Ariana agonized in the darkness where not a single shard of light entered.
What did I do wrong?
Where did I make a mistake?
I didn’t want much. I never wished for anything excessive.
I simply wanted to be loved.
Mother. Sisters. Husband and his family. And Harold Blenwit.
I didn’t wish for profound love.
Just a little affection and acknowledgment, that was all I needed. A smile when I did well, concern when I was ill, just that much.
I wanted only that much, something that an ordinary person naturally receives as easily as breathing.
Was that too much to ask for me?
Was I not supposed to wish for such things?
Locked in the deepest part of the dungeon under the royal palace of the Camellia Empire for a year, not a single person whom Ariana had trusted and loved came to find her.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, surely tomorrow.
Such hopes had long been shattered.
The pathetic meals that came once every two days began to arrive once every few days.
More unbearable than the terrible hunger and thirst was the loneliness.
The four vassal states of Dongryeong, Seoryeong, Namryeong, and Bukryeong, surrounding the great empire of Camellia.
Ariana was born between Dong Emperor Russell, the ruler of Dongryeong, and Rachel, the daughter of the West Emperor.
Rachel divorced the Eastern Emperor as soon as Ariana was born and returned to the West, remarrying Duke Jacob Bronthe.
Ariana clearly remembered the days at the Duke of Bronthe’s mansion in the West.
Always cheerful mother Rachel, wise but affectionate stepfather Jacob, naive but smiling sister Helena, mature and elegant younger sister Victoria, and the youngest sibling Joison.
The Bronthe mansion was warm and peaceful, but there was no place for Ariana.
Ariana also remembered the days at Count Alfrehi’s mansion.
Husband Ingwoo Alfrehi, motherinlaw Raone, and her sisterinlaw of the same age, Elize.
They were close, but even there, they did not make a place for Ariana.
The Third Emperor, now Emperor Harold Blenwit, was Ariana’s only warmth. She could find the love and trust that not even her family gave her in Harold.
“I like intelligent women like you.”
“I prefer a useful woman like you over women who try to lean on men with a bright smile.”
“If I ascend to the throne, I’ll use you nobly. My imperial family will be your greenhouse.”
She believed those words.
And so she moved as his secret blade until he sat on the Emperor’s throne.
She helped conquer Dongryeong, a strong vassal state, and pulled out the reclusive South Emperor to cut his throat.
She did not hesitate to help conquer Dongryeong. The kindness close by was more precious than a father she had never spoken a word to.
She also brought information to counter the North Emperor, who had the trust of the Emperor and the Crown Prince, and almost died several times in the process.
She was captured and tortured as a spy, but she even accepted that torture sweetly.
Being useful to someone was so important to Ariana that even cruel torture was sweet.
The Third Emperor Harold was the most intelligent of many emperors, but the chance of ascending to the throne was almost zero as long as the Crown Prince was loved and trusted by the Emperor.
But Ariana walked through a field of filth for Harold and made that possibility, and Harold succeeded in sitting on the throne after killing the Crown Prince and the Emperor.
Now the imperial family was Harold’s, but Ariana was not even allowed in a narrow corner of the imperial palace.
Ariana couldn’t understand.
She was simply born. She just lived.
So why is the world so cruel to me?
“What did I do to deserve this…”
Her voice cracked and sounded not her own.
“What more should I have done?”
Ariana covered her face with both hands.
She felt her skin, cracked and wounded on her thin, dry fingers. Even a slight touch caused her hair to be easily plucked out, not having eaten properly.
Tears no longer came due to the long, continuous starvation and thirst.
Creak[Dash]
The sound of the heavy iron door of the underground dungeon opening echoed.
Clipclop[Dash]
The light footsteps were different from those of the jailer who had brought food.
Even in this situation, a small hope sprouted.
Could she finally leave this place?
As she lowered her hands and lifted her head, she saw a noblewoman standing outside the bars with a lantern in her hand.
Though not of beautiful appearance, a smile full of happiness made her shine.
“Sister…….”
“Don’t call me sister. Call me the Duchess of Deckan.”
Helena spoke in a singing tone and laughed lightly.
“But you, you look terrible. All that proud hair is gone. People will think you’re a monster.”
Even with her pitiable younger sister before her, Helena seemed joyful.
Ariana crawled on her knees to grab the bars, lifting her head. Her few remaining pale blue strands of hair flowed down her rough cheeks and shoulders.
“Sister, when can I leave here?”
Helena narrowed her eyes slightly and kicked Ariana with her foot.
“I said not sister but Duchess, didn’t I?”
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.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
