Neonidas was in an extremely depressed state as he rode on the back of his steward toward his mansion. He had fallen into this silly novel written by his ex-girlfriend, aimed at teenage girls, and now he found himself engaged to a woman who would kill him within a few months. Allea, the antagonist of this novel, was, as expected, in love with the male lead, but there were three obstacles standing in her way: the duke Neonidas, whom she was forcefully engaged to, the female protagonist of the novel, and finally, her father, the emperor. Throughout the story, Allea would attempt to kill both Neonidas and her father, as well as the main character, but, of course, she would ultimately succumb to one of the biggest clichés: "the power of love."
"My God... Why me? No, what kind of sin did I commit? Did I accidentally sleep with a goddess or something, condemning me to such a terrible fate?!" Neonidas shouted defiantly at his fate while on the steward's back.
Fortunately, despite being old, the steward was quite strong and showed no signs of strain on his face. Well, he was not an ordinary steward; he was the chief steward of a duchy. Therefore, he could easily lift someone as hefty as Neonidas and carry him for hours without tiring.
As Neonidas was being carried on the steward's back, a light breeze from the beach brushed against his face. The smell of iodine rising from the sea was unsettling him from within, while the sand piling on the beach made it difficult for the steward to walk. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he looked at his mansion sparkling in the distance. The emptiness he felt behind all this splendor deepened the darkness within him. As they entered a tree-lined path, the steward let out a deep sigh.
"Ah, my lord, you've increased the number of statues in the mansion's garden again," he began. "To be honest, the duchy is drowning in debt because of such expenses. If it weren't for the support provided by Princess Allea and the Emperor, we would have gone bankrupt long ago."
Neonidas's face fell for a moment, but then he shrugged with a slight smile. "Then sell them all. Use the money to pay off some debts and invest a little... Aren't you a steward? Do your job. And put me down; your back is not as comfortable as I imagined," Neonidas said.
The steward froze momentarily at Neonidas's suggestion to sell the statues. For the first time in his life, he witnessed the Duke say something like this. He couldn't hide his astonishment at the words coming from the Duke's mouth and slowly stopped.
"My lord... sell the statues?" he stammered. "Well, you see... these are your honor, the pride of the duchy. If a duke's mansion lacks magnificent statues, won't it harm our reputation?"
Neonidas rolled his eyes and said in an irritated tone, "Reputation is useless in the shadow of debts like dick, steward. Sell a few of those statues, invest some of it in land or other profitable ventures. Besides, I'm not one of those arrogant dukes obsessed with 'grandeur,'" he said, furrowing his brows as he added, "Also... I told you to put me down immediately!"
After some hesitation, the steward gently set Neonidas down on the ground. As soon as Neonidas's feet touched the ground, he stumbled slightly, but quickly regained his balance and looked sternly at the steward.
The steward, however, was still affected by Neonidas' earlier words. "Um, my lord... do you still want me to sell the statues?" he asked hesitantly.
".... Have you gone deaf with age? I told you to sell the statues and all unnecessary things, didn't I? Just sell them. Why are you dragging this out?" Neonidas replied angrily, walking past the steward.
As Neonidas walked behind the steward, they approached the imposing door of the mansion. The door was adorned with magnificent carvings, embellished with gold and silver details, reflecting the nobility of Neonidas' family. Right above the entrance was the family symbol, an eagle figure, proudly spreading its wings.
As they advanced toward the inner courtyard of the mansion, they reached a spacious garden surrounded by marble columns. In the center, a large pool reflected the clarity of the water, adding a tranquil atmosphere to the garden. Expensive statues representing various mythological figures were displayed around the pool. Neonidas thought about how unnecessary all this splendor was and reflected on how foolish the old Neonidas had been. Then he entered the main mansion through the inner doors.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Neonidas was captivated by the bright lights reflecting from the chandelier. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, showcasing the mansion's wealth. Eye-catching handmade carpets adorned the floor of the large hall, while portraits of the family hung on the walls; these portraits, with their cold and distant gazes, looked down at Neonidas like shadows of an aristocratic past.
As Neonidas closed the heavy door behind him, the sound echoed. He climbed the stairs slowly, his thoughts swirling chaotically in his mind. Why had he been dragged into this cursed novel? He marveled at himself; such nonsense shouldn't be a part of his life.
