I opened my eyes in surprise.
Then I saw Roillot, lying on the ground with his wrist pierced by the sharp arrowhead, and Duke Haven aiming a crossbow at him. As the Duke lowered his crossbow after confirming the fallen Roillot, knights rushed through the smoke and chained him up. Only then did I let out a heavy sigh.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
The Duke approached and asked me. Holding back tears of relief at having survived, I answered him.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
Hearing my response, the Duke’s tense expression relaxed slightly. He led me to the opposite alley where clean air was blowing. Then, under the moonlight, he carefully examined my face and neck area. After that, he clicked his tongue shortly in disapproval and said,
“Tsk, that was close. You ended up in a rough state after all. This is why I told you to stay out of this matter.”
“…I’m sorry. I should have kept my identity hidden no matter what. But when I saw Roillot rushing towards the Viscount with his nails out, I panicked and…”
I apologized to the Duke, feeling embarrassed. The Duke looked at me and let out a long sigh. Just as I was expecting him to say something uncomfortable but irrefutable, he reached into his robe pocket and pulled out a small box.
Suddenly, his face turned bewildered.
“Duke?”
“…I made a mistake.”
I tilted my head and asked, confused by his inexplicable action.
The Duke pushed it back into his robe pocket as if it was nothing. Then, he reached into the opposite pocket and pulled out a white cloth, offering it to me.
“Here, use this to wipe.”
“Thank you.”
I took it from the Duke and wiped my face where Roillot’s blood had splattered. However, not knowing exactly where it was and unable to look in a mirror, I just roughly rubbed the cloth over the parts where I thought blood might have splattered. Watching my actions, the Duke slightly furrowed his brow as if quite displeased. Then he suddenly reached out his hand to me and said,
“This way, you’re not cleaning the blood but rather smearing it more. …Give it here. I’ll wipe it for you.”
“No, it’s fine. I can do it myself.”
“That’s enough, hurry up.”
At the Duke’s urging, I had no choice but to hand the white cloth back to him.
He took it and started carefully wiping my face. I felt my ears turning red at his gaze, fixed intently on me, and the soft touch of the cloth on my face.
It’s not like I particularly like him, nor is this a situation to feel excited about. I don’t understand why my heart keeps fluttering like this. I clenched my fist tightly to suppress the turmoil in my heart.
Meanwhile, his hand holding the cloth that was wiping my cheek slowly moved towards my mouth. Unable to contain the emotional disturbance any longer, I turned my head sideways and said,
“Th-that’s enough. I can wash the rest with water later.”
“…Do that.”
The Duke answered in a gruff voice as he withdrew his hand. I turned my back to him and cooled my slightly heated cheeks with my cold hands.
In the meantime, he carelessly stuffed the blood-stained cloth into his robe pocket and turned to me, saying,
“…Well, the situation seems to have settled down somewhat, let’s head back.”
“Alright. The Viscount must be quite confused by now, I should properly explain this situation to him.”
I nodded and agreed with the Duke’s words. The Duke and I returned to the alley where the commotion had occurred.
With Roillot captured and the knights gone, only the Duke and I remained in the alley. I followed him out of the dark alley. As we were walking silently, suddenly a cold wind blew through the alley.
I couldn’t help but cough loudly.
“…Cough.”
At the sound, the Duke stopped and turned to look at me.
I hurriedly closed my robe, feeling embarrassed. But perhaps because I had torn off the top button while escaping earlier, the closed robe fell open again weakly.
The Duke stared at the wide-open robe and my neck clearly exposed beneath it, then let out a short sigh and asked,
“You look cold. Shall I give you my robe?”
“Ah, no. I’m not that cold.”
“Liar. Your face is bright red.”
When I waved my hands and refused, the Duke shook his head.
He looked at my exposed neck with a strange gaze and then thrust both hands into his robe pockets. His appearance seemed as if he was pondering something, and somehow also looked perplexed. As I was just watching, not knowing what to say, the Duke muttered as if in passing,
“…I didn’t intend to give it like this.”
“Pardon?”
I asked back, puzzled.
