Transmigrated As The Villainess' Boyfriend With A... SSS Harem System?

Lianza's cheeks took on the same color as her eyes.

A beautiful garnet.

Her hand remained on my chest. The ice melted beneath her palm.

"You swore loyalty to me," she whispered. "The day my father placed you in my service. You swore to protect me. Me. You swore..."

"I didn't break it."

"I saw you, Dariel Elcronne. How you looked at..." Lianza gritted her teeth. "How you looked at others."

"You know I only have eyes for you, Lianza."

"And how am I supposed to believe you?"

Lianza swept her hand as if to brush it off.

"But that doesn't matter anymore," she said, adjusting her glasses.

And it was immediately clear she was lying to herself. Lianza tended to adjust her glasses when she lied.

"I know you can't believe me. Even I wouldn't believe me. But Lianza, now I will renew my oath to protect you. Only you, with you."

Placing my bandaged hand over my chest. Over her hand. Where the ice was still melting.

"Dariel, you know oaths in Earolden are very important... If you swear absolute devotion to me, you could lose..."

"I swear by the three gods," I recited solemnly. What I could lose mattered little, as long as it wasn't her. "I swear by the Seraphim of Twelve Wings, by the Blind God of the Scale, and by the Mother Night. I swear that my Empero, my life, and my will are at the service of Lianza D'Tariel. That protecting her is my sole purpose. That saving her is my only goal. And that every lie I tell will be so that this truth is fulfilled."

Lianza straightened up, pulling my hand away from hers. Her chin trembled. Her garnet eyes acquired a tender gleam.

"Dariel, you..."

"I've already decided, Lianza. Since the first time I saw you, I did."

With tenderness, Lianza took my chin. She lifted my face.

"If you lie to me again, Dariel Elcronne..."

"You'll freeze me."

"No. Worse. You'll live your whole life knowing you failed your oath to protect me."

Releasing me, she sat on the stretcher. She looked at her hands; they trembled.

"You could have sworn to one of the three gods in exchange for power. You could have made a vow of restriction on yourself to improve your Empero. But no, you decided to use it on me... Why? I just want to know."

How to tell her? How to tell her that reading about her in The Throne of Ashes and Thorns was one of the few things that brought me happiness in my other life? How to tell her how much I admired her composure and perseverance, her refusal to surrender to this novel that, soon enough, will begin to condemn her as the villainess?

How?

How?

Noticing the ice had melted enough, I stood up. My knees ached. The ice on the floor was starting to form puddles.

Still in silence, I walked toward the door.

"The wedding date will be the first of February," I said, not answering her question, not yet.

"I know."

"In three weeks."

"I know, Dariel."

"You're not marrying him."

"That doesn't depend on you."

"Lianza D'Tariel, I just told you that you won't marry him. I don't know how I'll do it, but it's a promise."

"Dariel, it's impossible to avoid..."

Before leaving, I answered her question:

"Do you remember the first time you smiled in my presence, Lianza? The day after I was sworn in as your personal guard."

Lianza nodded, tilting her head slightly in surprise at the question.

"What's that about?"

"It was the most beautiful smile I had seen in my entire life. But it was terribly ruined by something beyond your control. Do you know what it was?"

"No. What?"

"I heard you sobbing behind the wall. You were crying. That day I saw your tenderest version... and also your saddest. And from that moment on, I set out to end anyone who caused tears to fall from your eyes. That's the reason, Lianza."

Lianza blushed for the second time. She stayed silent. So did I. Words were unnecessary when two hearts are one.

And after a parting bow, I left.

Rounding the corner, I leaned against the wall. The numbness from the cold had faded, giving way to an ache in my chest.

However, I didn't complain. Both the cold and the pain from thawing were the closest I'd be physically to her in a long time.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽ ☆ ☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The drizzle had turned to rain. Mayorka's sky remained gray.

Standing on a balcony, away from everyone, under the safety of Mayorka's roof. Listening to the drops fall. The smell of damp earth flooded my nose...

For some reason, being in this solitude, watching the rain fall, had made me pensive.

The date kept circling in my mind. Three weeks.

How could I prevent the wedding? Lianza rejecting the proposal was the first major turning point in The Throne of Ashes and Thorns... but this time she had accepted it.

What had changed? Me, or perhaps...?

In this novel I wasn't the only one who was different. Among all the characters, there was also her.

Strange, mysterious, malicious, and too cunning to be the Layda Alaranne who starred in the original novel.

Besides, she also had that diary. What was that diary of hers supposed to be?

For some reason, Layda and her diary reminded me of what Professor Theren Valdris had whispered to me.

'I'll help you reach the evolution of your Empero.'

When she tried to kill me, she was using her rare conceptual Empero, whose ability I still didn't know, but she based it on drawing lines and, according to the only clue the pocket watch managed to give me before Layda shattered it, the name of her Empero's conceptual ability started with the letter 'E'.

