Hestia, the princess of Elsword and a saint, had finally become the unwanted daughter of Elsword on her wedding day.
Sitting in front of the mirror, her face showed no excitement of a new bride.
It couldn’t be helped.
‘I’m not doing this willingly.’
Strictly speaking, it was a marriage reliant on the goodwill and pity of Stefan Chereeto.
Therefore, Hestia’s expression hardly brightened. She felt like an object, unable to erase the feeling of despair.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Despite makeup to hide her pale, bloodless face, it felt like a layer of silk suffocating her.
“Princess, how is it? Do you like it?” asked Angela, Hestia’s wet nurse and maid, in an excited voice.
“I’ve always felt sorry for you, always wearing training clothes. To see you in such a beautiful dress…”
“Isn’t it too much? Someone else might suit this dress better than me.”
“How can you say that! You’re so beautiful right now! No one would suit this dress better than you, I assure you!”
“You’re too kind.”
Hestia awkwardly glanced down at her attire.
This was the most extravagant dress she had ever worn, lavishly adorned with jewels and lace. The white fabric was cleaner than snow.
To others, these decorations didn’t feel excessive. Hestia’s dignified beauty remained undiminished despite her gaunt figure.
Furthermore, her signature silvery hair, resembling moonlight, shone brilliantly today, exuding a pure aura.
Yet Hestia couldn’t shake off the discomfort, continuously fidgeting with the dress’s hem.
Angela looked at her mistress with a sympathetic gaze.
Knowing better than anyone that Hestia’s self-esteem had been greatly eroded.
So she spoke firmly, as if to banish any negative thoughts.
“Princess, you believe me, right? It’s not too much.”
Then, strictly, as if forbidding any negative words,
“You are the only princess of Elsword, a saint. Such a prestigious person’s wedding should have everything of the highest quality.”
“Technically, I’m not the only saint.”
Hestia murmured softly, looking down.
Unable to respond, Angela changed the subject.
“Let’s lift your head, Princess. Once you wear the veil, your dressing will be complete.”
“Okay.”
Hestia obediently lifted her head.
As Angela placed the veil, Hestia’s violet eyes shyly hid and reappeared under her eyelids.
Angela exclaimed softly, proud of her work.
“You look truly beautiful.”
“Thank you, Angela. You worked hard since morning.”
Pleased with the compliment, Angela playfully boasted.
“Surely, Sir Stefan will fall for you all over again when he sees you today.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. Have I ever spoken nonsense?”
“…No.”
Hestia playfully shook her head.
Relieved, Angela beamed.
“Then, shall we move to the chapel, Princess? You can wait for Sir Stefan there.”
“…Yes, let’s. There’s not much time left.”
Assisted by Angela, Hestia slowly made her way from the waiting room to the chapel where the ceremony was to be held.
As soon as Hestia entered, a figure approached her as if waiting for her arrival.
“Hestia, you’re here! I was worried I wouldn’t see your face before leaving. I’m glad!”
“…Annetta.”
Hestia quickly moistened her dry lips with her tongue, then called the name of the woman, more excited than herself.
Another saint of Elsword, unlike Hestia, genuinely loved by God and able to hear His voice.
In front of such a vibrant woman, Hestia always felt inexplicably diminished.
‘Is it because she’s the real deal?’
Just the thought tightened her chest uncomfortably.
Oblivious to Hestia’s inner turmoil, Annetta prattled on.
“It’s just my luck to be departing on your wedding day. Please forgive me for not being able to stay till the end.”
“Why say that? I appreciate you stopping by despite your busy schedule.”
Despite Hestia’s courtesy, Annetta exaggeratedly lowered her eyebrows and firmly grasped Hestia’s hands.
‘Ow…’
Hestia bit her lip to suppress an inadvertent groan.
Annetta raised her voice.
“How can you say that! What kind of relationship do we have!”
Hestia wanted to ask the same question.
What kind of bond did they have that tied them so fatefully? She couldn’t dare to ask. She swallowed her question with a smile.
Annetta’s eyes quickly scanned Hestia’s attire.
“How can there be such a lavish and beautiful dress? People seeing Hestia for the first time today wouldn’t believe that the renowned ascetic saint could be so stunning.”
The words didn’t sound like a compliment.
Hestia was glad she wore a veil. Otherwise, her distraught expression would have been obvious.
Despite the veil, Annetta seemed almost insistent on seeing her face, her gaze fixated.
Without blinking, Annetta spoke.
“You’ll continue to visit the temple for prayers, won’t you?”
Hestia involuntarily gasped. Her grip on the bouquet tightened, whitening her knuckles.
“…Of course.”
“Good. El Rapha will be delighted to grant Hestia another chance.”
Really?
If God truly loved her, delighted in her small deeds, would He have pushed her into…
‘Marriage like this.’
Her violet eyes finally succumbed to the weight of her eyelids, dropping down.
Then, an attendant whispered to Annetta, signaling it was time to leave.
Annetta turned back to Hestia with a smile.
“Princess, I must be going now.”
A briefly composed Hestia nodded.
“Take care. I’ll see you again, healthier next time.”
“Of course! I’ll return to see you. Until then, stay healthy.”
Annetta, always smiling, addressed Hestia again.
“Once again, congratulations on your nuptials.”
With narrowed eyes, Annetta reached out to touch Hestia’s forehead.
“You’re running low on divine energy. So, I’ll give you a ‘blessing’.”
Before Hestia could refuse, the touch came.
“…Ah!”
A small moan escaped her lips. The center of her forehead burned as if scorched where Annetta’s fingertips landed.
As soon as Annetta made a meaningful smile and bowed, she turned to leave.
Hestia thought she could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but then, a commotion arose from the entrance.
“What’s going on?”
Hestia’s head turned towards the noise.
‘…!’
The nobles attending as guests also began murmuring among themselves.
“Why is that man here?”
Someone’s voice, laden with displeasure, made everyone in the chapel turn towards the door.
Thud.
A man, unwelcome to all, stepped inside.
Just one step, but his presence seemed to fill the vast chapel.
Moreover, Hestia felt as if an invisible hand was clutching her throat, suffocating her.
A man like a cold north wind, yet also like a blazing sun.
Aslan Kalati appeared at Hestia’s wedding.
Everyone at the wedding began whispering, lowering their voices.
“Who invited him here?”
“Perhaps… the princess?”
“No way. Everyone knows they don’t get along.”
“Then he came uninvited? To curse her?”
“Curse the princess?”
Some of the more faint-hearted ladies dramatically feigned shock, though they knew such talk was absurd. Yet, they couldn’t help but add to the conversation, thinking Aslan might just do something like that.
That was how negatively the central nobility viewed Aslan.
But none dared to ask him why he was there, what his purpose was.
Hence, speculation was all that grew.
“Why is that barbarian here in Elsword? Shouldn’t he be guarding the outskirts?”
Complete disdain.
Yet, Aslan ignored them and kept his gaze fixed on Hestia.
As if to say, ‘I’m treated this way because of you.’
The murmuring continued.
“Could ‘Winter’ cross Elsword’s walls because Kalati is here?”
Just the thought sent shivers down everyone’s spines, even though they had never faced Winter themselves. They were already overwhelmed by the fear that the word conjured.
Meanwhile, Aslan’s expression remained stoic, like a man wearing an iron mask.
Hestia quietly watched him.
Their eyes met in the void.
Always looking at her with those sharply honed eyes, like blades.
‘Aslan Kalati.’
That was his name.
The lord of the North, known as the barbarian.
An uninvited guest at Hestia’s wedding, his face scrunched in annoyance, as if ready to tear apart anyone who crossed 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
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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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