Leon rushed back to the Grand Duke’s residence as soon as he finished the morning knight training.
“Lord Leon…? You’re returning early again today.”
A butler who appeared from somewhere greeted him with a slightly bewildered face.
“Ah, don’t worry about it. I’ll be going out again anyway.”
At Leon’s words, the butler cautiously asked with a somewhat ambiguous expression.
“Um… Are you perhaps going to the Lyuschino Count’s residence ‘again’?”
“……”
Leon looked down at the butler without replying.
The butler named Miles has been employed at the Grand Duke’s residence for over 15 years. He was a valuable staff member who managed the not-so-simple household of the Grand Duke’s residence without problems in the absence of a mistress.
One of the reasons Miles was trusted in the Grand Duke’s residence was that he never interfered or gave advice that crossed the line to the employees.
Externally, the members of the Grand Duke’s family maintain an impeccable standing and dignity.
Needless to say, the father, Grand Duke Osilote, and Leon, the vice-captain of the Holy Knight Order, as well as Anthony and Eve, earn the admiration of many with their beautiful appearances and impeccable manners.
However, looking at the reality, it was a family that couldn’t be more desolate.
Grand Duke Osilote has been showing severe symptoms of nervous exhaustion since his position in the political world became unstable due to circumstances implicating him in the poisoning incident of Empress Ann, who is currently in a coma.
It seemed as if he had completely let go of the mental stability he had barely held onto since the death of his wife, Saint Larisa. The symptoms worsened especially on the days he returned from entering the Imperial Palace.
Anthony, too, though beautiful in appearance, has a weak constitution and frequent illnesses, causing him to live in seclusion. Perhaps because of this, although he appears gentle on the outside, he has a sensitive and sharp edge.
Eve is still relatively innocent and bright, but when she sees young ladies going around with their mothers, she often stares blankly, lost in thought.
What will happen on the day when that child’s longing overflows from her small heart?
And then there’s Leon, the Holy Knight cursed with lust.
In short, this family was in a state of total crisis.
Miles, who knows the hidden true face of the Grand Duke’s family better than anyone. This quiet and serious butler was openly asking Leon.
If he was going to the Lyuschino Count’s residence again.
Leon couldn’t help but pause at his words. Had his recent behavior been so excessive that Miles would react like this?
‘It seems so, a little.’
For the third day in a row, he had returned home after finishing only the morning training, washed up, changed his clothes, and then visited the Lyuschino Count’s residence.
On the surface, the purpose was to help with the magic tool research that Kasha had requested. Once they started the contract relationship, his thought was that he should faithfully fulfill the conditions of the contract.
But there was a separate, actual purpose. To closely monitor Kasha Lyuschino and find out her true intentions.
He thought he had been faithfully working towards these goals over the past few days.
Of course, there was some uneasiness, or rather, parts that he couldn’t fully convince himself of.
Like the fact that he repeatedly went through the tiring process of returning home to wash up and change clothes after finishing the grueling knight training.
Or the fact that he, who normally completed his assigned duties with excessive responsibility, had been neglecting his work for days without concern, despite the complaints and reprimands from the Holy Knight Commander.
He attributed these minor issues to his personality of perfectly immersing himself in a goal once it was set.
‘But what is this feeling now?’
Leon frowned, rubbing his chin.
The emotion he was feeling now was unfamiliar. In a word… it felt like being caught. He felt uneasy, like a child caught doing something wrong.
“Um… Young Master Leon.”
“Speak.”
“The Grand Duke is looking for you.”
“Me? Now?”
“Yes. He returned early from the palace and is waiting for you.”
“……”
Leon fell silent again.
It was rare for Grand Duke Osilote to seek out his children first.
He had rapidly lost his position in the Imperial Palace since the end of last year when the First Prince was enthroned as Crown Prince. The meetings and appointments that had filled his schedule from morning to evening were cancelled one by one, and the nobles visiting the Grand Duke’s residence gradually stopped coming.
In fact, all of this was an expected course of events.
Since the Empress’s poisoning incident occurred, and she fell into a coma but didn’t die, and her only son, the First Prince, expanded his influence faster than expected.
To make matters worse, the Second Prince, whom the Grand Duke had been pushing to become Crown Prince, died in an unexpected accident, and his mother, Empress Alisa, also lost her mind and took her own life.
This series of events clearly foretold the downfall of the Grand Duke’s family, but the Grand Duke couldn’t accept this situation calmly. He denied the reality that he had to live in seclusion because no one was seeking him out.
Ignoring his already neglected family, he desperately went out even more. He gathered high-ranking nobles who had been relegated to their territories in their old age and contacted merchants who wanted to establish connections in the political world.
However, people were not fools.
They smelled the scent of failure from Grand Duke Osilote, who was once the most powerful figure in the empire. The scent of a pathetic loser struggling on a downward slope.
