The moment his entire party stepped onto the stage, the sheer weight of the situation hit Haruto's newly unlocked emotions like a physical blow. Looking up at the crowd of powerful figures surrounding him, his chest tightened violently, and his breaths began to grow short and rapid. System warning... hyperventilation detected, his mind frantically buzzed, completely unable to process this sudden rush of social anxiety and sensory overload.
But the real breakdown happened when his crimson eye locked onto Seraphine.
The moment their eyes met, the memories of what had occurred just an hour ago in Lilith's bedroom flashed vividly in his mind. He remembered her breathless, amplified voice confessing that she genuinely liked him and wanted to marry him, and he vividly remembered the image of her standing right in front of him after Lustra had stripped her down.
Before, his emotional block had filtered it out as a simple event file. But now, with his human emotions running at 100% capacity, the memory hit him with devastating force.
Haruto's face went from crimson to an absolute, burning neon red. He completely short-circuited, his mind spinning so fast he couldn't even think straight.
Seraphine stood there, looking at Haruto in his incredibly handsome prince attire. Meeting his intense, blushing gaze, her own face instantly caught fire. She remembered everything she had said and done while under Ivory's spell, realizing that the quiet "maid" she had bared her soul to was the exact same guy now standing before her as the future King. An incredibly awkward, heavy, and intensely shy energy settled between the two of them, leaving them both completely paralyzed and unable to look each other in the eye.
The seven queens turned their attention to the rest of the group, their eyes scanning each member until they finally landed on the young girl standing nearby. The main Queen blinked in recognition, pointing a gold-adorned finger at her.
"Wait a minute..." she murmured, looking closely.
"Aren't you that sweet little girl Lilith used to bring around the palace all the time for walks?"
Aetherna stepped forward, nodding her head politely with a calm smile.
"Yes, Your Majesty. That was me."
Another queen leaned in, her curiosity instantly peaking.
"Oh? Then what exactly is your relation to Haruto?"
The moment Haruto heard that question, he mentally faceplanted, slapping his hand firmly against his forehead. With his emotions running wild, a cold sweat broke out across his neck. Oh no... please don't say anything weird right now, he prayed internally.
Aetherna, completely unaffected by the grand atmosphere and showing absolutely zero fear in front of royalty, proudly puffed out her chest. "I am Haruto's adopted daughter!" she announced clearly, explaining her status with absolute confidence.
A heavy, stunned silence fell over the small circle. Slowly, all seven queens turned their heads in unison, locking their eyes directly onto Haruto with deeply amused, judging smirks.
"An adopted daughter?" the main Queen teased, her voice dripping with playful sarcasm.
"My, my, Haruto... I had no idea you enjoyed playing the role of a father so much at your age!"
Before the queens could completely embarrass him to death, the red-dressed queen cleared her throat loudly, cutting off the teasing.
"Alright, alright, let's keep it down. We have an entire hall full of nobles waiting for us. We need to officially start this engagement ceremony right now. We can discuss his parenting skills later!"
Turning to the group, she gestured toward the VIP section.
"Everyone, please go ahead and take your designated seats."
The party members nodded, turning to walk down the stage toward the front rows. But just as they started moving, one of the queens swiftly stepped forward and firmly caught Seraphine by the arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"Not so fast, young lady," the queen whispered with a knowing, sharp smirk.
"You stay right here."
Seraphine froze completely, her heart skipping a beat as the queen's grip tightened playfully on her arm. "W-What's going on?" she stammered, trying to maintain her composure.
The queen leaned in close, a brilliant, mischievous smirk spreading across her face.
"Well, word reached my ears earlier that you are officially set to become Haruto's second wife. So, I was thinking... since everyone is already gathered here, why don't we just hold your engagement ceremony right alongside Lilith's tonight?"
"WHAT?!" Seraphine gasped, her voice cracking as her face instantly flashed a bright, burning red.
"M-My engagement too? Tonight?! No, wait, that's way too sudden!"
The queen just chuckled and pointed an elegant finger over toward the side of the stage.
"Don't look at me, darling. Your own father was the one who suggested it."
Seraphine snapped her head around to look at Fredrick. Standing a few paces away, Fredrick caught her eye. Raising his glass of wine in the air, he gave her a massive, encouraging grin and a proud nod, silently cheering her on from the sidelines.
"Dad! No!" Seraphine hissed under her breath, wildly waving her hands in the air to signal her absolute refusal.
"This is supposed to be Lilith's special night! I can't just crash it!"
"Oh, don't worry about Lilith," the queen waved her hand dismissively, smiling warmly.
"She actually loves the idea of having you up here with them."
