Without thinking, she nodded and grasped his arms.
“I understand. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll help you… So, please, get up! Hurry!”
But Aslan remained unmoved, continuing to kneel and plead.
“Even if it’s a lie.”
His voice choked up. Aslan took another deep breath and continued.
“I know it’s disgraceful, but I can’t think of any other way. Just say that you received an oracle to help Kalati.”
“…What?”
Hestia’s movements to lift him stopped.
‘Yes, she must be shocked.’
This straightforward woman had never done anything against her principles in her life.
A flustered Hestia stuttered.
“How can I, say I received an oracle that I, didn’t…”
That’s when a cold voice slipped from Aslan’s lips.
“What’s the problem? You can’t hear the voice of the gods anyway.”
“…Ah.”
Hestia’s face cracked at that moment, and Aslan clenched his teeth.
It was a fact he had learned during their interactions.
Apart from the moment of her awakening as a saintess, she had never received an oracle. She often confided in him about how the high priest was disappointed in her and how she felt repressed.
Aslan knew that his desperation would hurt her, but he had no choice but to ask this of her.
Watching her crumbling expression filled him with guilt.
He wanted to flee and avoid her right then, but no one knew better than Aslan himself that he couldn’t.
‘There’s no turning back now. I’ve already brought it up.’
He took a rough breath, and Hestia fidgeted, intertwining her fingers tightly.
For a while, Hestia couldn’t find the words to say, then she hesitantly began to speak.
“Isn’t there another… way?”
Aslan immediately understood that Hestia was reluctant.
He, too, was not fond of the situation that forced him to coerce her.
“I am… a saintess, how can I…”
She trailed off. In her hesitation, there was an implied resistance to concealing or fabricating the will of the gods.
“Of course, even though I can’t hear the oracles…”
Her following words were almost inaudible, revealing the complexity she had been harboring for a long time. Aslan knew it wasn’t easy for her to confront something that made her feel so small, even if it wasn’t her choice.
Hestia repeatedly sighed, clearly feeling trapped in the current situation.
The best outcome would be for Aslan to say, ‘I misspoke, forget I said anything,’ and apologize, but he remained silent, indicating his unwillingness to back down.
Hestia glanced at Aslan several times, hoping he might retract his statement, but seeing no sign of it, she grew anxious.
Chewing on her lip, she started thinking of another way that wouldn’t compromise her integrity.
“Can’t we find a way without lying?”
“What do you mean?”
“Now that I’ve had my debutante ball, I’m considered an adult. So my uncle, His Majesty, might listen to me.”
Hestia tried to sound upbeat as she desperately continued.
“I’ll plead with my uncle, with His Majesty. I’ll ask him to help the North. To dispatch troops and provide grain. So… So, Aslan.”
Why had the roles reversed? It was supposed to be Aslan pleading with Hestia.
Yet somehow, she was the one trying to change his mind.
Aslan found this reversal strange but didn’t know how to revert it back.
Every time Hestia proposed a nearly impossible solution in her attempt to sway him, he felt a surge of emotion within.
That’s why he responded harshly.
“Do you think His Majesty will listen to that?”
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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