“Kill you? If I killed you, how could I use you?” Alan flashed his signature villainous smile with a hint of slyness, though deep in his eyes lay a barely perceptible calculation. “Letting you live is the true punishment, Marianne.”
He stepped closer, his bloodstained fingers carrying an irresistible force, gently wiping across Marianne’s pale, delicate cheek, leaving a glaring red mark.
There was no special meaning behind this. Alan simply found it amusing to dirty a pretty girl’s face.
That’s just how villains are. They like doing meaningless things.
“What would you think if I told you that in other worldlines, you’ve killed me dozens, even hundreds of times?”
Marian’s breath caught sharply. She stared into Alan’s eyes. Those deep, unfathomable black pupils seemed to contain endless cycles of suffering, leaving her unable to tell if this was madness or… the truth.
“The past me is already dead.” Alan’s voice was low and cold, carrying a chilling exhaustion and madness. “The current Alan de Laval is a nightmare that crawled out of a terrifying nightmare. Marianne, you have your way of revenge, and I have mine.”
He tossed aside the confiscated noble longsword, producing a clatter on the ground. Then, with his blood-covered hand, he forcefully wiped across Marianne’s other clean cheek, making the red stain even more glaring.
Yes, now it’s symmetrical. Perfect!
While scribbling on the pitiful little maid’s face, Alan spoke in a cruel yet determined tone:
“I won’t forgive what you’ve done, and you won’t forgive the past me. But as things stand, we’re now bound together by fate.”
“If you leave me and lose the protection of House Laval, the Inquisition Tribunal won’t let you go, and The Order will hunt you down. As for me? Without you as a buffer, some Phoenix Overlord would crush me outright.”
Alan’s smile twisted further. “We’re destined to be tangled together until death do us part. That’s my deepest torment for you—I’ll force you to continue ‘serving’ me and live under my watchful eye.”
Marianne looked at Alan with eyes full of hatred and resentment, but her crimson irises also held a glimmer of hope for survival.
That’s right.
You’re the cover character of the game. If you died, players would complain about false advertising for Star Love Song and leave a bunch of bad reviews…
Wait, why do I even care about this crappy game’s reputation?
If Alan could travel back, he’d absolutely write a hundred-thousand-word tearful review!
Too many villain death endings in this game!
Even villains have basic human rights, okay?
While Alan ranted about the developers’ malice toward villains, he simultaneously demonstrated exactly why villains deserved their fate.
He leaned close to Marianne’s ear. Warm breath tinged with the smell of blood brushed against her ear, like a devil’s whisper:
“You loathe me so much, yet you have to show me your vulnerability… That look in your eyes brings me immense pleasure!”
His words were like tickling a little maid’s maiden heart with a feather.
Marianne’s body trembled violently.
She no longer looked at Alan. She kept her head down, her fine black hair covering her eyes. Only her clenched fists, with knuckles white, revealed her humiliation and struggle.
Finally, from between gritted teeth, she squeezed out two trembling words: “…Scumbag.”
“Yeah, I’m a scumbag.” Alan admitted openly, even with a hint of self-deprecating ease. “We both know that. So, to get revenge on this ‘scumbag,’ you have to live—the longer, the better.”
Alan changed his tone, lowering his voice like a snake’s tongue, precisely targeting the softest, most cherished corner of Marianne’s heart:
“Speaking of which, Marianne. That ‘fiancée’ who’s visiting me tomorrow, Livia von Stern, the Border Count’s daughter… You know her, right? And very, very well.”
Boom—!
Like a thunderclap in her mind! Marianne jerked violently and snapped her head up to look at Alan. Her deep eyes instantly filled with extreme shock and terror, even more than when facing death!
“W-why…” Her voice shattered, as if her soul itself trembled.
“I’m a villain, after all. All your secrets are an open book to me.”
Alan watched with satisfaction as Marianne’s face drained of color, her eyes unable to hide her panic. A twisted pleasure surged within him.
Tormenting this tragic yuri couple, Marianne and Livia, was top-tier entertainment!
Alan was already the Villain Young Master, so playing the wicked other man came naturally, right?
Yuri destruction is also part of yuri, a flavor one must taste.
