“Miss Idel.”
“…Ah! Sir Gregory.”
“His Grace, the Duke, wishes to see you in his office now.”
“What for?”
Idel, having straightened her disturbed expression, asked Gregory. Gregory whispered in a soft voice, audible to her alone.
“He wishes to discuss the marriage contract. I believe he is thinking of drafting one.”
“Ah….”
Seeing him speak in hushed tones lest anyone overhear, it seemed that Gregory was the only servant who knew about her contractual marriage with the Duke. Idel nodded her head.
“Understood. Let’s go right now.”
Presumably, the Duke had met her father, Count Fleur, and discussed the marriage. Even the part about the contractual marriage…
Idel’s determined gaze hardened. The fact that he was drafting the contract was rather good news. Because that contract would declare that her relationship with him was just a contract.
As Idel entered the Duke’s office, Caeron, who had been sitting on the sofa, gestured to her.
“Come, have a seat here.”
Idel, having taken a seat across from him, looked at the document laid out on the table he indicated.
“Is this the marriage contract?”
“Yes, it is. In addition to the basic marital agreement, it also includes…the aspects that you and I have specifically discussed.”
Idel examined the document carefully.
Typically, a marriage contract is drafted when nobles wed. The responsibilities towards each other and arrangements regarding property are documented.
‘Three years after the marriage, we will agree to a divorce regardless of the circumstances.’
The difference was that it contained a clause about a prearranged divorce. Idel nodded in agreement to the contents.
“I have no objections to what’s been written.”
“Are you sure you’ve checked everything? The part you’re interested in would be the arranged divorce, but…you should also pay close attention to the other clauses.”
“Aren’t the other clauses basic responsibilities that come with marriage? I’m aware of those.”
“Basic responsibilities… Do you really think you can fulfill all of them?”
Caeron asked her with a meaningful gaze. It was a bit odd for Idel that he was asking her again. The duties of a Duchess were already comprehended by her, including the ones mentioned in the guidelines.
“In addition to managing the manpower, materials, and other assets of the Ducal family, the Duchess also has…duties for successor cultivation.”
“I’m aware of that too.”
Idel confidently nodded. At this, Caeron’s gaze softened.
“Do you also agree to the successor cultivation part?”
“Yes. I’m confident I can do my best.”
At her words, Caeron’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. For her to confidently say that she would do her best for successor cultivation…
Caeron thought that she was a woman with a bold side, despite her delicate appearance. His deep blue eyes shone with interest.
“…I look forward to it. Your best effort.”
It was not a loss for him. To be frank, he had asked this beforehand because he thought she might avoid sharing a bed with him for the purpose of successor cultivation.
The best way to secure a woman, who is busy running away from his gaze, is to tie her up under the name of the Duchess’ duties.
Of course, he had no intention of having a successor from her, who will divorce him after three years. He just needed to satisfy his thirst for her.
“I will do my best.”
On the other hand, Idel resolved firmly as she signed the contract. Looking at the documented contract, she decided not to be shaken by him any longer.
She decided to focus only on the duties of the Duchess, as written in this contract.
There was no problem in doing administrative duties as the Duchess as she is now. In fact, she enjoyed gaining new knowledge and experience by applying what she had learned from books.
‘I can do well in successor cultivation too.’
She decided to do well in sharing the knowledge and experience she gained while handling the administration of the Ducal family for successor cultivation.
Though she herself, who would leave after three years, might not be able to directly teach the Duke’s successor, if she documents and leaves it behind, it can be passed down.
The naive flower, unaware that ‘succession training’ implied ‘production’, and the dangerous shared dream of those who sought to exploit the flower under this pretense.
No one could have predicted the magnitude of the storm that the difference in their thoughts would unleash from their first night following the wedding.
[This is the time separator]The warm spring sun shone into the octagonal gazebo constructed of glass.
A man’s long fingers grazed the distinct characters brightened by the sunlight, turning the pages of a book.
The sight of a man lying in a comfortable chair, dressed in a light linen shirt, reading a book, looked as though time had halted in peace.
“Raynion!”
Breaking the slowflowing silence, a woman hurried into the gazebo.
“Did you come? Ophelia.”
“Are you peaceful at a time like this?”
Ophelia furrowed her eyebrows in discontent at his serene face, in contrast to her heavy panting.
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
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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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