My mind kept returning to her. To the great obstacle she posed: the heroine of this story wasn't the gullible fool I expected her to be.

On one hand, my enemy was Ardwyn, the hero of the original novel. Although his arrogance and ignorance often worked against him, he remained one of the most powerful Empero users in all of Earolden's history, whose potential was barely beginning to develop...

And on the other was her, Layda Alaranne, the heroine of the original novel. She was truly different in this novel. Calculating, manipulative, and a master at faking. Besides, she was still a prodigy in Empero control.

They were barely the first obstacle. As if that weren't enough, there was still the killer, whose identity I hadn't been able to decipher. What were their motives...? What if they went after Lianza's life? I had to stop them, and the only clue I had was the one the Harem System gave me: 'You know the killer.'

Besides all that, there were the professors. Vauxol, Wilda, and now Duralianne wanted to see me, at the very least, exiled from Mayorka.

The Great Tournament of Earolden was also only a few months away, where the four great academies across the continent clashed in duel for prestige and glory. According to Anaïs, there were great promises in Rahlarka this year. 'The Three Dragon Riders'. They were so strong that Anaïs, even knowing the reputation of Ardwyn, Lianza, and other students from the academy, dared to say they would win the tournament. What kind of ability would they have? Were they as strong as Ardwyn? Mayorka losing was out of the question, as the academy's prestige was tied to that of Houses Jahke and D'Tariel... which would lead to Lianza being despised by everyone, accelerating her spiral of decadence as the villainess.

Which would hasten her path to the guillotine and the stake.

Although I had my Empero ability, I was barely learning to use it. Much improvement was needed to emerge victorious in that tournament... I also had the Harem System by my side, which, despite enjoying watching me suffer by placing me in situations where my fidelity to Lianza was put to the test, also gave me advantages if I completed its missions.

The pocket watch (now shattered), the color-extracting ring, the increase in my attributes (both charisma and Empero)...

Every drop of advantage in a novel as unfair to the villainess as this one had to be seized.

I cursed. Why did it have to be so hard?

Oh, and I almost forgot. As if that weren't enough, there was another System lurking in Mayorka. One so dangerous that the Harem System itself had shown concern.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽ ☆ ☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

It was about to stop raining when I saw it. The rainbow.

It started from behind the mountains and ended in the middle of the forest where the rainbow river was. The place where Professor Theren used to spend his time.

Immediately, I headed toward Mayorka's east exit, hoping to reach the end of the rainbow in time, just as Professor Theren had indicated.

The east plaza was flooded with puddles.

Before crossing it, I tucked the hems of my pants into my boots to avoid getting covered in mud.

"Do you also like going out right after it stops raining, Dariel Elcronne?" a female voice said behind me, coming from somewhere in the east plaza. A voice I recognized immediately.

Her again?

Straightening up, I went on guard.

Turning toward the source of the voice.

She was sitting on a plaza bench. She had laid out some papers to sit on without wetting her skirt. She was barefoot. Her shoes were beside her.

"What is it now, Layda?"

She shrugged.

"Nothing. I just love smelling the earth while feeling the grass with my feet. It's one of the few sensations I never tire of repeating."

"Have a good day, then."

Turning around, I continued on my way.

"Wait, Dariel."

"I don't have time for your little games, Layda," I said without stopping.

Layda expelled her Empero. The moment I felt it, I turned toward her again.

"I told you to wait."

Layda raised a hand, and her diary materialized in it.

My eyes widened.

"Yes, Dariel. My diary is my Empero Relic."

Layda's Empero Relic was supposed to be a tiara. Besides... why does she have an Empero Relic so soon? You're supposed to master the basic (control, manipulation, and condensation) and advanced (visualization, expulsion, and ability) concepts of Empero to obtain one.

How was it possible for Layda to already have one? Who the hell is she really?

"Yes, Dariel. I also master the basic concepts. Reaching the second level of Empero evolution isn't so difficult when your control is as precise as the presence of day and night."

My Empero manifested.

"You... you're not Layda Alaranne, are you?"

"I am Layda. It's just that..." Layda shook her head. "Better let's make a deal."

Layda whispered some words that, due to the distance between us, I couldn't identify.

"We'll have a duel right here," she said after finishing whispering and writing with her finger on one of the first pages of her diary, "right now, and the winner will have to answer any question from the other."

"What kind of duel?"

"Simple. You'll ask me anything related to this world and I'll have to answer it."

Wait a moment. Wasn't that too easy for me? I could ask her anything Layda shouldn't know at this point in the novel and win just like that...

I realized. Common logic was useless against her. Having read the novel so many times did nothing for me against her.

"I accept," I said cautiously.

"Good, ask the question."

