[!] When [Event] appears on one of my chapters' titles, it means the starting of a true [Event] of the Game.
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[Princess And Dragon], the First Game.
When [Princess And Dragon] first dropped, it flopped quite a bit.
Hard.
Not a single soul cared on release day. The forums were quiet, the reviews sparse, and sales barely crawled past the break-even mark. For about a week, it looked like the game was destined to fade into obscurity, just another overhyped indie title that couldn't deliver.
Then something weird happened.
Girls started talking about it.
Not just playing it but obsessing over it. The romance routes were unique, beautifully written, layered with emotional depth that hit harder than anyone expected. Characters weren't just pretty faces with shallow dialogue trees. They had histories. Regrets. Growth arcs that felt earned.
Word spread and fast.
Then the boys caught on.
But not for the romance.
For them, it was the gore. The action. The brutal combat that didn't pull punches. Battles weren't flashy cutscenes—they were tense, strategic, and if you messed up, people died. Permanently. No take-backs.
It was real and bloody.
And both sides—girls and boys alike—shared one thing that hooked them deeper than anything else.
Choices.
Every decision you made rippled through the entire game. Dialogue options weren't just flavor text. They shaped alliances, broke hearts, triggered betrayals, saved lives—or ended them. The game had over a thousand possible endings, and no one—no one—had managed to finish it with every Heroine and Support character still breathing by the final credits.
It was considered impossible.
Even with the paid DLC content and the in-game shop selling borderline cheat items—healing boosts, foresight tokens, relationship repair kits—getting a true happy ending was still a pipe dream.
The boys, fueled by pride and stubbornness, wanted to crack the challenge. To prove it could be done.
The girls, meanwhile, poured hours into desperate trial-and-error runs, sacrificing sleep and sanity to protect their favorite characters from the meat grinder that was the plot.
One mistake. One wrong choice. One poorly worded response in a tense moment and boom. A [Main Character] was gone. For good.
It wasn't just a game. It was psychological warfare disguised as a visual novel. Only the sharpest, most emotionally calculating players stood a chance.
As for me?
I got dragged into it kicking and screaming, courtesy of Ephera's relentless nagging. She wouldn't shut up about it, so I caved and gave it a shot.
And then I got hooked.
The system of choices shaping the story felt alive. Like I wasn't just pressing buttons I was living through the protagonist. Every victory felt earned. Every death hit like a punch to the gut.
It was fun. Addictive, even.
But god, it was frustrating too. Characters I appreciated died, and there was nothing I could do to save them. The game didn't care about my feelings. It just kept rolling forward, cold and merciless.
People online started calling it the Hell-Romance Game.
Fitting indeed...
***
"I will never forgive you, Jarvis!"
My voice echoed off the bathroom tiles as I scrubbed myself down at superhuman speed, arms moving like I was some kind of washing machine set to turbo mode.
[You didn't wake up. I did my best.]
"Don't joke with me! You're a system! You must have some kind of alarm function!"
I cranked the shower handle and blasted myself with cold water, gasping as it hit my skin.
[I already told you, I am not a system.]
"Then what the hell are you?!"
[
"Cleenah?! That horny Goddess is watching me take a bath?!"
I immediately covered my lower half with one hand and awkwardly maneuvered the showerhead with the other, spraying water everywhere in the process.
[]
"So a horny granny, then?" I shot back with a smirk.
[
She was definitely pissed now. Her tone had that sharp edge that said I'd pushed a button.
Good.
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered dismissively.
I grabbed a towel, dried off my hair in rough, careless strokes, and started getting dressed.
The uniform hung neatly on a hanger by the door.
Dark blue pants. White dress shirt. Red tie. Blue blazer with the emblem of the Celesta Kingdom stitched proudly on the chest—two golden angel wings, amazingly detailed. Golden thread traced elegant lines down the sleeves of the blazer, catching the light when I moved.
It looked expensive.
Because it was.
That uniform alone cost over a million Eden. A million dollars, essentially.