“You had a promise with her, didn’t you?” Alan’s whisper slowly eroded Marianne’s defenses. “On a certain sunny afternoon? In a field of wildflowers? How beautiful, how pure that promise was…”
His smile carried cruel amusement.
“But now, she’ll become my ‘fiancée,’ and you? You’re just my little maid. Your statuses are worlds apart. That beautiful promise of yours was doomed to be an unattainable castle in the sky from the start!”
Marianne’s body swayed. Her face was as pale as paper, teetering.
Alan continued twisting the knife, precisely striking her deep-seated inferiority and despair:
“You joined The Order, endured the pain of implanting a false emblem, and gained that twisted power, all just to shorten the distance between you, to one day stand proudly by her side, right?”
“Stop dreaming such unrealistic fantasies!” Alan’s voice suddenly rose, cold and harsh.
“Let me tell you, Livia’s emblem talent is unprecedented! She’s a born star, destined to soar above the heavens! And you?”
“Even with that twisted power, even at the cost of your life, you’ll never even touch the threshold beneath her feet! You and I are the same, Marianne. We’re mere mortals! Face reality!”
“No… that’s not it… I… I only wanted…”
Marianne’s resolve shattered completely. Every word from Alan was a heavy hammer smashing the softest, most treasured part of her heart, leaving her broken and incoherent.
The pillar of faith that kept her alive seemed to crack and crumble under Alan’s words.
“Only wanted to be with her? Impossible.” Alan mercilessly crushed her last hope.
“Even I know that this so-called engagement between us is purely her political exploitation of my nearly bankrupt noble family! She stopped being the pure maiden you remember long ago.”
“The dye vat of the Royal Capital, the rules of the nobility—they’ve already turned her into an ugly, calculating monster just like me!”
“No—!!!” Marianne’s tears burst forth like a dam breaking. “She’s different from you! She’s my hero! She… she said… she would come to save me… See? She really did come…”
She sobbed uncontrollably, her body drained of all strength, and she collapsed limply to the ground. Under the moonlight, she looked like a lily ravaged by wind and rain.
Hero?
Your hero is my nightmare!
I’m not some little monster, so why do I have to be killed by a righteous Ultraman?
Just because I’m set as a villain?
Thinking about Livia made Alan furious.
“During your darkest days, when the past me tortured you until you were covered in wounds, when the order seduced you, when the false emblem corroded you, when you struggled and sank in pain and darkness—where was your ‘hero’? Maybe she didn’t completely forget you, but…”
Alan deliberately paused, looking down at the broken girl on the ground, and sneered:
“You, Marianne, are not as important to her as you think!”
“The nobility is that ugly thing. The me standing before you is the best example, isn’t it?”
“Enough… don’t say anymore… please…” Marianne curled up, burying her face in her knees, her shoulders heaving violently.
Seeing that the little maid’s spirit had completely collapsed, Alan became nervous instead.
Completely destroying Marianne’s psychological defenses would backfire on his plan.
Damn it, this is all your fault, Livia!
Because of you, I let my personal grudges slip in!
In Star Love Song, neither he nor Marianne had a good ending. They could easily form a “Phoenix Overlord Female Protagonist Victims Association.”
Sympathizing with each other, Alan’s remaining resentment toward Marianne turned into pity.
Alan crouched down and, unexpectedly, reached out and gently pulled the trembling, tear-streaked Marianne into his arms.
Marianne stiffened for a moment but didn’t struggle. She just cried silently in his embrace, as if pouring out all her grievances, pain, and despair.
“I can help you, Marianne.” Alan’s voice was like a demon tempting mortals into sin, full of allure. “And only I can help you. I can let you be with her.”
Marianne’s crying abruptly stopped. She raised her head in disbelief, her tear-filled eyes showing fragility and a faint glimmer of hope.
“But only if you listen to me.”
Alan extended three bloodstained fingers, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“First, you can’t die. Live, and there’s a future.”
“Second, you can’t reveal your past identity to anyone. To Livia, to everyone, keep your mouth shut. Marianne, head maid of House Laval, is all you are now.”
