This Life, I Will Save The Duke (20 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 1
“Lock her up in the western tower.”
Ludvian ordered that the baby dragon hatched by Ariel be killed and that Ariel herself be imprisoned.
“You murderer!”
At Ariel’s furious scream, Ludvian let out a derisive laugh. Dragons were the greatest enemies of the demon race and thus had to be slain.
“I know everything. Did you really think I wouldn’t find out that you caused the deaths of my parents and my husband? You monster!”
Held tightly by demon knights, Ariel glared fiercely at him. For having trusted and loved him, she had lost everyone.
Her parents. Anna. Her husband….
“Let go! Let me go! Just kill me instead! Kill me!”
Even in the face of Ariel’s rage, Ludvian showed no sign of agitation. After gazing at her silently for a long while, he finally turned away.
“We’ll talk after I return from the Demon Realm.”
But his words never came to pass. The very next day after his departure, enraged people stormed the western tower and set it ablaze. Ariel was almost grateful to whoever had leaked the information—if she died while he was away, it would be a satisfying revenge, at least defying his intentions.
“Kill the witch!”
“She’s the enemy who murdered Duke Elbaltan!”
“She’s the treacherous woman who killed her own husband!”
“She’s the enemy of Majeuras Continent—burn her at the stake!”
Ariel von Retiana.
The princess of Retiana, gifted with healing and plant-growth abilities, and wife of Duke “Kaius von Elbaltan,” her actions had placed the entire Majeuras Continent under demonic rule.
Four years ago, humanity had finally turned the tide and won the long war against the Demon Realm. The decisive moment came when Kaius captured the Demon Realm’s supreme commander—the prince himself. For this act, Kaius became a prime target for elimination by demons, but the subsequent armistice prevented them from directly harming humans.
It was around that time that Ludvian first came to see Ariel. Back then, she and Kaius weren’t yet married, and Ludvian had arrived as a prophet—handsome and gentle.
Trusting his prophecy, Ariel used her plant-growth ability to bloom a demonic flower—never imagining it would kill Kaius, the man destined to become her husband.
Two years after Ariel first made the flower bloom—just half a year into her marriage—Kaius died. Immediately following his death, the Demon Realm launched a massive invasion, and Majeuras Continent, having lost its protector, collapsed helplessly.
Tears welled in Ariel’s eyes, filled with hatred and venom. Through her blurred vision, she saw Kaius’s face. If only he hadn’t died—everything would have been different.
“Kaius… If I’m granted another life, I’ll protect you with all that I am.”
As scorching flames surged toward her, Ariel closed her eyes and stepped calmly into the inferno. She stood tall and proud until her body burned away and crumbled, meeting death with dignity.
***
“I greet Your Highness.”
A pleasant baritone echoed in her ears. Expecting excruciating pain, she opened her eyes—but felt nothing. Blinking slowly, Ariel found Ludvian standing before her. He’d clearly left for the Demon Realm—when had he returned? Had he come back just to save her?
I don’t want to live. Just let me die. I want to go see my parents now….
She violently shook off Ludvian’s hand, which had reached for hers. Not wanting to see him, she closed her eyes again—only to hear a voice she’d longed for desperately.
“What’s wrong, Ariel?”
Startled, she opened her eyes wide at her mother’s voice and slowly turned her head. There stood her mother and father. Her gaze darted back to Ludvian, then returned to her parents.
What on earth was happening? She hastily looked around—this wasn’t the western tower of Cladeos Imperial Palace where she’d died. This was the audience chamber of the Retiana Royal Palace, a place she knew all too well.
“Ariel, what’s the matter?”
Her father’s voice sounded genuine as well.
If she were truly dead, Ludvian shouldn’t be visible; if she were alive, her parents couldn’t possibly be here. Lowering her head, she saw she wasn’t wearing the imperial dress from her death—but the royal gown of Retiana.
“Wait… just a moment.”
Ariel rushed out of the audience chamber, seeking a mirror. In its reflection, there was no trace of burns. Her neatly arranged silver hair and bright golden eyes staring back were unmistakably her own—only slightly younger.
“This can’t be.”
What was going on? Her heart pounded, and her breath quickened. Running back outside, she hurried toward the audience chamber—and ran straight into Anna.
“Your Highness, is something wrong?”
It was Anna—her handmaiden, who had died long ago.
“Anna?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Is something happening in the audience chamber?”
“Oh….”
It really was Anna. Rushing back inside, Ariel saw her parents again—tears spilled uncontrollably. Overwhelmed by this impossible reality where everyone was alive, her legs gave out, and she sank to the floor, weeping silently.
“Ariel, did something happen?”
She slowly shook her head at her approaching parents.
“No… no, nothing at all.”
Her mother gently wiped away her tears and held her close.
“Mo…ther. Mother… I missed you so much.”
“Don’t cry, Ariel. Lord Beloas—my apologies, but might you return another time?”
Her mind spun dazedly. She didn’t understand how it had happened, but she had clearly returned to the past. Today was unmistakably the day Ludvian first visited the royal palace—the very day he deceitfully claimed to be a prophet and planted the seeds of her misfortune.