"B-But I don't even have a proper ceremonial gown!" Seraphine protested desperately, looking down at her regular clothes.
"I'm completely unprepared!"
The queen burst out laughing, gently pulling Seraphine toward the backstage exit.
"Is that your only excuse? You're in the royal palace, silly girl! Pick absolutely any magnificent dress you want from the royal vaults—everything here belongs to you now anyway."
"But wait! Please—!"
"No 'buts', and no excuses!" the queen interrupted cheerfully, completely cutting off her retreat.
"Hush now, go straight with the attendants and get ready. We are officially running out of time!"
As she swept Seraphine away toward the dressing rooms, the queen leaned in one last time, her eyes twinkling with pure teasing delight.
"Besides... We all heard your little performance in the bedroom earlier. What was it again? 'Haruto is so handsome... his power is amazing... I am definitely going to marry him...' Trust me, darling, the moms want to see all of that passion out on the stage tonight!"
Hearing her own breathless confession thrown right back in her face, Seraphine completely short-circuited. She turned a shade of crimson so deep it put the queen's red gown to shame, covering her burning face with both hands as she was dragged off to be turned into a bride.
Haruto watched silently as the queen dragged a thoroughly blushing Seraphine out of the hall. With his newly unlocked emotions still running completely haywire, his throat felt tight, and he couldn't bring himself to say a single word to stop them.
Trying to find his bearings, he shifted his gaze down toward the front rows where the rest of his party was heading. The moment he looked at Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra, his analytical mind picked up a major anomaly. Their expressions were completely flat, and their usual vibrant energy was entirely drained. Their emotional mood meters are completely in the negatives, Haruto noted, his chest tightening with a new wave of anxious confusion. Wait... why are they suddenly so upset with me? Did I trigger a hidden disapproval somewhere in the previous dialogue?
He then glanced over at Toya and Aetherna. Unlike the three goddesses, those two were completely unfazed. Toya gave him a supportive, excited thumbs-up from his seat, while Aetherna simply flashed a bright, cheerful smile, rooting for her adoptive dad.
Before Haruto could dwell on the girls' bad mood any further, a soft, warm breath brushed against his ear. Lilith leaned in close, her gentle fragrance once again stabilizing his hyper-sensitive nerves. "Get ready, Haruto," she whispered softly, her professional posture remaining flawless.
"It looks like it's finally time."
Right on cue, a heavy, resonant bell chimed through the grand hall, signaling the start of the official ritual.
Haruto and Lilith stood up from their chairs in perfect unison. From the side of the stage, two palace maids walked forward with slow, rhythmic steps, carrying a beautifully engraved silver platter between them.
Haruto lowered his eyes to scan the items resting on the velvet cloth, running a quick tactical assessment. Placed neatly in the center were two elegant, matching royal rings. Okay, the rings make perfect sense for a standard engagement, Haruto thought.
But as his eyes tracked to the right side of the platter, his processing grid completely short-circuited. Resting right next to the rings was a sharp, gleaming silver dagger and two empty crystal chalices.
Haruto stared at the blade, a cold sweat breaking out under his royal collar as his newly unlocked anxiety spiked. Wait, hold on... what kind of system event is this? The rings are standard, but why on earth are they bringing out a knife and wine glasses for an engagement ceremony?!
The remaining queens on the stage smiled warmly at the couple.
"Alright, our work here is done for now. Let's let the main ritual begin," the gold-dressed queen whispered. With graceful steps, they walked off the stage, leaving Haruto and Lilith standing at the center under the bright lights of the chandeliers.
The entire crowd of nobles instantly stood up from their seats, pressing their right hands flat against their chests in the traditional royal salute.
The King stepped forward, his powerful voice echoing through the silent hall.
"On this historic night, before all of you as witnesses, we begin the sacred binding of the future rulers of this realm!"
As the maids held out the silver platter containing the two rings, the gleaming dagger, and the empty crystal chalices, Haruto felt a sharp wave of nervousness hit his newly unlocked emotions. His mind was racing, completely unable to guess what the system protocol for this ritual was. A dagger? What am I supposed to do with a blade right now? he thought, his breath hitching slightly.
Lilith glanced at his face and immediately picked up on his silent panic. Maintaining her flawless, elegant posture so the crowd wouldn't notice, she leaned in close to his ear. "Just calm down and follow my lead," she whispered softly, her familiar scent helping to ground his anxious thoughts.
"Do exactly what I do."
The King voiced the first command of the ritual.
"First, let the bond of blood be drawn. Rulers of the future, take up the blade."
Following Lilith's movements precisely, Haruto reached out and picked up the cool silver hilt of the dagger.
