha’s throat.
“You may withdraw now, Empress. You look exhausted.”
Rexus released Renisha’s wrist.
With tear-streaked cheeks dried, Renisha bowed her head in obeisance and left the chamber.
Thud.
The door closed.
Her legs gave out, and Renisha staggered—only for her maids to rush forward and support her.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“Hahaha….”
Renisha let out a hollow laugh as she touched her face.
No tears came.
As if this sinner no longer deserved to shed tears before her parents’ deaths, they had simply stopped.
Renisha raised her hand.
Slap!
“Your Majesty the Empress!!!”
The maids clung to Renisha.
“Please hold still! You mustn’t do this!”
Renisha, having just struck her own cheek, pushed the maids away and slapped herself again.
She had denied the parents who had raised her with love her whole life—all for the sake of clinging to this wretched existence.
Damn you, Rexus. You’re worse than a dog!
A dark red ember sparked to life in Renisha’s heart with a faint crackle.
“Your Majesty! Please strike me instead! I beg you…!”
The maids, embracing Renisha with their whole bodies, burst into tears alongside her.
Blood trickled from Renisha’s split lip.
The maids wept in place of Renisha, who could no longer cry.
Her mind was numb.
Everything that had happened felt like a dream.
Shoving the maids away, Renisha staggered forward—then suddenly collapsed.
To be alive was a sin.
Rexus fiddled with a wine bottle.
The amber liquid filling the long-necked bottle reminded him of Renisha—
specifically, her flowing hair.
If one melted bright gold and wove it into threads, it would resemble Renisha’s hair.
The color of the wine Rexus favored was just like that.
“Your Imperial Majesty, Rexus….”
The woman sleeping beside him reached out with her pale, smooth hand and caressed Rexus’s waist.
Her fingers, heavy with post-coital languor, wrapped around his waist and stilled.
The woman, throwing off the covers, pressed her face against Rexus’s back like a cat.
“What are you thinking about so deeply? Canaria is right here with you.”
Her voice was soft, matching her delicate features.
“…Who knows.”
Rexus indifferently clicked his tongue.
Pulling Canaria away, Rexus rose from the bed, took the wine bottle, and sat down on the sofa.
His mind was filled with the image of Renisha—her face pale as she stared at him.
The Empress who had seemed born to be Empress, even more imperial than Rexus himself.
She had carried herself with such arrogance, as though standing above his very head.
He’d wanted to break that nobility of hers.
He’d thought seeing that expression on her face would bring him joy.
But strangely enough…
Rexus frowned and clenched his teeth.
It brought him no satisfaction—only a filthy, sordid feeling.
“Again, that look again.”
Canaria spoke in a voice dripping with coquetry.
“Why do you wear that expression? Aren’t you happy that Canaria is here with you? You said you loved me.”
Canaria blew a sweet puff of air into Rexus’s ear.
Rexus grabbed Canaria’s waist and rolled her over.
Canaria, now lying on the sofa, blinked her eyes cutely.
She was beautiful enough to captivate anyone’s gaze.
A lovely bird who sang only to please Rexus and cater to his whims.
Then why, with Canaria beside him, did he keep thinking of that stiff Empress?
“Tch. Liar. You’re thinking of another woman right now, aren’t you?”
Canaria wrapped her smooth arms around Rexus’s neck.
“You promised me this time you’d kill Empress Renisha. You said you’d place Canaria in the highest seat. Then why didn’t you do it?”
Canaria whispered sweetly. Rexus slowly blinked.
It was a question even he couldn’t answer.
Seeing Renisha wear that expression had somehow made him…
“Madness.”
Rexus scoffed at himself and tore open the robe Canaria was wearing.
He’d need to decide Renisha’s fate soon.
He couldn’t kill her.
Annoyingly, whenever he tried to give the order to execute Renisha, his mouth refused to move—as if nailed shut.
It had happened again today.
Then perhaps he should dispose of her in the most humiliating way possible right before his eyes.
“Oh, Your Majesty! You still haven’t answered me… Ghk!”
Rexus tightened his grip around Canaria’s throat.
“Shh. I’m thinking, Canaria. You should only cry prettily when I want you to.”
“Y-Your Majesty…!”
Canaria scratched the back of the Emperor’s hand.
For a brief moment, amusement flickered in the Emperor’s eyes as he watched Canaria flutter like a tiny bird.
The Emperor licked his lips and released his hand from Canaria.
Wiping away Canaria’s tears, he whispered,
“Wait until I’ve finished thinking, Canaria. If you behave sweetly, you’ll get whatever you desire.”
Canaria sniffled and nodded.
Rexus’s sinister eyes swept over Canaria.
Right. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about someone like Renisha.
Such a splendid banquet awaited him already.
Rexus buried his face in Canaria’s collarbone.
A rich floral fragrance surged forward.
It felt like being pulled up from the depths of the ocean toward the surface.
Renisha’s eyes snapped open.
The maids waiting for her let out short cries and jumped to their feet.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“Your Majesty!! Are you awake? Are you alright? Can you see me?”
“Stay still for a moment! Your Majesty, can you hear my voice?”
The maids rushed forward and clung to Renisha. Renisha blinked her large eyes.
‘I’m alive.’
She had somehow survived. Renisha smiled bitterly.
Seeing Renisha sit there mutely like a doll, tears welled in the maids’ eyes.
“Your Majesty the Empress….”
“…I have a request.”
“Just say the word!”
The maids nodded vigorously.
“Can you find out where my parents’ bodies were discarded?”
The maids exchanged glances.
While Renisha had been unconscious over the past day, they too had made inquiries.
Only after slipping money here and there had they barely managed to learn the truth.
“They say they’re in the underground prison.”
“Guards are said to be surrounding the entrance, keeping watch.”
Even in death, they remained trapped in the Emperor’s grasp.
What had House Rotera ever done to House Hientry?
Wasn’t it House Rotera that had turned a dying bastard prince into Emperor?
Without House Rotera, Rexus would never have become Emperor.
It was only through Rotera’s backing that he, born a bastard, had eliminated his elder brothers and seized the throne.
The fury that had been simmering beneath her bowed head now boiled over. Renisha’s clenched fists trembled violently.
She slammed her fist against the bed.
“Living off House Rotera your whole life—you ungrateful cur, worse than a beast!”
The maids watched with heavy hearts as Renisha, unlike her usual self, unraveled before them.
Renisha couldn’t die.
Not until she secured the safety of her surviving kin.
If she couldn’t die… then perhaps she should kill instead.
If she couldn’t bear to live under the same sky as Rexus, why not kill that wretched dog!
Renisha gritted her teeth and growled,
“I’ll kill him.”
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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Rupy Rosillita
I thought she was going to say she was going to run away, but luckily she’s planning to kill him. I’m glad.