“Third,” Alan looked at the fragile girl in his arms, who was barely holding together yet sparked a faint light by his words. A plan, both evil and redemptive, formed in his mind. “You must fulfill your promise.”
“Huh?” Marianne was completely stunned, looking at Alan with teary eyes, utterly unable to comprehend his meaning.
“I won’t bully you anymore. From now on, our relationship will be a normal, dignified master-servant one.” Alan’s tone carried a strange calmness. He reached out and gently wiped away the tears on Marianne’s face.
“Please, during the time Livia is still my ‘fiancée,’ get along with her, rebuild your bond. Then, let her take you away from House Laval to live the life you once promised.”
Marianne stared at him blankly, as if listening to a fairy tale.
“As payment for this deal,” Alan looked into her eyes, “you must make her protect me, protect House Laval, and let me survive. It’s fair, Marianne. We each get what we need.”
Just then, a flash of inspiration hit Alan’s inherently paranoid mind.
He hadn’t seriously considered his engagement with Livia before, but thinking carefully, there was something strange behind this marriage.
Her becoming his fiancée might not be a variation of the worldline.
He finally remembered: the political marriage between House Stern and House Laval existed in every reincarnation!
Livia von Stern had always been the fiancée of Alan de Laval. It was a setting that didn’t appear in the original Star Love Song but was real nonetheless!
How interesting. What reason did the developers have for deliberately hiding this setting?
Alan de Laval was clearly just a fodder villain, yet the creators specifically made a thousand different deaths for him. A simple plot device didn’t deserve so much attention.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
The original never explained why Alan had an almost obsessive fixation on Livia, to the point that death flags were planted all over him.
If, in the beginning, Alan wasn’t a villain tool but an important character related to Livia, then his fixation seemed to have an explanation.
Could it be that someone on the development team had a personal grudge? This person hated Alan de Laval so much that they not only deleted his scenes but also gave him a thousand ways to die?
If Alan’s guess was true, then Alan de Laval was truly the most tragic character in the entire game, no competition.
Setting aside speculation outside the game, in so many reincarnations, Alan’s engagement always came to nothing.
But this time, Livia actually planned to visit him on her own.
Why?
Alan had dealt with Livia too many times. He knew her personality very well.
She was less like an otome game protagonist and more like a battle maniac who walked into the wrong genre.
Her pursuit of justice was almost obsessive, and her desire to level up, fight monsters, and seize treasures was no less intense than a male-oriented power fantasy protagonist.
Livia didn’t have the typical love-struck brain of an otome heroine. Her personality even bordered on sexually cold.
If the player didn’t intend to pursue her romance route, Livia would spend the academy arc alone and directly enter the single route.
The single route was the essence of Star Love Song!
The plot of this route could be summed up in three words:
Fight, fun!
Of course, this route also had bad ends. If Livia continuously violated her inner justice and made wrong choices, she would eventually become the Demon King.
Livia on the romance route was far weaker than on the single route.
If Livia was willing to fall in love normally, it meant her maiden personality hadn’t yet been replaced by the obsessive pursuit of power.
For this reason, Alan planned to set up Livia and Marianne.
Fighting a normal Livia was already hard enough. If she became the obsessive battle maniac from the single route, no matter how many lives Alan had, they wouldn’t suffice.
If Livia was visiting him voluntarily, did that mean she was still an ordinary maiden with a romantic heart?
Wasn’t it normal for a naive noble lady to be interested in her fiancé?
If so, this was great news for Alan!
Alan couldn’t help sneering inwardly.
Great news?
That damn woman would never be interested in the weak!
Naive?
She was a violent character who could smile while strangling heretics! She was utterly unworthy of being an otome game protagonist!
Alan remembered Livia’s questioning from the last playthrough:
“Alan de Laval! What did you just say… the cursed crest bloodline… what does that mean?”
She was so shaken then, and she even killed him in excitement.
Something was off.
Could Livia also retain memories from the reincarnations, like him?
Otherwise, how would she know there was something wrong with the crest bloodline?
If so… her purpose in visiting Alan… was to test him?
The realization dawned on Alan.
Was she approaching House Laval, approaching him, also for Marianne? To pull her out of the abyss of The Order?
