Inside the brightly lit dining room that made it hard to believe it was night.
Alicia, seated at one end of the long table, was looking at the empty chair opposite her, waiting for its owner to arrive.
The mealtime had long passed and her wait had been just as long, but Alicia’s face was calm as if she were used to it.
“Has that person not arrived yet?”
“…I apologize, Your Majesty.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. It’s always like this.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Ignoring the attendant who bowed her head apologetically, Alicia picked up the water glass in front of her to wet her throat, then looked at the empty wine glass next to it.
The glass, still unfilled and reflecting the light of the dining room, seemed to warn her not to forget what she had to do today.
“I thought he would come on time at least today…”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Alicia moistened her throat once more as if it were parching and set the water glass back on the table.
The Emperor of the Eregron Empire, the only one with noble blood.
If the nobles who value face more than life saw her, such an exalted person, sitting alone after sparing her precious time for someone, they would unanimously call for the other party to be punished for blasphemy.
But would anyone still make such a claim after hearing the name of the person she was waiting for?
Surely no one would, except perhaps that one person who planned today’s unpleasant event.
“His Grace Duke Killian Diaz-Craig has arrived.”
Alicia, who had been lost in thought recalling the face of the man who insisted they must carry out the task today, snapped back to attention at the news that the person she was waiting for had arrived and turned her gaze to the door.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, not very long.”
“That’s good.”
There was no sincerity in the man’s voice as they exchanged greetings, as if an actor on stage reading from a script.
Alicia looked at the face of the man who bowed to her without the slightest hint of remorse before sitting down across from her, where she had been gazing until now.
Neatly combed short black hair, a handsome forehead below well-shaped eyebrows, long lush eyelashes that could belong to a woman, deep green eyes devoid of warmth beneath them, a straight nose, and firmly pressed lips.
He was a handsome man who instantly captured one’s gaze, but surrounded by an icy aura that made it impossible to approach carelessly.
Killian, Alicia’s husband and the Chancellor of the Empire.
“You seem to have been busy again today.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“…I see.”
Alicia knew that ‘today’ too, his lover had secretly visited his study.
And Killian surely knew that she was aware of this fact.
Since all the eyes and ears in this imperial palace belonged to him, he could have hidden it if he wished, but Killian did not.
He probably knew well that Alicia would pretend not to know even if he didn’t hide it.
Even if Alicia were to acknowledge it…
“The young lady of the Luise Count family…”
“Cheryl inherited the family title and became a count last year, Your Majesty.”
He would brush it off as if it were nothing, answering like this without a care.
Alicia looked at Killian, who continued speaking with an expressionless face, feeling a pain in her chest that she could never get used to.
“If it’s difficult to call her by name, it would be better to address her as Countess Luise according to protocol.”
And yet you casually call her by her name.
Alicia squeezed her eyes shut, barely swallowing the words that had risen to the tip of her tongue, then slowly opened her eyes with a bitter smile.
It was all her fault.
So who could she blame or resent?
“Shall I prepare the meal?”
The attendant’s attitude of seeking Killian’s permission despite the presence of the Empire’s Emperor showed intuitively where the power in this empire truly lay.
“Since Her Majesty invited me here, you should ask her.”
“Ah…! I apologize.”
Alicia waved her hand lightly at the attendant who now rushed over to bow deeply, realizing her mistake. Then she turned to Killian and spoke.
“You wouldn’t accept even if I offered a meal, would you?”
In the four years since their marriage, the two had shared a meal in the same place only three times.
And that was before Alicia ascended to the imperial throne.
She nodded lightly as she looked at Killian, who made no attempt to hide his wariness of her and gave no answer.
“Let’s have a meal next time… next time. Today I just wanted to have a drink with you.”
Will there even be a next time?
Though she knew she couldn’t promise a ‘next time’, Alicia still spoke of it as she waved lightly to the attendant.
As the table was filled at her signal, there was no conversation between the two.
They simply gazed into each other’s eyes, engaging in a battle of exploration to discern what the other was thinking.
Or rather, only Killian was conducting such an exploration, while Alicia was trying to engrave his face, her beloved husband’s face, in her eyes for as long as possible.
