20 years later.
In a beautiful garden filled with all kinds of flowers and trees towering dozens of meters high, a small pavilion built in medieval European style stood quietly in the center.
Inside the pavilion, a man with a face so handsome he could rival an A-list celebrity lounged lazily. His features were sharp and masculine, standing around 180 cm tall with a well-proportioned body. He wore noble attire, though far simpler and more practical than what other aristocrats usually wore.
He lay on a soft mat, a lazy expression on his face as he picked up a grape from the plate beside him and popped it into his mouth, his eyes gazing into the distance.
That's right—this man was Rover.
At the moment, however, he wasn't really staring into the distance. In truth, he was looking at an electronic screen floating before him.
"Only 99.69%? Seriously?" Rover sighed, mumbling to himself.
Ever since the day he was born, his System had been in the process of "initializing."
Yes, that's right—you didn't mishear.
This damned System was worse than a PC built in 1995.
At least those old PCs running Windows 98 only took about thirty minutes to boot up.
But this cursed System? It had taken twenty years.
Twenty years. Goddammit, twenty whole years!
What the hell was this? Wasn't this supposed to be some kind of advanced divine technology?
Then why was it so terrible?
To take more than twenty years just to start up—this was the first time he'd ever seen such a ridiculous System.
Rover sighed, feeling at least a little thankful that he'd been born as the son of a Count. Even without a System, his life was comfortable enough.
However…
"Damn you, Isekai God! You lied to me!" Rover shouted. "You said you'd give me a System! You said you'd give me magical talent! So where the hell is it?!"
"Damn it! The System still isn't fully activated after twenty years! And I'm just an ordinary human—I can't even learn magic!"
"You're mocking me, aren't you? If I don't get some compensation, I swear I won't forgive you!"
Rover huffed in frustration, then popped another grape into his mouth, calming down a little after his outburst.
He had thought that in this new world, he would be surrounded by beautiful women, living a luxurious life without a care in the world.
But fate wasn't that kind. When he was two years old, one of Count Sterling's concubines gave birth to another son.
That son was better than him in every way—blessed with extraordinary magical talent, hailed as a prodigy, accepted into a royal magic academy, and even betrothed to a princess of a great kingdom.
Rover sighed. He had long realized that his younger brother, Alex, was the true protagonist of this world.
And he? He was nothing more than a pitiful side character, a background extra in someone else's story.
"Being a side character is fine, but at least let me achieve my simple dream, won't you?" Rover muttered in frustration, staring at the half-loaded System interface.
His weariness wasn't just from boredom—it was also because his father forbade him from marrying.
The Sterling family's status and wealth were enormous, but since Alex was so talented, all the family's resources were devoted to him.
Worse yet, their father had imposed a ridiculous rule: no one in the family was allowed to marry before Alex's wedding, as a show of loyalty to the princess's royal family.
Because of that, Rover couldn't pursue his greatest dream. His father even restricted him to a mere ten gold coins per month—barely enough to buy anything, let alone a slave or a girlfriend.
In short, his life—though free from worry about food or clothing—was painfully unfulfilling.
"Ah!" Rover sighed heavily. "No internet, barely any entertainment, and I can't even get married. How the hell have I survived twenty years in this damned world?"
"Young Master!" Suddenly, a feminine voice called out.
"Ah! Leica, what is it?" Rover replied without even looking. He already knew exactly who it was.
At that moment, a woman about 163 cm tall entered. Her slightly tanned skin contrasted with the black-and-white maid outfit she wore. Her dark hair was neatly tied back, and her delicate face, framed by a pair of glasses, gave her a mature and composed charm.
Though her body was slender, every step she took caused her disproportionately large chest to bounce dramatically, defying all logic of proportion.
Rover glanced toward Leica, his eyes fixating on her chest as he muttered to himself, "At least there's still a bit of scenery to admire every day."
Leica walked up beside him. Noticing his gaze fixed squarely on her chest, she calmly pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and smiled. "Young Master, have you stared enough?"
"Hm… scenery this beautiful, I could stare all day and never get bored," Rover said with a grin.
Leica smiled faintly. She seemed quite used to this behavior and didn't appear to mind his gaze.
"Young Master, Count Sterling has summoned everyone. I heard it's something very important," Leica said softly.
"Heh?!" Rover frowned. "He's giving me the inheritance, isn't he?"
"Ah! Um… not exactly," Leica replied with an awkward smile.
Rover scowled. "Then is he dying?"
"Also… not that."
"Nah!" Rover shrugged with a disinterested expression. "Then what's so important?"
Leica sighed lightly. "Young Master, you should go see the Count. I don't know what it's about either, but everyone's already gathered—including Young Master Alex. If you don't show up, I'm afraid…"
"Ah!" Rover sighed wearily. "Fine! But I've been lying down too long; my legs are numb. Could you help me walk?"
Leica's cheeks flushed red, but she pressed her lips together and nodded. "Of course, Young Master."
"Hehehe…" Rover chuckled happily as Leica helped him up.
Their bodies pressed close together. Rover's arm naturally slipped around her shoulders, pulling her against him.
Leica's face burned crimson, her heart pounding wildly as if it might burst out of her chest.
"Y-Young Master, is this… fine?" Leica stammered. "I-I'm just a servant of low status. If someone were to see us…"
"Hm?!" Rover frowned. "You don't like it?"
"I… I…" Leica couldn't find the words to answer.
He smiled. "If you don't like it, you can push me away. If you don't, then stop worrying. I'm not the type to care about things like that."
'Of course I don't care about social class or race,' he thought to himself. 'As long as she's beautiful, I'll like her no matter who or what she is.'
Leica bit her lip and continued supporting him, her heart so warm it felt like it might melt.
…
Inside the grand hall of the Sterling estate.
Rover entered alone. Since this was an important family meeting, no servants were allowed to attend.
He stepped into the hall and saw that all the family members had already gathered.
Everyone sat neatly along both sides of the room. Rover also noticed a few people dressed in white robes adorned with gold patterns among them.
He didn't know who they were, but if they were allowed to sit alongside the family, they clearly held high status.
At the center of the hall, two people sat upon ornate velvet-covered metal chairs. One was the head of House Sterling—Count Stanley S. Sterling.
Beside him, separated by a small tea table, was a woman wearing a white robe decorated with intricate golden designs that shimmered in the light.
Rover couldn't see her face because the upper half was hidden behind a golden mask, and the hood of her robe concealed the rest of her head.
Even her hands were covered by gloves—nothing was exposed.
The only features visible were her small crimson lips and her skin, pale as snow.
Rover stared at her in confusion. Though he couldn't see her face, he couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling… and a strange sense of familiarity.
Cheng!
Suddenly, the cup in her hand fell and shattered into countless pieces, tea spilling across the floor.
The sharp sound shattered the silence, and everyone turned toward her—then toward Rover.
Rover: "..."