Aaron finished his meal and stood up, ignoring the girl's presence. He straightened his posture and his clothes, then moved toward the window. But before he could leap out, he was pulled back by the collar of his shirt.
Aaron stared at the girl in shock and shouted:
"What the hell do you want now?!"
The girl stepped closer, cornering him against the wall, then said:
"Did you really lose your memories?"
A half-arrogant smile spread across his face as he replied:
"I don't think I want to remember you in the first place."
Her eyes narrowed sharply. She placed a hand on her chest.
"I am Cecilia Luxheart, daughter of Duke Alerion…"
For a moment, I froze. She's Alerion's daughter. I quickly cut her off before she could start boasting like her father.
"I get it. Stop."
Rubbing my forehead in irritation, I glanced at her. This could be a real problem—arguing with her, the daughter of that arrogant bastard.
What made things worse was the system screen that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
---
══════ [ Warning System ] ══════
❖ Unregistered interaction with a main protagonist detected.
✦ Name: Cecilia Luxheart
✦ Classification: Key Protagonist
✦ Type of Interference: Direct Tampering – Possible Emotional Impact
❖ Case Analysis:
› Target stability disrupted
› Rising internal tension
› Suspicion toward the user increasing
⛔ Current Risk Level: 10%
↗ Risk Status: Continuously rising
❖ Alert: Repeated manipulation of this character
may trigger irreversible events.
➤ Recommendation: Reconsider your decisions.
Further interaction may unlock a dark path with no return.
══════════════════════════════
My eyes widened in disbelief. This reckless girl… is the heroine?!
I looked back and forth between her and the system screen, trying to process what I had done. I had pulled the heroine's hair, provoked her, and basically dug my own grave.
'Don't worry, my soul, you are cursed wherever you go.'
I tapped the screen several times, trying to get more information, but no use—the details were locked by level.
I turned back to Cecilia, who was still glaring at me with sharp expressions. After thinking a little, the most reasonable option I found was to avoid her completely. I stood from the ground and said:
"Right, I lost my memories and don't remember you. Sorry about that. But I don't want to remember you. Go to hell. Goodbye."
With those words, I slipped into a thief's sneaky stance and bolted through the window.
---
Cecilia remained frozen in place, staring in shock as Aaron disappeared from sight. Slowly, she pinched her own arm, trying to confirm if this was real. Then she spun around and ran to her father.
Edward, Alerion, and Kailos were in the meeting room, discussing political and economic matters. Suddenly, Cecilia burst inside. Her appearance was a mess—white cream smeared around her mouth, tangled and disheveled hair, wrinkled clothes.
Alerion's jaw dropped to the floor in shock. He shot to his feet, knocking over his chair, and rushed to her, lowering himself to her level. His voice trembled with panic.
"My dear, what happened to you? Who is the bastard who has grown tired of life? I'll kill him—no, I'll torture him—I'll show him hell. Just tell me his name! Was it a servant, or what?"
Cecilia stepped back from his sudden outburst, then cleared her throat, trying to calm him down.
"It was… Aaron."
Edward rolled his eyes in boredom and continued reviewing the documents in his hand, while Kailos leaned back in his chair, smirking.
"I thought he was smitten with you. To hit you like that… hahaha… I mean, to pull your hair like toddlers, that's… unexpected."
In the middle of his words, Alerion roared in fury.
"Where is he? Where is that bastard? Bring him to me at once!"
---
Elsewhere, Aaron was wandering around the palace until he reached the far end of the garden.
'Why do I feel like someone is cursing me right now?'
He shrugged his shoulders in indifference, then approached a crack in the wall. After a moment of thought, he slipped through and escaped the palace.
The boy wandered aimlessly through the forest. After some time, he was overwhelmed with boredom. All he saw were trees, grass, and plants—no humans anywhere. Leaning against the base of a tree, he looked at the scenery around him.
"If this were the modern world, this place would've been a tourist attraction."
After a few sighs of boredom, he stood again and returned to the palace. Entering, he found chaos everywhere. He approached one of the maids and asked:
"What's happening?"
The maid replied with clear disdain:
"Everyone is looking for you, Young Master Aaron."
Others nearby heard her words, and soon the crowd turned to face him. Before he could ask again, the people parted, making way for Alerion and his daughter.
Alerion crouched to Aaron's level. The boy immediately understood what was happening, but he didn't care. It felt exactly like when a parent complains to a teacher about another child bullying their son.
---
I looked at him with disinterest, trying to escape the situation since his yelling was unbearably annoying.
"How dare you!! My precious daughter, with her breathtaking beauty, struck by your hands like this! Look at her lovely hair, now tangled like a bear's fur…"
I kept listening to his endless nagging, sounding more like a senile grandmother, until I slowly raised my head and asked:
"Are you done?"
He glared at me in irritation, then shouted:
"Not yet! Do you know how much money is spent daily on her dress alone? Do you know how much is spent on her hair creams, moisturizers, and—"
Honestly, it sounded no different from modern-day women bragging about their wealth. I sighed, turned, and left the place, leaving him to speak to thin air.
I could still hear his shouting in the distance, but I didn't care. The day had been full of events, and all I wanted was to sleep.
I got lost four times trying to find my room, and finally, I saw the rope I had used to climb down.
I entered my room, shut the door, and threw myself onto the bed, hoping for peaceful sleep. But of course, that was impossible.
The system screen appeared again with its annoying voice, like the creak of an old door. Covering my ears, I ignored it without even looking.
Minutes passed, and the sound turned into a buzzing like bees, growing louder and louder until I screamed, my eardrums about to burst.
"Stop, damn you! What do you want?!"
The screen finally silenced. I exhaled in annoyance, then opened it to read its contents.
🩸✨[ System Screen ]✨🩸
🔹 Soul synchronization with the body has been completed successfully...
🔸 Analyzing compatibility... ▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓ 100%
🔹 Result: ★ Full Compatibility Achieved ★
☑️ You have been rewarded with:
🧠[ AI Assistant: Digital Copy of Consciousness ]
🔸 Default Name: [Spirit Companion]
🔸 Status: Activated
🔸 Mode: Awaiting orders...
🔔 Note: The AI Assistant can analyze battles, read opponents' energy, and guide the user in skill development during combat. Please assign it a name.
---
Before me appeared the figure of a skeleton draped in a black cloak, like a holographic projection. A three-dimensional image.
Its eyes glowed a piercing blue, while a black aura spread like a shadow beneath it, gathering at my feet.
I was genuinely impressed to have a spirit companion. But… why did it look so terrifying? Every time I looked at it, that nightmare returned to me. After long thought, I decided to name it "Skull."
The being stared at me as if I were insane, then asked in a deep, raspy, annoyed voice:
"Excuse me?"
I gave him a careless smile, then buried my face into the pillow again and drifted to sleep.
---
Skull stared at Aaron in disbelief, then rubbed his bony face in frustration.
"Just my luck… Why did I have to serve such a rude brat?"
Aaron wasn't asleep. He heard the words and replied:
"Maybe because you're an idiot."
Skull sighed, speaking calmly, trying to ignore Aaron's insult.
"You need to form a soul contract with me."
Aaron raised his head again and looked at him.
"I don't want to."
Rage flickered across Skull's skeletal face, then vanished as quickly as it came. Aaron hesitated for a moment but remembered how tired he was. He simply ignored the matter, lay down in a comfortable position, and said:
"Go to hell."
---
Hello friends, I hope you enjoyed the story!
The mischievous villain's tale is still at its beginnings, so I truly hope you'll support this work so we can continue writing more chapters. Thank you all so much!