“You’re acting strange today.”
Killian spoke as he watched his wine glass being filled.
The maid filling the wine startled at his sudden words, but it was only for a moment. She quickly bowed her head and retreated, then approached Alicia to fill her glass.
“What’s strange?”
“Everything.”
As Killian said this with a gesture of his eyes, those standing by to serve quickly began to leave the dining room.
Among them, the maid who had filled their wine glasses looked at Alicia with an uncertain expression, but when Alicia nodded with a smile, she bit her lower lip as if holding back tears and followed the others.
Now in the dining room where only their breaths remained, Alicia slowly opened her mouth as she looked at Killian, whose eyes pressed her to speak the words she had prepared.
“Can’t you stop?”
“Stop what?”
“The war you’re preparing for now.”
“Do you think I would nod and agree if Your Majesty said so?”
“…No.”
Alicia knew such an answer would come.
But even though she knew this, as the Emperor of Eregron, it was a question she had to ask Killian at least once.
Alicia looked at Killian, who made no attempt to hide his fierce expression, and picked up her wine glass.
Now that she had asked the question she needed to, it was time for her to do what she had to do.
“I’m not suited to be Emperor.”
“…”
“If only my brother hadn’t suddenly passed away in an accident, I would never have even dreamed of it.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Everything was overwhelming, but thanks to you, I was able to at least pretend to be Emperor.”
“…”
“Thank you, Killian.”
This was sincere.
Although she was called a puppet of the Duke and an empty shell of an Emperor, it was all thanks to Killian that she had been able to endure until this moment.
“So let’s make a toast. For this Eregron that my foolish love has ruined.”
Alicia raised her glass to the air and drained it in one go with a smile.
This was a special drink prepared for today.
As she felt the strong alcohol, as special as its preparation, sliding down her throat, Alicia set the empty glass on the table and looked at Killian.
He hadn’t touched the wine glass prepared for him.
“Why aren’t you drinking?”
“I don’t feel like it.”
“Afraid I might have poisoned that wine?”
“Do you have the courage for that?”
Pfft.
Even as she watched Killian sneer at her, Alicia couldn’t get angry.
It wasn’t wrong, after all.
Nodding at his question, Alicia stood up and approached Killian.
“You’re right. I don’t have the courage to kill you. So… I’ll drink this instead.”
Alicia picked up Killian’s wine glass and downed it in one go again.
Killian’s eyes widened briefly in surprise at her action, then he furrowed his brow as he looked at the empty glass Alicia set down.
“What are you doing?”
“I knew you wouldn’t drink this wine. You never have… all these years.”
“What?”
Was it because of the strong alcohol? Or had the special properties of that wine begun to take effect?
Her insides felt burning hot and dizzy.
“Alicia!”
So this is what it feels like to burn and die from the inside.
As she collapsed, coughing up blood, Alicia looked up at Killian who held her in his arms, urgently calling her name.
Was he flustered? Seeing his deep green eyes wavering for the first time, she couldn’t help but smile even as she was dying.
“What have you done?”
“Killian…”
If you knew what I was thinking as I poisoned the wine prepared to celebrate our wedding anniversary… would you laugh at me for being foolish?
“…I regret…”
A man who never loved Alicia for a single moment from the first time they met until now as she dies coughing blood.
A venomous snake not satisfied even after killing her parents and siblings.
A puppeteer controlling an empty shell of an Emperor with strings.
A tyrant preparing for war, unsatisfied with what he has and grasping for more.
And… the man Alicia Craig loves, Killian Diaz.
“Every… moment… I held… you… in my heart…”
Unable to let go of her first love, she had prepared for this moment to die together, but unable to harm the one she loved with her own hands, Alicia chose to die alone.
No, she decided to escape through death.
“If… I’m given… another chance…”
If such a chance were given, she would run away with all her might.
So that her foolishness wouldn’t ruin everything once again.
“…I won’t… love you…”
So, Killian.
In this dying moment, my beloved whom I will probably long for and love even in death.
Let’s never… meet again.
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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