It was the official attire of the [Royal Eden Academy], the most prestigious school in the entire kingdom. Nobles, royalty, prodigies, if you were somebody, or you were going to be somebody, you wore this.
I pulled on the pants and shirt without issue, but when I got to the tie?
"Fuck."
I stared at the strip of red fabric like it had personally insulted me.
How the hell do you even make the knot?!
I fumbled with it for a solid minute, fingers tangling in the fabric, the loop collapsing every time I thought I had it.
"Edward! What in the world are you still doing up there?! You're already late!"
Belle's voice shot up the stairs like a warning shot.
"Y-Yeah! Coming!"
I gave up, threw the tie around my neck like a scarf, and called it good enough. The blazer went on next, followed by my shoes, which I didn't bother to tie properly.
I bolted downstairs.
"Sigh… You're just like your father. Carelessness at its peak."
Aunt Belle stood in the dining room with her arms crossed, shaking her head in exasperation.
"How many times are you going to say that, Aunt?" I asked with a grin, sliding into my chair.
In front of me sat a beautifully plated stack of pancakes, golden and fluffy, with syrup pooled in the center and a little pad of butter melting on top.
"Thanks for the pancakes!" I said cheerfully.
I dug in without bothering with table manners, shoveling bites into my mouth like I hadn't eaten in days.
"What a troublesome child…" Belle muttered. Then her eyes narrowed as she scanned me. "And look at your overgrown hair. You look like a girl with your mother's face."
Before I could protest, she pulled out a pair of scissors and a comb from—honestly, I have no idea where.
"Wait, what—"
She was already behind me, fingers running through my grey hair, sectioning it off with the comb.
"Hold still," she ordered.
I froze mid-chew, pancake half-dangling from my fork.
"Aunt, I'm already late—"
"And whose fault is that?" she said coolly, continuing her work. "If you're going to be late anyway, you might as well look presentable."
I sighed and gave up, letting her do her thing.
The scissors worked fast, little tufts of grey hair falling onto my shoulders and the floor around the chair.
Five minutes later, my head felt noticeably lighter.
"Look," Belle said, holding up a hand mirror in front of my face.
I blinked.
My hair had been cut short—neat, clean, styled just enough to look intentional without being too stiff. The messy, overgrown mop from before was completely gone.
I looked… exactly like Edward from the game.
Well, almost. The haircut was right. The face was right. But I didn't have that cold, threatening glare the game version always wore. My expression was softer. Less 'future villain', more 'guy who just woke up late and is trying not to panic'.
"Amazing," I said, genuinely impressed. "You can do that too…"
"Of course!" Belle said proudly, flicking on a small handheld dryer to blow away the stray hairs clinging to my neck and shoulders.
Then she gave my head a light slap, not hard, just enough to snap me back to attention.
"Have a good entrance ceremony, dear nephew," she said warmly.
But that smile vanished the instant her eyes dropped to my neck.
The tie.
Still hanging loose and crooked like a drunken scarf.
Her eye twitched.
"Wait—"
"Don't worry! See ya!"
I bolted before she could grab me, waving over my shoulder as I sprinted out the front door and down the stone path.
No time. No time at all.
[As expected of you, you're already late.]
[
Cleenah piled on, smug as ever.
"Already criticizing me first thing in the morning? Don't care anyway, I planned to be late!"
[
"Yep! The first game event already started. Two other people are going to be late besides me, so I won't be alone."
[
"Yeah. The [Protagonist], Jayden Rayena, and one of the [Main Heroines], Milleia Sophren."
Both of them would be late because of an incident.
Not just any random delay. The first [Event] of the game, the moment Jayden and Milleia meet for the first time. A scripted encounter that kicks off one of the major romance routes and sets up a ton of plot threads down the line.
[
"Yeah. I need to make sure everything plays out like it did in the game."
I'd confirmed this was the game world. But would the events actually unfold the same way? In the game, we were the ones making the choices but now it's Jayden Rayena in the driver's seat.
