In the dark dawn before the break of day, Zion was setting out from Laurel Castle with his aides.

He had finished his business in Tienda, and it was time to return to Bis.

Zion had openly expressed his opposition to the aristocracy against Evie Ariate’s selection as the Holy Maiden yesterday.

He had used explicit words, so it was bound to be noisy.

And naturally, the arrow would point at Evie Ariate.

It would be quite troublesome for her, but Zion decided not to care.

Using me as insurance, or having a thoroughly calculating nature, or that brazen personality that doesn’t hold back words; there’s really no need to worry.

It was when Zion was organizing his thoughts about Evie.

“Zion!”

A voice calling Zion pierced through the monotonous sound of hooves.

It was obvious who it was. In this castle, the only person who could call his name was his halfbrother, the Archduke of Laurel.

The Archduke, who appeared on horseback, was dressed as if he had just come out of his bedroom. Moreover, he was followed only by one attendant, without any escort or aide.

Seeing the Archduke come running out in such attire, Zion’s aides immediately pulled at the reins.

So Zion had no choice but to stop the horse as well.

“You’re going back to Bis?”

Zion, who had caught up with the Archduke, asked.

It was a soft voice, unlike his usual sensitive and authoritative tone.

But even to a brother who was being so incredibly tender, Zion only nodded his head, hardly giving away anything.

Then the Archduke asked, seemingly disappointed.

“When will you come back?”

Come back. To Zion, this was the wrong expression.

To him, Tienda or Laurel Castle were not places to return to.

They were places he had to reluctantly come to, only when necessary.

He didn’t want to set foot in them again, but he had to come back soon.

So Zion briefly answered the Archduke.

“At the Holy Maiden selection ceremony.”

At that time, Zion was planning to take Evie Ariate, who had not become the Holy Maiden.

Duke Bayen is furious. Count Laurel’s declaration is a rebellion against God and TiendaBis, he rages.

Count Montla holds a meeting with the aristocrats. He states his position to actively take into account everyone’s opinion.

Tuhaga district protests vehemently. Considering it at the family level for the Holy Maiden to step forward.

Some are protesting directly to the Tower, but the Tower’s owner still remains silent.

Archduke Laurel tacitly accepts his brother’s decision.

Evie scanned the notes containing the current situation of the great nobles and the Holy Maiden.

Then she also looked over the opinions of the nobles placed next to them.

How to mortgage peace, this is also an insult to other great nobles, some voices criticizing Count Laurel.

We must consider the Count’s feelings; he has suffered a serious downfall, considerable voices defending Count Laurel.

Did he think there would be no consequences for touching Amaneser’s watchman? All responsibility lies with Evie Ariate, considerable voices condemning Evie Ariate.

The fact that he didn’t execute that commoner on the spot is a great mercy, one voice sneering.

Majority of voices agree that Evie Ariate must not be made a Holy Maiden.

There are specific opinions that purification can continue even if she doesn’t become a Holy Maiden.

Having checked all the notes, Evie’s face was pale without a hint of color.

Having confirmed the turbulent public opinion of Tienda, Evie covered her face with both hands and bit her lip.

‘Don’t cry, don’t cry.’

Then she desperately held back her tears.

‘Don’t shed a single tear for those kinds of people.’

Evie clenched her teeth and held back, so that the tears already welled in her eyes would not swell further.

The Count really did it in style. And then he hurriedly left for Bis the next morning.

Thus, all the resentment poured onto Evie, who was left in Tienda.

Thanks to that, Evie was more isolated and receiving the aristocrats’ reproach than when she first entered society.

Barely swallowing her tears, Evie raised her head and took a deep breath. But the turmoil in her heart continued.

The feeling was as if the ground beneath had crumbled. It was more despairing than the day she had been cursed.

“The giving up by yourself will be better in many ways than me making you give up,”

Count Philip Morris’s words floated in her dark mind.

“If I intervene, it will certainly be troublesome.”

Yes, the Count had said so, and he thoroughly kept his word.

He had indeed cornered Evie superbly.

Chewing over the Count’s words and deeds, Evie let out a hollow laugh.

It was good that she didn’t believe. She did well not to be fooled by the pretense of repaying the debt or taking care of her.

Because that man, for the mere reason of being annoying, would mess with someone’s life, and would say that your opinion doesn’t matter, I’ll take care of it myself.

“To think of relying on such a person, you still have a long way to go,”

Evie coldly joked.

Nevertheless, her mood didn’t improve at all.

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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