Who Regressed the Timekeeper? (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
Amy lay curled up on the damp, filthy prison floor. Kidnapped by Lady Esmain and awaiting only her death, she had been forcibly dragged in by a thug the previous day and had her tongue cut out, losing her voice.
“…….”
She raised her trembling hands into the air, holding them up to the bright moonlight. She had lost track of how long she’d been imprisoned—her bones were already gaunt. Even that small effort exhausted her, and her arms dropped limply.
‘How much longer must I endure this? Why doesn’t Lady Esmain just kill me outright?’
Through her hazy consciousness, she recalled a memory: the young Crown Prince, frightened by thunder on a stormy night, sneaking into her room clutching a pillow. Though she’d scolded him for being afraid of something so trivial, she’d still lifted the corner of her blanket and tucked him into her bed.
It was she, not he, who had slept peacefully that night, comforted by his warm little hands and steady breathing—because the Crown Prince Amy knew had never feared thunder.
‘After all we’ve shared… maybe the Crown Prince will come to rescue me.’
That was the sole reason she still clung to hope, even in this wretched state.
Just then, voices echoed from the stairwell.
“What on earth is supposed to be down here?”
Amy’s breath caught. It was the voice of the Crown Prince she’d longed for.
Too weak to move, she stared wide-eyed toward the prison entrance. There stood the pale-faced Crown Prince—and beside him, clinging tightly to his side, Lady Esmain looked down at her with a mocking smirk.
“Oh my, Your Highness. Don’t you recognize her?”
Lady Esmain gave a coy smile. Amy kept her gaze fixed solely on the Crown Prince, her heart blazing with joy.
At last—he had come to save her!
“…….”
The Crown Prince’s golden eyes lazily swept over the cell, then his face twisted in disgust.
“What’s that smell…? Tch, it’s making me sick. Let’s go back.”
“!”
As he turned away, Amy involuntarily gasped. At that instant, the Crown Prince flinched, half-turning as if to look back. Lady Esmain pressed even closer to him and laughed.
“I suppose I did something pointless. Still, it was amusing.”
“……What’s so amusing about this?”
The two of them left the prison without another word.
“…….”
In the silence that returned to the cell, Amy gathered her shattered wits and tried to make sense of what had happened.
‘He didn’t… see me?’
That was impossible. Though the prison was underground, a narrow gap connected it to the surface, letting moonlight stream through the bars and clearly illuminate her. Anyone who knew Amy would recognize her instantly.
‘Which means the Crown Prince…’
Her reason coldly reached its conclusion.
‘Saw me… and walked away anyway.’
The Crown Prince, who had grown up with her since childhood and constantly whined about marrying her, had wrinkled his nose at the sight of her lying in such misery, complained about the foul stench… and turned away without a shred of hesitation.
Amy slowly opened her eyes. That memory from long ago still soured her mood.
‘Though I didn’t actually die then—it happened years later…’
She silently looked around. Before her eyes lay the exact same scene as in her memory.
‘This place is still bone-chillingly cold.’
Even the shackles on her ankles were identical, almost making her laugh bitterly. Amy sat upright on the icy floor, her spine straight. With each breath, white vapor puffed from her lips.
How long had she sat like that? Finally, the sound she’d been waiting for began to approach.
Click-clack. Someone was walking toward her. Soon, the footsteps stopped right outside her cell.
“…….”
The woman slowly opened her eyes. Outside the bars stood a richly dressed noblewoman, fanning herself and looking down at Amy with disdain.
“How dare a lowly creature like you summon me here?”
Her voice dripped with anger and contempt. The imprisoned woman—formerly head maid of the Crown Prince’s palace, now head maid of the Second Prince’s palace, Amelia, affectionately called Amy—replied calmly.
“Weren’t you eager to hear my confession, Lady Esmain?”
“…….”
There was no reply, but Amy could sense her panic at being exposed. Amy smirked inwardly.
‘You, who always keep a hawk’s eye on anything concerning the Crown Prince—did you really think I wouldn’t know what you’ve done?’
Outwardly, however, she remained courteous.
“I’ve told you from the start—it’s a misunderstanding, Lady Esmain.”
“……Lady?”
The noblewoman sharply raised her voice at the end. Amy clicked her tongue mentally. Had she decided to drop all pretense now that her identity was revealed? Still maintaining a gentle tone, Amy corrected herself.
“Oh dear, what a blunder. Your Highness, the Crown Prince’s fiancée.”
“……Hmm.”
Though Lady Esmain still hid behind her fan, she couldn’t suppress a satisfied snort. Ugh, how revolting. Amy mimed retching inwardly but kept her outward demeanor composed as she continued.