Thinking of Ludvian, her ceaseless weeping gradually subsided, and her eyes grew cold and clear.
Though unbelievable, this was her chance to fix the wrongs of the past. Rising from the floor, Ariel calmed her racing heart, dried her tears, gave her parents a bright smile, and turned toward Ludvian.
The moment she faced him, memories of hell flooded back, stealing her breath.
Demon. The one who used me to become Demon King.
You killed everyone dear to me and drowned the human world in darkness.
Ludvian—this time, things won’t go your way. I’ll stop you myself.
***
“I am Ludvian Beloas. Others call me the Prophet of Passion.”
Ariel let out a silent laugh at his words. Prophecy? You love prophecies, don’t you, demon? This time, I’m the prophet.
“I am Ariel von Retiana. Please pretend you didn’t see that outburst just now—I had a truly horrifying, dreadful nightmare, and it suddenly came back to me.”
Her words, spoken to Ludvian, came out colder than she’d intended.
Though his crimson eyes seemed to pierce right through her—making her tense—after all, he was a demon, not a god. He couldn’t possibly know she’d returned from the future.
“I summoned you because Lord Ludvian said he had something important to tell you. But if you’re not in the mood, I’ll ask him to return another time.”
Her father spoke with deep concern.
“I’m fine now, Father.”
Even if she sent Ludvian away today, he would surely come back. His goal had always been to claim the vacant Demon King’s throne. Smiling warmly at her father, Ariel turned her gaze to Ludvian.
“What brings you to see me?”
“The fate of the Majeuras Continent rests upon Princess Ariel.”
Ludvian’s gaze passed over the king and queen and settled firmly on Ariel.
“In the future I’ve seen, great calamity will befall the human world in two years’ time. I witnessed countless humans perish and become slaves to demons. The only way to prevent this tragedy lies with these seeds—but they cannot grow on their own. Only one person on this continent possesses the power of plant growth: Your Highness.”
Unlike her healing ability, Ariel’s plant-growth power wasn’t a secret. Having finished speaking, Ludvian held out two seed pouches.
Lylas and Zaphros—the flowers of the Demon Realm.
Flowers Ariel knew all too well.
It was infuriating. Ludvian himself—the very demon who would orchestrate that calamity—stood before her, feigning sincerity. Back then, she hadn’t doubted his words even slightly. It was barely a year since the war with the Demon Realm had ended, and his claims sounded perfectly reasonable. Without knowing the future, she would likely still be fooled today.
But the Ariel of now was no longer that naive princess.
“Ah… if that future is real, then this is truly dire. If I can help prevent something so catastrophic, of course I must.”
At her cooperative tone, Ludvian smiled charmingly. In the past, she might have been utterly enchanted by that smile—but not this time.
“I’m glad you understand.”
Convinced she’d already fallen for his plan, Ludvian extended the seeds and subtly stepped closer. It irked her that he remained on the royal dais even after formal greetings had ended.
“These seeds…”
As he began explaining the seeds in earnest, Ariel quietly shook her head. He stopped speaking and looked at her with confusion.
“If I’ve led you to misunderstand, I sincerely apologize. What I meant was—if I truly believed the future you saw, and if it made sense to me—then I would do my utmost to help.”
Slowly, the smile faded from Ludvian’s face—while a gentle smile bloomed on Ariel’s. At that sight, his eyes narrowed slightly. Meeting his crimson gaze, she suddenly remembered the book Ludvian had stolen and burned not long ago.
The Demon Flora Compendium. In it, she’d seen that there existed a plant capable of neutralizing Zaphros’s poison. She hadn’t identified the exact plant yet—but if she recovered that book, she could save Kaius and prevent Ludvian from becoming Demon King.
But that alone wouldn’t satisfy her. She would crush him utterly and stain his arrogant crimson eyes with humiliation and despair.
Go ahead and look forward to it, Ludvian.
“Lord Beloas, would you kindly step down from the dais? The guest’s place is down below.”
With a polite smile, Ariel pointed downward—and Ludvian’s expression instantly hardened.
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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I was surprised that Ariel gave in at this point. I mean, I love her negotiation because if she managed to make the dragon hatch in her past life, this time with two eggs, she has double the chance of making it happen. But I didn’t expect her to go that far hahaha.
And Kaius is about to appear! I’m so excited for him to hit the scene, because I feel like getting to him is going to be way harder than negotiating with Ludvian.
Wow, I’m surprised by how much smarter Ariel is than I expected. And that she remembers so many things from her past life. It’s so refreshing to see how she operates and sets her own foundations to get everything she wants.
I love Kaius; not only did he kick the Emperor to the curb, but he even called off the engagement. I hope Ariel does everything she can to win him over.
Kaius finally made his appearance! Oh, my heart. This man won’t give in even when he’s injured hahahaha there he was, bleeding out, and on top of that, refusing to let Ariel heal him. But her too… she could have walked in like a normal person instead of a spy out to kill him. Oh well, it is what it is.
I hope she manages to heal him and, that way, convinces him that she’s the best wife he’ll ever have.