In the game, it was mentioned that Liyana harbored little to no affection for Riley, so a part of me clung to that hope when we first met—that perhaps I could slip under her radar and avoid drawing too much attention from her.
But to my surprise, she not only took an interest in me but openly displayed her affection for me.
Haha… A part of me dared to entertain the notion of the positives that such an opportunity presented.
After all, how often does one get the chance to experience youthful love with someone so breathtakingly beautiful?
I should have been the luckiest man alive, shouldn't I?
But alas, fate had other plans for me—plans that were as cruel as they were inevitable.
From the moment our paths crossed, I was inexorably bound to her, my destiny irreversibly entwined with hers.
My fate? To meet my demise at her hands.
Hers? To either become the partner of the protagonist in this world or to bring about its ultimate destruction, depending on the path the protagonist chose.
I used to think that isekai stories were all about wonder, cheats, and harems.
But why did I end up with the short end of the stick?
Why am I stuck with the world's most powerful yandere, of all things?
It seemed like a cruel joke.
Haah… a part of me was tempted to give up, to end my life right then and there in a desperate bid to return to my original world. But deep down, I knew such thoughts were foolish, futile even.
Especially when faced with this.
[Status:]
[Riley Hell]
[Race: Human]
[Level-7]
[Strength: F]
[Agility: D]
[Endurance: D]
[Luck: 0]
[Power: F]
[Skill info….]
[Invalid no skills found]
[Special Traits]
[Crazy Magnet]
[Description: Evil people will have a certain liking to you]
[Overview: A person who's fated to be surrounded with happiness]
Just the sight of this neatly arranged status window in front of me filled me with a seething rage.
How in the actual fuck was I supposed to be a person destined or fated to be surrounded with happiness? And what the hell was that "Crazy Magnet" skill?
I had never heard or seen anything like it in the game.
Was it even a real thing?
"…."
The mere thought of it made my blood boil.
The notion that evil people would have a certain liking to me—well, that explained a lot, didn't it? It was probably one of the main factors as to why Liyana had fallen for me in the first place.
Truly, even my supposed "skill" supported my role as a villain's fiancé. It was almost laughable, if it weren't so utterly infuriating.
An almost all-F status with the occasional D... My luck wasn't even labeled in letters but an actual zero. Ha-ha, I want to cry.
Trash. Disposable. That's what this status meant, just by looking at it.
It's been almost ten whole years since I started living in this world. Yet, my stats remained stagnant, unchanging no matter how much I trained or attempted to build up muscle.
Riley may have been designed as a disposable character, hence the lack of strength, but this was my new reality.
Shouldn't I have at least some sort of cheat or advantage?
I mean, isn't that what transmigrators, reincarnators, regressors, and the like always have?
So why couldn't I have one?
Sighing heavily, I pushed myself up from the comfort of my bed and hurriedly made my way to the bathroom.
It was still super early in the morning, the sun hadn't even risen yet, but I couldn't afford to waste any more time lamenting over my unfortunate circumstances.
"Today is the day."
[Mission: Attend the Academy]
As I glanced to my side, a golden screen materialized, distinct from the usual blue ones.
These were the mission screens, a unique feature that only appeared when the mysterious system had a task in store for me.
I didn't fully comprehend the purpose of these missions, but I had a hunch they were designed to keep me on track with the main scenario of this world.
When the status screen first appeared before me nearly eight years ago, the initial mission it bestowed upon me was simple: "Live and be happy."
But as time passed, the missions became progressively more specific, culminating in the task of making Liyana fall for me—a challenge I surprisingly managed to accomplish, despite awfully tying my best to ignore her.
Now, faced with yet another mission, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of apprehension.
Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to ignore these missions altogether, but I had learned the hard way that defying the system's directives came with consequences.
...Around four months ago, I diverged from my mission of giving Liyana the love she needed and went astray to rescue and help my favorite heroine.
However, I was met with constant ringing noises in my head, rendering me unable to focus on the task at hand.
