This Marriage Must End in Tragedy (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
The pistol pressed against her thigh was piercingly cold.
“Decorate it more lavishly. Guests will arrive soon!”
Over the butler’s irritated voice echoing through the hall, the sixth cuckoo call sounded—marking the hour. The butler, who had halted mid-step, frowned at Ansi standing nearby.
“Rain, the ball is about to begin. Why haven’t you put away the clock yet?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll do it right away.”
Though tidying the clock wasn’t her duty, Ansi offered no excuse. She had no desire to be pulled from hall assignments over unnecessary commotion.
Ansi hurried toward the wall, set up the ladder, and climbed. Only after she reached out and detached the large clock from the wall did the butler murmur,
“Viscount Orphe himself is coming. You must be thorough.”
Viscount Orphe.
At the name, Ansi flinched.
Suddenly, the pistol strapped to her thigh felt as heavy as a stone. All her senses focused there—was it secured properly? Was it visible beneath her skirt?
She tightened her grip on the clock.
Step by step, descending the ladder, she trod upon the name “Orphe” with every footfall, then swiftly turned around.
Holding the large clock, she left the hall—a measure to let guests enjoy the party without being bound by time.
After placing the clock deep inside a side room, Ansi let out the breath she’d been holding. After several deep breaths, she exited the room—just as the crisp melody of string instruments began drifting through the hall.
It was the music signaling the start of the ball.
Ansi’s face stiffened with tension.
‘It’s alright. I can do this.’
She smoothed her skirt to confirm the gun was still in place and walked forward with resolve—toward the hall where, she hoped, Viscount Orphe had already arrived.
Cardian de Orphe.
The man with wheat-colored hair and golden eyes.
She intended to kill him today.
The hall was already filled with numerous guests, all brimming with excitement.
‘Where is he?’
Ansi scanned the hall, hiding her trembling breath. Pretending to clear empty plates, adjusting crooked glasses—she scrutinized each person from the corner of her eye.
The joyful noise mingling with the music dizzied her mind. A buzzing sound, like the flutter of bee wings, rang in her ears.
Then, a sharp voice caught her attention.
“Why is there such a crowd over there?”
“They say someone from the Orphe ducal family has arrived.”
“Is that true? I must hurry and pay my respects.”
Ansi’s hands, gathering dishes, froze. Slowly, she lifted her head. At the end of where the young men were heading, a cluster of people had gathered.
They stood encircling a broad sofa.
Ansi swallowed hard. Her heart pounded wildly.
Viscount Orphe was there.
Staring intently through the crowd, Ansi took one step, then another. Not even a breath escaped her tightly pressed lips.
“How long will you remain in the south?”
“Unfortunately, I plan to return tomorrow. I have matters to attend to in the capital.”
She couldn’t yet see the man, but his voice grew clearer as she drew nearer. Ansi lowered her trembling hand to feel beneath her skirt, rehearsing again the sensation of pulling the trigger—the moment she’d imagined countless times.
Then, from within the crowd, a drunken middle-aged viscount’s voice rang out, challenging.
“Good heavens! One look at your face tells it all—you’ve never known a day of hardship, have you?”
“I wonder.”
The man chuckled softly. His calm, playful laughter made Ansi’s gaze falter.
Something was wrong.
“From your current appearance alone, no one can tell what kind of life you’ve lived.”
Was Cardian’s voice ever like this?
Her steps slowed.
Her racing heart stuttered, as if breaking down.
“I know plenty of people your age—born to good parents, living carefree lives like this.”
The viscount’s voice grew louder. Discomfort crept across the onlookers’ faces.
“Viscount Rangis, that’s enough.”
“But it’s the truth! Never suffered, bright future ahead, so no thought in your head. But you… what have you even done?”
The viscount’s voice trailed off in confusion.
The man answered calmly, in a bright tone.
“Because your hair color matches Lord Parma’s hat.”
“What?”
“I was just reminiscing about the past that pierced through my head.”
“W-what are you…”
“Bang.”
At the sound mimicking a gunshot, the drunken noble startled and fell backward. People instantly stepped back, and the man landed hard on his backside.
Amidst the nobles’ snickers, the figure seated on the sofa came into view.
Ansi stood frozen, her hand dropping limply from her skirt.
The man before her had neither wheat-colored hair nor golden eyes.
The platinum-haired man, who had just mimicked holding a rifle, lowered his hand. He tilted his head and smiled faintly. His violet eyes met Ansi’s for a fleeting moment.
Ansi held her breath. But the man quickly looked away, rose from the sofa, and offered his hand to the fallen viscount.