Searching my memory for several minutes, Layda watched me smiling.

I hated that little smile of hers.

What could I ask her to secure my victory? There were many things she wasn't supposed to know. How is the pact with the three gods made? Why does House Analazze have the most lethal poison? What lies beyond Earolden and why has no one dared to explore it...?

But none of those questions topped one of the biggest mysteries in all of The Throne of Ashes and Thorns. The secret House Garialys kept.

"What is rainbow ink?" I asked. It was impossible for her to know the answer. Even among the most avid readers, knowing the origin of that ink was difficult. There were very few clues, but, putting them all together, gave you that feeling of 'how did I not notice before? It was too obvious.'

"So my suspicions were correct..." Layda replied. "I don't know who you are or where you come from, but now I'm sure you're not Dariel Elcronne."

"Answer the question."

Layda opened her diary.

I went on guard.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you." She started looking through the last pages. "Here it is! Attempt number two hundred ninety-eight. One of the most recent."

"What the hell are you talking about, Layda?"

"The Garialys ink comes from the Empero of the seven vassals of that house... Well, more precisely, from their blood, which is almost the same."

How did she know that Empero and blood were closely linked? I had used that knowledge to survive Professor Vauxol's lethal test alive, but Layda knowing it was too strange.

"It's... It's true."

Layda smiled again.

"Good, my question is the same one you asked me a few minutes ago: who are you really, Dariel Elcronne?"

I swallowed hard.

If I told her the truth, she wouldn't believe me.

"I'm just Princess Lianza D'Tariel's personal bodyguard," I answered.

One of the pages in Layda's diary glowed. I noticed it was the same one she had written on a few minutes ago.

"We made a deal. You accepted the conditions. I won. Every time you lie to me, this page in my diary will glow."

"Why do you want to know who I am, Layda? Not long ago you wanted me dead."

"Because things have changed. What just happened I have to prevent, even if it means having to..." She sighed. "Even if it means having to ally with you."

"Ally? What are you talking about?"

"I told you when we met in the hallways, Dariel. Three gods! How can you be so naive?"

"The wedding?"

"Yes, genius, the wedding."

"Wait a moment... what the hell are you trying to tell me?"

"I want to prevent the wedding, Dariel. My noble and pure Ardwyn can't marry that..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," I warned her.

"...that nobody." Smiling, Layda placed a hand over her mouth. "Oops."

That was it. That was my limit with this lunatic.

"You know what? I'm leaving. I don't care how much your diary glows or what nonsense you come up with. I need to do something and I'm running out of time to put up with your riddles and lunacy."

"Wait, Dariel." Layda shook her head and, reluctantly, said, "I apologize. Let's start over, shall we?"

I nodded.

"I come to you because you have a conceptual Empero similar to mine. Besides, you're one of the few who seem to have something in their head other than noble games and other bullshit. You know how to think, Dariel, and that's why I come to you. There, a compliment."

"I have a condition."

"Which?"

"I need to know what your Empero is."

"Alright. My Empero at first was a healing one... But over time, after each attempt..." She sighed. For a second, I could see an incalculable weariness in her eyes. "You wouldn't understand, so I'll summarize it with this..."

Layda whispered something and, with a finger, traced a horizontal line that she then launched at me.

It was quite weak, so I only had to concentrate a bit of Empero in my hand and raise it to block it.

"Why the h—?"

Suddenly I felt something impact my mouth.

I tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. My lips wouldn't open. It was as if they were sealed.

What the hell did she do to me?

[How exciting. The first revelation is coming. 🤭]

Do you know what she did to me?

[🤐]

Yes, yes, double-meaning emoji, very funny...

"The Editor's Empero," Layda said. "That's the name of my ability. I won't tell you how it works. It would be very foolish of me to reveal something so important to an enemy, but, there you have it."

I stepped closer to Layda.

"You're right, Layda Alaranne. We're enemies. I want to protect my Lianza at all costs, you want..."

"I want," she interrupted, finishing my sentence, "to protect my Ardwyn."

Nodding, I found it incredible that, although very different from the original Layda, she still retained that unbreakable love for the hero.

Raising a hand toward her.

"So, do we have a deal, Layda Alaranne?"

Layda shook my hand.

"We have a deal. To this day, no wedding between the great noble houses has been canceled. It's considered a sin worse than death. A direct offense to the Three Gods and your entire lineage. What nonsense these nobles have. Now you and I will change that. You have my word that I won't attack your life until we fulfill our goal."

Layda smiled.

A shiver ran through me. Had I no knowledge that the villainess of this novel was Lianza D'Tariel, with that ruthless, empathy-lacking smile, I would have thought Layda was the villainess.

"Let's ruin that wedding and turn this world upside down, Dariel Elcronne."

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽ ☆ ☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

END OF ARC TWO