He had been beheaded. By the orders of the very same character he loved and was trying to save. That was his first regression.
Xian found himself in front of the villainess once again, involuntarily touching his neck as he felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Damn bitch." Before she even had to speak, he cursed in front of her. It was a habit he developed whenever he got frustrated with her character or anything that went against his way. Without hesitation, the same swordmaiden drew her longsword and beheaded him painlessly.
All he felt was the cold touch of the blade as it painlessly cut his neck once again, triggering his second regression. When he returned, his eyes winced, stunned from the shock of dying twice in a row.
'Fuck!'
This time, Xian managed to rein in his mouth and cursed in his head instead. With the threat of death looming over him, his mind raced for the most plausible way to avoid displeasing the lady.
"I greet her highness, princess Carmillia Montagne." He bowed with utmost respect, referring to her as a princess, for she is a daughter of a kingdoms grand duke.
'She's displeased.' One look and he knew right away what her current mood is from the many playthrough he experienced.
Why?
Because right over her head floated a black heart with a number in it: 19.
Just like in the game. He recognized it right away the second time he died.
In Romance and Ruin, affection levels was color coded. Red meant love when a character is already at max favorability and in love with the player. The lower levels went in order at pink, purple, blue, green, yellow and gray.
Gray being the neutral and starting point for each heroine and other characters, usually set at 50 or 0.
Black signified animosity, and finally, dark crimson, a level of hatred where 'kill on sight' often occurred. Anyone who bore this would attack the protagonist immediately, even to the point of madness.
The number inside the hearts signified the heroine's affection score toward the player within each heart-color tier. And at [Black Heart], 19 was a dangerously low score.
If he made a mistake, he might be forced to regress for a third time.
"Hmph." She huffed, tilting her head to the side with a frown. "The head butler will teach you what you need to learn. I expect no more than a week of preparation."
'A week?' Xian thought. He only knew of butlers from the media he consumed—novels, anime, and manga. He wanted to complain and refuse the training, but his mouth remained shut as realization struck.
He was no longer on Earth, living an isolated life while playing games.
"As you wish." Xian bowed in an attempt to mimic the butlers he remembered.
Carmillia narrowed her eyes before turning away, her two guards following behind. Of course, Xian glanced at the woman who had once beheaded him, searching for any distinct feature he could remember.
A [Gray Heart] hovered over her head with an affection score of 50. She surprisingly held a stable impression of him, despite her lack of hesitation when she cut his neck.
Clad in black armor and leather, it was hard to notice anything unique about her. Still, Xian understood that they would be seeing each other often. And in the future, he would make sure to return the favor for the experience she had given him—even if regression reset it all.
"Hah!" When they were finally gone, Xian gasped in relief. His chest heaved like he had just done a marathon. It came with sweat and coldness coursing through his body as he trembled.
That was his first time experiencing 'death' caused by murder. Although it was painless, the feeling of disconnection in his neck lingered. He didn't even get to see the speed at which he was beheaded.
'Shit! Shit!'
That helpless sensation made him unable to get up, shaking on the ground like a pathetic wench. At the same time he wanted to punch someone or anything because of this situation.
It took a moment for Xian to finally calm down and think over what just happened. Right now he was in a game he last played for hours on end and the cause of his death upon exhaustion.
Rozenfall Academy, Romance and Ruin.
It wasn't exactly a popular game, but was quite reputed in the genre it belongs to. Because the developers were lunatics who gave players too much freedom, branching routes, brutal endings, and near-infinite replay paths.
There were even some characters who had five endings per arc. For games like these, The fanbase was bound to be niche but obsessed, dissecting every interaction, compiling guides, and chasing endings like treasure hunters.
And in every dating sim game fanbase, there exists character factions players root for. Among them was a particular villainess as one of the hottest figure, Carmillia Montagne, dubbed as 'The Guillotine Flower'.
She gained that title because of her signature method of getting rid of enemies. Ordering her swordmaidens to behead them, rooting the enemy out completely. She had the most bad ends players will encounter the most, mainly causing the protagonist and his established party to be framed and beheaded.
If you engage with her? She'd wreck your run by stabbing you in the back after being used.
If you avoid her? She'd show up mid-game as a surprise boss with an unbalanced game mechanic and overpowered specs. At that point, the swordmaidens disappears since they are no longer needed by Carmillia who had grown strong enough.
Somehow, its a loss either way.
The players thought the game devs were trolling them, making such a beautiful villainess an annoying adversary instead of a heroine or even a sub heroine. But players discovered that under very specific conditions, you could get her own endings.