Fortunately, the protagonist listened to my instructions well and managed to save her in time.
But the consequences were dire—a certified bad luck ending, as Liyana made sure to solidify our connection by officially making me her fiancé.
Although I had hoped and prayed for that one thing to never come to pass, even though the chances were fairly low, my own greed had won out.
Now, I would likely be stuck with her for the rest of my already counted life.
[Warning: A consecutive fail in missions will result in a bad end.]
Not to mention the warnings it personally gave me.
Seriously, I'm not the goddamn protagonist, so why burden me with missions, huh?
Whoever or whatever entity it was that transmigrated me here, they were surely sadistic in nature.
Well, no use thinking too much about all of this now...
There were a bunch of things that I liked, but what I liked the most were... happy endings. No matter what, I would get my happy ending.
"Oh, Riley, you're here."
A burly man with a crooked beard greeted me outside before enveloping me in a bear hug. Despite his intimidating appearance, he was probably the gentlest person in our family—my current father and the count, the head of our household.
Count Leto Hell.
He looked positively elated as he tousled my hair.
Well, considering his child was about to embark on the journey to the academy, hailed as the most prestigious and noble learning institution in the world, any father would be happy.
"Seriously, Riley, I'm so proud of you, man. To think my cute boy is about to become a man now. Haha, Kirsta and I really raised you well"
I just nodded and smiled at his proud remark…. As someone who grew up with a divorced parents the loving and caring atmosphere the count and mother gave me was really…. Weird and surreal at the same time? it was a truly foreign yet comfortable feeling for me.
"I know you don't like to chit-chat, but let me give you one piece of advice so listen well.... never ever get into a fight with someone of higher status than you ok? Trust me, it will be more peaceful that way." He said with a hearty laugh, a look of nostalgia crossing his face.
He then let go of his hug, scanning me from head to toe. "Did you see Lady Liyana?"
"Not yet..." I replied.
"You should go see her before you go. She was awfully sad yesterday when she came to visit, knowing you would be gone today."
I knew that all too well. After all, that woman almost tied me up in bed to never let me go. Fortunately, Mother came just in time and saved me from that awful fate.
"I'll do that."
Hearing my reply, the count smiled and patted my back before pushing me forward.
"Ah, before you go, Riley..."
"?" I turned around to face the count, curious about what he had to say.
A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes as he leaned in slightly. "Never cheat."
"..." I paused, taken aback by his unexpected advice.
"Hahaha, I know that look," he chuckled. "But honestly, that's probably the one thing you always have to remember."
"Do you really think I would cheat?"
With a knowing smile, the count chuckled again, his memory of my fiancée clearly crossing his mind.
"I'm going now."
"Take care."
Stepping into the prepared carriage waiting outside the gates, I couldn't shake off the weight of the count's words. I had two years to prepare...
Two years until Liyana entered the academy, sealing my fate.
No matter what, I had to find a way to escape the destiny that awaited me.
'My happy ending…. Don't worry we will meet soon'
"Young master, should we make our way towards the duke's castle?" the coachman outside asked, seemingly concerned if I wanted to meet with Liyana.
"No, head straight into the city, please."
"But..." he started to say something but soon stopped, understanding the delicate balance of expressing opinions towards nobles.
Haah... he didn't really have to worry. Knowing Liyana, she was probably already at the mages' association waiting for me there. Going to the duchy would just be a waste of time.
….
Sure, enough there she was... sitting alone in one of the free chairs.
No one dared to sit right beside her; her aura of grace and beauty made people around her look at her in awe.
Crossing her legs while sipping on some tea she read through her newspaper ignoring everyone around her...
Where did she even get that tea here?
"Liyana..."
After calling out to her, her eyes finally landed upon me. The bored look she had just a while ago was completely gone.
"Darling~" Her voice rippled in the empty air, making all the guys around me look at me with lightning in their eyes.
Intentional or not, this woman was bound to be the death of me.