The engagement ceremony was filled with people’s blessings.
The protagonists of the day, a man and a woman, smiled blissfully, looking like the main characters who had overcome adversities to reach a happy ending.
“Congratulations.”
“You two are a perfect match.”
People extended their blessings to the couple with joyful smiles.
Count Dettor Deberti, the groom-to-be, grinned ear to ear, and Lady Delia Palo shyly accepted the compliments with a smooth, unwrinkled face.
The gathered nobles all blessed the couple.
But only in front of them.
“…Didn’t Count Deberti have a fiancée before?”
“Have you forgotten? Lady Nirielle, his former fiancée, died. He found a new match quickly.”
“It was quite noisy until recently.”
“Lady Palo was the closest friend of the deceased Lady Nirielle, wasn’t she?”
“His new fiancée being the close friend of his deceased fiancée… I find it rather distasteful.”
As the nobles turned away after offering their congratulations, they fanned themselves with an unpleasant expression. Though they attended, the engagement felt somewhat unsettling.
“Wasn’t there a scandal about those two seeing each other even before Lady Nirielle’s death?”
“Poor Lady Nirielle.”
“The dead can’t speak, so how can they complain?”
It was an engagement ceremony with much to be said. The nobles laughed and gossiped, enjoying a new topic for their mundane lives.
As they were busy showing off their knowledge, an announcement came.
“Duke Violentus enters!”
The arrival of a new guest instantly changed the atmosphere.
“My, did they say the Violentus family?”
“The head of the Violentus family attending an engagement?”
All eyes turned to the door.
“It’s my first time seeing his face. Who invited him today?”
“I saw him at Lady Nirielle’s memorial. So handsome… My heart nearly stopped.”
“They discovered another gold and diamond mine, right? They might be the wealthiest family in the empire now.”
The attention shifted from the engaged couple to this new arrival.
And then…
“Are you ready?”
Standing at the door, Duke Laches, head of the Violentus family, reached out to me, asking casually yet with an intense desire in his black eyes.
It had been a long journey back here.
“Ready?”
I steadied my trembling breath and lightly placed my hand on Laches’ rough palm.
“When I left, faking my death and abandoning my name, I had finished all my preparations.”
Laches nodded at my firm response and signaled to open the door. We entered the engagement hall hand in hand.
‘Ah.’
The hall was filled with fresh flowers, the scent almost overwhelming. High arch windows let in bright sunlight, making it sparkle like jewels.
The hexagonal pillars, adorned with gems, were majestic, and the enormous chandelier captivated attention with its shimmering light at the slightest breeze.
I knew this place too well.
It was where I was supposed to get married.
To that very man!
‘If my ex-fiancé wanted to marry here, he should have chosen another place. To avoid being accused of imitation.’
Despite his first visit, Laches moved with confidence, as if knowing his destination. He strode forward purposefully.
As Laches took each step, the crowd parted to make way for him. He acted as if it was all very familiar, unconcerned about the grandeur of the event.
“Always remember and never forget who you are walking beside, Lepherentia.”
The dark blue-black of his hair fluttered softly with each step, as if to consume the daylight’s brightness. His intense black eyes, seemingly devouring my tension, looked at me as if asking, ‘Are you prepared?’
I involuntarily tightened my grip on his hand, gazing intently at Laches before slowly opening my lips.
“My path has been set from the beginning. So, Duke, make sure you keep up with me. Fall behind even a little, and I’ll leave you.”
A light smile played across Laches’ lips.
“I guess I’ll have to hold on tight then.”
Satisfied with his response, Laches firmly grasped my hand.
As we neared, the faces of the day’s main characters became clearer.
Chills ran down my spine as I faced their vile faces.
‘What expression will you wear upon seeing me?’
I held my head high with more pride than usual, straightening my back gracefully.
Finally, Laches’ steps halted at our destination, in front of the day’s protagonists.
“Congratulations on your engagement, Count Deberti.”
Dettor and Delia, startled by the unexpected arrival, widened their eyes. Prince Belial Renator, who was congratulating them, also turned around in surprise.
Laches, the head of the Violentus family, rarely attended parties in the capital, and even seldom responded to invitations from the royal palace.
His appearance in the capital was, therefore, an understandable cause for surprise.
“…Duke Violentus?”
Prince Belial’s words broke the silence, and Laches casually nodded in response.
“A pleasure to see you, Your Highness.”
“I didn’t expect Duke Violentus to grace us with his presence.”
Dettor approached Laches with a bewildered face and shook the hand extended to 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
_____
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.]