Without a single moment of hesitation, Lilith raised her left hand and smoothly drew the sharp edge of the blade across the tip of her ring finger. A neat bead of crimson royal blood immediately welled up from the shallow cut.
Haruto's analytical mind finally figured out the mechanic. Ah, a blood-binding ritual. The classic fantasy trope to seal a soul contract. He knew he had to do the exact same thing. A small cut won't hurt anyway. I just need to calibrate the force.
Trying to act hidden and nonchalant to keep up his cool prince persona, Haruto quickly drew the blade across his own left ring finger. But with his emotional system currently chaotic and uncalibrated, his physical control slipped just a fraction.
The cut went significantly deeper than he intended.
A heavy, thick stream of dark crimson blood instantly began to pour from his finger, far more than Lilith's neat little cut. Because his high baseline stats and pain-tolerance buffers were still active, he felt absolutely zero physical pain from the wound. But looking down at the sheer volume of blood rapidly staining his hand, his newly unlocked anxiety violently spiked again. System error! Force calibration failed! I drew way too much blood!
The moment the blood began to pool, a sudden shift occurred in the grand hall. Soft, rhythmic music began to echo from the orchestra behind the stage. The palace attendants set off a series of enchanted fireworks that bloomed into gentle, glowing lights against the high ceiling, instantly shifting the heavy, tense atmosphere into a warm, celebratory, and completely calm vibe.
Despite the beautiful music, Haruto was entirely focused on his hand. He gave his left arm a quick, hidden shake, desperately trying to keep the heavy stream of blood from dripping onto his pristine royal robes or the polished marble floor.
Lilith remained perfectly composed. Moving with absolute grace, she held her crystal chalice beneath her injured finger and let a single, perfect drop of her crimson blood fall into the clear liquid. The moment the droplet hit the bottom, the entire drink vibrated and magically transformed into a brilliant, deep ruby-red color.
Alright, standard trigger condition met. I just need to copy that exact input, Haruto thought, his inner anxiety still making his movements a little too rushed.
He quickly brought his hand over his own empty chalice. But because his cut was significantly deeper, a heavy, massive splash of his dark blood poured directly into the glass, filling a good portion of it.
Down in the front rows, Ivory sharply noticed Haruto's rigid posture and the slight tremor in his hand. Her goddess senses instantly picked up on the anomaly. Wait... something is definitely wrong with his physical calibration right now, she noted, her flat mood shifting into a narrow, watchful gaze.
Ignoring his inner panic, Haruto watched Lilith bring her injured ring finger to her lips, gently sucking on the small cut. Haruto immediately followed her lead, pressing his bleeding finger into his mouth. The moment he pulled it back out to inspect the damage, he noticed a faint digital hum—the bleeding had completely stopped, and the deep cut was already vanishing into smooth skin. Lilith's finger had healed perfectly too. An automated system healing trait tied to the ritual sequence, Haruto analyzed, letting out a small, silent sigh of relief.
With the first phase complete, Lilith elegantly lifted her ruby-tinted chalice and extended it toward Haruto, giving him a sharp, encouraging look with her eyes. Swap the glasses.
Haruto nodded smoothly, reaching out to exchange his heavily filled glass with hers.
As Lilith brought Haruto's chalice closer, her eyes widened slightly under her professional mask. She noticed the unusually thick, dark concentration of his blood swirling inside the liquid. Instead of hesitating, she maintained her absolute resolve, lifted the glass to her lips, and smoothly downed the entire drink in a single, confident gulp.
Haruto stood entirely frozen, staring at his own glass with his wide crimson eye. A cold sweat broke out across his forehead as his newly unlocked human emotions forced him into a massive logical spiral. Wait... do I actually have to drink this? Real human blood? His modern, rational mind instantly went into a state of pure panic. Is this even biologically safe?! What about bacterial contamination? What if I catch a magical infection or a severe virus from consuming raw blood?! There are zero sanitation filters on this item!
As Haruto stood there completely paralyzed, staring blankly into the ruby liquid, the heavy silence on the stage grew noticeable. The King leaned forward slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing as he checked on the delay. "Is there a problem, Haruto?" he asked, his deep voice carrying a hint of royal pressure.
Hearing the King's voice, Haruto's newly unlocked stage fright completely exploded. Terrified of ruining the entire ceremony in front of hundreds of watching nobles, his body moved entirely on pure survival instinct. Without thinking further, he closed his eyes, brought the crystal chalice to his lips, and violently forced himself to down the entire drink in one desperate, breathless gulp.