“You claimed I was in love with His Highness the Crown Prince? But I’ve never once held feelings for him.”
“Denial is easy with words.”
Lady Esmain spoke coldly.
‘As expected—she won’t believe me so easily.’
Amy bowed her head, hiding her irritation. After a brief pause, she spoke again.
“If we must be precise… Your Highness has a younger brother, does she not? Baron Dorian, who will one day become Duke Esmain…”
“Why bring him up now?”
Lady Esmain’s delicate face instantly soured. Amy gave a faint, knowing smile. Yes—that was exactly the reaction she’d wanted.
She stated plainly, “To me, His Highness the Crown Prince is no different from him.”
“……What did you say?”
“Annoying, high-maintenance—but destined for a lofty position. That’s why I show him courtesy. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Perhaps sensing the fierce sincerity in Amy’s words, the corners of Lady Esmain’s eyes softened slightly.
“……Is that truly so?”
Hearing the doubt in her voice, Amy raised one hand and declared solemnly,
“I swear by the name of Delial.”
Her fervent voice rang clearly through the prison cell.
“Even if I died a hundred times, I would never desire His Highness the Crown Prince for selfish reasons. No—a thousand times… no, ten thousand times… no…”
As Amy kept escalating the number with wide, earnest eyes, Lady Esmain recoiled in alarm and cut her off.
“Ah, stop! Enough! I believe you already.”
“……I’m glad the misunderstanding is cleared up.”
Amy bowed deeply. Lady Esmain awkwardly cleared her throat. Now that she thought about it, she’d acted too hastily in imprisoning Amy. But still…
‘She’s always interfering in the Crown Prince’s every move.’
Could she truly have no feelings for him? Narrowing her eyes, Lady Esmain scrutinized Amy. Though worn thin by torture, Amy retained the refined beauty befitting the eldest daughter of a once-prominent family. Recognizing this, Lady Esmain’s suppressed suspicions began stirring again.
Seeing through her thoughts, Amy drove the final nail in.
“Oh, did I mention this before?”
“Mention what?”
“I’ll soon be leaving for the Northern Duchy.”
“What? Isn’t that barren wasteland utterly desolate?”
Lady Esmain asked, bewildered. Amy nodded.
“Yes. I’ll be accompanying the Second Prince to live there.”
“You? With the Second Prince?”
“Yes.”
Lady Esmain forgot even to hide behind her fan, staring blankly at Amy.
“I heard the Second Prince swore to the Crown Prince he’d never return… So you too…?”
Amy calmly confirmed, “Yes. I’ll lay my bones there as well.”
“……Hah! Why didn’t you say so sooner!”
Lady Esmain’s face finally brightened. She hurriedly instructed the guards to remove Amy’s shackles. Amy bowed politely, as if she’d never suffered unjust treatment. Pleased by her demeanor, Lady Esmain tapped Amy’s shoulder playfully with her fan and smiled.
“Look at you—how fortunate that you know your place. You nearly lost your life over this! So be more careful with your conduct from now on. There’s no guarantee you’ll meet someone as merciful as me next time.”
“That’s very true. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Amy’s continued meekness visibly relieved Lady Esmain, who beamed with satisfaction.
“Then off you go. You must have much to prepare for your journey north.”
“Yes, then I shall take my leave…”
Amy bowed respectfully and limped up the prison stairs. She could feel eyes boring into her back; gritting her teeth, she stepped carefully, one foot at a time. Her tortured ankle throbbed excruciatingly, but she gave no sign of pain—only grinding her teeth inwardly.
‘Lady Esmain, may you tumble down these palace stairs exactly five times—no more, no less.’
There were precisely five steps leading out of the Crown Prince’s palace. Having uttered this curse-that-wasn’t-quite-a-curse, Amy finally escaped the hellish Crown Prince’s palace.
In the distance, the Second Prince’s palace came into view—its tall tower shabby and unimpressive. Amy strained to turn her neck and glanced back at the Crown Prince’s palace. It glittered brightly, looking brand new.
Amy clicked her tongue inwardly and clenched her jaw.
‘Your time in that gilded cage won’t last much longer.’
Memories of the Crown Prince’s gentle, endearing childhood flashed through her mind like a lantern slide. Her fists tightened.
“I’m back.”
Arriving at the worn, dilapidated Second Prince’s palace, Amy announced in a voice barely above a whisper. Immediately, two maids in servant’s attire burst out with a loud clatter. Their faces were filled with shock—they hadn’t expected her return. Amy glared at them.
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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