Upon reaching the upper floor, he opened the door to his bedroom and entered. The room was filled with luxurious furnishings; a large bed, sumptuous curtains, and golden details gleamed everywhere. However, Neonidas felt lost beneath this splendor. He had already spent his childhood in one or two-room houses. After closing the door behind him, he walked toward the full-length mirror. And he saw a quite handsome figure reflected back at him. With long blonde hair, ocean-blue eyes, and tall stature, he looked quite elegant. But Neonidas rolled his eyes and moved a bit closer to the mirror.
".... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope I had those traits too.... System open! .... Blah, blah, blah." Neonidas said, his voice weary, as if he had carried hundreds of stones with his hands.
[System activating.....]
[Error!]
[The owner's spirit is not fully stable.]
[Fixing the error...]
"..... Ah yes, give me another cliché.... You're going to say something about loading memories now, aren't you?" Neonidas said with a weary sigh.
[Missing memories are being loaded.]
As Neonidas looked at himself in the mirror, he suddenly jolted at a sharp pain that spread throughout his body. His heart raced, and his breath became shallow. There was a sensation within him that he couldn't quite grasp. Standing before the mirror, he felt something change deep within his soul.
In the mirror, he didn't only see his reflection; silhouettes of memories from the past began to appear. His mother, who had died when he was young, his father's stern gaze, the cheerful days spent with childhood friends—all came to life before his eyes. However, these memories were mixed with painful ones alongside the loving recollections. The losses, betrayals, and pains he had endured throughout his life echoed in his mind.
"Ah, what is this now?" he asked himself, but his voice carried a frightened tone. "What kind of curse is this?" Pain enveloped him with unbearable intensity. It felt as if, with each memory loaded, another piece of his soul was being torn away. His heart felt too weary to carry the burden of the past.
Tears filled his eyes. "No, this can't be! I don't want this!" he screamed, but his voice didn't even reach his own ears. His internal conflict intensified the physical pain. "What should I do?" he pondered, but all that filled his mind was a dark, hopeless silence.
[Successful]
[All missing memories loaded.]
Fortunately, the pain soon subsided, and the loading of memories stopped. The fake Neonidas or Orson has returned, but the memories of the real Neonidas have not disappeared. His sorrows, joys, anger, hope, dreams, hatred, and even love were all there. These were details not present in the novel, and when Neonidas remembered these memories, he felt somewhat surprised. Nah... he wasn't surprised at all. Neonidas, the real Neonidas, was indeed platonically in love with Princess Allea, and they had known each other since childhood.
"Ah Love.... A dreadful bondd. And yet so easilyy severed. Tell me N-..... What the fuck am I saying?" Neonidas said and looked at the mirror again.
[System setting up....]
[System successfully set up.]
"Yes, yes, thank you. Now show me the stats...."
[Character status loading.]
When Neonidas looked in the mirror, he read the system writings that only he could access, and then he saw the character stats belonging to him.
---
Name: Neonidas
House name: Oreoned
Age: 21
Intelligence: 4(?)
Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Mana: 1
Mentality: 3(?)
Charisma: 8
Special powers: None
Passive abilities: Immunity to poison,
Bloodline: (?)
System comment: If I were you, I would kill myself....
When Neonidas read the last system of comment, he couldn't even get angry. He was indeed very weak, but he wasn't disappointed. After all, this was an expected result. However, interestingly, there were question marks in parentheses next to the intelligence, mentality, and bloodline stats.
"System! What does the question mark in parentheses mean?" Neonidas asked with a momentary glimmer of hope.
[The question marks in parentheses represent the additional stats of the other spirit within you. The question mark in the bloodline state has a different meaning.]
Neonidas was a bit surprised when he looked at the writing in the mirror. The statistics in parentheses were his own from his previous life, while the others belonged to the original Neonidas, the true owner of this body.
"So, what does the question mark in the bloodline mean?" he asked.
[There is no answer to this question in the system data....]
"Ahh, how cliché? So, do you have any guesses about what's going on with the bloodline, my dear system?" Neonidas asked, not expecting much.
[System is making a prediction..... System is making a prediction..... System is making a prediction....]
[System prediction regarding the bloodline - bloodline: your mom and your dad]
"...."
"You're serious, aren't you?"
[The system is always serious]