“My apologies if I startled you. Since you were joking, I thought I’d play along.”
“I… I see.”
Ansi turned abruptly. Her heart, which had seemed to stop, now raced again. Her hands shook violently. Grabbing a dish from the nearest table at random, she hurried out of the hall.
[This is the timeline separator]Night had grown deep.
Seated by a neglected, run-down fountain deep in the garden, Ansi pressed hard against her thigh. Beneath the fabric, she felt the rigid gun.
Cardian de Orphe never appeared—not even by dawn. No matter how thoroughly she searched the banquet hall, he was nowhere. None among the countless people filling the mansion was him.
She lifted her skirt and drew the pistol.
She’d taken it when fleeing the Rubelsa comital household, vowing to pierce his skull without fail.
She truly meant to kill him today—this maddening hatred that mounted daily demanded it, as if only his death could end it.
Cardian de Orphe.
Viscount of the Orphe ducal house.
He was the one who killed her father and brother and brought the House of Rubelsa’s honor crashing to the ground.
〈I’ll return soon.〉
A year ago, her father, Count Rubelsa, had left to serve as a temporary commander at a border post. Her brother, Derel, a soldier, went with him.
The region had been in ceasefire for years—a quiet, unremarkable place with reduced troops.
But one night, battle erupted.
Count Rubelsa had struck first.
Upon receiving word from Viscount Orphe that a secret ceasefire agreement between Belgarder and Parma had succeeded, the count refused to accept reconciliation with the enemy and launched an attack.
It was a reckless and arrogant decision.
The Belgarder forces suffered a catastrophic defeat, and the enemy swept through neighboring regions with unstoppable momentum.
Many perished.
Count Rubelsa was no exception.
He died instantly from an enemy bullet. Her brother Derel had been right in the center when a bomb exploded.
〈For inflicting massive material and human losses on the Belgarder Empire, the House of Rubelsa is held accountable. All assets of Count Rubelsa are hereby confiscated.〉
Rubelsa lost everything—lands, valuables, corporate rights, even servants.
Ansi’s insistence that there must have been a misunderstanding was dismissed as arrogant denial.
Traitor who disgraced the nation. Scum who used young soldiers’ lives for selfish gain. Only looks filled with rage and hatred remained, piercing Ansi and her mother.
Ansi had sought out Viscount Orphe, the one who relayed the ceasefire news, clinging to a last straw—perhaps some miscommunication occurred, and he might offer even slight defense.
But the conversation she overheard secretly at his house revealed a shocking truth.
〈I told the count the ceasefire talks had failed and that Parma would invade shortly.〉
Cardian de Orphe’s voice had been gentle and soft—as if recounting an ordinary daily matter.
〈Count Rubelsa probably decided it was better to launch a preemptive strike against Parma’s forces before being attacked himself—perhaps unaware Parma had already reinforced its troops.〉
False information designed to provoke an attack. An unthinkable act. And his reason for doing it?
〈Just… because he irritated me.〉
The man had laughed—a transparently cruel laugh, utterly inhuman.
From that day on, Ansi imagined killing Cardian in her mind every day.
Even when she returned to the Orphe ducal house and was turned away.
Even when she fled south to escape the people who hurled stones at her and her mother nearly every day.
Even now, as she lived under the alias Rain, working at Viscount Jiden’s estate, having abandoned the name Ansi de Rubelsa.
And today had been her perfect chance to fulfill his death.
She’d never again get an opportunity to approach him so closely, with his guard down—after preparing and hiding so meticulously.
Yet that damn bastard didn’t even show up.
Ansi stared blankly at the pistol in her hand, then pressed it against her own temple. The cold barrel touched her head—a chilling sensation.
If only she could gift this feeling to Cardian, that son of a bitch…
“I’d appreciate it if you spared me today.”
Suddenly, a man’s voice rang out. Ansi hastily lowered the gun and hid it beneath her skirt, scanning her surroundings.
In the distance, leaning crookedly against a pergola pillar, stood the silhouette of a man.
Had he seen her holding the gun?
Her heart raced. Perhaps in the dark, he’d mistaken it—
Just then, clouds parted, moonlight spilling brightly over the world. Unwittingly, she held her breath.
“I detest nightmares.”
His calm voice filled the silent garden. The platinum-haired man with translucently pale skin smiled at her.
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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Damion is selfish to think Ansi should give up her life span for him. However, considering he saw her almost end herself, he probably thinks if she wants to end things she might as well help him in the process.
Trishi is terrible. I hope she gets put in her place. I also hope this viscount son isn’t a loser, but I don’t have high hopes.