I needed to know what kind of person he really was in this world.
Because I was going to need him.
To get a happy ending in this game, to avoid the total destruction of the Celesta Kingdom, there were a dozen major red flags that had to be pulled out before they detonated. It was going to be brutal. I didn't know if I could handle all the pressure.
But I had to try.
Soon, I reached the largest mana train station in the Falkrona duchy. The platform was already crowded with people—merchants, commoners, a few lower nobles in traveling clothes. The hum of mana engines vibrated faintly through the air, mixing with the chatter and footsteps.
I stood near the edge of the platform, waiting for the train.
"Oh my God, look at him!"
"W-Who is he?!"
"He has grey hair—could it be?!"
"You mean Lord Edward?! But he disappeared a month ago!"
"More importantly, I didn't know he was that hot!"
"Are you stupid?! You heard about what he did to all the women in his mansion?!"
"I-I wouldn't mind if it was him!"
"What?!"
[
"Hm? What?" I asked absently.
[
"Listening to what? I'm concentrating, don't you see?"
I was running through the scene in my head again, Milleia's introduction, the dialogue triggers, the timing of Jayden's arrival. I needed to make sure I didn't miss anything.
The train finally pulled in with a low, thrumming hiss, the sleek mana-powered cars gleaming under the morning light.
Despite the huge crowd, people parted as I approached. A clear path opened up like the sea splitting.
Did they recognize me?
Probably scared.
I grabbed one of the steel handrails inside the train and stayed standing. Didn't bother looking for a seat. The train was packed anyway.
I swept my gaze around, scanning for anyone else wearing the Royal Eden Academy uniform.
No one.
Guess they were all diligent and on time.
Still… why were those girls over there screaming?
Am I really that scary?
When I glanced at a few guys nearby, they yelped and took a step back.
Yeah. Guess so.
[
'Dense protagonist? You mean Jayden? Yeah, he's super dense. When I played the game, I almost broke my TV because of his dumb reactions.'
I smiled faintly, remembering Ephera grabbing my arm to stop me from chucking the controller at the screen.
[]
What's with her tone?
…
...
Half an hour later, the lightning-fast mana train pulled into the [Central Celesta Station], right in the heart of the capital city, [Dorian].
And it was chaos.
The Falkrona station had been crowded. This? This was a sardine can. People pressed shoulder-to-shoulder, voices overlapping in a dull roar, luggage carts weaving dangerously through the masses.
I slithered through the crowd like a professional snake, ducking under elbows, sidestepping bags, squeezing through gaps that barely existed.
But even with all that, it was slow going.
I was wasting time. Precious time.
"H-Hey, brat, how dare y—"
"Buzz off," I cut him off.
The man froze mid-sentence. His eyes landed on my face. My hair. Then his expression shifted from indignation to panic.
"Y-Yes!"
He immediately started shoving people out of my way, clearing a path like I was royalty.
Every gaze in the area snapped toward me.
"That hair…"
"It must be Edward, the previous heir…"
"Was he always that—"
"Look at that uniform!"
"Move, damn it!" I barked.
And they moved instantly.
Even though I'd lost my status as heir, I was still the son of Duke Thomen Falkrona. Nobody wanted to cross me and deal with the fallout.
I ignored the whispers and bolted out of the station.
Once outside, I paused for half a second to orient myself.
To my right: the wide road leading directly to the Royal Eden Academy. Clean. Safe. The route every normal student would take.
To my left: the long, winding avenue where carriages and cars would arrive—including Milleia's carriage. But her carriage wasn't here yet. It was still en route, delayed because of a bandit ambush on the outskirts of the city.
I glanced up at the massive clock tower looming over the academy gates in the distance.
9:45 AM.
The entrance ceremony started at 10:00 AM sharp.
"For fuck's sake!"
I turned left and sprinted at full speed in the opposite direction of the academy.
Milleia and Jayden were the priorities.
I just had to hope I wasn't too late.