“A magical beast in the form of a dog is quite rare. It must have been expensive. I’ll offer you three times the price you paid for it.”
“I’m not selling Lottie.”
“How about five times the price?”
“No matter how much you offer, it’s useless. Please leave, I have companions nearby.”
“Hmm.”
The man looked disappointedly at Lottie behind Cordelia and then left with a light bow.
Cordelia quickly took Lottie and exited the dining area.
Baron was outside, arranging the carriage and loading luggage. Leonard, coming out of the inn, chided Cordelia.
“What took you so long? Hurry up and get in. We’re leaving.”
“Master! How did you know Lottie was a magical beast?”
“Why are you asking that now?”
“Some man just recognized Lottie as a magical beast and tried to buy her from me.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know. He was completely covered in a cloak.”
Leonard’s expression, which had been indifferent, changed. Baron, who had been listening, also looked serious.
“If he recognized Lottie as a magical beast despite her ordinary appearance, he must be a high-level magician. I didn’t notice at first either.”
“A high-level magician? Is that significant?”
“It means he’s of the Elder level or just below.”
“But his voice sounded very young. And so did his jaw.”
“Young?”
At Cordelia’s words, Baron and Leonard exchanged a meaningful look. They discussed something in low voices, but Cordelia couldn’t make out most of it.
Belucci, fidgeting with his sword, scanned the surroundings sharply.
“We should leave this village quickly.”
“Yes, that seems wise.”
Whatever it was, it didn’t seem pleasant. Cordelia put her luggage in the carriage and gave Lottie one last farewell.
“Lottie, go back to the castle. Now, really…”
“Take the dog with you.”
“What? Really?”
“Yes. Better we keep it than to be tracked because of it.”
Cordelia, beaming, quickly opened the carriage door.
“Come on, Lottie, get in!”
Lottie promptly hopped onto the carriage. Leonard let out a chuckle.
“You didn’t make up that story about the man, did you?”
“Master! What do you take me for! No, I didn’t! Tell him, Lottie. You saw that man too!”
Cordelia vehemently denied it, making a fuss. Leonard clicked his tongue and got into the carriage.
“Enough, enough. Just get in. Let’s go, Baron.”
The tiresome journey lasted for ten long days.
The Abrams estate was in the northeast, and Dilona’s land was at the southern end, so the carriage continued to head south.
“It’s too hot…”
As each day passed, Cordelia’s clothes became lighter and lighter. For her, from the north, the warm spring weather was unbelievably pleasant.
During this time, Cordelia repeated the same routine. During the day, she studied magic in the carriage under Leonard’s strict supervision, and at night she collapsed into sleep as soon as she lay down.
The silver lining was that she was quickly improving in magic, as she had nothing else to do but learn from Leonard.
“You can already draw a triple magic circle?”
“Hmm. This much is nothing.”
Baron, looking at the papers Cordelia was busily scribbling on, couldn’t hide his surprise. Cordelia proudly straightened her shoulders and showed him her other work.
“I’ve done these too.”
“Indeed, Madam Cordelia is a quick learner. Other magicians in Lopel would be astonished. To achieve this much in less than a month.”
The fire burned brightly, illuminating the surroundings.
Tonight, they had to camp outdoors, as they hadn’t encountered a village during their journey.
Belucci had left to catch a rabbit, and Leonard had gone for some other reason, leaving only Baron, Cordelia, and Lottie, who was nodding off, by the fire.
“It’s all thanks to the Master.”
Cordelia said this with a humble smile, though she felt quite proud inside.
Her rapid progress in magic circles was largely due to Cordelia’s ‘seeing’ talent. While regular magicians need to focus all their concentration and mental power on drawing magic circles, Cordelia could easily follow along by simply seeing the magic.
“You seem much happier too.”
“Do you think so?”
“Yes. When I first met you, you seemed oppressed, barely breathing. Now you seem like a different person.”
Cordelia thought about the last two months, agreeing with Baron’s observation. She had gained confidence and her expression had brightened as she learned more about magic. It was no surprise others noticed her change.
“Don’t get too cocky.”
Leonard, who had appeared at some point, sat beside Cordelia and quickly scanned the magic circles she had drawn. His lack of comment suggested she had gotten them right.
Baron chuckled and defended Cordelia.
“Madam Cordelia’s skills are undeniably impressive. Already drawing triple magic circles.”
“Anyone with a brain can do that.”
“Always the same response. A little praise wouldn’t hurt to boost a disciple’s morale.”
“She’s already too full of herself.”
“Master.”
Belucci arrived from the darkness, reeking of blood. Lottie immediately got up. Cordelia nearly screamed at the sight of him.
“You said you were going to catch a rabbit.”
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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