Then the Duke took out a small box from his pocket. It was the same box I had seen earlier. The Duke opened the box without hesitation and took out a beautiful brooch.
A brooch with a star sapphire sparkling in a cross shape in the center, surrounded by countless diamonds decorated in the shape of flower petals. It sparkled like a star in the faint moonlight.
While I was staring blankly at it and the Duke, he approached me, closed the collar of my robe, and pinned the brooch on it.
I opened my eyes wide and said to him,
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
“Keep it if you like it. If you don’t fancy it, sell it or whatever.”
The Duke spoke with a brusque expression, avoiding my gaze.
I looked down at the brooch attached to my robe, feeling dazed. Then I hurriedly said to him,
“I can’t accept something like this!”
The Duke frowned slightly and said,
“Why not?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know the reason? Do you know how expensive such a large star sapphire is? A jewel of this caliber is enough to buy a townhouse near the capital! To give such a precious item so casually…”
I spoke, feeling frustrated. The Duke looked at me and sighed again before speaking.
“That’s why I’m giving it to you, not someone else.”
“…Pardon?”
“You must have heard the news. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten? What kind of reward I received from His Majesty the Emperor for preventing the invasion of the Rugl and Yalta tribes with your help.”
“…That’s.”
“I received such a generous reward, but you, who played the decisive role, didn’t gain anything from this affair. That’s been bothering me. That’s why I prepared the brooch.”
Hearing his words, I was at a loss for words and had a blank expression.
I never expected the Duke to give me such a precious gift. I had orchestrated this affair to achieve my personal revenge, not for the Duke’s sake.
Also, the reason I didn’t anticipate this reaction from the Duke was because I had never received such a gift from anyone before.
Duke Yusten and Danae considered it natural for me to help them as family, and Leonard only expressed his gratitude in words.
Maybe that’s why.
I still couldn’t believe that the Duke had given me this brooch. I silently caressed it over and over.
My behavior seemed to displease the Duke, as he spoke to me with a slightly annoyed expression.
“…I have no intention of forcing you to accept it if you don’t want to. As I said earlier, if you don’t like it, sell it or give it away. I won’t be offended if you do.”
I shook my head. Then, gripping the brooch tightly with one hand, I met his gaze and said,
“No. I like it. It’s really, really beautiful. …Thank you, Duke. I’ll treasure it.”
The Duke looked at me and widened his eyes slightly, as if a bit surprised. Then he smiled faintly, barely noticeable, and said to me,
“I’m glad.”
“…”
“…Well, let’s go now. The Viscount and the knights must be waiting for us.”
With those final words, he turned and walked forward. Perhaps feeling shy, the tip of his exposed ear was slightly red.
I found myself smiling slightly as I followed behind him. Whether it was due to the cool night air in the smoke-free alley or the unexpected gift, I felt strangely elated.
[This is the timeline separator]
“Your Grace! Are you safe?”
As the Duke and I came out onto the main road, Oliver called out loudly and ran towards him.
At the sound, I quickly pulled up my hood. The Duke looked indifferently at Oliver standing before him and said,
“I’m fine. By the way, how is Viscount Miles? Is he alright?”
“Yes, he’s safe. Thanks to Sir Roger evacuating him to a safe place as soon as the commotion broke out.”
“That’s a relief. What about the assassin Roillot? Is he tied to a horse?”
When the Duke inquired about Roillot, Oliver’s expression suddenly darkened. He answered with a troubled look,
“…Well, when we dragged him out here, he was already dead. It seems he had a poisonous bead between his molars, prepared for the situation where the assassination attempt might fail. Intending to bite it if necessary.”
“‘Rather than be captured and reveal his backers, he’d take his own life.’ Befitting of the head of the Assassins’ Guild. …Wrap his body in a cloak and tie it to a horse. Even if he was an enemy, we can’t leave a dead man’s body in the street like trash.”
“Yes. Understood, Your Grace.”
The Duke issued orders after hearing the report. Oliver bowed his head in respect and returned to where the knights were gathered.
Then the Duke turned to me and said,
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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