The catch is, there's no happy ending, only tragic ones. Vain ones. Then the story continues like nothing happened. Whether her death affects the succeeding events is fully dependent on the players earlier actions that led to her outcome.
But, the devs, as mad as they are put in great work and effort to the game. Hence the game withheld its popularity, and was treated like the dark souls of dating sim games.
And eventually he found the game, got addicted and died of exhaustion while playing.
'At least I got through.'
He already died twice. Wasn't it too much to die that easily? The consequences for staring agape at her and cursing were the same.
Her, being in a bad mood only made things worse. But that isn't the most important thing right now.
Xian couldn't help but smile. Time turned back upon his death. He regressed! On top of that he retained the system's way to distinguish affection!
Still, this wasn't a casual playthrough. Every choice could end him. Every fight had stakes. He had no protagonist buffs, just knowledge.
Because the developers made sure to keep in mind to make the subsequent events parallel to each other, so that they won't cause the other event to be jeopardized and change things too much. Although there were still a lot of pre-requisite and interconnecting events, players can mostly experience 80% of everything before the famous bad end.
He could experience the life of the protagonist in real time!
And he was at the earliest stages of the game. There was still some time before everyone met in the academy. Exactly a month from now. A time that the protagonist skipped in order to train his stats that will determine his class.
What he was most looking forward to, were the special events with the heroines upon being 'conquered'.
Yes, it was exactly that kind of game, where at some point in your progress, intimacy with characters were possible. Of course, his priority right now was to survive in this household and achieve progress the game.
"Are you the new butler?"
Xian saw a thin and emaciated old man with neatly combed hair and slightly tired eyes. Wearing a tie bow and a suit, he looked the part of a typical butler, except for not having a muscular body. Unlike the butlers with deep and toned voice, this man talked like he was tired and lazy.
But Xian wasn't fooled. The household of Montagne contained many complicated and dangerous individual.
Including this butler. The head butler of the dukedom's patriarch himself.
"Yes." Xian replied carefully, keeping his tone polite and short.
They say that when in Rome, do as the romans do.
"Then fill out your name and this contract."
He took a parchment of paper that felt rough to the touch. Holding it, he realized that it was made from some high quality leather. The contract terms was strict, demanding secrecy and cooperation, but he had quite a huge salary for a butler. He didn't expect that a job with a good salary he'd been looking for will find him in his next life.
"I will train and teach you how to attend to the young miss. Do mind, that a mistake may cost you your life."
He warned plainly. Xian found it ridiculous that it sounded like a threat at the same time.
'Death, from failing at what, maybe chores? What a world.'
"I'll be in your care."
He signed simply: Xian. No surname. A sign of his commoner status fitting for the protagonist's background.
"Xian is it?"
The butler gave him a look, unreadable, before stowing the contract.
"Follow me."
What followed was a tour of the estate where Carmillia will stay before going to the academy. In this world, nobles who disliked sharing dorms often bought lands near the academy. Instead of going to the Royal Dorms, they went home to each of their own estate.
Thus, Rozenfall's surroundings were packed with minor courts, power plays, and intrigue, becoming the eye of the storm where politics of future leaders and significant figures had a stage to fight in.
Gradually it garnered population around it until it became an academy city. And outside, nobles still ruled over the commoners.
"Rest. Training starts at dawn."
Xian's eyes twitched. Its not that the time was too early for him. But he was more familiar with staying awake at dawn then sleeping until the afternoon. The sleep schedule of a true shut in.
"…"
The door was shut and he was left alone. At least he got a personal room. That alone put him above most servants.
The room was ironically bigger than the one he lived in before, but it carried rustic ambiance of the game and dilapidated elements. The wooden floor creaked as he stepped in, then a mirror caught his eye.
That's when he realized.
He didn't look like himself.
Or the protagonist.
The man in the mirror was taller and broader than him. Red hair, cut cleanly on the sides. Sharp, menacing eyes that provoked trouble. Toned jawline and proportionate nose. His face carried arrogance even in its neutral expression.
He looked like a thug that would bully his fellow classmate for money and smoke at the back of the school.
'It's me.'
He tried smiling, but the reflection he saw was of a threatening man.
'No wonder the young miss is so pissed.'
He was completely the opposite of her type. Compared to the protagonist with a basic attractive appearance, a black hair, a gentle smile and approachable expression.
"Hmm?"
But if he didn't look like the protagonist and is currently here, what about that guy? Which route did he play as?
Is he actually going to make an appearance in the future?
Because if he does… things will be very complicated.