The blade slid between my ribs like a lover's whisper. Again.
I stared at the crimson pooling beneath Lucien Sanguini's aristocratic frame, his silver hair fanned across marble floors like spilled moonlight. Route 847. Death by betrayal. The academy's bell tower chimed midnight as his emerald eyes dimmed to nothing.
Game Over.
"Fucking hell." My coffee had gone cold hours ago, but I drained it anyway. The bitter taste matched my mood perfectly. Three years of development, and every single simulation ended the same way—Lucien Sanguini died. Hated. Alone. Forgotten.
The character editor glowed on my second monitor, displaying his stats like a medical examiner's report. High charisma, decent intelligence, but fatally flawed personality traits that made every heroine want to put a knife in his back. I'd crafted him to be the perfect antagonist—cold, arrogant, obsessively possessive of his fiancée while emotionally incapable of showing love.
"Poor bastard," I muttered, fingers hovering over the keyboard. "You just wanted someone to understand you, didn't you?"
Maybe it was the exhaustion talking, or maybe three years of watching the same character suffer had finally gotten to me. Either way, I found myself clicking into his hidden attributes—the ones players would never see.
Secret Trait: [Desperate for Affection] - Behind his cold exterior lies someone who craves genuine connection but lacks the emotional intelligence to obtain it.
Hidden Ability: [Adaptive Potential] - Can temporarily mimic abilities he's observed, though at great cost to his stamina.
Bloodline Quirk: [Triple Emblem Awakening] - Fire, Ice, and... Blood Control (Legendary/Hidden)
I'd added these out of pity months ago, thinking they might give him a fighting chance in at least one route. They hadn't. The twelve heroines still despised him, still found ways to end his miserable existence.
My vision blurred. When had I last slept? The cursor blinked mockingly as I saved the final build.
"At least in my version, you had potential," I thought as consciousness slipped away. "Someone should have given you a real chance..."
* * *
Pain. Sharp, immediate, and absolutely real.
My eyes snapped open to unfamiliar ceiling—no, familiar ceiling. Intricately carved stone with the Sanguini family crest etched in silver. A crimson rose wrapped in thorns, beautiful and dangerous.
"What the—"
The voice wasn't mine. Too deep, too refined, carrying that aristocratic accent I'd programmed into every one of Lucien's dialogue trees. I scrambled upright, and the reflection in the ornate mirror across the room made my blood freeze.
Emerald eyes. Silver hair that caught light like spun metal. Sharp, almost predatory features that belonged in a painting rather than reality. The face I'd stared at for three years, rendered in impossible detail.
Lucien Sanguini. I was Lucien Sanguini.
"This isn't possible," I whispered, but even as the words left my lips, memories that weren't mine flooded in. Seventeen years of aristocratic upbringing. The weight of a declining house's expectations. And her—
Seraphina.
The name hit like a physical blow, bringing with it an obsession so intense it made my chest tighten. Golden hair like captured sunlight, violet eyes that held depths I could never reach, and a smile that had never once been directed at me with genuine warmth. My fiancée. The woman this body loved with desperate, suffocating intensity.
The woman who, in every single route of my game, eventually tried to kill me.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATION DETECTED]
[WELCOME, FUTURE HAREM KING!]
A translucent blue window materialized in front of my face, complete with unnecessarily cheerful font and what appeared to be a winking emoji.
[Congratulations! You have been selected to participate in the HAREM KING EXPERIENCE! Your mission: Transform twelve deadly heroines into your devoted lovers, or face PERMANENT DEATH!]
[Current Survival Rate: 0.2%]
[Note: Your previous incarnation was... let's be honest... absolutely terrible at this. But don't worry! Your new System-chan is here to help! (´∀｀)♡]
I stared at the floating text, my programmer's brain automatically cataloging the interface elements while my human brain screamed in denial.
"You've got to be kidding me."
[KIDDING? System-chan never kids about matters of life, death, and passionate romantic entanglements! (^▽^)]
[WARNING: You currently have TWELVE active death flags from the following individuals:]
A list materialized, complete with small portraits that made my stomach drop:
- Seraphina Goldenvale (Fiancée/Light Mage) - Death Flag: "Emotional Abuse"- Elena Nightshade (Assassin) - Death Flag: "Contract Killing"- Aria Stormwind (Lightning Mage) - Death Flag: "Public Humiliation Revenge"- Isabella Frostborn (Ice Mage) - Death Flag: "Family Honor"
The list continued, each name a nail in my coffin. Twelve beautiful, powerful women who all had excellent reasons to want me dead.
[But wait, there's more! As a special bonus, you've retained some memories from your previous life! Use this knowledge wisely, because System-chan has some VERY special quests planned for you! (｡◕‿◕｡)]
"Special quests?" I asked, though I was already dreading the answer.
[QUEST UNLOCKED: "First Impressions Matter!"][Objective: Approach Seraphina within the next 24 hours and successfully make her smile - genuinely!][Reward: +1 Charisma, Basic Flirting Skills][Failure: Seraphina's death flag advances to "Active Planning" phase][Bonus Objective: Do it while maintaining your "dignified villain" image! No one must suspect you've changed!]
I dropped my head into my hands. This was insane. I was trapped in my own game, in the body of a character I'd designed to be fundamentally unlikeable, with a perverted system that apparently wanted me to seduce my way out of certain death.
And the worst part? That small, traitorous part of my mind that had always felt sorry for Lucien was whispering: Finally. A real chance.
A knock at the door interrupted my existential crisis.
"Young Master Lucien?" The voice belonged to Sebastian, the family's head butler—a character I'd designed to be unfailingly loyal despite his master's flaws. "Lady Seraphina has arrived for your scheduled engagement discussion."
My heart—Lucien's heart—began racing immediately. Even knowing it was emotional programming from the original personality, the intensity of the response was overwhelming. She was here. The woman this body loved and feared in equal measure.
[OH MY! Perfect timing! (＾◡＾) Your first quest begins NOW!]
[Remember: Make her smile genuinely, maintain your image, and try not to die! System-chan believes in you! ...probably! (｡◕‿‿◕｡)]
I stood slowly, catching my reflection in the mirror again. Lucien Sanguini stared back—handsome, cold, arrogant. Everything I'd programmed him to be. But behind those emerald eyes, I could see something different now. Something that hadn't been there in any of the game's renders.
Hope.
"Tell Lady Seraphina I'll be down momentarily," I called to Sebastian, surprised by how steady my voice sounded.
Time to rewrite this story. Time to prove that even the most hated villain deserved a second chance.
Time to become the Harem King.
Or die trying.
[AFFECTION METERS UNLOCKED!][Seraphina Goldenvale: -15/100 (Mild Dislike)][Warning: Negative affection can lead to... unpleasant outcomes! (´･ω･`)]
I took a deep breath and headed for the door. Chapter one of my new life was about to begin.
And this time, I was going to get it right.