"Fate is destined."

Snow fell gently, covering the ground in a fine white layer.

In the northern backyard of Duke System's villa, under a bare birch tree, a boy stood before a small, child-made tombstone. He had brown hair, fogged-up glasses, and clutched a bouquet of rare white chrysanthemums.

His eyes were red, but no tears fell.

"No matter how hard you try, how carefully you plan, or how much effort you put in, fate will always find you. In the end, the death you deserve will be waiting for you, right where you thought you'd finally escaped it."

His words were heavy, far too mature for a boy who seemed no older than ten.

"Master Will… are you okay?"

The voice came from a maid standing beside him. She looked about the same age, with short brown hair falling to her shoulders. What stood out most were the wolf ears atop her head, twitching slightly in the cold.

"Oh, my dear Yiel, don't worry about me. I've known this cruel fate would come. Since the day I was born into this world, I've been preparing for it."

Will glanced back at the simple tombstone. Snowflakes had already begun to collect on it.

The wind blew through the birch trees, rustling fallen leaves.

"Uh… Master, may I ask a question?"

"Go ahead, Yiel. Surely, you too have seen the helplessness of fate—"

"Master, um… it's just… this is about a dog, right? That's what's buried here? Not… something else? Because the way you're talking is… kind of scary…"

"..."

Will System, a young noble of only ten years, felt a wave of embarrassment. After all, he wasn't just a child—he was a reincarnated soul.

When Will first opened his eyes in this world, he had overheard the celebration of the birth of the "System" family's young master. His heart sank.

Wait… isn't this the villain's family from that infamous light novel, "After Leaving the Team and Being Kept by the Dungeon Queen"?

And now he…

He was the villain, Will System.

In his previous life, he'd worked as a system planner and had been forced to turn this very story into a mobile game. His boss had even said:

"Xiao Wei, this IP is a big deal now. You're in charge of system design, mission planning, and everything else. The company's profits depend on you!"

How ironic. In that life, he had exploited this story to milk money from players. Now, karma had reincarnated him as the villain doomed to suffer.

The plot of the story was formulaic: the protagonist, Hugh Polo, was betrayed and cast out of his adventuring team. Later, as Hugh grew stronger, his former teammates regretted their decision and grovelled for forgiveness. Meanwhile, the villain—Will System—met a humiliating end, crushed to death by a giant slime.

Thankfully, Will calculated he had about eight years before the infamous slime incident. Plenty of time to rewrite his fate.

Today marked a turning point.

In the original novel, it was mentioned that at age ten, Will had beaten his maid Yiel after his pet dog, Sanqi, froze to death because it had been left outside. Determined to change this tragic event, Will had worked tirelessly over the past three years to ensure Sanqi's survival.

He spared no effort. He bought the best dog food, built a well-insulated doghouse, and even exercised the dog daily to increase its cold resistance. Sanqi had become a legend in the nearby villages, even capable of fighting off monster ice wolves.

Yet, despite all his efforts…

Sanqi was dead.

On a snowy winter day, the strong, well-trained dog now lay in a narrow grave.

"Yiel, this is such a sad life," Will muttered.

"Uh… Master, if you want to cry, it's okay! Yiel will wipe your tears so they don't freeze on your face. Please don't hold it in; it's scary!"

"There's no point. This is all fate," Will replied, though his words felt hollow.

Still, he couldn't stop thinking about the absurd scene of Sanqi's death:

The dog had stepped out of its luxurious doghouse, slipped on an icy food dish, and tumbled across the frozen lake. It had gained speed, flipping several times before crashing into a tree.

Will's lips twitched involuntarily at the memory.

"Master, it's okay to laugh! Maybe it'll help you feel better!" Yiel said, her own lips curving into a smile.

"Hahaha… That stupid dog… what a ridiculous way to die!"

The two burst into laughter, standing before Sanqi's grave as the snow fell harder.

As the laughter faded, Will began to formulate a new plan.

Yiel, unlike her timid portrayal in the original novel, had become a cheerful and capable companion under his care. She wasn't afraid of him and even teased him occasionally.

This gave him an idea.

If he could "develop" Yiel's character beyond her original limitations, what about the others?

In the novel, the heroines who betrayed Hugh were weak and indecisive, doomed to fail. But what if he turned them into something stronger?

"If I can raise a dog to fight ice wolves, I can train them too," he thought to himself.

"Master, why are you muttering again? What are you planning now?" Yiel asked.

Will's glasses glinted ominously as he took her hand. "Yiel, I've made a decision."

"Uh… what decision, Master?"

"From today on… I will raise you like I raised that dog!"

"…???"

Yiel tilted her head in confusion, her wolf ears flopping adorably to one side.

"…Woof?"