“Of course, the medium will become unable to hold any magic afterward. But if we compensate her with gold for the rest of her life, she might agree.”
“You were amazed at her potential as a great mage, and now you want to take her magic away?”
Baron smiled kindly and nodded.
“Nothing is more important to me than your well-being, Master. Even if it means preventing the birth of a future great mage.”
When Cordelia returned to her room, it was already completely dark.
Exhausted, she opened the door, and three maids rushed to greet her.
“You’re back, little mistress.”
“Uh? Who are you?”
“I’m Rachel.”
“And I’m Mary.”
Two new maids bowed. Emily, standing behind them, added cheerfully,
“Can you believe it? The house steward called me today and said it’s hard for me to serve you alone, so he assigned two more to help.”
It was odd. The house steward, always cautious of Helena, had only ever paid minimal attention to Cordelia.
Until now, Emily was the only one serving her, but now suddenly two more maids were assigned?
Before she could unravel this mystery, the new maids helped her change. As she undressed, something fell.
“Oh dear, a letter has fallen, little mistress.”
Rachel picked up the crumpled letter and handed it to her mistress.
Cordelia sighed reflexively. She hesitated for a long time before opening the envelope, as if receiving something unclean.
The usual protocol was to avoid even sharing a cup of tea, let alone a meal, so this sudden invitation from Helena was unexpected.
I knew what she might say, but I couldn’t ignore Helena’s summons.
“Can you tell Craig I’ll be a bit late?”
“Of course, little mistress.”
After changing into proper attire to avoid any criticism, I left my room.
Arriving at the dining room, not only was Helena there, but also Arnold, Lily, and Baron Lancaster, all seated at the table.
It was an unusual gathering.
“Sorry for being late, Grand Dame.”
“No, you’re not late. Come, sit down.”
My reflexive apology was met with a bright smile from Helena, stirring a sense of unease in me.
“Good morning, Countess.”
Lily and Arnold barely acknowledged me, while only Baron Lancaster stood up to greet me.
“Craig has changed a lot thanks to your nursing. I haven’t even thanked you.”
“No, I just did what I had to.”
“What’s natural in this world?”
Helena’s normal-sounding comment made me suspicious.
Was it because of Baron Lancaster’s presence?
I was a bit flustered and ended up just offering an awkward smile in response.
“Oh, the food will get cold. Let’s eat.”
“Yes.”
A servant brought in tomato soup. I quietly spooned it up and ate.
Helena, still smiling, asked me,
“Is everything going well lately?”
“Thanks to your constant care, what could I possibly lack?”
“Ho ho. Compared to your impoverished family home, this place must seem like heaven to you.”
My lips tightened slightly, but I quickly composed my expression.
“By the way, have you been in touch with your father lately?”
“No, I haven’t contacted him.”
“How naturally she lies!”
“Must be in her nature, Mother.”
Lily mocked me openly. I was taken aback by the sudden change in tone.
“…What do you mean?”
“Pretending not to know? Or genuinely unaware? Forgot how the Marquis Vasquez told you to steal?”
I was baffled by Helena’s accusation.
Then Helena pulled something from her bosom and began to read aloud.
“‘Dennis’s academy fees are short, send a hundred thousand ringits as soon as possible, and don’t delay.’ Just outrageous.”
“It’s clear why we shouldn’t have let such a beggar into our home. A hundred thousand ringits? She’s practically a thief!”
Lily pointed her finger at me, her words laced with unmistakable contempt.
“Grand Dame!”
I couldn’t hold back and exclaimed in response.
What Helena read in front of everyone was the letter I received from my father yesterday.
I had told the maid to burn it, but Helena must have bribed her to get her hands on it.
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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