Making Marianne completely break away from The Order was precisely a key part of his plan, wasn’t it?
If he could bring about a happy end for Marianne and Livia, would this world—this “script” revolving around Livia—go easy on him?
Considering the possibility that Livia retained her memories, Alan added to Marianne:
“Speaking of which, Marianne. When you interact with Livia, you might encounter some strange things. For example, you might find Livia deliberately playing dumb in front of you, pretending not to know you, or acting completely ignorant of your past promise.”
He looked at Marianne’s again-confused eyes and explained, “If that happens, please don’t be surprised or expose her. She has her reasons. Just play along and pretend to be clueless. I enjoy watching her… well, make her busy for nothing.”
“You…” Marianne looked at Alan with an extremely complicated gaze. All kinds of indescribable emotions intertwined. “How do you even know all these things?”
She felt that all her thoughts and secrets were completely seen through by Alan.
This feeling of being thoroughly understood terrified her, yet it also gave birth to a sick dependence in her despair.
Almost like acting spoiled, she weakly punched Alan’s chest with a clenched fist, her voice carrying a sob and a hint of reproach she hadn’t even noticed herself:
“Why… why, of all times, do you have to be so gentle at a time like this… when you’re obviously… obviously a scumbag…”
“Wait…”
Alan didn’t have the mind to savor Marianne’s conflicted look of insecurity mixed with a hint of being conquered.
He suddenly sensed something wrong.
Cold… a sluggish chill spread through his limbs.
And… why did he feel nothing when Marianne punched his chest?
No pain, no itch, not even a clear sense of touch?
There’s no way Marianne was “acting spoiled”; her body language still clearly showed resistance and struggle!
Could it be… that Wei Wen Qi Shi’s ability wasn’t simple concealment… but—
Perception obscuration?!
Alan belatedly looked down at his blood-soaked clothes.
The thick dark red had already drenched the fabric, even forming a small puddle on the ground!
The Wei Wen Qi Shi’s ability had suppressed Alan’s pain and blood loss, and now that the effect had faded, the delayed agony and icy weakness flooded over him like a tsunami!
Damn!
I actually… slipped up like this?
Bastard! Are you kidding me?!
It’s all your fault, Livia!!!!!
“Marianne…” Alan wanted to say something, but the world spun violently before his eyes. All sounds quickly faded, and darkness flooded in like a tide.
Before he could even finish a sentence, his body completely lost control and fell limply forward.
“Young Master Alan!” Marianne’s terrified scream rang in his ears.
The expected cold impact of hitting the ground never came. Instead, he fell into a warm embrace with a faint scent of soap—
Marianne had caught him.
Marianne looked at the unconscious young master in her arms, his face as pale as paper, his body rapidly losing warmth. Her mind went blank.
The young master who had just been like a demon controlling everything, speaking cruel yet strangely redeeming words to her, was now as fragile as a broken doll.
Those words, that deal, those plans about Livia… how much of it was true? She didn’t know.
But she did know that this scumbag young master, who had just spared her life and given her a ridiculous yet hope-filled path, was now on the verge of death.
Fear instantly overwhelmed her mind, even more than when she faced his killing intent earlier!
“No… don’t… you can’t die…” Marianne’s voice broke with sobs. She frantically tried to press down on the wounds still seeping blood on Alan, but didn’t know where to start.
The fatal injuries concealed by perception obscuration were now mercilessly draining his life.
“Didn’t you promise… to help me…”
“Why… just now I hated him so much… and now I’m so afraid to lose him?”
Was it because he promised to fulfill her promise with Livia? Or because… after seeing through all her disgrace and despair, he still extended that twisted olive branch?
She couldn’t tell.
She only knew she had to save him!
For that promise, for the possible future he spoke of, and for that responsibility just budding in her heart—a mix of guilt, fear, and an emotion she couldn’t name…
“Someone—help—!!!!”
Marianne used all her strength, holding Alan’s cold, heavy body, and let out a heart-wrenching cry toward the brightly lit main mansion.
Her voice echoed in the silent courtyard, filled with unprecedented panic and despair.
“Young Master Alan… is about to die!!!!”
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