The Grand Duke was becoming increasingly isolated. While he was isolated by others outside, he isolated himself inside his home.
It would be nice if he could find happiness in his children, who were growing up well, satisfied with their position as the emperor’s siblings and members of the Grand Duke’s family. But he found his children burdensome instead.
He was not used to taking care of and being responsible for someone, and to him, his children were objects that stimulated an uncomfortable sense of guilt.
[This is the timeline separator]And at some point, the children also stopped expecting anything from him.
At least with Leon, the heir, he would meet out of obligation. Of course, only when there were official matters.
“…You say Father has been waiting for me.”
As Leon asked again as if to confirm, Miles silently bowed his head.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Thinking that somehow Miles’s back of the head looked troubled, Leon moved with heavy steps towards the Grand Duke’s room.
‘I need to wash up quickly, so I can arrive at the Count’s residence in time for Kasha’s afternoon garden walk…’
As he thought that far, he frowned as if troubled.
‘Even if it’s to be faithful to the contract’s content and to uncover her true intentions… Anyone watching would think I’m desperate to arrive at the Count’s residence quickly.’
Feeling unpleasant at the thought of making excuses to himself, he deliberately quickened his pace.
Knock knock knock
As he knocked on the door of the Grand Duke’s office, a response was soon heard.
“Come in.”
The Grand Duke, who had become even more gaunt in the past one or two weeks, greeted Leon. The office was like a raccoon’s den from how much he had been smoking cigars.
Seeing the ruined appearance of the Grand Duke, who was once called the most handsome man in the empire in his youth, Leon felt newly dejected.
Wasn’t Leon himself in a situation no less, if not more, desolate than the Grand Duke? His own pathetic appearance overlapped with the image of the Grand Duke blinking his dull eyes while puffing on a cigar.
Leon swallowed a bitter smile and bowed his head to his father.
At the same time, he had a premonition that what the Grand Duke wanted to say to him would not be pleasant.
“Sit down. Why does your face look like that?”
The Grand Duke coughed and offered Leon a seat. Leon sat down silently across from him.
“Even if you’re a knight, you should take care of your appearance to look presentable. These days, I hear noble ladies place quite a bit of importance on a man’s appearance too.”
Leon lowered his eyes without answering. Commenting on the appearance of a son who was already twenty-four years old. It wasn’t like his father from the start of the conversation.
The Grand Duke didn’t seem to like Leon’s stiff attitude, but he seemed to have other important business and hurriedly continued speaking.
“About this hunting competition. The one hosted by the Imperial Family.”
“Yes.”
“You should participate too.”
“…I intend to.”
As if he had heard unexpectedly welcome news, color returned to the Grand Duke’s haggard face.
“Is that so? You’ve thought well. It’s about time you seriously step into social circles.”
“……”
“This is perfect timing. Since we’re on the subject, I’m thinking of officially pushing forward with the marriage talks with the Tyrot Princess, starting with this hunting competition.”
Leon slowly raised his lowered eyes. Dull purple eyes, which must have once been the same color as Leon’s, met his gaze through the thick cigar smoke.
“Participate as the Princess’s partner that day. I’ve already discussed everything with Duke Tyrot.”
“Father.”
The Grand Duke, who had been speaking without hesitation, blinked when he realized Leon had interrupted him. His wrinkled eyelids trembled unpleasantly.
“What?”
“I’ve already decided on a partner to go to the hunting competition with.”
“…What did you say?”
“Haven’t I already told you? I cannot make a marriage agreement with the Tyrot ducal family. Because I have a lady I’m courting.”
“Leon Miloionif Aranias.”
The Grand Duke coughed and exhaled a long puff of cigar smoke before calling Leon’s full name. Leon blinked at the thick smoke, remembering a small woman who used to cough because of the cigar smoke he once smoked.
“Don’t act rashly. Who gave you permission to decide on a partner? Surely, you haven’t seriously taken a liking to that illegitimate child, what was her name, Kasha Lyuschino?”
At the name that sprang from the Grand Duke’s lips, Leon hesitated. However, before he could give any answer, the Grand Duke raised his voice and continued speaking.
“You are the legitimate son of the Grand Duke’s family. Moreover, our family is now……”
The Grand Duke trembled, unable to finish his sentence. He seemed to be newly enraged by his own situation.
“In crisis. And yet you dare… create a scandal with that sort of dimwit, stuttering, illegitimate girl? You, my son and the son of Saint Larisa?”
The Grand Duke’s voice grew louder and louder, until it became so thunderous that it could be heard outside the office.
The Grand Duke, who was shouting at the top of his lungs with his neck flushed red and his body all puffed up, looked like a turkey. He had lost even the little remaining dignity of a great noble.
However, what actually stirred Leon’s heart was something else, rather than his father’s downfall.
[This is the timeline separator]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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