As the ruby liquid slid down Haruto's throat, his analytical brain prepared for a foul, metallic taste. But to his absolute surprise, the drink tasted incredibly smooth and intensely sweet—almost like a rare, high-tier elixir. Lilith set her empty chalice down on the silver platter with a soft clink, having finished hers at the exact same moment.
Right as the ritual's fluid intake phase cleared, a sharp, golden system window snapped into reality directly in front of Haruto's vision.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: CONFLICT ENCOUNTERED ]
Target: Crown Princess LilithWarning: The target entity possesses a raw power matrix far exceeding your current baseline. System has 0% administrative control over this entity.Action: Finalize the royal engagement bond?Reward: Split-System Level Up Source Available.[ YES ] / [ NO ]
Haruto tracked the holographic text, completely unfazed by the warning. Thanks to his visual privacy filter, the King, Fredrick, and the surrounding nobles remained entirely oblivious to the glowing text floating in the air.
Zero control, huh? Haruto thought, a small smirk playing on his lips despite his racing heart. Well, that makes perfect mathematical sense. Lilith is a Level 99 powerhouse, while my active combat system is still warming up. A glitch game isn't fun if you can just control all the high-level NPCs anyway. Without a shred of hesitation, he tapped the glowing [ YES ] option.
The moment his finger made contact, the alert dissolved into a brilliant ripple of white and black particles. Instantly, a secondary utility screen materialized right over it, flashing a prompt he hadn't expected so soon:
[ CHOOSE PROGRESSION PATH FOR LEVEL UP ]
Option 1: Creation (Current: Level 6)Option 2: Nothingness / Destruction (Current: Level 0)
Haruto paused for a millisecond, running a quick tactical assessment. My Creation tree already has a solid head start at Level 6. To maintain a balanced build and maximize my versatility, I need to kickstart the baseline metrics of the dark side. He confidently selected Nothingness.
A deep, low chime echoed inside his mind as the abyssal-black side of his dual HUD flared with dark energy. The digit clicked forward, officially shifting his secondary track from a flat zero to Level 1. Perfect, Haruto noted internally, feeling the new strand of power smoothly integrate into his core system. The foundation is set. Now I have access to both sides of the code.
Before he could pull up the sub-menus to audit his newly unlocked Level 1 abilities, the system interface faded away as Lilith broke his concentration. Moving with flawless royal grace, she reached down toward the velvet platter and elegantly lifted Haruto's engagement ring, bringing the ceremony to its final phase.
Haruto snapped out of his system menu with a jolt, his newly unlocked anxiety giving him a sharp mental kick. Oh right! I am in the middle of an official royal ceremony! I completely lost focus for a second, he scolded himself, his face flushing warm as he quickly calibrated back to reality.
Lilith gracefully lifted his left hand, holding the elegant engagement ring she had picked up from the silver platter.
Haruto extended his hand, his fingers trembling just a tiny bit from the sheer nervousness rushing through his system. I can't believe this is happening, his inner voice panicked, a wave of intense shyness hitting him. My very first engagement... and it's with a girl this incredibly beautiful.
As Lilith smoothly slid the ring onto his ring finger, the physical contact sent a sudden, electric tingle straight up his arm. It felt exactly like an intense burst of tickles, making Haruto involuntarily stiffen his posture to keep from reacting out loud. He looked down at his hand; the ring was a masterfully crafted blend of polished silver and shimmering gold, wrapping around his finger perfectly. Wow... it actually looks beautiful, he thought, a rare trace of genuine pride settling in his chest.
Realizing it was now his turn to complete the loop, Haruto looked down at the platter to find Lilith's matching ring. Lilith elegantly extended her slender left hand, her eyes locked onto his, waiting with a soft, expectant smile.
Haruto took a steadying breath, picked up the ring, and carefully guided it onto her finger. The moment the band clicked into place, both of their faces instantly redlined, flashing a deep, matching crimson under the warm chandelier lights.
The entire grand hall instantly erupted into deafening applause. The nobles, officials, and the queens all clapped enthusiastically, their cheers echoing off the high stone walls to celebrate the union of the future rulers.
But right at the peak of the celebration, the heavy double doors at the far end of the hall swung open with a resounding thud.
Haruto's gaze, along with every eye in the room, instinctively snapped toward the entrance.
Standing in the doorway was Seraphine. The palace maids had completely transformed her. She was wearing a magnificent, flowing white bridal gown that draped over her flawlessly. Her hair had been intricately styled into a beautiful, elegant updo, perfectly accentuating her sharp features and soft expression. With the warm light framing her silhouette, she looked absolutely ethereal—like a breathtaking fairy stepped straight out of a myth.