#Prologue.
“Young Master, Young Master! Are you finally having your wedding ceremony with Lord Gray?”
“Get out. I want to be alone.”
“Oh my, our Young Master is being shy again!”
The cheerful voice of Nicole, my personal attendant, seemed to pierce my ears particularly sharply today.
Despite Nicole and everyone in the mansion believing without a doubt in the love, romance, or… completion of the imprinting between Kyle and me, it had all turned to bubbles long ago.
“L-Lord Grey is coming! Instead of doing this, you should change your clothes quickly!”
I buried my face deeper into the pillow, shaking off Nicole who was frantically trying to pull my arm. I didn’t want to meet anyone right now. It was just last night that I saw that terrible scene and heard those horrible words that I still couldn’t believe.
It had been a long time since I was reincarnated as the villain in a common romance simulation game that failed because it was too easy. At the age of ten, when I realized the ‘original’ of this world and my past life, I chose one of the capture targets early, before the original story began at nineteen, and captured his heart. I easily thought that only days of loving and being loved would unfold endlessly. Because I thought that was the only way I could live a peaceful life.
It was a love chosen out of necessity, but when I was immersed in it, it was just sweet. When Kyle’s large hands warmly wrapped around my shoulders, I couldn’t help but dream of a rosy future. When we were alone, his low voice whispering ‘Noah’ secretly was addictive. I foolishly thought that only days of loving and being loved would unfold endlessly.
In love, I easily became optimistic and dull. I had closed my eyes thinking it would be fine to claim a side character that was merely added to fill a role, but what do I know.
‘Hello, Young Master! Nice to meet you. I’m Allen, and I’ll be helping with the mansion’s work from today!’
It had only been three months since the beautiful protagonist of the original story appeared before my eyes.
‘You shouldn’t do this, Lord Kyle. If the young master sees…’
‘There’s no need to worry about such trivial matters. I understand now. I never loved him. From the moment I first met you, I was already…’
The lover who had pledged eternity threw me into the mud with just a single word.
System laughs at you for ignoring its warning. ( ˙◞˙ )
System asks if you want to reset everything and start from the beginning.
“Start again…?”
I murmured in shock. I thought this was nonsense. It was sudden, and above all, I was too tired. I didn’t feel motivated to do anything more.
In fact, maybe I just felt numb from the betrayal. Even if I tried to pretend I was okay, tears would well up naturally when I just stayed still. That bastard. How could he change so suddenly when it wasn’t long ago that he whispered that there was only me, that he loved me, that we would be happy together forever?
“Forget it. What’s the point of turning back now? I’ll just live like this somehow. I’m upset, but… I don’t know. It’s not like he’s the only Alpha in the world… Sigh…”
System is heartbroken by your dejected appearance.
｡°(°°᷄◠°᷅°)°｡
“Yeah, thanks so much for feeling heartbroken for me.”
There’s no way to trust those words when it just laughed at me. I lay sprawled on the bed, continuing to sigh deeply. As my deep sighs repeated several times, my vision began to strangely waver. The system window’s guidance text, which had occupied a corner of my vision from the moment I realized my past life, was particularly clear.
System decides that it must reset the settings to console you anyway. ⟡.·ᐠ(ᯣᜋᯣ)ᐟ∗*ﾟ
“…Reset?”
Strangely, a chill ran down my spine. As far as I knew… there was only one ‘reset’ in a game.
“W-what nonsense? No. No, right?”
Going back to the beginning.
“Hey, hey, you crazy system bastard! Don’t go back! Don’t go back!”
And that was the last. I didn’t even have time to realize that my vision had turned black. My consciousness was cut off abruptly, as if someone had forcibly pulled out the power cord.
I didn’t know then that life was just my “first playthrough.” That I had countless playthroughs left, more than I could count on all my fingers.
The system, which seemed a bit cheeky in its speech but I thought was on my side, was truly the worst bastard of all bastards.
***
“Young Master! Wake up! The sun is already high in the sky!”
…Damn it. Back again. Nicole’s youthful voice rang out loudly right next to my ear. A familiar line. How many times have I heard this now?
I gave up counting so long ago that I can’t even guess anymore. I think I tried keeping track until about the third or fourth time I came back. But at some point, I naturally stopped, feeling that counting each reset was rather meaningless.
“Oh my, why are you having such a hard time waking up today? Young Master, Young Master!”
“…I’m up, Nicole. Don’t worry.”
“You’re awake? Then hurry and wash your face first. Are you fully awake? It’s so unlike you to oversleep, especially on such an important day!”
Nicole was bustling about, insisting that we couldn’t be late on such an important day, constantly checking the clothes prepared the night before, adding fragrant oil to the washing water, sprinkling flower petals—making all sorts of fuss. Even this scene was familiar, having seen it exactly the same way each time I returned.
System welcomes your return with open arms. ٩( ๑╹ ꇴ╹)۶
I quickly closed the annoying notification window that appeared before my eyes. Return? More like exile? What nonsense from the one who keeps rewinding time over and over whenever I don’t move according to its will.
When it said returning to the “beginning,” I thought it might really be the “beginning,” around when I was five and recovered my past life memories, but I guess even this crazy system bastard has some conscience. The point I always return to is today, the morning of my seventeenth birthday.
I wonder what went wrong this time? This run seemed to be progressing fairly smoothly toward the “ending.” Sigh… I really don’t know.
The system, which mostly observes my actions leisurely, would abruptly, no, regularly, reset time like this, hitting me from behind when I least expect it.
I felt all strength drain from my body. Ah, what does it want? At this point, anything is fine. I just want this to end.
“I can’t believe it. How did our little young master grow up so fast to reach this blessed day!”
Unlike my sluggish self, Nicole chattered away excitedly.
“Blessed day” was the term used in this empire to specifically refer to the seventeenth birthday when one is recognized as an adult. Apparently, you visit the temple on your blessed day to confirm the divine blessing bestowed upon you…
Divine blessing? Bull. If there’s any blessing, it would be the blessing of capitalism. I can still clearly hear the satisfied laughter of CEO Kim who used to snicker about how omegaverse games always sell well. Though the game collapsed miserably due to its excessively easy difficulty level without any tension, even before riding the omegaverse coin trend he was so pleased about.
If I could, I’d like to plant a fist in the smug face of CEO Kim who was always showing off.
Anyway, that’s not what’s important now. In this world, all nobles manifest as either Alpha or Omega after receiving baptism from the high priest on their seventeenth birthday. And this body I’ve possessed, “Noah Hamilton,” was already destined to manifest as a dominant Omega. Despite being dominant, he had to grind his teeth in inferiority after being overwhelmed by Allen’s pheromones, who was recessive. I don’t understand why a failed game like this has such detailed character settings in this aspect.
As the person concerned, I was completely indifferent. I already knew too well that I would manifest as a dominant Omega, and I’d had this conversation with Nicole more than ten times. Nicole seemed strange that I was not motivated and kept moving his beak, chattering.
“Aren’t you curious? About what blessing has been bestowed upon you!”
“What else would it be? Just a useless dominant Omega…”
“What? What did you say? I can’t hear you!”
“Mmm. It’s nothing. I’m sooo excited too.”
After getting ready with Nicole’s help and leaving the room, there was a familiar shadow standing right in front of the door.
“Are you awake, Young master.”
“…Lord Kyle.”
“Congratulations on your seventeenth birthday. I wanted to be the first to tell you.”
Wavy blonde hair and eyes like deep lakes. The classic handsome man who looked as if he had just walked out of a classical novel lowered his voice and whispered, ‘Noah,’ my name, softly so that only I could hear.